DIY RGB Demon Eyes

[CarbonZHP]

Heres my current progress on my demon eyes. Used High Flux RGB Piranha LEDS from Adafruit. Just learning that Ive resisted my circuits way too far. I didnt take into consideration that both LEDS would share the same power source with the harness I made, so in this picture they have about 4x the reistance they should. Maybe thats why one of the reds isnt working :dunno

Questions, Comments, Concerns

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t187/littletwerpy/2014-09-21203226_zps123cddbb.jpg (http://s160.photobucket.com/user/littletwerpy/media/2014-09-21203226_zps123cddbb.jpg.html)
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t187/littletwerpy/2014-09-21203320_zpsc75fcb4a.jpg (http://s160.photobucket.com/user/littletwerpy/media/2014-09-21203320_zpsc75fcb4a.jpg.html)

[Oli77]

You need resistors because LEDs are low voltage and you dropped from the 12 V in the car?

What resistor value are you using?

[CarbonZHP]

I had resisted to drop the 12v to ~4v for each color. This was running each led individually. But with my harness they share power and grounds, but both leds are still resisted as if they have individual 12v. So as opposed to the 470 I have on each led now, I only need a single 150 since I'm powering 2 on the same circuit.

[johnrando]

Wow. Guessing not legal.... but guessing you know that?

[CarbonZHP]

Leds are wired to 3 switches in my ash tray. Turn them off, they no longer exist at all

[CarbonZHP]

Anyone help me out with this? Below is my current layout and planned layout

1574315744

[Oli77]

Why do you need to drop the red so much?

[CarbonZHP]

Just the voltage requirements
http://www.adafruit.com/products/314#tutorials

[WOLFN8TR]

Looks Cool!

Why not just use a Dimmer? It's the same as a resistor correct? Adjust the Voltage where you want it.
In the diagram you have Max 30 amps is that all three legs total? So 10 amps each leg?

Red: 2.1-2.5V Forward Voltage, at 20mA current, Green: 3.8-4.5V, Blue: 3.8-4.5V.

Wireless Remote LED Light Dimmer Controller 12V/8A- $7

http://www.ebay.com/itm/271550186426?_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

LED Dimmer - 12V/1A - Panel / Dash mount with on/off switch- $18

http://www.ebay.com/itm/321472344136?_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

DIMMER SWITCH 12V/4.4A- $20

http://www.ebay.com/itm/251436695835?_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

LED Dimmer and Strobe Remote Switch! 6 Amps per channel / 36 Watts Total- $45

http://www.oznium.com/12v-remote-dimmer-strobe-switch

More Videos on Oznium's website




http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XeUGFuW_XSg&feature=youtu.be

[CarbonZHP]

Interesting. Thats a choice too. But unlike angel eyes, I dont think Ill want to dim these at night. Just trying to get the maximum safely from these. Theyre in a great position but right now its only visible at night in darkness.

[WOLFN8TR]

Interesting. Thats a choice too. But unlike angel eyes, I dont think Ill want to dim these at night. Just trying to get the maximum safely from these. Theyre in a great position but right now its only visible at night in darkness.

Wouldn't using a dimmer just change the color of these LED's?

The resistor I assume is the cheapest route thou.

[CarbonZHP]

LEDS are 4 pin, common annode. So one power wire. 3 grounds. Which ones you ground activates each color.

[WOLFN8TR]

LEDS are 4 pin, common annode. So one power wire. 3 grounds. Which ones you ground activates each color.

So the resistors are in the ground then, correct?

[CarbonZHP]

Correct.

[WOLFN8TR]

Interesting.

Cool Project, I like it. :thumbsup

[CarbonZHP]

Thank you. I'll get more comprehensive when it's finished to my liking. Just looking for someone to back up my schematics and resistors

[Oli77]

With V=IR, your bottom schematic, I am getting 80mA split on 2 wires so 40mA for each of the blue and green, isn't that too much?

[CarbonZHP]

Yeah thats too much. Max is 30 so I was aiming near 25 to be safe. I calculated those resistors with a Multi Led Circuit calculator. Guess either me or me were wrong

http://ledcalc.com/

[CarbonZHP]

I calculated that from a 12V source, wanting 4.5v and splitting ~55mA, a 150ohm should be used. Correct?

[Oli77]

That website calculates with the LEDs in series. Your bottom drawing is a parallel design.

Edit: I see now the website's parallel page. I guess you are right. Not used to this forward voltage stuff.

[CarbonZHP]

Alright. This is my first real freehand electronics project and no one has ever taught me these things haha. Senior in high school. What resistance would you recommend?

