LED Mod Thread

Blckshdw said:
Most people stay with the stock needles, unless there's a specific color scheme they are changing to. I changed to blue needles, Capote changed to green ones. Off the top of my head, I don't remember anyone else switching to different color needles. The big thing to worry about, is mixing colors. This doesn't work well with LED light.

For example, in Aarkon's pic, those are the stock orange needles, but with a blue LED light behind them, they look red. Only way for an LEDs true color to show in the needles, is to have needles of the same color, or white/clear. Any other combination, and you'll get a mixed color.
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Thanks Man but can i ask you for a favor if you can post a picture for your cluster with the blue needles cause i believe the Red ones or White will be much better looking with the Blue LED background light you know this even brought a crazy idea of making a glowing needles that have a built in White LED ( if Possible of course) like the Mercedes Ones as example i believe that will be awesome :eek:
 
Aarkon said:
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20150509_001037.jpgwell I finally won this battle! Ran jumpers and changed a few things the ran straight wires from the loop circuit down to the wiper switch and got it running smoothly
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Do you have a non US cluster? Or is that just an overlay? Love the looks way better than the one I got.
 
Oh sorry I misread that there is a slight difference in envoy and tb clusters but they also changed between the packages both my trucks are loaded with dics
 
SnowBlazer said:
I was talking about how you have a different SES light than I do. Mine is written out and it appears yours just has a picture of an engine.
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I'm sure that would be easy to change... Just find the overlay.. My 05 has the picture also
 
Been doing a little modding on a Silverado. Red 5630 dome light, red 5 chip 5050 map lights, and what we got done tonight, red 5050 door lights.

uploadfromtaptalk1431223120834.jpg

Were gonna put some of my red 5630 strip under the dash for footwell lighting but where we were gonna put the toggle switch didn't pan out after I got it all apart and it got dark before we figured out another place to put it so we're gonna try that tomorrow if I've got time.
 
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Mounce said:
Got 'er done this evening.. Stupid bright lol.

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I like the brightness of my red LEDs in my domes, but as one friend put it (and I sort of agree) she feels like she's in a KFC chicken warmer. I've got the 24 SMD 5630 boards in each light. Funny, I stopped at 7-Eleven last night and when they came on as I got out of the truck, 3 kids looked and took off at a fast pace. Another reason I want to change it out - looks a bit like LE and I don't want it to.

I am thinking about trying to get one of those boards, though, into each headlight. Turn them on if the truck is sitting, idling. Give it a sinister appearance. Got to see if I can create a tool or something to put it into place so I don't have to drill or open the enclosures.

Lots of ideas. No money and only one hand still.


EDIT: Just noticed you also have your reflectors lit up. That I like a lot.
 
mcsteven said:
I like the brightness of my red LEDs in my domes, but as one friend put it (and I sort of agree) she feels like she's in a KFC chicken warmer. I've got the 24 SMD 5630 boards in each light. Funny, I stopped at 7-Eleven last night and when they came on as I got out of the truck, 3 kids looked and took off at a fast pace. Another reason I want to change it out - looks a bit like LE and I don't want it to.

I am thinking about trying to get one of those boards, though, into each headlight. Turn them on if the truck is sitting, idling. Give it a sinister appearance. Got to see if I can create a tool or something to put it into place so I don't have to drill or open the enclosures.

Lots of ideas. No money and only one hand still.


EDIT: Just noticed you also have your reflectors lit up. That I like a lot.
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Lol all I've noticed that I hate so far about red is that you can't see to do shit in it. Trying to peel the backing off of double sided tape sucked lol.

It also has a 24smd 5630 panel in the dome light like what you're running.

And for the Silverado's (what is pictured) and Tahoe's the front reflectors already have a light in them unlike TB's. You just have to enlarge the hole to make the LEDs fit through but other than that it's a 5 minute mod. Literally took less than 5 minutes to pop them out, hit them with a step drill bit, put the LED in and pop the housing back in the doors. Also done it on the Tahoe I was working on last week but I didn't have my drill bits and we had to carve the hole out with a box knife...took much longer but had the same effect.
 
