Anybody interested in LED Lights for their Datto?

[lowdatsun620]

Whats up Ratsun?

 

Just wanted to probe the waters, see how much interest there would be in LED lights for your rides? I'm talking about modified OEM turn signals, brake lights, tail lights, interior lights, dash lights, etc.

 

WARNING!!! Before you look any further, know there are flashing lights in the pictures that follow. Before anybody damn near has a heart-attack over the thought of THESE lights on their mint Datto, I'm only posting them because these GIF's are really the best way for you to get a quick idea of what we COULD do, should you choose... ok go...:lol:

 

 

Custom Turn Signals

 

Custom Taillights

 

I am in the business of Custom LED Lighting. We do Automotive, Limos, Party Buses, Homes, Clubs, Interior, Exterior, Landscape, Architecture, you name it. Check out my company's website http://www.custom-effects.com, there's a portfolio there with pictures of other past projects we've done.

 

We use tiny LED chips and custom made circuit boards custom designed for every application and manufactured in-house by your's truly (and my boss/founder too, but I'd be handling (read:guarding your Datto gear with my life :D)). We also custom program all our own control circuits so we can recreate really any possible lighting look you would like to achieve. (scrolling turn signals, custom light patterns (X's, O's or arrows, etc), fast blink, slow blink, Audi R8 style accents, angel eyes, etc) We could even do custom housings. (Hidden in grill to replace shaved lights, custom shape etc.)

 

We can use single colour lights in pretty much any colour, for savings on a basic model (orange blinker or red tail etc.) or for just slightly more $, using RGB LEDs we can tap into a 10,000 colour spectrum for if you want multi-function lights (brake/reverse, brake/signal, 'dance party',...) or even just if you're extra particular about the tone of red you would like your tails to be.

 

The fact that we custom build every project means you only pay for the features you are looking for. And of course if there is enough interest in a particular model, we can reduce-cost and increase quality with larger runs. And the relative cost for a plain set of blinkers is very affordable considering with a 10,000 hour lifespan on the LEDs themselves, unless you drive your Datto all night, every night, your tail lights will out last the car (or at least until your grandkids re-restore it). WE offer a two year warranty but I PERSONALLY will make sure any lights on a Datto stay working.

 

SO that's basically my spiel. I'd love to hear what you guys would be interested in, answer any questions you might have, get you more pictures or try to get some ball park figures if you wanna see some numbers, I just need a starting point. if theres a fair bit of interest for particular applications (510 and 620 guys?) I wouldn't be surprised if I could get prices below $150 for a set of brake lights and $50 for a pair of marker lights.

 

Anyone interested in donating lights for building prototypes would get a deal for helping the cause, as well as a deal on any 'new-and-improved versions' that might spawn from their product testing.

[lowdatsun620]

perhaps this should have gone under parts for sale instead of technical>electrical? nothings really for sale YET... do what you will moderators

[freaky510]

i got some lites i could donate send me you info and i will send you the extras i got:)

[71ka510]

your website link doesnt work

[sssr20det510]

very interesting id be up for some in my sss tails

[dat521kid]

I'd be interested in some tail lights for my 521

[MikeRL411]

Harbor Freight is selling DOT certified waterproof submersible trailer LED lights by Haulmaster [lot no. 94137] for $39.99. 18 LEDs per lamp. You could pull the boards and wiring harness and be far ahead on a custom setup behind your existing lamp assembly. Would probably fit trucks like 521 directly.

Edited October 24, 2009 by MikeRL411
additional info

[dat521kid]

Harbor Freight is selling DOT certified waterproof submersible trailer LED lights by Haulmaster [lot no. 94137] for $39.99. 18 LEDs per lamp. You could pull the boards and wiring harness and be far ahead on a custom setup behind your existing lamp assembly. Would probably fit trucks like 521 directly.

 

really? thanks i will check that out.. i had been taking a look at other options and thinking of making them fit with a roll pan or something :cool:

[Nissan_Boy85]

I got a set of 720 taillights I could donate.

[Nice140Y]

I'd be interested in some for my 510.

[lowdatsun620]

Harbor Freight is selling DOT certified waterproof submersible trailer LED lights by Haulmaster [lot no. 94137] for $39.99. 18 LEDs per lamp. You could pull the boards and wiring harness and be far ahead on a custom setup behind your existing lamp assembly. Would probably fit trucks like 521 directly.

 

Mike, while this is a reasonable option, and all the power to anyone who might wish to try this route, looking at the HF lights, I see room for improvement:

 

-First off, the boards are probably in the neighbourhood of 3 - 3 1/2" round or square, by my estimates. This would be too large for many Datto markers that are at most 2 1/2" in their smaller dimension, let alone the fact that the housings are even smaller than the lenses.

