LED Taillight

Ok I figure since I am bored with nothing to do, I am going to get started working on my LED taillight idear (they're teaching me redneck at work).. as soon as my camera battery charges up I'll take some pics of the process. I'll be using about 25 LEDs and going to start off with just regular Run/Stop lights. Doing some research trying to find how to hyper-strobe them. (that means flashing very very fast)


I'm starting off by using a piece of 2.75 x 6.5 x.25 piece of Aluminum (laying around) .

I marked out an area 2.75(w) x 3.00(L). On the 3" side I marked a dot every .5 inch
On the 2.75 side I marked a dot every .458 (roughly 7/16 which is .4375)
I used a combo square and drew lines like a grid on the Aluminum.
Now using the center most 25 intersections (which will leave 20, .5 x .4375 boxes) I center-punched and used a small bit to do my pilot holes... Here it is after I started drilling...

good start, you'll probably want to put them closer together, depends on your look your going for and the type of led's but I run all of mine a 1/16th apart to further intensify the light

Now hold mah beer and Y'all watch this......

Just razzin. Looks like a good start.

Well, Nick this is just a trial run. The finished product will be in Stainless and drilled on a drill press. I countersunk the holes thinking if I polish the inside it will reflect more light outwards.. You be the judge..



The countersunk holes..



Aww Dem dare L.E.Dees











Shooting light a good 15 feet



About 18 to 20 feet



On the neighbors truck.



It might get brighter if I run a larger feed and ground wire. We'll see. Let me know what you think.

Looks pretty bright to me. Just figure a way to streamline all them wires, I think you could have a second income. Custom LED taillights are UNgodly priced.

Excellent job.

Sweet. I think that is bright enough. I you blind the cager behind you he may run you over. Looks great though. I may be willing to buy one from you.

if you dont have the electronics background I can show you how to do the circuit boards for the leds, if you polish the stainless it will help brightness but you lose the accuracy, as in blinkers sections arent as visible do to the reflection, neat part is you can mount them in anything I use kitty hair mat with resin and set them in that

Nick I have a pretty extensive background in electronics. just been away from it for a while. I dont have any experience with resin/ fiberglass or any s*it like that.. But I learn fast.

i have no experience at all. but would love to learn

I like the fiber only because what ever you need it to do it will do very easily. don't get me wrong I am a blacksmith and I LOVE METAL!!!!!!! but there are things that sometimes are better, such as when you start running your daisy chains for your power to the led board if a wire rubs the fiber and becomes bare it wont short out AKA dead battery best case scenario or burnt bike worst case. the great thing about it, its like disney land if you can imagine it you can pretty much do it this side of a felony

and it is VERY EVIDENT YOU ARE AN ELECTRICIAN, you already have the pride and know how to do a great CLEAN job the RIGHT way, and thats the best and only way to start