Re: LED taillights - Q&As

[Arfon Griffiths <ArfonRG@xxxxxxx>]

Q: Has anyone seen LED taillight assemblies that can be used on our AMC cars?

A: Yes, I've made several. Take a regular bulb, break the glass off/out and 
solder two sets of 3 Ultra-bright LEDs on a small circular PCB.  Use two 
1/8W resistors to connect the anodes to the contacts.



Q: Will the flasher unit may work with less resistance?

A: No, but a simple electronic flasher can be made cheaply from an LM555 
and a few parts. (of course, this only affects turn signals and emergency 
flashers).



Q: Will the LM555 flasher circuit play Elvis tunes?

A: Thankfully, NO! (but you can drive a relay for that soothing 
'click-click' sound)



Q: There are apparently LED bulbs that replace the 1157 bulbs directly, BUT 
I've
heard that some aren't as bright as the 1157 tungstens and yet others are 
brighter. Is this true?

A: LEDs (even ultra brights) are no where near the lighting capacity of a 
filament bulb. They appear as bright due to the fact that the light is more 
concentrated (narrower beam).  An incandescent or florescent bulb generates 
much more light.
NOTE TO SAILORS: For power savings, florescent bulbs give the most light 
for the least power.