[Oli77]

Well according to your website, 220 Ohms for the reds and 180 Ohms for the blue as well as the green.

The resistor will heat up more than the LEDs.

That website is cool.

[CarbonZHP]

Cool Ill try it. Thanks

[CarbonZHP]

LEDs that I were running became too much of a bitch. With random colors not wanting to work anymore. Im changing LED types, with signifcantly more power. So now to figure out this resistance, looks fun.
DC Forward Voltage: Red: 2.4-2.8V, Green: 3.2-3.4V, Blue: 3.2-3.4V
DC Forward Current: 300-350mA

[ryankokesh]

So much science... Pretty sweet though!

[CarbonZHP]

http://www.modernette.ca/press/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/i-have-no-idea-what-im-doing-science-dog.jpg

[ryankokesh]

:rofl

[CarbonZHP]

Thank God for the internet. Fucking perfect picture

[ryankokesh]

No kidding... I was wondering the other day how anyone ever got any work done without computers.

[Oli77]

You got some 18 ohms on the reds and 15 ohms on the G and B?

Dang things are drawing some amps!

[CarbonZHP]

Haven't gotten the resistors yet. I calculated something like a 7W resistor. Still don't quite understand the relation of resistors to power drawn. Yeah these new LEDs I just ordered draw significantly more.

[CarbonZHP]

Bump. Got the new LEDS, and ive decided to run 2 per headlight. So 4 per parallel circuit. Just bought 6.8ohm 25W resistors. One for each color.

[CarbonZHP]

New resistors came. Turns out the eBay LEDs are actually common annode (-_-) but I can make it work with a little extra wiring near my switches. The resistor does get very hot though after only about 15 seconds...

[CarbonZHP]

New setup done. Red works, blue and green don't. Not sure if I have the wrong resistors? Also the red works with the car powered off, but right when I turn the key to the second position, they turn off. Help?

[Oli77]

Sounds backwards. Not sure how you got that to work like that. Do they turn back on after position 2? With car running?

[CarbonZHP]

I know what youre thinking. Im not wired to accessory power. Both power and ground are coming directly from the terminals in the drug bin. Right now my only thought could be that I have a short near my switches in the ash tray, shorting to the cigarette lighter. Hence not working when accessory power is switched on. So I think that is solvable simply enough. My other weird problem is why blue and green don't work. I do have the same rating resistor on all 3 colors so maybe its only enough for red and not the others?

[CarbonZHP]

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t187/littletwerpy/44f2317a23860b8a7ee6e2aea254aa67_zps7e9a2c90.jpg (http://s160.photobucket.com/user/littletwerpy/media/44f2317a23860b8a7ee6e2aea254aa67_zps7e9a2c90.jpg.h tml)

[johnrando]

Wow, that's scary. Good timing for Halloween. :)

[ELCID86]

Sounds backwards. Not sure how you got that to work like that. Do they turn back on after position 2? With car running?

aiding and abetting.

[CarbonZHP]

aiding and abetting.

What? I believe my positive connection at my switches is shorting to the exposed ground on the cigarette lighter. Drained my battery last night

[Oli77]

My other weird problem is why blue and green don't work. I do have the same rating resistor on all 3 colors so maybe its only enough for red and not the others?

I thought you needed different resistors for different colors.

Looks good!

[CarbonZHP]

When I calculated online for the 3 different colors, it appeared that I could use the same rated resistor for all 3. Im now realizing that is probably wrong. Right now I have 5.6ohm 25W on all 3. They get extremely damn hot

[Johnmadd]

Looks cool, very unique.

[CarbonZHP]

Thank you

[derbo]

When I calculated online for the 3 different colors, it appeared that I could use the same rated resistor for all 3. Im now realizing that is probably wrong. Right now I have 5.6ohm 25W on all 3. They get extremely damn hot

This can't be right if they are require different voltages. The Blue and green needs 3.8-4.5V and the red needs 2.5V right? The resistance needs to be lower on the blue n green ones.

[CarbonZHP]

For the old LEDS, they were lower voltages and different resistors. The new ones take much more power and with the calculator it ended up rounding to the same resistor on all of them. Theyre something like 3.5V at 350mh. And I have 4 per circuit

[derbo]

For the old LEDS, they were lower voltages and different resistors. The new ones take much more power and with the calculator it ended up rounding to the same resistor on all of them. Theyre something like 3.5V at 350mh. And I have 4 per circuit

Gotcha. I must've lost myself in the thread.

Call me crazy, but is the Green/Blue LED in the correct forward direction? Have you tried testing Green/Blue LED onto the red circuit?

