Benny's first DIY : LEDs on an Ikon

[benbsb29]

Before i get started, would like to shout out a big THANK YOU to badboyscad, who was the inspiration behind this, and also was kind enough to answer all my queries, no matter how silly they were.

This being my first DIY, i wanted to get started with something which was relatively simple, before i ventured into something a little more challenging. I had initially planned to make my Pulsar as the whipping boy for my antics with LEDs, before starting out on my car, but ended up starting out on the car itself.

I managed to fix blue LEDs to the cabin light in my car. Steps explained below:

Gently remove the cabin light holder, by applying pressure to the regions as depicted by the arrows in the pic. I initially assumed it would be a difficult process to remove the holder, but its fairly simple in operation.



Once you remove the holder, you will find the translucent cover which is held by 4 clips to the holder. Push these inwards to remove the cover. Unfortnately, i didnt click any pics to show this step, but i can add this later.

Remove the cylindrical bulb, and keep safely just in case you ever feel like going back to it.

Connect the LEDs in series. I used 5mm Blue LEDs. To have a neater set-up you could solder the joints together, and add sleeves to the legs of the LED, but i chose to keep it rather simple for starters. The shorter leg is the cathode, while the longer leg is the anode.





Since i was using 3 LEDs in series, i chose not to use a resistor in this arrangement. I used a cardboard strip to form a base on which i taped down the LEDs using simple insulation tape. This keeps them from running all around the place. Connect the anode and cathode of the series arrangement to the appropriate ends in the holder, and you're good to go.



Turn on the light switch, and revel in the cool blue light.













P.S. I did not file the LEDs to obtain a uniform glow. I wanted them as bright as possible. As of now, since i have the LEDs pointing to only one direction in the casing, most of the light emitted from them are directed towards the passenger section. I plan on having another series set-up in parallel to this to get light to the driver's side as well.

I may even consider having white LEDs in future, which was my original choice.

[condor]

Benny, want to see this in the car. It's looking attractive .. and giving me ideas. Wonder how would a full -fledged PCB based set up work like ?

[badboyscad]

@benny: glad that you got it done. i sincerely suggest that you buy a soldering iron and start to solder the components. Also, file the LEDs and bend them to focus the light downwards instead of sidewards.

As suggested by condor, you can try out full fledged bread board setup. You can use 9 to 15 LEDs(3 per series with a resistor).

[benbsb29]

Originally Posted by condor

Benny, want to see this in the car. It's looking attractive .. and giving me ideas. Wonder how would a full -fledged PCB based set up work like ?

Let me know when you wanna catch up and see the car. It hasnt happened in a long time since we started planning.

Originally Posted by badboyscad

@benny: glad that you got it done. i sincerely suggest that you buy a soldering iron and start to solder the components. Also, file the LEDs and bend them to focus the light downwards instead of sidewards.

As suggested by condor, you can try out full fledged bread board setup. You can use 9 to 15 LEDs(3 per series with a resistor).

Who said i didnt get a soldering iron? I tried the white LEDs soldered together with a resistor, but it didnt work. i then decided to try the crude approach. I did bend the LEDs downwards, but since they are in the left side of the holder, they emit light more to that side. Will filing them prevent them from being focussed?

Will try the board setup soon.

[suman]

Hey benny, neat job

What next - underbody neons & FFE ?

[esteem_lover]

Didn't know you were the night club type.
Good job benny, when are you doing that to my car ?

[condor]

esteem_lover : .. when are you doing that to my car ?

guess, the next time he wants to try something new !
He can always work on his own car at his leisure !

[salilpawar1]

What next? D-I-Y underbody neons?

[Lukeskywalker]

Wow!! Someone seems to have a lot of free LED time on his hands.
Great job.
I'll ask the standard question:
How much did the 'setup' cost you?
May I stand in line behind E_L?

[benbsb29]

Originally Posted by suman

Hey benny, neat job

What next - underbody neons & FFE ?

Originally Posted by salilpawar1

What next? D-I-Y underbody neons?

I'm not really a fan of the underbody neons, but am thinking in terms of changing the color of the speedo display, as well as the backlit switches for the power windows.

Originally Posted by esteem_lover

Didn't know you were the night club type.
Good job benny, when are you doing that to my car ?

Actually, this was supposed to be white LEDs which i had planned, but owing to some issues switched to using blue ones. Hence the night club effect.

Originally Posted by condor

guess, the next time he wants to try something new !
He can always work on his own car at his leisure !

Dont scare away possible bakras, Condor!

Originally Posted by Lukeskywalker

Wow!! Someone seems to have a lot of free LED time on his hands.
Great job.
I'll ask the standard question:
How much did the 'setup' cost you?
May I stand in line behind E_L?

Thanks Hari. This set-up including just three LEDs cost me Rs.6/-. cheers: Not including the cost of the soldering iron and stuff as i didnt do any soldering here.

[vikram_d]

PCB type cabin lights are already available in the market in different LED configurations.

I guess the aim behind this exercise was to DIY.

[theMAG]

Originally Posted by vikram_d

PCB type cabin lights are already available in the market in different LED configurations.

Sir Galahad,

Those are expensive enough for us poor salaried types to consider going to Benny's house for a 6 bucks LED solution!

[esteem_lover]

Originally Posted by theMAG

Those are expensive enough for us poor salaried types to consider going to Benny's house for a 6 bucks LED solution!

Thats only the material cost. You still do not know his labour cost.

[rjstyles69]

Aye aye so Benny Boy goes blue. Looks cool and dink chik what next ?

[benbsb29]

Originally Posted by vikram_d

I guess the aim behind this exercise was to DIY.

Quite right, and not leaving out the price benefit as well. When i enquired at one accessory shop, he quoted something in terms of hundreds. Therein was born the desire and urge to DIM : Do It Myself.

Between this is just a beginning.