LED selection resources

[Christ]

Places to buy:

SUPER BRIGHT LEDS
LEDLight.com: Online Shopping for LED Lighting Products

Forums and Resources:

LED emitter light output comparison
Comparison of light output of various LEDs and their current draw in mA.
HID Retrofit Parts Projectors Ballasts D2S Bulbs - Forum related to lighting with helpful members and information on DIY LED lights.

[Christ]

I'm going to be making some LED lights for my TwinStar project, and I'd like to compile a list of resources in this thread that others might be able to use, as well as myself, to enable themselves to create a wide range of different types of lights for use wherever LED's are appropriate.

For starters, my TwinStar has a 6V electrical system. I plan on replacing all the lights on the bike, including the headlight, with LEDs. I want to keep the wattage as low as possible, so that the alternator will see as little load as possible, but the lights must still be bright enough to be safe during daylight and night time conditions.

Any input that anyone might have will be greatly appreciated.

I will also update this thread with links and such as I have the time and find the resources.

[Daox]

SUPER BRIGHT LEDS home is where I have heard of most people getting their LED replacement lights.

[RobertSmalls]

ledlight.com has a good selection.

My bicycle has a 12V sealed lead-acid battery, a 3W headlight, and an LED trailer taillight that I bought off the clearance rack at the auto parts store. The taillight is total overkill. The headlight is not.

hth

[TomO]

Registering at HIDPlanet.com is also recommended. Info for making your own LED lights is available and there are some very helpful people there.

[Christ]

First post updated to reflect recent additions. Thanks guys! Keep 'em coming!

[NeilBlanchard]

Has anybody used some of these or these or these in a taillight or the amber ones for turn signals?

[Daox]

Personally, I wouldn't bother with any intermittent lights (turn signals mainly) since they aren't on enough to make a noticeable draw in power. I'd just do running lights.

[Christ]

In the case of many cars, aren't the running lights and turn signals in the same bulb?

What about the case such as the brake/tail/turn lights? They'd all be governed by 3 circuits going to the same bulb, right?

So you'd have a dual intensity LED setup with a blinker added in, in that case.

I dunno, if I were going to make lights for a car (or other vehicle) I'd just make them for all the lights to keep things looking the same.

Question -
Has anyone ever checked the energy use before the blinker relay? Relays use energy, too, so the total value for the turn signals would be all the signals and the relays for that side, and blinking. Doesn't it take more energy to turn an incandescent bulb on and off than to leave it on for a minute? (Or is that a myth?)

[cfg83]

NeilBlanchard -

Originally Posted by NeilBlanchard

Has anybody used some of these or these or these in a taillight or the amber ones for turn signals?

I am doing sizing calcs right now for my front amber running light and my rear red running/brake light. I can only fit a 1" diameter brake light into my lens housing, so I have to be careful.

I agree with Daox, I am not interested in brake lights because they are not continuous load.

Christ -

The "1157/2057" bulbs have double bottoms, so I think they operate at two amperages/intensities :



For example :

Current Draw @ 12 Volts (Unit: mA.) for a 1157-R(ed)18-T = 35 mA / 115 mA

CarloSW2