[CarbonZHP]

It's an rgb led. So one negative and the colors each have a positive

[CarbonZHP]

Gotcha. I must've lost myself in the thread.

Call me crazy, but is the Green/Blue LED in the correct forward direction? Have you tried testing Green/Blue LED onto the red circuit?

I mean youre probably right, just last time I tried the calculator for parallel LEDs it rounded them all to the same resistor. And since the red works and blue and green dont, something is wrong with the power. I checked, blue and green are getting power at the pins at the LED, so its not a wiring issue. I also dont think it would be an LED issue, not on all 4

Edit: F*ck me http://www.ebay.com/itm/251479975671?_trksid=p2059210.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

[derbo]

Do you have a spec sheet on the new RGB LEDs?

[CarbonZHP]

This is where I bought them. Not proud that its eBay, but I had originally bought good quality LEDs somewhere else and they went bad several times. Also, the listing i bought them from claims common annode, but theyre common cathode. Rated the seller negatively for that, they love that stuff

Edit: F*ck http://www.ebay.com/itm/251479975671?_trksid=p2059210.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

[derbo]

waiting on edit for link :)

[CarbonZHP]

^

[derbo]

Hmm okay.


Wattage: 3W
Emitted Color: Red, Green, Blue
DC Forward Voltage: Red: 2.4-2.8V, Green: 3.2-3.4V, Blue: 3.2-3.4V
DC Forward Current: 300-350mA
Luminous Flux: Red: 30-40lm, Green:70-80lm, Blue:30-40lm
Wave Length: Red: 620-625nm, Green: 520-525nm, Blue: 460-465nm
Package included: 10pcsx 3W RGB SMD chip

How is your circuit laid out right now? It looks like your red is a lower voltage than the rest of them..so the resistance should be higher on the green/blues.

[CarbonZHP]

I'll draw up a diagram. But they're in parallel. Switch is on the positive, along with the resistor. Power and ground both coming directly from drug bin connections

[derbo]

I'll draw up a diagram. But they're in parallel. Switch is on the positive, along with the resistor. Power and ground both coming directly from drug bin connections

DC forward: 300-350mA

Vin = 12V or 13.4V

Vtyp
R = 2.4-2.8V
G = 3.2-3.4V
B = 3.2-3.4V

Equations:
R(color) = (Vin - Vtyp) / DC Forward = resistance needed.

R green = R blue.

P = i^2 * R (color) = Watts your resistor needs to be.

edit: i = DC Forward

[CarbonZHP]

What should I be aiming for, the lower end voltage or higher.

Every stupid calculator website I go to, I get different resistance results

[wsmeyer]

The higher the voltage through the LED the brighter it will be. The voltage when the car is running should always be less than 14V so I would aim for the high end of the LED's range at 14V.

When you put a resistor in series with an LED the lower the resistance of the resistor, the higher the voltage will be across the LED.

Do you have a multimeter to measure this stuff?

[CarbonZHP]

Yes I have a multimeter. My voltage cant be that off, yet the green and blue do not light at all. Shouldnt they at least partially light?

[derbo]

The higher the voltage through the LED the brighter it will be. The voltage when the car is running should always be less than 14V so I would aim for the high end of the LED's range at 14V.

When you put a resistor in series with an LED the lower the resistance of the resistor, the higher the voltage will be across the LED.

Do you have a multimeter to measure this stuff?

I agree. These resistors are going need to be rated pretty high wattage with that kind of current.

Also when you calculate the right resistor, check with this site, they should have right resistor for you.

http://www.digikey.com/product-search/en?vendor=0&keywords=resistors

[derbo]

Yes I have a multimeter. My voltage cant be that off, yet the green and blue do not light at all. Shouldnt they at least partially light?

Can you draw out your circuit?

[CarbonZHP]

The resistors are very high rated. Right now I have heatsunk 6.8ohm 25W resistors

[wsmeyer]

Here's a diagram including the values you should be reading with your multimeter:


https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/25621980/LED-Diagram.jpg


In your original schematic you had 270ohm and 150ohm resistors. Decreasing the resistance of those resistors increases the voltage across the LED and going all the way down to 6ohms may have burned out the LED.

People that like doing this kind of thing keep rheostats in their electronics box. One like this would be perfect for your project:

http://www.amazon.com/Ceramic-Wirewound-Adjustable-Resistor-Rheostat/dp/B008DFUPMC/ref=sr_1_21?ie=UTF8&qid=1415241578&sr=8-21&keywords=50w+rheostat

What you would do is use it instead of the resistor in series with the LED. As an example, you would put the rheostat in series with the RED leg of the LED instead of the resistor I have labeled Rr and the multimeter attached across it at points I have labeled B and E. Start with the rheostat at it's max resistance, then decrease it until you get the voltage you want, in this case 11.2V. Then disconnect the rheostat from the circuit and use your multimeter to measure the resistance, that's the value resistor you need.

