 Flashing LED Taillight - Opinions sought
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Joined: Jan 2005
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It's been a long time coming but I believe I've finally worked out a circuit to add flashing brake lights to my LED Taillight project. It works by flashing the brake light between 1 and 10 times then turning the brake light on until you release the brakes. The number of flashes is user settable at this stage, but when finished will probably be hard wired in to about 4 or 5 flashes. It also incorporates a 'decay' so that the number of flashes is reduced when applying the brakes frequently eg: in heavy traffic. If you're familiar with my project you'll know I currently have six high power LED's for the normal tail light/running light, and a further 12 high power LED's surrounding them for the brake light, as shown below.  Tail light/Running Light mode  Brakes + Tail light/Running light Have your say in the poll below. Any other comments, thoughts, suggestions etc are welcome.
All LED's should be on all the time; Dim for tail light, bright for brakes (23%, 8 Votes)
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Six LED's for the tail light, another twelve for the brakes (60%, 21 Votes)
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Huh? What's an LED? Just gimme a beer. (17%, 6 Votes)
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Re: Flashing LED Taillight - Opinions sought
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Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 12,164 Likes: 1
Should be Riding
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Should be Riding
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 12,164 Likes: 1 |
I use the TailBlazer tail light bulb on my bike. Same type of concept as whet you are doing with the flasing LEDs. I think the flashing LEDs will be even much better than the TailBlazer bulb. Very cool idea! The more you can attract cagers attention, the better.
Soren
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Re: Flashing LED Taillight - Opinions sought
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Joined: May 2007
Posts: 6,432 Likes: 1
Worn Saddle
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Worn Saddle
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 6,432 Likes: 1 |
I up for anything that increases awareness behind us so I think (short of an aircraft landing light) the more annoying the better. 
A positive attitude may not solve all your problems, but it will annoy enough people to make it worth the effort. Herm Albright (1876 - 1944)
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Re: Flashing LED Taillight - Opinions sought
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Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 3,753
Loquacious
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Loquacious
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Quote:
I up for anything that increases awareness behind us so I think (short of an aircraft landing light) the more annoying the better.
i am with him
Frank
(Former)05 BA tbike pipes, ai removed, Freak, mikuni hsr 42's, 904, ported/polished head, 1mm oversized valves
NOW-2010 silver and black tbird
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Re: Flashing LED Taillight - Opinions sought
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So far it looks like I'll be sticking with the system I already have. Makes things a lot simpler since dimming these LED's is a tricky business - they like to turn off rather than going dim. Good-o then...
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Re: Flashing LED Taillight - Opinions sought
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Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 3,463
Loquacious
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Loquacious
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Having followed one of your LED taillights.... you can't miss them. I was looking at maybe making it myself, but I'm not sure at the mo, I still like the [sshhhh] H-D [/sshhh] ones...
I'd leave them as they are. Or just try and add more!
Gina
03 America - Pretty stock - except the TBS wheel... 
06 America - missing, presumed in bits. With it's TBS wheel... 
09 America - It's very blue....
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Re: Flashing LED Taillight - Opinions sought
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Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 410
Adjunct
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They look good  thats a well neat idea.. I just love LED`s I used one of these http://www.comagination.com/bflasher.htm for the flashing of the brakelight. I have to disconnect it each time for an MOT but thats just 3 push connectors..
TrOjAn
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Re: Flashing LED Taillight - Opinions sought
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Quote:
Having followed one of your LED taillights.... you can't miss them. I was looking at maybe making it myself, but I'm not sure at the mo, I still like the [sshhhh] H-D [/sshhh] ones...
That's the general idea - the more visible the better.  I like some of the HD ones too - I gotta give that company one thing, they know all about making a bike look good. I rather like the Honda VTX ones too. What I need to do is get hold of one of the many chopped up bits of rear fender that must be floating around from all the bobbers, and start trying on other tail-lights for fit. The "blob" that Triumph gave us works well but isn't the most attractive thing on the bike. If we can find a more common bike's taillight that works on our bikes it'd open up the range of LED inserts, chrome do-dads etc available to us.
Quote:
I'd leave them as they are. Or just try and add more!
Electronically adding more is easy - I could wire up 200 of the things if you really wanted. The hard part is fitting them into the taillight. If I had the faclity to make proper PCB's I could make the electronics smaller than the current crop of "perf-board" inserts but it's not worth spending the bucks on it for something I only do very occasionally. Besides, it's a messy job, what with photo-resist chemicals, etching acid, fixers and spraypack clear coats, etc. I'd need to go out and by a drill press too, and some incredibly tiny drill bits. Getting them done professionally is out of the question since they only do them in runs of 100+.
