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Housing for shift lights?
David Jenkins - 18/6/07 at 08:50 PM

Looking for a few smart ideas...

I want to put a row of shift lights on the top of my scuttle, just above the dash (it's the only place available in 'straight ahead' vision). These will be driven from my MegaJolt. I've had a look at all the usual suspects (Maplins, etc.) but nothing obvious jumps out.

What I'm planning to fit is a row of 5 smallish superbright LEDs, but I want a housing that's only just big enough to hold them, and looks like something 'finished' and worthy to be in full sight.

I've seen 'carbon fibre look-alike' housings for a single LED, but even that's a little lumpy.

Anyone seen anything suitable?

cheers,
David


nick205 - 18/6/07 at 09:26 PM

spooky - I'm on the look out for the exact same thing!

I have been thinking along the lines of a short length ally or stainless tube or box section, but not sure how to neatly close the ends off.


RazMan - 19/6/07 at 07:00 AM

Why not go for one of the led bar graph arrays already available via Maplin or RS? It would save reinventing the wheel (if you see what I mean)


David Jenkins - 19/6/07 at 07:16 AM

I'm planning to use super-bright LEDs - I don't think they make them in bargraph style! I doubt if they have 2 green, 2 yellow & 1 red either...

cheers,
David


David Jenkins - 24/6/07 at 01:16 PM

Well, after a few good ideas, plus a couple of really decent offers via U2U, I went off and did my own thing (as usual)!

I decided that I didn't want to put the lights on top of the scuttle as they would spoil the appearance. The only other option was to put them on top of the steering cowl, but there wasn't much space between that and my Bright6 lights. In the end I sunk the Maplins box into the top part of the column shroud... I think it's worked out quite well, even though it keeps reminding me of those spiders with 8 eyes!

[Edited on 24/6/07 by David Jenkins] Rescued attachment DSCF0010.JPG
Rescued attachment DSCF0010.JPG


David Jenkins - 24/6/07 at 01:17 PM

BTW: using super-bright LEDs may have been a mistake - I tested the wiring last night, and ended up with spots before the eyes for 10 minutes!

I might have to raise the resistor values after they've been tested properly...

I'll document what I did on my website over the next few days...

[Edited on 24/6/07 by David Jenkins]


Peteff - 24/6/07 at 02:17 PM

I bought a new LED torch the other day, it says on the packaging " Very bright, do not look directly into LED light." so guess what's the first thing you do?


David Jenkins - 24/6/07 at 04:00 PM

The worst thing was that I was testing the lights in a fairly dim garage...

If anyone's remotely interested, here's the web pages:-

LINKY