LED Tail Lights "survey"

[Dan Wood]

I just put Park, Brake, and Turn LED arrays in the 2002 made by Classic Auto LEDs. The owner said he might be receptive to making LED arrays for the E9s if there is enough demand. The 2002 is wired such that both park and brake can be on when applied. It also can be configured to run only the park lights and then both for the brakes as shown below. The turn directionals are also LEDs on PCBs. The reverse lights are still incandescent on the 2002.

If any E9 owners would be interested, please respond to this post. If there is enough interest, I will advise the company of this post as I am not affiliated with Classic Auto LEDs.

https://classicautoleds.com/led-lights/bmw-2002

 

[aguirola]

I would be interested. Price?

Regards, Alberto

 

[Dan Wood]

I would be interested. Price?

Regards, Alberto

No idea on price for E9 (IF they decide to do them). The 2002 LEDs cost $394 for reference.

 

[aguirola]

No idea on price for E9 (IF they decide to do them). The 2002 LEDs cost $394 for reference.

Probably around there, depending on demand

 

[slapshot]

Interested. Thanks Dan.

 

[foinsnap]

I’m interested, thanks!!!

 

[rsporsche]

i would be curious if it would make sense to expand the tail light and especially brake light sections to improve rear night time visability

 

[Dan Wood]

i would be curious if it would make sense to expand the tail light and especially brake light sections to improve rear night time visability

The company would need to be given light assemblies to design and test the lights.

 

[rsporsche]

The company would need to be given light assemblies to design and test the lights.

i have spares

 

[Stan]

There are RED LED "bulbs" and I use them in my E9

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07BXR4P1X/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&th=1

 

[rsporsche]

the idea of creating an LED panel that plugs in and fits into the housing is a much better idea than just putting bulbs into a socket with a reflector. LED is a very directional light source, the reflection properties are more bulb specific ... so just sticking a bulb in may or may not get you the same results as an incandescent bulb. creating a panel with lots of LED's pointed straight where you want them to go would push a lot more light out the back end.

 

[bavbob]

Ever since I placed the red LED's that Stan refers to above, I get static on my radio ONLY when I put on the brakes. I have swapped radio power to a different fuse, isolated and moved the antenna and cannot solve the issue. John Feng is also a bit stumped......the guy that ran the car audio section of Bose, Mr PhD EE...................

 

[Dan Wood]

the idea of creating an LED panel that plugs in and fits into the housing is a much better idea than just putting bulbs into a socket with a reflector. LED is a very directional light source, the reflection properties are more bulb specific ... so just sticking a bulb in may or may not get you the same results as an incandescent bulb. creating a panel with lots of LED's pointed straight where you want them to go would push a lot more light out the back end.

The concern I have had with the original 2002 and E9 rear light are the bulb contact which I have had intermittent failures.

 

[JFENG]

Ever since I placed the red LED's that Stan refers to above, I get static on my radio ONLY when I put on the brakes. I have swapped radio power to a different fuse, isolated and moved the antenna and cannot solve the issue. John Feng is also a bit stumped......the guy that ran the car audio section of Bose, Mr PhD EE...................

Just brake less. Works great for me (in the track).

 

[Arde]

Ever since I placed the red LED's that Stan refers to above, I get static on my radio ONLY when I put on the brakes. I have swapped radio power to a different fuse, isolated and moved the antenna and cannot solve the issue. John Feng is also a bit stumped......the guy that ran the car audio section of Bose, Mr PhD EE...................

Elementary, Stan's contraption uses PWM (Pulse Width Modulation) to control the LED brightness, that is a digital signal with sharp edges and not the usual DC current that a filament or a plain LED with a resistor in series would show.
The constant current LED driver is the source of the noise, which could be emitted (EMI) or coupled through the ground or +12V circuits. Place another portable radio in the car and see if you get the noise.

see:

Loading…

www.ti.com

too smart for its own good...

 

[Stan]

Elementary, Stan's contraption uses PWM (Pulse Width Modulation) to control the LED brightness, that is a digital signal with sharp edges and not the usual DC current that a filament or a plain LED with a resistor in series would show.
The constant current LED driver is the source of the noise, which could be emitted (EMI) or coupled through the ground or +12V circuits. Place another portable radio in the car and see if you get the noise.

see:

Loading…

www.ti.com

too smart for its own good...

Contraption? I just bought and installed the bulbs...

 

[bavbob]

I was a Chem E and not an EE for a reason..........................

 

[Arde]

Contraption? I just bought and installed the bulbs...

Oh, I meant that the bulbs are much more complex than bulbs .
I assume you had no radio interference (or you never need to brake...)

 

[JFENG]

Oh, I meant that the bulbs are much more complex than bulbs .
I assume you had no radio interference (or you never need to brake...)

I told him an out EMI and was going to take a portable Oscope over to see if it was coming in via the antenna or power connection.

I have some cheap 8’ led shop lights that also have crap LFP’s on the switching supply and cause static on my shop radio.

Rob: moving the antenna would only help if you moved it many yards away.

The solution is to get bulbs with a good PS design. That’s what I’m doing for my shop.

John

 

[Arde]

Whether it comes through the antenna can be perhaps inferred from comparing the static one gets on the FM band vs. AM band.
FM, when a station is tuned, should be very immune to noise coupling via the antenna as the carrier frequency is much higher and the signal modulation is frequency... If the static is the same for FM and AM then the coupling is probably supply and going directly to the amplifier stages, not the tuner. As such it should be independent of antenna.