Oh well...
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Re: Flashing LED Taillight - Opinions sought
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Oil Expert
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Quote:
They look good thats a well neat idea.. I just love LED`s
I used one of these http://www.comagination.com/bflasher.htm for the flashing of the brakelight. I have to disconnect it each time for an MOT but thats just 3 push connectors..
Yep, I looked at that - mine's basically the same thing except the flashes are user settable to a point. Also mine won't come in a seperate box - it'll be a single board with the LED's mounted on it too that you insert into your taillight in place of the bulb socket, so no mucking about trying to find somewhere to mount yet another black box.
Interesting point about the MOT... in Australia we only have to do the inspection when we first register the bike rather than every year. I might see about putting in a "disable switch" to switch it back to standard operation. Maybe a push-button arrangement, so you can drill a small hole in the side of the lens, put in a rubber plug for waterproofing, and simply poke something in to turn the flashing on or off.
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Re: Flashing LED Taillight - Opinions sought
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Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 90
Member
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Member
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My father has a set of LED "Dounuts" that fit over the rear turn signals that are dual intensity for running and brake, then the turn off as the turn signal lights up, very effective, specialy when he gets his clear lens with the oragne buld on. Your LED Taillight would go great with that set up. Plus I think the 6 - running and all break would be more noticable, more eye catching when you apply the breaks.
Dormaar
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Re: Flashing LED Taillight - Opinions sought
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I've seen those extra running lights - they'd be a great addition and could be easily made to flash along with the standard light, or to act normally. You'd probably want them NOT to flash, else having the brake lights flashing AND the turn signals flashing behind the one lens could get confusing.
Unfortunately having running/brake lights inside the turn signal housings is illegal in Australia, as the law specifically states that indicator housings must house only the indicator lights, so I won't be adding them to my bike. (That's why you never seen brake lights doubling as turn signals in Australia, the way American cars do. All Aussie cars have seperate turn signals, like British ones.)
Hmm there's another idea, I'll add an "output" in case people want to connect extra flashing brake lights, as well as a "flash disable" switch. Any other suggestions/additions you folks would like to see?
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Re: Flashing LED Taillight - Opinions sought
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Joined: Aug 2005
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Adjunct
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How about having the tail lights around the outside, and the brake lights making a "T" in the middle ?
Cheers
Steve
CHAOS, MAYHEM, DISORDER ................................ my work here is done
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Re: Flashing LED Taillight - Opinions sought
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Funky idea, but that'd give more (therefore brighter) tail light than brake light... sposed to be the other way round. Could possibly to the T taillight, and a surrounding circle of brake light though...
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Re: Flashing LED Taillight - Opinions sought
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Joined: Jan 2005
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Should be Riding
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Should be Riding
Joined: Jan 2005
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The possibilities of that one could be endless, like an "A" for taillight and then put a circle around it for brake.
Soren
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Re: Flashing LED Taillight - Opinions sought
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Joined: May 2007
Posts: 6,432 Likes: 1
Worn Saddle
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Worn Saddle
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Quote:
My father has a set of LED "Dounuts" that fit over the rear turn signals that are dual intensity for running and brake, then the turn off as the turn signal lights up, very effective, specialy when he gets his clear lens with the oragne buld on. Your LED Taillight would go great with that set up. Plus I think the 6 - running and all break would be more noticable, more eye catching when you apply the breaks.
I have the same setup your dad does (from Electrical Connections in Knoxville, TN) and I'm thinking this would be a nice addition.
A positive attitude may not solve all your problems, but it will annoy enough people to make it worth the effort. Herm Albright (1876 - 1944)
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Re: Flashing LED Taillight - Opinions sought
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Joined: Jan 2005
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Loquacious
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Loquacious
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Chy has them installed on his bike and riding behind him you really see a difference. At one point I had the parts for the setup but sold them to a member here since I decided to go another route.
Matt I do like your ideas and can't wait to see what you do with it.
John
Like a dog on a car ride with my tongue in the wind
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Re: Flashing LED Taillight - Opinions sought
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Adjunct
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Don't forget, this is a direct plug-n-play solution for the America tail/brake light housing (don't worry that it's listed for a KLR650).
Todd Richmond
Grapevine, TX USA
'78 R80 /7
'06 FJR1300A
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Re: Flashing LED Taillight - Opinions sought
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...except that you need to find a solution for the license plate light eg: illuminated frame etc. Plus you can't say "I made it myself".
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