LED taillight project. Can the taillight be opened?

[1olbull]

@1olbull I’m thinking about ordering these ones that you mentioned in another post. Think these might work well?

https://www.walmart.com/ip/1157-PLA...l-Blinker-LED-Light-Bulbs/274755547#read-more

FYI -
I do not recall getting anything from Walmart.
The two sets I got were listed in post #48.

 

[DEcosse]

Chris ....
An OEM lens for incandescent lights filters different wave lengths than does a lens designed for LED;

Not Chris .....
But ...... already posted this earlier Steve, you need RED LEDs behind a red lens not the white ones you posted links

 

[Claviger]

If the sellers description is acccurate these look like a good bulb, but, they’re going to require opening the housing (it’s not THAT hard).

Latest 1157 2835 39chips LED Super Bright Red Brake Light 1158 11076 | eBay

 

[1olbull]

Not Chris .....
But ...... already posted this earlier Steve, you need RED LEDs behind a red lens not the white ones you posted links

Thanks for chiming in, Ken.
What I learned was that a standard red lens for a 1157 type bulb filters different wave lengths and are not so compatible with those of LEDs.

 

[barbagris]

Chris,
I have been researching these Luxeon LED applications and may have come up with the reason for my issue regarding the non improvement of the 1157 LEDs I have tried in my OEM tail light.
An OEM lens for incandescent lights filters different wave lengths than does a lens designed for LED; therefor, an LED under a OEM lens is NOT effective.
What sayest youse re: this?

Honestly - ime - the shape (by this I mean facets, knobbly bits - often inside) and position relative to the PINPOINT source of light plays a MUCH bigger role.

Most automotive lens filters are VERY basic - They have to pass LIGHT - Many if you look actually do not filter high intensity very well at all. We've all seen red tail lights go "pink" when brakes are applied.

I learned a hell of a lot when I converted my indicators to LEDS - I bought Clear and Smoked lenses - Various colours of LED array.
Ditto when I converted my Triumph foglights to LED.

For those new to my machinations with bespoke heat-sinks - proper mechanised conversions - not a "bulb". Positioning made a huge difference. Eventually I had to compromise a bit with the indicators - I simply could not push the LEDS as far back as I wanted to - not without monster expense. Better than stock - But not "perfect".

I have Led "bulbs" on my old Guzzi. Very basic old fashioned coloured lenses. Basic faceting and the reflectors are white not silvered (OK the tail light was silvered - once).
They are better than the 1157 - 5/21W / 1156 - 21W incandescents that were fitted in 1979.

The self same "bulbs" put into the R3 are crap. Because they were "designed". imo The R3 tail is designed simply to glow hemispheric-ally rather than shine rearwards. And I agree wholeheartedly that it is rubbish. Huge lens - little bulb. The Guzzi has a small lens and TWO bulbs.

I decided ages ago to simply add light elsewhere rather than build a new light unit. The whole € mark thing is against me here.

But IF I WERE to attempt it - I would go and find a ready made (and € marked) rear lamp that works as I wanted and make/mold a new base plate to adapt it into the available hole. The units made for LandRover Defenders are simple and super adaptable - and also NOT huge. In fact I think you could fit two in quite neatly.

I would shun most Chinese after market LED motorcycle lights. Most are from experience crap. And I'm sorry - but many of the "super bright" add on solutions I have seen sold for "motorcycles" are a **** load of money for what they are.

The R3 Indicators - design maybe a loose term here" - attempt to make a 10W incandescent bright. WTF bikes now have weaker indicators than 30 years ago beats me.

And (specifically for you, Steve) did you look at those MAX-INC dual red/amber indicators? - I have to admit I am tempted to get a set just to test. Black + Alum Bezel CNC Machined Billet Alum Classic Integrated LED Stop / Tail Lights + Turn Signals

 

[DEcosse]

... Most automotive lens filters are VERY basic - They have to pass LIGHT - Many if you look actually do not filter high intensity very well at all. We've all seen red tail lights go "pink" when brakes are applied....

Have to disagree with you on the bolded statement - they pass RED Light - which is a VERY important qualifier
It's quite fundamental - the viewed light looks RED because that is the wavelength it is passing, whereas the (incandescent) source is made up of a broad spectra of wavelengths.
OK - if it looks pink, then admittedly it's not a perfect 'notch' filter* - but it's important to recognize that PREDOMINANTLY it is the RED component of the spectrum that is being passed.
All well & good (sic!) for an incandescent - that is a broad spectrum light source of multiple wavelengths - the red filter allows the red wavelength to pass and blocks the others.
So yes, already it is quite inefficient for the emitted red light vs the total emitted light from the bulb
Now move to an LED - a White LED is NOT composed of the same spectral components as an incandescent; the red component is going to be SIGNIFICANTLY less.
The fact that is passes at all is because the red filter is not a perfect 'notch' filter.
The bottom line is that a RED Filter passes RED Wavelength light - the highest percentage of total total light that is passed through a RED filter is going to be from a RED LED - even if the total emitted raw lumens is less - because ALL of the light is going to be a much narrower wavelength bandwidth, much closer to matching the red filter.

* The wavelength of a RED LED is VERY narrow - certainly MUCH better than the bandwidth of the filter
So the filter is going to pass virtually all of the light (OK there may be some attenuation but that is going to be small relative to the non-RED blocking)

Some reading material - https://www.maximintegrated.com/en/app-notes/index.mvp/id/3070

White LEDs
True white-light-emitting LEDs are not available. Such a device is difficult to build because LEDs typically emit one wavelength. White does not appear in the spectrum of colors; instead, perceiving white requires a mixture of wavelengths.

A trick is employed to make white LEDs. Blue-emitting InGaN base material is covered with a converter material that emits yellow light when stimulated by the blue light. The result is a mixture of blue and yellow light that is perceived by the eye as white

i.e. there is NO Red Wavelength component in a White LED - the only reason it emits through the LENS at all, is because the LENS itself is not very focused on a narrow RED wavelength.

 

[germ79]

Me thinks this is the one shown in the video:
https://www.walmart.com/ip/1157-PLA...8976&wl11=online&wl12=274755547&wl13=&veh=sem

@1olbull This is the post I’m referring to.

 

[barbagris]

Have to disagree with you on the bolded statement - they pass RED Light - which is a VERY important qualifier

I wrote the afore-quoted before my daily Rum ration. My lingual lucidity was impaired. Thanks to @dr.P.O.N. The Kraken has been released.

But - Tail lights have to pass red - Indicators have to pass amber.

Policemen need Blue - some (UK Veterinarians iirc) need green. I have some IR lenses for the NV gear - now, they too pass light - but you can't see it.

Red LED btw is often quoted as 640nm - And, Ken, I have do desire to dig down into the vagueries of pigmentation (Analine vs non-Analine) and internal refraction. Well OK - I do, but that's just the Kraken roaring.

The simple fact is - as you have said - automotive lenses are NOT spectrum specific. And if so most pigments degrade with UV exposure. Experience will tell us if the phosphorescence goo degrades in effectiveness over time.

 

[Rocket Scientist]

I've tried a couple "super bright" led taillight bulbs that fit the rear housing without modification. Wasn't overly impressed. They're typically only marginally brighter, and not much difference between running and brake. I have one in there now only because of it's "instant on" compared to incandescent, which i hope makes it more attention getting. Also just bought some Hyperlite brake /turnsignal combo lights to mount higher up.

 

[Claviger]

I had one of these on my bike for a while, it is quite bright and does get attention.

Quad Horizontal Motorcycle Plate Frames with Flushmount LEDs & LED Plate Illumination