Need help with LEDs

[bhaagjr]

I am wanting to add some LEDs to my latest project. I have been looking at LED-SWITCH.COM. They have a ton of differant LEDs. I am wanting to add some 3mm lights to my truck and trailer. Looking at the web page they list DIFFUSED, and WATER CLEAR. Witch LEDs are you run on your truck? Could some one tell me differance between the two. Thanks for the help with this issue. Buddy

[Lmackattack]

I use 3mm led for cab roof,turn,and trailer side marker lights.

5mm for rear tail lights and headlights.

Buy red,amber and yel glow. I just buy the standard type looks like a clear dome.

You can buy pre wired/ resistor wired led for use with 12 volt power.

Simply install them,solder the leads together and connect them to power.

I power them from my RX via a plug. I also use plugs on my lights so I can remove the cab rear wall etc...

I can snap a few pics if that helps..

[bhaagjr]

Lmackattack, that would be great if you could post some pictures. That migh help me with a direction I want to take. Thanks

[Espeefan]

Originally Posted by bhaagjr

I am wanting to add some LEDs to my latest project. I have been looking at LED-SWITCH.COM. They have a ton of differant LEDs. I am wanting to add some 3mm lights to my truck and trailer. Looking at the web page they list DIFFUSED, and WATER CLEAR. Witch LEDs are you run on your truck? Could some one tell me differance between the two. Thanks for the help with this issue. Buddy

Diffused LEDs have a colored lense. So if you buy diffused amber LEDs, their lense is amber colored, even when the LED is not 'on'.

Water colored LEDs have clear lenses, and when the LED is 'on' the color comes from the anode and cathode, not the lense itself, so when the LED is 'off', the lense is clear.

You can use either type of LED, with the same results, but if you are not installing the LED inside a light bucket, a cab clearance light, or something else with it's own colored lense, you may or may not want the clear lense LEDs.

[Lmackattack]

Here is pics of my led install.

Rear wall. I bundled the wires up top so it clears the battery when installed.
Hard to see but it has a pig tail so I can completely remove it.

eBay bezels for rear wall lights..




Here you can see the cab lights wired and tucked out of sight.i have headlights,marker,and turn signals all wired into one pig tail. I don't feel the need to do anything besides turn them on and off so that's why I did it this way...total cost was about $15 and I had leftover led's to do a 2nd truck...




I use "Y" connectors to plug the cab,rear wal,and trailer pigtail all into one where the wires all ends up plugging into a empty receiver outlet for powering the lights and a pigtail to plug into my trailer.

My pigtail from the tractor to the trailer is a r/c airplane RX charging Outlet installed on the nose of the trailer..This way all my truck and trailers can work the lights with each other.

[bhaagjr]

LMACKATTACK, thanks for posting your pictures. Great looking trucks you have there. Where do you get your led's from? The ones on the back side of the cab, are they pre wired? Do you have to use a resistor on your set up? I hate to ask so many questions, but I only want to do this one time.
THANKS
Buddy

[Lmackattack]

Not a problem, glad to help...


These are 12v pre wired LEDs ( has resistor pre wired for 12v) I had found them on eBay bought in qty of 25 or 50..

3mm amber and red, marker lights
5mm red and yelglow for the tail and headlights.

Simply install leds, solder red/black wire leads to a servo plug and plug it into your reciver for power.

The bezels I used for the rear wall were also 3mm metal found on eBay. I just incert the led into the bezel and a dab of ca holds them in.

[td-civ]

the best way to power all the leds in your rig is with a castle bec because you can set the out put power and this way you can put as many leds as you want and you wont get glitching