 

-For a 620 or similar tail light, you would need at least 2 sets of these to complete a pair of lights, adding to the cost and labour.

 

-The LED spacing on these appears to be around an inch, with the SMD LEDs that I would use we could cut the spacing in half, doubling your LEDs. This makes the light brighter overall, as well as cuts the unsightly appearance of multiple 'hotspots' or individual points of light within the lens. This comes at virtually no added material cost (matter of a couple cents per LED) as well as reduced labour costs as SMDs are quicker to manufacture with.

 

-They are likely using 'superflux' LEDs which have a very high profile, at 3/8" plus board and solder joint thickness adding probably another 1/16" to 1/8". As SMDs are very low profile, (total board thickness of under 3/16") the light source can be placed deeper within the housing, which also helps light distribution, virtually eliminating hotspots, period. Even if using standard LEDs, that would only shave 1/8" off, and sacrifice brightness. I know those tolerances seem minimal in terms of fit, but trust me when I say 1/8" can make all the difference in overall light dispersion and elimination of hotspots.

 

-You would be paying not only for the LEDs and board, but the lens, housing, wiring, and labour, plus markup, which will be scrap at the end of the day, plus the time you spend making it work. With my boards you would be paying for a board and LEDs, guaranteed to fit your application, and a wee bit of my time, which saves you all the hassle. Heck, I'll even clean your old lights up, paint the housings and ship you back what might as well be a brand new set of lights. The only thing you will have to do is install your new lights back on the vehicle. I can't do anything about old rotted rubber boots like I know I have on my lights, but you can be sure they will be properly and cleanly sealed from the elements.

 

-Lastly the DOT approval. From MY understanding, which I'll admit is little on the subject, DOT ratings apply mainly to the lenses, which are being re-used from the Datsun anyways, and I assume are DOT approved. These LEDs, while brighter, are by no means going to be blinding drivers behind you and thus should not attract any unwanted legal attention, and are pretty much guaranteed to ensure your vehicle is more visible to other drivers and thus SAFER than the aging original equipment. Also, if DOT approval is anything like CSA safety approval here in Canada, the testing process is expensive, as are the yearly dues companies must pay to keep their approval. Costs which get tacked onto the end product, which you would be hacking up, throwing in the trash, and voiding in the end.

 

 

For those who want a real bargain and don't mind doing some of their own work I could even ship out just the boards and you could install them yourselves, but at least you can rest assured knowing that what your buying will pop right in with no hassles when it gets to your door. For a real steal I could even put together a build it yourself kit for under $20 if you aren't afraid of a little soldering.

 

There's an LED lighting solution for EVERY budget, whether you need to save time or money.

[lowdatsun620]

your website link doesnt work

 

should work, just clicked my link and it went. possible you timed it when our server comp was restarted or something? anybody else try?

[lowdatsun620]

very interesting id be up for some in my sss tails

 

I've always loved 510s but I'm only REALLY familiar with 620s, always knew about SSS models but not really the details... after looking up these lights, I'm VERY interested in playing with these bad boys. They lend themselves very well to LEDs, both in their physical design, but especially with the sequential lights.

 

I would like to know more about how the sequencers function. Do they act simply as switches, letting the incandescent action take care of the fade or do they act as dimmers? If like dimmers, this could be a very simple and still relatively inexpensive retrofit with GREAT results (the lines on these lights were MADE for these LEDs).

 

However, if the sequencers act like switches, I would essentially HAVE to build a controller for the LEDs. I couldn't allow a simple 3 section on/off LED light to befoul the great Datsun engineering. They did an excellent job designing these lights so even with just 3 sections the sequence is very smooth, thanks to the fade effect of each section. A basic 3 section switched LED light will NOT please owners of these lights, guaranteed. Because LEDs are instant on and instant off, it would look blocky in comparison. Kind of a definite 1,2,3.

 

A fade effect would not be hard to accomplish with either 3 or more sections but it would require a controller which adds cost both in materials but more so in the labour to write the program. And I know Datsun folk, it would have to be PERFECT. Though just for the sake of getting to see the end result I'd make sure the cost was reasonable, whether it takes me a day or a month to get it right. Again, more interest LOWERS the price!

 

Only problem, those might be hard to find someone willing to send me their baby's and let me play around with them at a few hundy for a decent set.

 

I'm not familiar with their assembly, what components do they break down into? I could always build from measurements but I prefer to have a test piece to play around with ideal LED placement and 'backspacing'.

