Front Parking Lights Revisited

[FastraxTurbo]

After trying different 194 based LEDs, they just didnt seem bright enough for me. So I stuck a CREE XR-E LED in there. I'd say it more than bright enough now. I am using a constant current driver at 700mA, so I wont have to worry hurting the LED when the charging system is up above 14 volts. I machined a pieces of aluminum for a heat sink since it will develop some heat at that current.

CREE LED is on left, regular LED right

 

[apkarian100]

Very nice work! IMO, custom LEDs are the way to go. I've tried many plug and play bulbs and they either die or look wicked dim right from the start.

But, a few concerns....

That heatsink looks awfully small for an LED run on 700mA.

This is the size of the heatsink I found an experienced fellow running his rebels at only 200mA. This bulb base is a standard 1157:

This is the output he gets using them:

Just a thought.........

 

[pingu81]

Nice. How is the bulb/base held into the housing?

 

[swerve2007]

what about using the multi-led bulb replacements- is that possible or is that what you were using before?

 

[FastraxTurbo]

I ran them on a bench for 4 hours and temp of the heatsink was about 130 degrees. I wasnt sure how much room I had behind the light so that is the size I started with. I'll probably make a larger sink, and drop the operating current to 350ma. It is still pretty bright.

Nice. How is the bulb/base held into the housing?

Right now it is just held in by adhesive. The heat sink diameter is the same as the socket. If I make a new heatsink, I can put a collar on it so a clamp can be used to secure it.

what about using the multi-led bulb replacements- is that possible or is that what you were using before?

I tried the single smt led bulb and the multi led bulb. The output was basically the same.

 

[swerve2007]

keep us posted, i'd like to upgrade.

 

[Doraemon]

Hi,

Have you thought about replacing the use of the parking light with your LED lamp that can double as a fog light? I live in an area that fog comes in from time to time. However, I was told that the fog lights that are installed like yours will block the air for the a/c. That is why I was tinkering about replcing the parking light some how as the fog light when I saw your post. Any thoughts?

 

[Osiris_x11]

neat'o...

If you decide to market a plug-&-play offering for the masses on par w/ what you have pictured (comparison w/ the 194 LED bulb) that will be relatively attractive in price, count me in fo'sho (as well as a great many others, presumably)!

 

[FastraxTurbo]

Hi,

Have you thought about replacing the use of the parking light with your LED lamp that can double as a fog light? I live in an area that fog comes in from time to time. However, I was told that the fog lights that are installed like yours will block the air for the a/c. That is why I was tinkering about replcing the parking light some how as the fog light when I saw your post. Any thoughts?

The parking light lens pattern is no good for use as a fog light, but if a whole housing can be made that incorporated a fog light, turn and parking light, I would be all over that.
the fog light that I have is small and does not impede air flow to the condenser cores.

One of the downsides to this type of led is cost. It is considerably higher. If there was a total package, it may run about 100.00 for the pair. DIY, about 50.00, plus you will have to make or find a heatsink. If someone knows of a cnc shop that can make a small run of the heatsinks relatively cheap, then let me know. I dont want to be sitting on a lathe all day making them.

 

[swerve2007]

figure out the heatsink design that will plug into the housing without having to epoxy it in, send it to me, i'll make prints and have them made- probably 5-10 sets minimum, can't say the price but it will be as cheap as you can get it.

 

[FastraxTurbo]

OK, made this up real quick.

I dug up some 1" silicone tubing and a hose clamp to secure it.

 

[swerve2007]

thats all we need? man, that will be cheap as hell. i will incorporate more fins that are thinner to increase the surface area. a single hole through center for wiring, right? why don't you finalize the sizes and email me a sketch with overall dimensions, i will redo the fins and get a quote.

ps. what about any kind of relief on the front face for mounting the led? nothing necessary, just flat face with a hole for the screw? i think it would be beneficial to have the thing modular (no epoxy) in case the led fails so the replacement will be easier. think about what will work best- i can't really help as i don't have the pieces on hand.