[CarbonZHP]

The original voltage with the 270 and 150 resistors were on a different LED. Those only ran at a 30mh forward. These new LEDS are the 300-350, so they shouldnt be burnt out.

Right now I still have this odd problem, as if it were wired to a switched power, but inverted. I took my power connections off and connected them to an external battery, and by doing this my LEDs would stay powered no matter what, even with key in position 2. However attached to the car battery, my lights shut off with key at position 2. Since my positive connection is a bit exposed near the switches in the ash tray, and the negative for the cigarette lighter is also exposed, would contact between these 2 cause the problem Im describing?

[wsmeyer]

The original voltage with the 270 and 150 resistors were on a different LED. Those only ran at a 30mh forward. These new LEDS are the 300-350, so they shouldnt be burnt out.

Right now I still have this odd problem, as if it were wired to a switched power, but inverted. I took my power connections off and connected them to an external battery, and by doing this my LEDs would stay powered no matter what, even with key in position 2. However attached to the car battery, my lights shut off with key at position 2. Since my positive connection is a bit exposed near the switches in the ash tray, and the negative for the cigarette lighter is also exposed, would contact between these 2 cause the problem Im describing?

It could but you're describing as happening when you turn the key as opposed to just randomly happening so it's unlikely do to shorting.

You said the switches are on the ground side of the circuit, if those are then connected to a wire that wire may not be ground in P2.

The other possibility is that your positive wire to the LED is not longer "hot" in P2.

You can check both with your multimeter.

[CarbonZHP]

Because the new Led was common cathode, the switches are now located in the positive. I'll be checking everything through again Friday because I knew it worked correctly at first

[derbo]

Here's a diagram including the values you should be reading with your multimeter:


https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/25621980/LED-Diagram.jpg


In your original schematic you had 270ohm and 150ohm resistors. Decreasing the resistance of those resistors increases the voltage across the LED and going all the way down to 6ohms may have burned out the LED.

People that like doing this kind of thing keep rheostats in their electronics box. One like this would be perfect for your project:

http://www.amazon.com/Ceramic-Wirewound-Adjustable-Resistor-Rheostat/dp/B008DFUPMC/ref=sr_1_21?ie=UTF8&qid=1415241578&sr=8-21&keywords=50w+rheostat

What you would do is use it instead of the resistor in series with the LED. As an example, you would put the rheostat in series with the RED leg of the LED instead of the resistor I have labeled Rr and the multimeter attached across it at points I have labeled B and E. Start with the rheostat at it's max resistance, then decrease it until you get the voltage you want, in this case 11.2V. Then disconnect the rheostat from the circuit and use your multimeter to measure the resistance, that's the value resistor you need.

you have lovely handwriting :wub :nohomo

[CarbonZHP]

Yes and thank you for the useful schematic and advice. I have zero experience and set out on this thinking it would just be a simple power and ground. Anyways, the more you know.

[derbo]

Potentiometers is the fastest way to get the exact resistance you need for what you want. Wsmeyer is right :)

[wsmeyer]

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t187/littletwerpy/44f2317a23860b8a7ee6e2aea254aa67_zps7e9a2c90.jpg (http://s160.photobucket.com/user/littletwerpy/media/44f2317a23860b8a7ee6e2aea254aa67_zps7e9a2c90.jpg.h tml)

That red looks wicked and got me thinking. I NEVER use my parking lights so I could wire it up so that with the engine off the P position would light the red headlights, red tail lights, and by fabricating in two color LED's in the side markers, those red as well. With the engine on, everything would light as normal.

[CarbonZHP]

Yep this is possible. I made a harness for myself too so everything is pretty well contained

[wsmeyer]

Did you take that pic with the 30mA or 300mA LED's?

[CarbonZHP]

Current ones. 300. In the eBay link up above

[CarbonZHP]

This project has thoroughly kicked my ass. After a few hours tonight working, blowing up the reds in one headlight, and finding weird ass exceptions, I can say that I am done wasting my time on this right now. Throwing in the towel because when I do come back to this, Ill need to start from scratch.

[wsmeyer]

I ordered some off of eBay. As soon as I get them I'll let you know exactly what resistors are needed. That part is easy but it might take me a little while to figure out the rest as I only have time to work on stuff like this sporadically.