Trkdrvremt said:
Did you try old one on left and new on right?
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Just noticed your question.

Yes, I did, but didn't get any pics. New ones definitely were brighter via the eye-o-meter but the optics on them focus the light quite well actually so it could've been a false positive. They definitely seem brighter though.

I can get a side by side pic tomorrow though if I remember.

uploadfromtaptalk1431399835518.jpg

Optics/diffuser focuses the light into a brilliant, dazzling circle
 
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Mounce said:
New ones definitely were brighter via the eye-o-meter but the optics on them focus the light quite well actually so it could've been a false positive. They definitely seem brighter though.
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In addition to looking at them from straight on, also look at them from decreasing angles. If the one that initially appears brighter, becomes equal brightness, and eventually less bright than the other one the flatter your view them, then you know it's the viewing angle of the chip that's causing that. :twocents:
 
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A few weeks ago I upgraded all of my red taillights to Aaron brand bulbs. I thought I'd share because they're bright AND cheap.
I have ordered 4 sets so far from the below seller and have been very impressed.
Red: http://www.amazon.com/Aaron-Power-33SMD-Signal-Lights/dp/B00ML7G5X6/ref=cm_rdp_product
White: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00ML7DIJA/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
At $19.99 a set you cannot beat these things.

Running lights are on and the 4-ways are on showing the difference between "dim" and "bright":
61GY-bSQ55L.jpg


Light output is impressive:

41lowGhYX8L._SL1600_.jpg


I couldn't pop the base off of these to switch the pins inside for use in the CK sockets, so I had to get "creative".
To my surprise this mod works and the extension I soldered on is perfectly sturdy:

81QO36rMsTL._SL1600_.jpg
 
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gpking said:
A few weeks ago I upgraded all of my red taillights to Aaron brand bulbs. I thought I'd share because they're bright AND cheap.
I have ordered 4 sets so far from the below seller and have been very impressed.
Red: http://www.amazon.com/Aaron-Power-33SMD-Signal-Lights/dp/B00ML7G5X6/ref=cm_rdp_product
White: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00ML7DIJA/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
At $19.99 a set you cannot beat these things.

Running lights are on and the 4-ways are on showing the difference between "dim" and "bright":

Light output is impressive:



I couldn't pop the base off of these to switch the pins inside for use in the CK sockets, so I had to get "creative".
To my surprise this mod works and the extension I soldered on is perfectly sturdy:
Click to expand...
Any hyperflash with these?
 
gpking said:
A few weeks ago I upgraded all of my red taillights to Aaron brand bulbs. I thought I'd share because they're bright AND cheap.
I have ordered 4 sets so far from the below seller and have been very impressed.
Red: http://www.amazon.com/Aaron-Power-33SMD-Signal-Lights/dp/B00ML7G5X6/ref=cm_rdp_product
White: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00ML7DIJA/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
At $19.99 a set you cannot beat these things.

Running lights are on and the 4-ways are on showing the difference between "dim" and "bright":

Light output is impressive:

I couldn't pop the base off of these to switch the pins inside for use in the CK sockets, so I had to get "creative".
To my surprise this mod works and the extension I soldered on is perfectly sturdy:
Click to expand...
Those are indeed bright. I have orange ones for my front turn signals in the Mustang. They're from a different seller but they're all the same no matter which seller you get them from due to them being mass produced in China and wholesale'd for ~$10 a pair (depending on color) online to USA sellers. (Aliexpress is where I found them that cheap)

For future reference, to get the base off:

Straighten the pins out so that they're not holding any pressure on the base, then grab the bulb firmly in one hand, the base firmly in the other, then give it a firm, controlled twist. You want it to come loose but not spin around too much to risk damaging the wires.