 

[FastraxTurbo]

There are a couple of fins because I'm limited on the sizes of bits that I could use. The led is mounted on a star type mount/heatsink and I used a thermal epoxy to bond it to the larger heatsink. It is pretty strong, plus the wires help hold it in place. There are 2 holes for the wires to pass through. 2 more holes can be made and small machine screws can be used to secure as well. Other than a few critical dimensions, the rest can be anything you want. You can make a 20 fin head if you want. I dont know exact depth in the bumper, but if its too large, it will hit the parking light housing retaining bracket. What is your email, I will send you a diagram.

 

[Doraemon]

The parking light lens pattern is no good for use as a fog light, but if a whole housing can be made that incorporated a fog light, turn and parking light, I would be all over that.
the fog light that I have is small and does not impede air flow to the condenser cores.

One of the downsides to this type of led is cost. It is considerably higher. If there was a total package, it may run about 100.00 for the pair. DIY, about 50.00, plus you will have to make or find a heatsink. If someone knows of a cnc shop that can make a small run of the heatsinks relatively cheap, then let me know. I dont want to be sitting on a lathe all day making them.

Do you think you can come up with a clever way to turn the whole housing to incorporate all three functions? I would love to own a set. By the way, is that fog light of yours a factory one or aftermarket? If it doesn't impede the airflow, can you recommend me where I might be able to get one? Thanks in advance.

 

[ca2822]

Count me in if you ever do a group sell

 

[swerve2007]

just an update:
fastraxturbo and myself are working on it and will offer a clean unit. last thing to source is the oem-fitting plug so if you guys can help me find those for sale somewhere (not from acura of course) the faster you'll get the gizmo.

 

[FastraxTurbo]

Do you think you can come up with a clever way to turn the whole housing to incorporate all three functions? I would love to own a set. By the way, is that fog light of yours a factory one or aftermarket? If it doesn't impede the airflow, can you recommend me where I might be able to get one? Thanks in advance.

It would be possible, but it wuld probably cost a hell of a lot.
The fog light is a PIAA 2100 series light with an HID bulb. The factory fog light is huge and those may impede airflow.

 

[swerve2007]

update,
took the light out to get dimensions of the receptacle-
the heatsink will be made in a way permitting it to be inserted into the housing just like the bulb,

 

[swerve2007]

i need to know how many of you would want this kit as of now in order to determine the batch size (of course fastraxturbo will get a freebie for starting this). i can't exactly say how much yet but it will be a plug-and-play mod with heat-sink, leds and oem-style plug (the leds by itself are close to $20 x 2, plus plugs plus the sink). please fill the below spots.


1................
2...............
3...............

etc.

 

[swerve2007]

here is pic of the heatsink

 

[Osiris_x11]

oh man. . .

i can't exactly say how much yet but it will be a plug-and-play mod with heat-sink, leds and oem-style plug (the leds by itself are close to $20 x 2, plus plugs plus the sink).

So, that's $20 x 2 = $40/pair for the LED's? Just making sure. . .

If so, seems the components/materials alone will be north of $50 for a pair (not even including labor), so sadly count me out. I can't see ya'll wanting less than $80/$100 (if not slightly more) for a pair, and admittedly you deserve to w/ the effort/time involved for the custom project at hand.

As much as I'd love to do this mod' as-per the image(s) in the original post, I can't personally justify the cost (to myself) when 1 pair of high-output LED bulbs are $6/shipped or basic/entry-level plug-&-play H.I.D.'s w/ a quote/unquote lifetime warranty are $40'ish & can be swapped into some $20'ish metal-housing/black-enamel micro' mini-projectors, and then stealth'like installed somewhere in the front-bumper. Not to mention those LED-bars/bands in single or double rows of rather bright LED's which are very inexpensive. . .

Then again, once an accurate price can be ascertained (perhaps w/ numerous parties expressing interest, price may come down for materials & labor), I'll be lured back in. The mod' is what it is, a very cool & functional update to the front-bumper combo' light!

 

[swerve2007]

Re: oh man. . .