I've has another project in mind that would go well with this. On your kidney grills you have three of them painted the ///M colors. Taking that to the next level I want to cut those three veins out and replace them with ones the same shape but made out of clear acrylic. I can round and polish the front edge and paint the sides black so they look the same. But on the back edge I'll drill some holes and insert a few LED's in the ///M colors.

OFF > you don't notice them as they appear black
ON > they glow the ///M colors

[CarbonZHP]

I like the sound of that. You're not too far either...

[Oli77]

^That's a great one!

[derbo]

I ordered some off of eBay. As soon as I get them I'll let you know exactly what resistors are needed. That part is easy but it might take me a little while to figure out the rest as I only have time to work on stuff like this sporadically.

I've has another project in mind that would go well with this. On your kidney grills you have three of them painted the ///M colors. Taking that to the next level I want to cut those three veins out and replace them with ones the same shape but made out of clear acrylic. I can round and polish the front edge and paint the sides black so they look the same. But on the back edge I'll drill some holes and insert a few LED's in the ///M colors.

OFF > you don't notice them as they appear black
ON > they glow the ///M colors

Good idea!

[danewilson77]

That's going to be sick. In for the finished product.

You guys amaze me with this twidget shit.

"No flamesuit required"

[johnrando]

For sure. You could sell those! PS Jet Black > black sapphire.


Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

[derbo]

For sure. You could sell those! PS Jet Black > black sapphire.


Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

LOLL at the black war :P

[wsmeyer]

For sure. You could sell those! PS Jet Black > black sapphire.

I could but definitely wouldn't sell to anyone with a Jet Black car.

[johnrando]

Lol

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

[wsmeyer]

I received my LED's today so I'll have some numbers for you tonight.

[CarbonZHP]

Thanks. Ill have to replace two LEDs, if not all 4. Red is gone on one side, think I overloaded it.

[wsmeyer]

Don't beat yourself up, they're eBay LED's, those specs may be extremely inaccurate / optimistic and could also vary widely between pieces.

[CarbonZHP]

Did you get the same ones that I linked previously?

[wsmeyer]

Yes, the 300's from your eBay link.

*EDIT - 350mA

http://www.ebay.com/itm/251479975671?_trksid=p2059210.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

[CarbonZHP]

Alright. I use 4 LEDS in parallel for each color

[wsmeyer]

Alright. I use 4 LEDS in parallel for each color

If that's the case you'd want to do two legs in parallel with two LED's in series on each leg. That cuts the heat generated by the resistors in half.

[CarbonZHP]

Yeah the heat was unreal. Something is wrong in my wiring because after my resistor I seemed to be testing only 1.5V. Just cant get the courage to rip it all out

[wsmeyer]

Well, assuming the specs are accurate and you want to get the max output out of the LED's, using the red LED as an example and assuming when the car is running the voltage is a typical 13.6V...

We want 2.8V across the LED so the voltage across the resistor would be 13.6V - 2.8V = 10.8V

The spec is 350mA = .350A

V = I * R ==> R = V /I

Resistor on red LED = 10.8V / .350A = 30.8 ohms

P = I * V

Power of red resistor = .350A * 10.8V = 3.78 watts

That's not much heat at all but look what happens if we put two LED's in series...


Voltage across resistor becomes 13.6V - 2.8V - 2.8V = 8V

Resistor becomes 8V / .350A = 22.9 ohms

Power becomes .350A * 8V = 2.8 watts

[wsmeyer]

I'll do some more testing later tonight but for the one I tested those specs are way off, current is almost double at roughly 600mA for all:

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/25621980/LED-amps.jpg

[Oli77]

Close to one Amp across such a little light!

Nice pic BTW.

[CarbonZHP]

Damn. Also...got to playing with my LED lighting I have behind my TV. Would be cleaner than switches in the ash tray so... RGB Controller? Maybe even wifi, with control from your phone. When I was at subiefest, a guy with a 2015 STI had demon eyes with control from his cell phone. Granted, he payed someone to do it, but still...I like it.

Edit: Hey I meant to ask, are yours common annode or cathode? Mine were marked as common annode, with one pin being marked +, but in my testing they were actually common cathode.

[wsmeyer]

I didn't get a chance to mess with it some more last night but mine are common Anode:

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/25621980/LED-pins.jpg

Controlling it with a smartphone is easy as all the work has already been done. You just need an Arduino board, a Raspberry Pi or one of the 100's of dedicated boards like this one:

http://www.tinyosshop.com/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=362

[wsmeyer]

Close to one Amp across such a little light!

Nice pic BTW.

Seriously. If you run all three at once to get white it would be drawing 1.8 amps. I bought a pack of 10 so I'm going to light all 3 and see how long before it burns out.

