LED taillights

[Inspar8r]

sweet. are you just using a LED circuit board grid? also what MCD are the LEDs and are they in series or parallel. very cool project, i wanted to do this but i gave my spare tails to TJ and he never gave his old ones.

Everything is custom. The boards are burned professionally, the circuits were engineered by myself (and engineer in the field since 2001). The MCD for this particular board was 5000mcd. I have everything from toshiba 10000mcd to 3000mcd HK LEDs.

There are some limitations to the early tails, due to the way the bulb carrier plate attaches to the tail. Again, I don't expect to make everyone happy, and I also don't expect the first design to be the best either. It took 3 designs before I actually released the IS300 taillights.

Those will be the last pics that I will have until I have a product installed on matt and chris's car. Until then....

Keep an eye out for LED front turn signals, those will be released fairly soon, at around a $100-$150 price range.

[AndrewBird]

How are you accounting for dimming the LED's when the headlights are on, but not the brakes? A dimmer circuit or a different resistor/LED combination?

[thereisnoyun]

rice

We could do it so more of the tail light actually lights up. We could incorporate the rear foglight lens area to be lit up when the rear lights are on as well, but it's definitely not the look I want. I want an OEM look. We could also do a dual stage setup. The idea behind being able to make custom lights is that you can make it however you want.

They will definitely be brighter than the standard bulbs and I love the way LED turn signals look. An LED has two settings, completely on and completely off. It's a real crisp blink as oppose to halogen bulbs which which have a slight ignite delay. If you don't know what i mean, look at an LED blink compared to a halogen bulb.

Anyway, this is just something cool and unique and quite frankly, I've never heard anyone say that the Startac smoked or MHW smoked or all red tail lights are rice. Exactly what "function" do they have? I suppose getting the european clear turn signals for the e36 to get rid of the hideous amber lenses must be rice as well.

Hell, why stop at lighting? You essentially just stated that any modification you make strictly for aesthetic purposes is rice. We better have a talk with all the car manufacturers, because they produce rice all over the place then. But I digress, I just think it looks cool and I'm bored with my car. So I need to do something new and custom/unique is always fun.

essentially tru. most mfg and stuff do produce just like you say... RICE products.

all the things you listed are the things i think its pretty rice.thats why I wouldnt even consider startec of MHW.

back to clear side markers, to make it look modern for fraction of the cost, some things arent so rice, and seem practical. To look out there, for pure looks is definitely rice. With 100 billion LED is definitely the "out there look", thats the same as getting bling bling chrome wheels, and if you dont think its rice, then its whatever, I just gave some opinions, didnt attack you personally.

[C ///M]

essentially tru. most mfg and stuff do produce just like you say... RICE products.

all the things you listed are the things i think its pretty rice.thats why I wouldnt even consider startec of MHW.

back to clear side markers, to make it look modern for fraction of the cost, some things arent so rice, and seem practical. To look out there, for pure looks is definitely rice. With 100 billion LED is definitely the "out there look", thats the same as getting bling bling chrome wheels, and if you dont think its rice, then its whatever, I just gave some opinions, didnt attack you personally.

Yea, I understand that. Didn't mean to seem like I was being down on you too much. But having an idea of the complexity of designing/building a product like this and basically calling it a waste is a bit harsh. People jump to the "R" word much too easily, especially considering that the vast majority of "mods" are for aesthetics. Putting our LED tail lights in the same class as what is really considered "rice" is a bit insulting.

How much downforce do you think an iS rear lip really adds at highway speeds? When someone says "upgrade without function" I really have to scratch my head. These will definitely have a function. How important the difference is, is the point that you can argue with some people.

I still don't understand how clear side markers would be ok because it makes a car look more modern? LED tail lights make a car look more modern. I don't understand what makes one rice and the other not. A complete set of O.E. European clear tail lights, side markers, and front corners for an e36 is more than a couple hundred dollars. I certainly won't be spending that on parts. The biggest cost in LED tail lights for the e30 is time designing/building. And it's definitely LABOR INTENSIVE.

Anyway, when we get a bit more of a final product, people can make their own opinions. Obviously people have different tastes.

[asubimmer]

thereisnoyun are my wheels, and mhw tails and turn signals RICE?!?! Dear I hope not!!!!

[thereisnoyun]

hahah

haha no the wheels and tail just plain look bad... hahaha

anyways, I see where you coming from. I can see how it can be constru as harsh, but people use the world rice, like you said too fast, but at the same time... they kinda of use it loosely. I use it relatively loosely. I jsut think they are bling bling and for 500 buckeroo its definitely on teh bling bling side if at the least the cash count.

everyone will have thier own taste in everything.