As much as I'd love to do this mod' as-per the image(s) in the original post, I can't personally justify the cost (to myself) when 1 pair of high-output LED bulbs are $6/shipped [/QUOTE]

and that where the difference is- you get a dim led that, as described by OP, does not work. unfortunately the good stuff is pricey and to make it fit without clips, rubber bands or chinese metal housings takes a bit of effort for which, SURPRISE!!!, i am not really charging any money.
anyway, to me the row-of-leds looks 'off' (matter of opinion), non oem and does not preserve the turn-signal function which to me is important (and to most people i suspect).
if there is no interest i will make few sets for myself, no harm done, but i will not be going back-and-forth later on to make more.

 

[Osiris_x11]

ballpark price?

yes, you can buy cheap leds in a bulb housing etc. but if you read the OP post, they are not very bright. also, you can rig it up with a rubber band for 50c as well and thats what you are going to have.

I've been running the LED bulbs in that location for over 4 years w/o issue. And w/o a rubber-band. My objective was simply to replace the yellow'ish-incandescent light w/ the more white'ish to match my H.I.D.'s; I never wanted the parking-lights component of the front-bumper combo' lights to be an independent source of light on par w/ driving-lights. For that purpose, the Happy-Meal money "cheap leds" work just fine, for me. That's where I disagree w/ the O.P.

And yes, I agree, the LED light-bar/band looks rather gnarly in the front bumper combo' lights. I was just pointing out a very cost-effective solution (multiple array of high-output LED's for literally peanuts), not that I/myself would install it. . .

if you think i am doing this to get rich i'll gladly pass it off to you.

I never insinuated nor alluded to such. Don't put words in my mouth please. I did quite the contrary, and gave credence & affirmation towards what the final anticipated costs presumably would be. I'm not questioning your costs, motives, or anything along those lines. . .

If you're donating your time already spent on R&D, fabricating/assembling, packaging/shipping... meaning the only cost is for the materials, then kudos to you & you really don't have to be so generous! Though, it'd be nice to know if the cost would be $50, $60, $100, or more per-pair/shipped. Since I'm still commenting on this thread obviously shows that I have a keen interest in the offering. . .

G/luck w/ the project, as aforementioned, it's def' cool. . .

 

[apkarian100]

That's looking real good guys. I have never had the chance to work with high power LEDs due to lack of a CNC machine or lathe to make custom heat sinks, but these are actually pretty sweet. It's also sweet that you are using some quality parts in this build. I use CREE LEDs in my reverse lights for my taillight conversions, though not the XR-E, but I'm just saying CREE is one of the best companies out there for this type of stuff.

 

[swerve2007]

Re: ballpark price?

I've been running the LED bulbs in that location for over 4 years w/o issue. And w/o a rubber-band. My objective was simply to replace the yellow'ish-incandescent light w/ the more white'ish to match my H.I.D.'s; I never wanted the parking-lights component of the front-bumper combo' lights to be an independent source of light on par w/ driving-lights. For that purpose, the Happy-Meal money "cheap leds" work just fine, for me. That's where I disagree w/ the O.P.

And yes, I agree, the LED light-bar/band looks rather gnarly in the front bumper combo' lights. I was just pointing out a very cost-effective solution (multiple array of high-output LED's for literally peanuts), not that I/myself would install it. . .

I never insinuated nor alluded to such. Don't put words in my mouth please. I did quite the contrary, and gave credence & affirmation towards what the final anticipated costs presumably would be. I'm not questioning your costs, motives, or anything along those lines. . .

If you're donating your time already spent on R&D, fabricating/assembling, packaging/shipping... meaning the only cost is for the materials, then kudos to you & you really don't have to be so generous! Though, it'd be nice to know if the cost would be $50, $60, $100, or more per-pair/shipped. Since I'm still commenting on this thread obviously shows that I have a keen interest in the offering. . .

G/luck w/ the project, as aforementioned, it's def' cool. . .

no offense taken and i did't expect you to be either, i was sarcastic if anything, just sometimes comments that 'seemingly point out negative aspects' by offering a comparison where there are none is confusing.

yes, the cost will be about 100 bucks, especially if i use good connectors. it is not meant to be a headlight, i am sure we can adjust the brightness by sourcing different units to fit personal taste (i have to consult fastraxxturbo about it). there is no reason why this unit could not replace the turn-signal as well, with an amber led of course.