[derbo]

wow talk about terrible datasheet.

[wsmeyer]

I did some more bench testing and the resistors you would need are as follows:

Red: 17.4ohm - 10.6 Watts
Green: 16.5ohm - 9.6 Watts
Blue: 19ohm - 10.1 Watts

That's a lot of heat and power being wasted so, we're going to need a new plan lol

We're going to want to drop the voltage down first with an inductor coil. They are easy to build but much easier to buy. I've got one of these laying around so I'll wire it up and see what we end up with.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00GTLBP7G/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[derbo]

That is alot of power wasted! That is definitely a good idea to drop the voltage down to a 5V source to minimize power loss. Though I am not surprised, I still think it is amazing how off that spec data sheet is compared to actual applied numbers.

[wsmeyer]

This one's even better:

http://www.amazon.com/DROK-Power-Regulator-8-20V12V-Converter/dp/B00CEUN0VU/ref=sr_1_12?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1416086971&sr=1-12&keywords=12v+to+3.3v+converter+10a

No resistor needed for Blue and Green and we only need to knock down another .5V for the Red.

[danewilson77]

I love the genius of the man named William.

"No flamesuit required"

[johnrando]

For sure. :thumbup William!

[derbo]

This one's even better:

http://www.amazon.com/DROK-Power-Regulator-8-20V12V-Converter/dp/B00CEUN0VU/ref=sr_1_12?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1416086971&sr=1-12&keywords=12v+to+3.3v+converter+10a

No resistor needed for Blue and Green and we only need to knock down another .5V for the Red.

Yea definitely works for me.

[wsmeyer]

Thanks for the compliments guys. I've always been a tinkerer and this is just the kind of project I get sucked into lol

I ordered one of these and it should be here Tue:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00A714QBQ/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Looks like they are out of stock now but it was $7.47 and should work perfectly for this project.

[derbo]

Thanks for the compliments guys. I've always been a tinkerer and this is just the kind of project I get sucked into lol

I ordered one of these and it should be here Tue:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00A714QBQ/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Looks like they are out of stock now but it was $7.47 and should work perfectly for this project.

What are you plans at the moment William?

Reduce the voltage to the LEDs, and adjust the resistors? Just to see if his circuit is working?

[CarbonZHP]

Wish I had the proper equipment to test this stuff. Not sure what would cause my LED to act like a common cathode, even though you bought the exact same one and say its common annode. Would undervoltage cause this? Or maybe a cross in my harness

[wsmeyer]

What are you plans at the moment William?

Reduce the voltage to the LEDs, and adjust the resistors? Just to see if his circuit is working?

The 12V-3.3V converter will eliminate the need for resistors on the blue and green legs of the circuit, eliminate our heat issues, cut the power draw off the battery by roughly 60%, and eliminate the problem with having a different input voltage with the car on vs off.

The most common way to drive LED'S is in a simple series circuit with a resistor but these draw so much current it's just not a good route to go.

Once I get the circuit working properly I'll wire them into my headlights and see if I still want to proceed. It looks cool in the pics though and I could do red on the ZHP and blue on the X5. We'll see.

[wsmeyer]

Wish I had the proper equipment to test this stuff. Not sure what would cause my LED to act like a common cathode, even though you bought the exact same one and say its common annode. Would undervoltage cause this? Or maybe a cross in my harness

The ones I got don't have any markings on them at all. Current only flows one direction through LED's so I just had to figure them out by trial and error.

After the switched are you grounding it back into the wiring harness or to the chassis?

[CarbonZHP]

After the switch it goes to positive. Because in my testing, red only worked when wired as a common cathode.

[wsmeyer]

After the switch it goes to positive. Because in my testing, red only worked when wired as a common cathode.

Do the blue and green work too?

[CarbonZHP]

I hadnt tested them as common annode prior to putting it in the car, bu they dont work right now, wired the same way as reds. I have no idea why red works, since you say it is common anode, and thats what I thought it should be too

[wsmeyer]

Well the one's I have are definitely common anode. In the pic I posted before:

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/25621980/LED-pins.jpg

I marked the common + and then where I wrote RED, GREEN, BLUE are the grounds for each color. If you hooked yours up as common cathode like this:

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/25621980/LED-pins2.jpg

Then ONLY the red LED would work and would explain your current situation.

[CarbonZHP]

Very weird, yeah I just checked my extra LEDs. I assumed that the pin marked + meant positive, it actually means red. This changes everything for me, thank you very much haha.

