LED strip for front turn signals?

[geep]

I am thinking about using two flexible LED strips http://www.ledlightsworld.com/ultraflexible-waterpoof-trichip-led-strip-lights-p-142.html

mounted on my MS Batwing and having them light up as aux front turn signals/running lights. Also the plan includes wrapping them back around to the inside of the batwing a couple of inches to provide some signal indication to people driving beside the bike.

Question is in a perfect world (forget the legal crap) I would like the strips to be powered on full time but flash on and off with the turn signals...is this possible with the existing wiring? Quick connectors would be used for batwing quick removal which I can do

Bike is an 05 RSTD

Thanks guys and gals

[FreezyRider]

I doubt that those would work, they are a single-intensity (2 wire) strip. You need a dual-intensity (3 wires) unit in order to do this.

[geep]

I wonder if the TruFlex Dual Converter shown at the bottom of the page would do the trick?

http://www.customdynamics.com/truflex_flexible_led_lighting.htm

[Darren]

Thanks for the link! I was just looking for something just like this for my ride. I want to change the side LED's that I have now to something a little easier to wire and more visible in the day. But i must say that replacing the stock brake light assembly with that of a road star made a huge difference for brightness. i can light up a building 100 ft away. It's nice at night, no reason cage riders can't see me now!!!!

[FreezyRider]

Yes, that would work, but the Eclipse2 shown below that would be better. The TruFlex works by dimming the LED's to 30% for running lights (might be hard to see) and then flashing at 100% brightness for turn signals.

If I understand correctly, the Eclipse2 runs the running lights at 100%, but causes the light to flash off and on for turn signal function.

[geep]

Custom Dynamics just replied that their converters will work on any two wire LED strips so that opens things up a bit.....so I need one for each turn signal but cant get my head around which of the two they offer is better

[geep]

Yes, that would work, but the Eclipse2 shown below that would be better. The TruFlex works by dimming the LED's to 30% for running lights (might be hard to see) and then flashing at 100% brightness for turn signals.

If I understand correctly, the Eclipse2 runs the running lights at 100%, but causes the light to flash off and on for turn signal function.

 

I have no visual idea how bright these are, (specs mean nothing since I cant relate brightness) I wonder if the Eclipse2 would look like a semi at night? Price is fair in either case, decisions decisions.....

[geep]

Here is a link showing the LED strip in operation with the converter

http://canadiancruisercustomizing.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=7&products_id=13

[geep]

Just a heads up, there may be more visually appealing LED strips that do not have the tape measure increments, scissors, and exposed electronic parts, a couple that look better are here:

http://www.ledlightsworld.com/ultraflexible-waterpoof-trichip-led-strip-lights-p-142.html

http://canadiancruisercustomizing.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=5&products_id=11

I did not order these but we will see how things look when I receive mine

[Flyinfool]

Here is where I have been getting LED strips from.

 

You can select a background color so that you do not have all of the circuitry and markings showing, you can also select if you want water proof or not. You want the IP68 for water proof. this gets you a 5 meter roll of the strip with 300 LEDs on it. You can cut it at every 3rd led.

 

You need patience when ordering from them, they literally ship on a slow boat from China, expect at least 4 weeks for delivery. But their prices are really great.

 

I used the red ones to add 168 LEDs to the rear of my trunk, they are wired for running brake and turn. for your fronts all you need is two rectifier diodes 1N5402, one 270-300 ohm, 1 or 2 watt resistor to make it work as you wanted. With the LEDs dim for running lights and flash bright for turn.

 

OR

 

Just hook it up with the positive wire of the LEDs to the running light positive and the LED ground lead hooked to the turn signal positive. This way if the running lights are on the LEDs will ground thru the filament of the turn signal bulbs. This will only work if you still have incandescent turn signal bulbs. When you turn on the turn signal, there will be +12V on both leads of the LED strip so they will go off. The effect will be that the LED strip will be the opposite of whatever the turn signal bulb is. Unless you really have a lot of LEDs the bulb filaments will not glow from the LED power running thru them.

[geep]

Just a heads up, there may be more visually appealing LED strips that do not have the tape measure increments, scissors, and exposed electronic parts, a couple that look better are here:

http://www.ledlightsworld.com/ultraflexible-waterpoof-trichip-led-strip-lights-p-142.html

http://canadiancruisercustomizing.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=5&products_id=11

I did not order these but we will see how things look when I receive mine

 

 

Ok back from riding the Black Hills....strips are flexible in one plane only....they will not follow the compound curve of the fairing well if at all...strait line only. These are the smaller 3500 series LEDs, when used with the Dual Circuit Converter - LED 2 Wire to 3 Wire for running lights they may not be very bright in the daytime. I have no idea how to hide the power wires yet. The back ground marks are not very noticeable since the strip is less than 3/8" wide..kinda looks like high tech jewelry.....hope to have the bugs washed off tomorrow and get a start on this

[geep]

three pictures, off, run 50%, turn 100%.....damn this photo resizing is a PITA

 

After looking at the pictures I may shorten the strips so the are not present close to the headlight...will see

Edited September 12, 2011 by geep
Added thoughts

[StarFan]

This is a very good idea and makes the bike more visual in the dark. Have been carrying this idea in my head for a while but what I want to do is to make the led bulbs roll like the turn signals on some older/vintage cars. Don´t remember the brand of cars that had it ( somewhere between 1955-1965 i guess) but the technology exists of cause and I think that it would look great. What do you guys think - is this possible and if so then how can this be achieved?

Dont know much about electricity but do know that it hurts to touch it !

[Flyinfool]

This is a very good idea and makes the bike more visual in the dark. Have been carrying this idea in my head for a while but what I want to do is to make the led bulbs roll like the turn signals on some older/vintage cars. Don´t remember the brand of cars that had it ( somewhere between 1955-1965 i guess) but the technology exists of cause and I think that it would look great. What do you guys think - is this possible and if so then how can this be achieved?

Dont know much about electricity but do know that it hurts to touch it !

 

You mean kind of like this?

http://www.venturerider.org/forum/showthread.php?t=54686

 

It is not terribly hard to do IF you have at least a clue about electricity.

To my knowledge there is not a "module" that you can buy off the shelf anywhere to do this.

If you do some google searches you can find a circuit to do it and then you just have to be able to build it. It sounds harder to build that what it really is.

 

I have tons of ideas for additional lighting for my bike this winter. I already have TWO 5 meter roles of the LED light strips with 300 LEDs each. This is in addition to the 168 LEDs that I already added. Now I just have to figure out where to put them all.

 

I had thought of adding a strip of chasing LEDs that ran the full length of the bike.

If I make them chase forward it will make the bike look like it is going faster than it is. This should get a lot of attention from LEOs.

If I make them chase from front to back, then it will make the bike look like it is moving slower than it is. This could get me run over by a cage.

If I could figure out a way to synchronize the chase speed to the speed of the bike it will make the lights look like they are standing still no mater how fast I am going.

 

Is any of this leagal? I doubt it.

[geep]

I think some Ford products like Thunderbirds and Mercury Cougars that these

[geep]

Is there a hot wire in the turn signal switch that would trigger LED lights mounted to the mirrors?