How to Make A Dual Intensity Tail Light
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- Опубліковано 5 жов 2024
- How to convert a single use LED strip or bulb into a dual intensity brake/tail light for custom motorcycles or custom cars for under one dollar. In this video I will show you how to make any LED light have dual intensity. This can be used for custom taillights and brake lights on both cars and motorcycles. It's very simple but can be useful in a ton of applications. Learn how to control voltage using resistors and diodes. If you're into building custom motorcycles, automotive or motorsport DIY this channel is for you.
(2) IN4004 or IN4005 rectifier diodes
(1) 12v 1 watt 500-600 Ohm resistor
How many times have I ever wished I knew how to do that!!! Thank you so much. Man hugs!
Glad I could help!
This is an awesome video, shows the magic behind the "single wire taillight magic box"
Hi Kyle very well illustrated, and a solid principle, I must add though, the diode resistor method will ONLY work for LED strips designed for use with 12/24V LED clusters, not for individual LED's. Also, Depending on the diode there is a forward voltage drop, this in essence is a good thing as you do not wan't to overdrive the LED strip, They are made for a nominal 12V but the alternator can go up to 14,5V so, the diode not only makes for one way power transmission, but also limits the voltage by how ever much the forward voltage drop is, this can range from 0.6V to as much as 1.2V depending on the germanium construct of the diode. Putting 12V to a single high bright LED even with a diode in front of it will ensure a short mS lifespan for said LED. Solide principale though, VERY well done.
I pointed out the same problem about the voltage drop in the Diodes, but he could simply replace the rectifier diodes (1n400X) with a Schottky Diode, like a 1N5819 which has the same forward current rating, 40V blocking voltage (which is enough), and about less than half of the forward voltage.
Watching from S. Korea. Thanks for this great vid. The way you presented it & did a hands on after allows me to further scale and configure to my needs. I do cars, not bikes & have done everything under the sun with the exception of electrical/led theory. It's a small nugget, but it all adds up in my brain bucket. Thx again brother🤘
Interesting. Thanks for posting.
No problem!
Love the video!! Any recommendations on what size resistor to use?
Wont the brake light power be lower because of the voltage drop in the diode?
The diode you use determines how bright you want your “running” light. The “Brake” light gets the full 12v.
@@kylevara typically, speaking of additional brake light LEDs, like for top cases, they consume about 1.5w, which is about 0.125A. The diodes you use are rated for 1A, which is fairly safe, and probably the lowest rating one should go, for safety. But they also have a forward voltage drop of 1.1V, that means the line you use for applying the Brake Lights will also have a 1.1V drop, meaning that the LED won't be as bright as if they were just directly connected to the Brake line.
What I mean is: the concept is correct, the Tail Light and Brake Light will function as intended, but has the set back of the Brake Light (when breaking) not be as bright if it was connected directly (without the diode).
In other words, you lose a bit of Brake Light maximum power.
@@kylevara you can check the diodes data sheet for more details. Ofc, no sistem is perfect, but probably we could go a step forward and try to use transistors to control the power to the LEDs, I think it might be at least slightly more efficient, meaning, having closer to the LEDs maximum power
@@skmblzz3292 totally understand and you make a great point but for this application it’s acceptable. The trade off of having less wires is worth it for most motorcycles, if I had to wire a car or something with multiple lights the parasitic draw would be too much for a standard 12v system, but you would have more room to hide the extra wiring.
@@kylevara Hey man! Just remember one thing... Forget about the transistores and just replace the Diodes you're using with better ones!!!
Instead of using normal silicon Diodes, like the rectifier ones you using (1N400X), use Schottky Diodes, for example the 1N5819. They are typically used in signal and switching applications and here are their benefis:
«Schottkys have two main advantages over silicon diodes in low voltage applications. First, they have about half the forward drop. Second, they have instant reverse recovery times for most purposes, which full silicon rectifier diodes certainly don't have. This can be very important in switching applications.»
For the second main advantage: Imagine you later decide to install a LED Flasher (cool stuff to add to your brake lights), it will perform significantly better than the normal ones.
Not to mention, they will waste half the energy compared to the ones you're using.
So, no info on selecting the resistor to vary current/voltage….and you show only a 12v led….but most red leds aren’t 12v, but consume around 2 volts, or multiples of 2v for more leds wired together. Would have helped people better to include the dropping resistor value using ohms law to calculate a value that gives adequate brightness and max longevity, keeping values within spec.
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