[wsmeyer]

I got a magnifying glass out becasue these 46yo eyes couldn't see anything but sure enough, one pin has a + on it, the ground for the red:

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/25621980/LED-pins3.jpg

I have no explanation.

[CarbonZHP]

Correct, why its like that makes no sense. Ill try flipping my wiring. I was testing some of the lights using a voltmeter in my handmade harness, and if I tested two certain pins, it would light the blue or the green in one of the headlights. Seems the bad wiring is the source of the confusion though. And then I may need different resistors now, based on it actually being 600. If I cant get it done this weekend, ill do it during next week for sure.

[CarbonZHP]

Calculator shows me that running 4 red in series at 2.8V and 600mA requires a 1/2W, 1.5ohm resistor. Much better and much less heat than parallel. It also says that my 12V is insufficient for blue and green, if I want 4.

[wsmeyer]

Calculator shows me that running 4 red in series at 2.8V and 600mA requires a 1/2W, 1.5ohm resistor. Much better and much less heat than parallel. It also says that my 12V is insufficient for blue and green, if I want 4.

Correct. In a series circuit with identical components the voltage is divided equally between them because they have the same resistance. The Green LED's have an operating range of 3.2-3.4V so...

Car ON:
13.6V / 4 = 3.4V ==> OK

Car OFF
12V / 4 = 3.0V ==> Won't turn on

This is where a voltage converter like the one I linked to above comes in handy. They work completely differently in that they use a transformer to reduce the voltage with vary high efficiency and a regulator circuit to bleed off excess voltage. The 3.3V one I ordered arrived after I left the shop today but I have a 5V one laying around. Check out this video:


https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/25621980/Voltage_Converter.mov

[CarbonZHP]

Correct. In a series circuit with identical components the voltage is divided equally between them because they have the same resistance. The Green LED's have an operating range of 3.2-3.4V so...

Car ON:
13.6V / 4 = 3.4V ==> OK

Car OFF
12V / 4 = 3.0V ==> Won't turn on

This is where a voltage converter like the one I linked to above comes in handy. They work completely differently in that they use a transformer to reduce the voltage with vary high efficiency and a regulator circuit to bleed off excess voltage. The 3.3V one I ordered arrived after I left the shop today but I have a 5V one laying around. Check out this video:


https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/25621980/Voltage_Converter.mov

Correct but wouldnt that only work for 1? Im using 4. Also just realized I cant just go completely series because of my harness. Best I could do is like you said, two parellel legs of 2 in series.

[wsmeyer]

Correct but wouldnt that only work for 1? Im using 4. Also just realized I cant just go completely series because of my harness. Best I could do is like you said, two parellel legs of 2 in series.

Even the one I linked to for $7 is good for 3A output. 4 of these LED's in parallel would be ~ 2.4amps

The power draw on the car battery will be significantly less too. These things can increase or decrease voltage but it's not magic, they can increase voltage with a corresponding drop in current, or they can decrease voltage with an increase in current. If you had one that was 100% efficient the power in would equal the power out.

Power = Voltage x Current ==> P=IV

The Blue and Green LED's are 3.2 to 3.4V so we won't need a resistor and 4 in parallel will draw 2.4amps.

Output Power = 3.3V x 2.4A = 7.92 Watts

The 3.3V one I ordered claims 96% efficiency so input power would be output / .96 = 8.25 Watts

So, back to P=IV...

8.25W = I x 13.6V

I = .606A

Basically we can run 4 LED's with the same power draw on the battery as 1 LED in the resistor circuit.

[CarbonZHP]

Perfect. As you can tell, I have zero experience with electrical. I do understand what youre saying though. So 3 of those 3.3v converters, one for each color, probably another resistor for the red. And I can run all parallel with much less draw. I also saw some of the same 3.3V converters on ebay for like 3 dollars.

Edit: Just bought 3 of the same ones you bought. $13 after quicker shipping from china.

[wsmeyer]

Perfect. As you can tell, I have zero experience with electrical. I do understand what youre saying though. So 3 of those 3.3v converters, one for each color, probably another resistor for the red. And I can run all parallel with much less draw. I also saw some of the same 3.3V converters on ebay for like 3 dollars.ly

If you want to run all 3 colors at once that's 1.8amps PER LED. That's a lot of current through such a small device and they are going to get REALLY hot. I'm skeptical that these things can continually dissipate that much heat but there's only one way to find out...

Yeah, smoke started coming out after about 5 seconds and the Red and Green both gave up around 10 seconds. The back which is supposed to be a heat sink hit 180F but I'm sure the internal temp was much higher.

[CarbonZHP]

Right. Not sure if Id run multiple colors at once. Seems not. Just purchased 3 of your converters.