 

Anyways, SSS taillight owners speak up! Don't make me go spending money I don't have on a set, just so I can see the results, because then I'll definitely HAVE to get a 510 to put them on, and I can't afford that right now, but i'll do it if I have to! :D

[lowdatsun620]

Just took another look at our site... it really, REALLY needs to be updated. Everything there except the bubble wall is from before I started working with him and alot of it doesn't even touch what we're doing now, especially on the automotive side. I know he has lots of pix of other projects, I'll see if I can grab some good ones. Also, our Accord ass end we built for a demo is coming back from the body shop this week, he might even have picked it up this weekend, I'll take pix of that that are a little more relevant to this discussion. Also hoping to get started on some of MY datto lights sometime this week.:lol:

[sssr20det510]

im interested for my sss tails it would be hard to ship away 500 dollar tails though

[SRSANDS]

I would be interested in a set of LED paks for my 510 tail lights, I would put them in......

[lowdatsun620]

im interested for my sss tails it would be hard to ship away 500 dollar tails though

 

yeah I totally understand man. I'm not sure I'd want to be held accountable for $500 tails either. :lol:

What assemblies does the tail disassemble into? If you could ship me just the housings I could work with those and some pics and measurements of the lens from you.

I could probably also do it just from good pix and measurements from you and ship you the completed boards for you to install yourself. If you are serious at this time, PM me what features you would be interested in, (sequenced? with or without stock sequencer? 3 zone vs. multizone?) pictures and rough measurements of the height and width of the illuminated area and I'll work out an estimate, and we can go from there.

[sssr20det510]

ya ill have to pull them out and get some pics and measurements

[lowdatsun620]

Alright so Freaky510 is sending me a full set of 510 lights (or whatever he`s got in his storage), NissanBoy has offered up a set of 720 tails, and I`m working with sssr20det510 to develop a set for the SSS Bluebird tails, and I`ll be using my own 620 set to develop those. Someone had emailed us at work about a 411 set, trying to access it now but my keyboard is doing some funky character set at the moment that doesn`t include an 'at' symbol to let me login. (You can contact me here as well if I don`t get back to you tomorrow) Dat521Kid if you are still interested in a set, or if any other 521 owners are interested, pics and measurements would help alot.

 

If I can get a rough idea of sizes for everything before I start the production stages, I could see what units are close in size and design multi-application boards, which means larger quantities and therefore lower prices across the board! (No pun intended)

 

LEDs for everyone! Hooray!

[lowdatsun620]

Alright, got a design done for 620 front turn signals today. 32 LEDs, going to etch it tomorrow and see if we have enough supplies to build it right now.

 

Just an update, here is the Accord demo we finally reassembled. Its not programmed yet but here is a pic of it all lit up.

 

Each of the and / in the centre section is an individual zone, with the left and right lights being divided top and bottom as well. The 3rd brake light is divided into 7 zones. The reverse lights are SUPER bright and divided into 4 rectangular sections. You cant tell here but the red LEDs continue the same pattern where the reverses are as well. The hot spots are so pronounced because the LEDS are directly beneath the lenses due to the internal design of the OEM accord lights, but actually produce a more even light than this picture would appear. I expect a led/lens spacing of about 1 1/2" for most Datsun applications with a little internal modification. (I removed the internal reflectors on my signals to gain more spacing and to fit more LEDs on the board.They won't be necessary)

[ohpyramids]

Each of the and / in the centre section is an individual zone

 

could these zones be made to animate? sequential turn signal style?

 

i am interested in both the DIY soldering kit and and fully assembled tail light options. let me know the final price.

[moparvwfreak]

i am kinda interested in the 620 lighting. that would be sweet. and a whole lot less draw on the electrical system to boot.

[510er]

I am totally interested, im in Iraq right now but I bookmarked this page I would get parking lamps and tails from you for my 510. I wouldn't mind sending them to you and having them done either. hope your still around ratsun in 4 months

[lowdatsun620]

could these zones be made to animate? sequential turn signal style?

 

i am interested in both the DIY soldering kit and and fully assembled tail light options. let me know the final price.

 

yes, a 'zone' is an individually controlled area, should have clarified that. a 'zone' could be 1 LED or 100, just depends on the design and application. we build controllers that have individual outputs for each zone and can be programmed to do any variety of sequences you can dream up. I will be doing an SSS bluebird design to update the stock sequential pattern to a chase pattern (sequential scrolls on and all turn off at once, chase scrolls on then scrolls off in the same direction). Just waiting for some measurements and pictures to work from. will post more pix once the Accord is programmed.

[lowdatsun620]

I am totally interested, im in Iraq right now but I bookmarked this page I would get parking lamps and tails from you for my 510. I wouldn't mind sending them to you and having them done either. hope your still around ratsun in 4 months

 

don't you worry 510er, ill be here 4 years from now, hell i'll probably be here 4 decades from now :D have a full set of 510 lights coming my way for making up a design, so I should have the entire set well before you get back.