LED retrofit on the side markers.

[Jesse Veitch]

I just put on the stock evo8 wheels 

As for truck modules.. there are many kinds.. sounds like you got one with standard 20mA 5mm LEDs if it had 60 of 'em.. you could most definitely find them for less than that by themselves.. a couple cents each in bulk.

Some truck modules with less LEDs use a "superflux style" LED.. the 4pin design similar to what I've used.. these LEDs are all brands like BHK, TopBright, or KingBright.  All Chinese knockoffs of the real Lumileds superflux LEDs.  Typically they run 80-100mA and the real ones can be had for $0.10 each in bulk.. or about $0.30-0.40 otherwise.

The LEDs I used are a Lumileds LED that runs up to 150mA.. the highest rating you'll find in an epoxy encapsulated LED.. anything with higher current will be surface mount.

Right now I'm machining a flashlight from solid aluminum on my lathe.. it will use 9 CREE R2 bin white LEDs.. the brightest LEDs you can possibly get right now.. they run up to 1000mA.. and cost about $14 each.  These true "high power" LEDs that are actually lighting class (you look at the light they make, not directly at them) are what cost the big bucks right now.  Each LED will put out ~280lumen... or another way to put it.. taking into account optical losses of the reflector and lens.. all together it'll be brighter than an HID headlight.

I've converted a kitchen that used to use 6 MR16 style (little reflector track lights) to LEDs.. used to use 300W total.. now it's brighter and uses only 55W.. I can do a conversion like that for about $500, and the electrical and replacement costs of the bulbs add to well over $100 a year.. and the LEDs will last for 20-50 years.  So the initial cost may still be high.. but the benefits are very clear now.

The really cool stuff I'm starting to do is using solar panels and the great advancements in Li-Ion batteries and LEDs to completely take all household power used for lighting off the grid.

..and in the US lighting accounts for 70% of total electrical usage.  Similar here I imagine.

[Josh Royle]

thats why i love being an electrician

[John Hartman]

how do those Cree R2 LEDs compare to the Luxion LED's in better flashlights?  They are single led.  I have a 1 watt and a 3 watt.  Both are very bright when the batteries are fresh, but dim as they eat up the amps.  The 3 watt is seriously nearly as bright as a standard headlight.  Its just stupid to look at it.  Its actually uncomfortable.

[Jesse Veitch]

The luxeons were the first good power LEDs.. but they're definitely yesterday's news.  The CREE R2s boast efficiencies twice as good as the old luxeons.

You won't find anything on a shelf with an R2 in it.. maybe an older bin CREE not as bright like a P4.. but the technology just moves so fast by the time larger companies get something to market, it's totally outdated.

[John Hartman]

if I sent you my flashlight, how much to retrofit one of those Cree R2' ?

[Jesse Veitch]

If there's no need for custom lathe parts I could do it for $20.  The beam pattern of the CREE is different because of it's packaging, I imagine your flashlight has a luxeon emitter, a better replacement is a Seoul Semiconductor P4 LED (not to be confused with the p4 bin designation of older CREE LEDs). They buy the LED dies from CREE, they're the same as they're new ones, they just package them in something identical to the old luxeon emitters, with the same emission pattern.  If you can take some closeup pictures of the LED area I could probably tell what I'd need to do.

If it is a luxeon III LED you can expect a ridiculous increase in brightness while using slightly less power.  The Luxeon IIIs are rated at 58 lumen @ 700mA, while the P4 will do around 200 lumen @ 700mA, but at a slightly lower voltage.  For reference, your standard 50W halogen headlight is around 1000 lumen at the bulb, bran new, probably only throws about 500-600lumen to the road.

[Jesse Veitch]

Thought I'd bring back this old topic for some new members to see my automotive LED action.

My JRV Technologies O.C.U. never made it into the car. I have a different plan now.. I've learned so much that I can't stand to install such a low tech driver! I could make the same thing now 3x5 inches with all surface mount components, much more efficient, no need for heatsinks and the such. I will eventually complete my full tail light retrofit though... I still have to decide whether I'll go easy route on the headlights and retrofit some ebay projectors with my OEM FX45 OEM HID projectors, or tackle a from scratch LED headlight job. The optics will be difficult to get a nice cut-off, but I almost feel obligated to promote my company and the benefit of LEDs!

[John Hartman]

I think a nice set of driving lights would be nice 

[Mikael Mikkelsen]

Yeah you should sell those, if you could get the price down to like $100 or $80 and find a way to make them in larger quantities and amounts, I bet you would sell a ton.

They sell chrome cluster bezels for $50...and those markers are way better.

Sell them as "fuel savers" as the alt doesn't have to work as hard

PM me if you do start selling them

[Ryan Singh]

Good shit!
I've been thinking of custom fabbing a set of headlights using my old housing...this info will definitely come in handy! Mind if I hit you up when I get around to it?

[Rohitash Puri]

That's a sweet freakin mod