[wsmeyer]

Right. Not sure if Id run multiple colors at once. Seems not. Just purchased 3 of your converters.

Hopefully 3.3V and at least 3A ?

As long as you're just running one color at a time it's no problem. 4 LED's in series will draw 2.4A so you just need one converter for each side. If you already wired it with one wire powering both sides you can just put two converters in parallel to get 6A output.

For the Red LED we need to knock down 3.3V - 2.7V = .6V

From V = I x R...

.6V = .6A x R ==> R = 1 Ohm

From P = I x V...

P = .6A x 1 Ohm = .6 Watts

[CarbonZHP]

I have 4 LEDs total. 2 in each headlight. So I should only need one converter for each color, right? The converter is the same one you linked, same branding.

[wsmeyer]

I have 4 LEDs total. 2 in each headlight. So I should only need one converter for each color, right? The converter is the same one you linked, same branding.

For some reason I thought you were doing 4 per side. With 4 total you would just need one voltage converter. Most logical place for it is back near the switch. You're going to need 1 + wire going to the first side, then the 1 + wire plus 3 - wires going to the other side. Then the 3 - wires coming back to the switch with the resistor on the red -. The other side of the switch goes to the negative side of the 3.3V side of the converter.

What does the switch your using look like?

[CarbonZHP]

Bought 3 converters. Woops. Figured I put one on each color.

These are the switches
http://i.ebayimg.com/00/s/NTAwWDUwMA==/z/w4gAAMXQWzNSoECJ/$_12.JPG
http://www.ebay.com/itm/5Pcs-12V-16A-Green-LED-Rocker-Round-Switch-Toggle-On-Off-Control-SPST-/171189206074?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&hash=item27dbabfc3a&vxp=mtr

[wsmeyer]

Those switches are cool looking but if you accidentally turn all the colors ON = POOF

[CarbonZHP]

They light up when on so its fairly obvious. Put them in my ash tray. I just want them to work first, so I can move on and alleviate some frustration. Then Ill come back for the remote controlling and programming. Not on my plate right now with college apps.

[wsmeyer]

I got the 12V-3V converter today. Just like the other one it starts working at ~8V and provides steady 3.3V output past 20V input where I stopped.

I wired 2 LED's in parallel with a 1ohm resistor on the red leg. Input current :

Red = .14 amps
Grn / Blu =.11 amps

Double that to run both sides but this circuit should be perfect.

[CarbonZHP]

Should be good. So you just have one converter running all 3 colors? Was me buying 3 totally unnecessary?

[wsmeyer]

Should be good. So you just have one converter running all 3 colors? Was me buying 3 totally unnecessary?

Yes but this is how you end up with a bunch of electronic parts laying around for your future projects.

With those LED's you can only one run color at a time so one converter can easily power 4 of them.

[CarbonZHP]

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t187/littletwerpy/20141129_133548_zps7yi7tkzv.jpg (http://s160.photobucket.com/user/littletwerpy/media/20141129_133548_zps7yi7tkzv.jpg.html)

[wsmeyer]

Glad you finally got it sorted, that looks sweet!

[CarbonZHP]

Haha thanks, yeah I love it. This is still running off the old resistors, so Ill probably keep them off til the 3.3v source comes and I can swap it in. But everything is perfect!

[CarbonZHP]

Researching control methods to run a program that will rapidly flash blue a few times, then red :innocent Really wish I could find my arduino

[Tnhl1989]

Man this is what myself and Charlie need to get this whole sprintbooster mod to work. Too much actual thinking though. :(


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[johnrando]

Glad it's working! Tony, what's wrong with your SB mod?

[cakM3]

Glad it's working! Tony, what's wrong with your SB mod?

Having issues getting the LEDs to work with the sprint booster/sport button mod. I did manage to get it so when Tony pushed the sport button forcing sprint booster to go to mode 3, the green LED (brightest) will light up. Funny thing is that on my ZHP, mode 2 forces my green LED to light up....

So I need to figure out the LED issues in both Tony's and my ZHP......

[derbo]

What kind of voltage are you seeing at mode 2 and mode 3?

[CarbonZHP]

Update.
Went through what might be the 10th iteration yesterday. Seems so far that they may actually be finished and stable. I had many issues with the way I was mounting the led in the headlight and it touching metal and shorting out. All in all, I actually used up all 10 LEDs that I bought to get a finished working set of 4. Also, because I'm only using one power converter (the 12v to 3.3v) to power the entire circuit, it seems that it is safe to run multiple colors at once. For a little endurance test I left the LEDs on for an hour and a half to test battery draw. Virtually no effect on the battery!