[My5ABaby]

Originally Posted by Phoenix7

Ok, a few important questions:

1. What's the output per LED?

2. How much current are you running to them?

3. What's the light spread look like?

I wanna see a wall lit up by the lights please!

1. I'm using Lumileds (Phillips) Superflux Red-Orange LEDs. They're around 4 lumens per LED at a conservative operating current. Datasheet: http://www.philipslumileds.com/pdfs/DS05.pdf.

I'm running roughly 120 per side and 16 in the 3rd brake light. As such, we'll say 500 lumens per side (if we split the 3rd light into two equal portions). A 1157 bulb is about 400 lumens.

2. 50mA each. They're rated at 70mA but since they may be on for an extended period of time I run them under current to ensure a long life with no heat issues (not that there really is much of a heat issue with the Superfluxes).

At ~50mA each, the ~250 LEDs are pulling 1.25A. A typical 1157 bulb pulls 2.1A, of which 4 are needed.

3. The spread is pretty good. I'd have to look at the data sheet, but I believe they're 70 degree wide angle. With the pillowing of the lenses it really doesn't matter too much. My next step is to make the boards reflective (with tape or chrome paint) to harness as much of the light as possible.

I don't have another board with 60 LEDs installed, but I could hook something up with a few to give a decent idea. I'll try to get something next week. I may also be able to compare a stock bulb on one side to my LEDs on the other. I'd have to reassemble a housing to do that though (ugh I hate that glue crap Mazda put on).

The downside, of course, is price. The LEDs are roughly $.35 each. Given that I used roughly 250 of them, it gets expensive. That's not counting the turn signals, reverse lights (not installed yet), wiring, PWMs, and so on.

As for the reverse lights, they'll be Cree P4's (same design, different manufacturer) that are rated for 30mA and output 7 lumens at that amperage. However, due to the short duration of use I'll be running them at around 70mA, which puts out about 10-11 lumens according to the datasheet. As said in an above post, I'll start with 60 per side and may work up to 100. I want them to be brighter than stock as a benefit to myself, but nothing distracting, blinding, or dangerous to anyone behind me.

Great job on the mod for sure, it look less like an EG from behind!

Thanks.

It's not for some people, but I like it and it's unique. The good part about the DIY aspect and not putting in premade boards is that you can put in whatever design you want. I could have done a checkerboard type pattern, vertical lines, evenly spaced, wrote "RX-7", etc.

EG as in Integra?