(source: myself, one burned out and I took it apart to see the internals)
 
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Blckshdw said:
All drop in LED bulbs will cause hyperflash with the turn signals if you don't use load resistors or an LED flasher module.
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Is there no flasher that works in our platform? I haven't heard of anyone having any luck. Having resistors stuck all over the place clashes with my ocdness...lol

Is that a word? Maybe ocd-ness lol
 
Mounce said:
LM487 IIRC. $80 for a genuine one. Google your question, you'll find info on the OS from our guys.
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I got mine from RockAuto for $33 Have had it for 5+ years. :twocents:
 
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Blckshdw said:
I got mine from RockAuto for $33 Have had it for 5+ years. :twocents:
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From what I remember seeing in other threads was that those didn't work...or didn't work well. Don't mind the cost, if it works, and I don't have to put resistors all over the damn place lol
 
If you use the LED flasher, then you don't need load resistors, The stock flasher module relies on current load to operate properly. When one of your turn signal bulbs is out, the required current drops below a certain threshold, and gives you hyperflash. In theory, the driver should see the indicator in the cluster, know something's wrong, check the bulbs and replace as necessary. Since LEDs require less current, the load is always below the threshold and you get hyperflash all day. Adding the load resistors causes the current draw to go up, past the threshold, tricking the stock flasher into thinking a regular bulb is in place and working.

As for the cruise control, it was a similar situation, but with the brake lights. I guess our platform won't let you engage CC if it thinks a brake light bulb is out, or something like that. I don't remember all of the details. If you have aftermarket LED tails like I do, then it doesn't matter, because there's a load resistor module on the backside that has the necessary connections. So CC isn't lost.

The LED flasher has different internals that don't use this logic. It just takes the signal from the BCM, and sends it where it's supposed to go. I guess the CC compatible one has an additional change that accounts for LED brake lights.
 
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Mounce said:
Those are indeed bright. I have orange ones for my front turn signals in the Mustang. They're from a different seller but they're all the same no matter which seller you get them from due to them being mass produced in China and wholesale'd for ~$10 a pair (depending on color) online to USA sellers. (Aliexpress is where I found them that cheap)
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I didn't find any that cheap on Amazon. $19.99 is the cheapest 33SMD 3157 from them I could find.
According to the seller I used, AaronCarLED, they are the "actual" seller of the bulbs. Whether that is true or not, who knows. A seller called "AaronLED" exists too.
Selling cheap Chinese electronics online sure is a cut-throat business.

Mounce said:
For future reference, to get the base off:

Straighten the pins out so that they're not holding any pressure on the base, then grab the bulb firmly in one hand, the base firmly in the other, then give it a firm, controlled twist. You want it to come loose but not spin around too much to risk damaging the wires.

(source: myself, one burned out and I took it apart to see the internals)
Click to expand...
They must be using a ton more glue now. I have successfully pulled other brands apart and made CK's, but I couldn't get these suckers apart.
I had the base in my vice, a heat gun on, and I was yanking on the bulb with a towel so I didn't damage it and all I managed to do was partially break the top off. The base wouldn't hardly budge.


Blckshdw said:
As for the cruise control, it was a similar situation, but with the brake lights. I guess our platform won't let you engage CC if it thinks a brake light bulb is out, or something like that. I don't remember all of the details. If you have aftermarket LED tails like I do, then it doesn't matter, because there's a load resistor module on the backside that has the necessary connections. So CC isn't lost.
Click to expand...
I have drop-in bulbs in my tails and never had an issue with cruise control. I made an 18-hour round-trip drive this summer with CC on most of the way.
Maybe just '05+ vehicles cared about brake light bulb resistance...
 
gpking said:
A few weeks ago I upgraded all of my red taillights to Aaron brand bulbs. I thought I'd share because they're bright AND cheap.
I have ordered 4 sets so far from the below seller and have been very impressed.
Red: http://www.amazon.com/Aaron-Power-33SMD-Signal-Lights/dp/B00ML7G5X6/ref=cm_rdp_product
White: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00ML7DIJA/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
At $19.99 a set you cannot beat these things.
Click to expand...
Another vote for these bulbs! I've had 4 since January and they're still going strong but I opted for these (http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00LJLHX22/ref=pd_aw_sim_263_8?refRID=110ES3MMGPFY4H18MXMQ) for reverse lights instead.
All still going and I'm happy with the outputs on tinted tails.
 
Not too bright, 1 down.

From the other day:
20150517_104547.jpg

How it looks:
20150517_214800.jpg
 
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