- Yun

[Inspar8r]

haha no the wheels and tail just plain look bad... hahaha

anyways, I see where you coming from. I can see how it can be constru as harsh, but people use the world rice, like you said too fast, but at the same time... they kinda of use it loosely. I use it relatively loosely. I jsut think they are bling bling and for 500 buckeroo its definitely on teh bling bling side if at the least the cash count.

everyone will have thier own taste in everything.

- Yun

I think we'll agree to disagree, because your definition of rice is so completely out of sync, it's not even worth arguing.

You've already contradicted yourself numerous times, and frankly, it isn't Chris and I's job to make you happy, especially someone with the opinions you have. That isn't a jab at you, but there are some people that just cannot be pleased no matter what you do, and most who are in this business prefer to stay away from those customers.

I would hope for your sake that your car is completely stock, as you define all mods as rice. Even suspension is rice, because it makes the car look lower and more aggressive.

Regardless, the point of this thread is not to sell to the masses. It is to sell to people who realize that value in a product that is so rare, only a select few e30s have them. To the people who chase down the ultra rare mtec2 kits, the smoked hella ellips, mtec2 wheels, power sunroof, etc.

Thank you for your opinions however, I take all criticism into account before I release a product, I thin kit is important to the development process.

[thereisnoyun]

I think we'll agree to disagree, because your definition of rice is so completely out of sync, it's not even worth arguing.

You've already contradicted yourself numerous times, and frankly, it isn't Chris and I's job to make you happy, especially someone with the opinions you have. That isn't a jab at you, but there are some people that just cannot be pleased no matter what you do, and most who are in this business prefer to stay away from those customers.

I would hope for your sake that your car is completely stock, as you define all mods as rice. Even suspension is rice, because it makes the car look lower and more aggressive.

Regardless, the point of this thread is not to sell to the masses. It is to sell to people who realize that value in a product that is so rare, only a select few e30s have them. To the people who chase down the ultra rare mtec2 kits, the smoked hella ellips, mtec2 wheels, power sunroof, etc.

Thank you for your opinions however, I take all criticism into account before I release a product, I thin kit is important to the development process.

Its cool. I'm not trying to bash on everyone's product, but ofcourse, its still jsut a product in development. We arent even debating on a product that is on for sale, just a product in concept, or else if you were already selling them I wouldnt be so critical simply because its whatever, everyone will have thier own opinions.

I think I would be more convince with the sale if the lights were brand new mfg, instead of a custom DIY job. I do almost everything DIY, and I've done plenty of custom mods for my own car, and I'm pretty good with LED's as well. So my opinion is biased, it just seem like this is like a DIY thing for an insane amount of money.

[grib]

Hey buddy, you know I'm in!

For anyone who might be unsure about the brightness, you'll be pleasantly surprised. I have ridden in Nick's Lexus on several trips to Chicago, and I will testify that this is the brightest set of tails you'll see this side of aircraft lighting. No joke or exaggeration.

Don't take a picture of them directly at night - take a picture before/after of what it looks like BEHIND the car and you'll see exactly what I mean.

This product won't be cheap or "rice" at all. The stuff he does is all quality. You can go check him out on on my.is forums.

There really isn't any money in this for Nick. I know this for a fact. He has a great paying job, and $350/set really isn't significante. He's doing this strictly for those in the e30 community who are interested. If you are interested, be sure to get in on the first several months he's doing this because like the Angel Eyes he did it will be limited run.

[sweetride01]

Until then....

Keep an eye out for LED front turn signals, those will be released fairly soon, at around a $100-$150 price range.

Looking forward to it!
I can't afford to do the tails right now, but I gladly look forward to LED fronts!!! (And I know others who probably will be, also).
Question: will the fronts be quite bright? I need something bright enough to shine through my smoked covers!

[Inspar8r]

Looking forward to it!
I can't afford to do the tails right now, but I gladly look forward to LED fronts!!! (And I know others who probably will be, also).
Question: will the fronts be quite bright? I need something bright enough to shine through my smoked covers!

Oh yea, they'll be VERY bright.

[C ///M]

Looking forward to it!
I can't afford to do the tails right now, but I gladly look forward to LED fronts!!! (And I know others who probably will be, also).
Question: will the fronts be quite bright? I need something bright enough to shine through my smoked covers!

Haha... yea, they'll be plenty bright. I have smoked lenses so you'll get to see exactly what they look like before you buy.

[sweetride01]

Haha... yea, they'll be plenty bright. I have smoked lenses so you'll get to see exactly what they look like before you buy.

*Cough* mine are very smoked. You see, I got some $20 ones off eBay, "crystal" clears, but the reflector design was so good on them that they were almost as bright as my then terrible US sealed beams. (No joke). So I put about 8 coats of model smoke paint on them, and now when they're off, they're as black as the bumper, but when they're on, they're about normal brightness.

Anyways, I'm really looking forward to the LED ones... I'm sure they'll be plenty bright!

[liam012]

progress?

[sweetride01]

progress?