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914World.com _ 914World Garage _ Lit up my rear reflector lens even more!
Posted by: oakdalecurtis Apr 13 2017, 11:56 PM
I know, some don't like the rear reflector lens's. That's ok. I was bored today so I put a strip of LED lights behind it and wired them to the parking lights. Pic 1, daytime off. Pic 2, daytime on. Pic 3, nighttime on. I like it, what you think?
Posted by: speed metal army Apr 14 2017, 12:16 AM
I think I can see that from Canada! 
Looks pretty cool, and the extra visibility cant hurt for sure. 
Posted by: SixerJ Apr 14 2017, 12:50 AM
I like it!
Posted by: mgp4591 Apr 14 2017, 02:35 AM
Looks great! More details on the LED strip and how you installed it please...
Posted by: Tbrown4x4 Apr 14 2017, 02:59 AM
Should have wired it to the brake lights!
Posted by: sb914 Apr 14 2017, 05:16 AM
Looks bright
Posted by: billh1963 Apr 14 2017, 05:43 AM
Should have wired it to the brake lights!
Posted by: plays with cars Apr 14 2017, 10:56 AM
Should have wired it to the brake lights!
Ditto.
Anyway to put two strips in there? One low power and the other brighter one connected to the brake circuit? It would make a rocking third brake light.
Posted by: oakdalecurtis Apr 14 2017, 11:06 AM
If you go on Amazon and search LED strip lights, you will easily find them, and they are cheap! The lights come on a roll and can be cut to any length, then just solder on your own wire leads to the strip. The strip's back is self adhesive, so just stick the light section on the car back panel. The light strip is only a quarter inch wide and a tenth of an inch high. Dremel carve a groove in the reflector supports where needed to allow the light strip to pass under. Drill a hole where needed in the car back panel to allow the wires to pass into the trunk and connect them to ground and one of the parking light leads. LED lights are polarity sensitive, so make sure you hook the positive side to the parking light lead. Pretty easy stuff all in all.
Posted by: Dave_Darling Apr 14 2017, 11:07 AM
I don't care for it. But then, I don't really like the reflector on a 914 to start with.
That said, anything that adds visibility to our little tiny cars is a good thing.
--DD
Posted by: Andyrew Apr 14 2017, 11:40 AM
I like it for brake lights! Not for running lights, its a little bright for that.
Posted by: twistedstang Apr 14 2017, 12:46 PM
I like it for brake lights! Not for running lights, its a little bright for that.
Agreed. May be a bit distracting and overpower the brake lights.
Posted by: SO.O.C914er Apr 14 2017, 01:36 PM
I like it and I have the reflecter on my car. But agree would want it working with the brake lights. 
Posted by: burton73 Apr 14 2017, 01:55 PM
I like it on your car. 75,76 cars will take this mod and look good. On older 914’s I would say no. For sure brake lights as most drivers are dicks. 
Posted by: rjames Apr 14 2017, 02:10 PM
Did you use the red or white LEDs?
Posted by: oakdalecurtis Apr 14 2017, 03:17 PM
Did you use the red or white LEDs?
Used white lights, the reflector lens makes it more than red. And it's not quite as bright at night as the pics look, the camera just sucks up the light. You could lay in 2 or 3 light strips wired as you please, one to parking lamps and others to brakes. The strips are only a quarter inch wide each. Since I have a high third mounted strobe brake light on order, I went with the lens as a running light.
Posted by: ConeDodger Apr 14 2017, 03:19 PM
I don't care for it. But then, I don't really like the reflector on a 914 to start with.
That said, anything that adds visibility to our little tiny cars is a good thing.
--DD
Posted by: djway Apr 14 2017, 05:53 PM
I think it is cool and I have added it to my tooo doooo list 
Posted by: pvollma Apr 14 2017, 10:04 PM
I like it and I have the reflecter on my car. But agree would want it working with the brake lights.
Here's how mine look connected to the brake lights:
Here's how they were attached to the reflector:
I believe there has been some discussion here and on LED vendor sites that the LED color should match the lens color for the best performance -- the ones I used are red.
Posted by: RobW Apr 14 2017, 10:28 PM
Can you add the notes from "Close Encounters of the 3rd Kind?" and make it blink?
![very_first_smiley[1].gif](style_emoticons/default/very_first_smiley[1].gif)
just kidding. Out in the fog you might be the wisest 914 out there....
Posted by: Spoke Apr 15 2017, 06:29 AM
Used white lights, the reflector lens makes it more than red.
Nice idea to light up the center lens. Definitely make it work for the brake lights. I like it.
The LEDs can be used to be dim for running lights and bright for brakes if desired. This would require 2 schottky diodes and one resistor. Wire one diode from brakes to the LED strip; wire the other diode from running lights through the resistor to the LED strip.
About the LED color, there will be more light transfer through the lens if the LED color matches the lens color.
See the graph below with the white LEDs. Notice how little of the light is in the 500-600nm spectrum for red/amber. This is likely most of light coming through with white LEDs.
White LED spectrum.
Red and amber LED spectrums.
Attached image(s)
Posted by: oakdalecurtis Apr 15 2017, 10:14 AM
Spoke's light transmission physics is correct, but IMHO, it depends on the effect you want to create from the back reflector lens. If you are going to connect the lens as a running light, the white LEDs will give you a softer lighting effect. If you are going to connect the lens as a brake light, red LEDs will give it a higher color intensity. Since I am going to install a high center 3rd brake strobe light on the targa bar, I preferred the softer light from the reflector lens as a contrast.
Posted by: timothy_nd28 Apr 15 2017, 05:15 PM
I kinda like it and I like the dual schottky diode setup where you can have a very dim center lens with the parking lights on and still have a bright circuit for the brakes.
You could perhaps take it a step further and add a circuit for a quick strobe when the brakes are first applied. You could also use the addressable LED strips so it runs in a direction that you have your turn signals turned to, but maybe that would be overkill.
What would be extra overkill but kinda cool, you could add a few strips of high output IR led's, then modify my LED controller so that these IR LED's would turn on over a speed of 60mph. This may blind any speed cameras trying to take a picture of your license plate. 
I use similar LED strips for my gauge lighting conversions and you would think that the flexible pcb would be electrically isolated, it's really not. If you are sticking the LED's straight to body paint, you may be okay. I had a problem earlier when sticking these LED's inside a metal gauge can. For what it's worth, you may consider doing what I do, using double sided foamy tape so it isolates the LED from ground.
Posted by: oakdalecurtis Apr 15 2017, 06:11 PM
I kinda like it and I like the dual schottky diode setup where you can have a very dim center lens with the parking lights on and still have a bright circuit for the brakes.
You could perhaps take it a step further and add a circuit for a quick strobe when the brakes are first applied. You could also use the addressable LED strips so it runs in a direction that you have your turn signals turned to, but maybe that would be overkill.
What would be extra overkill but kinda cool, you could add a few strips of high output IR led's, then modify my LED controller so that these IR LED's would turn on over a speed of 60mph. This may blind any speed cameras trying to take a picture of your license plate.
I use similar LED strips for my gauge lighting conversions and you would think that the flexible pcb would be electrically isolated, it's really not. If you are sticking the LED's straight to body paint, you may be okay. I had a problem earlier when sticking these LED's inside a metal gauge can. For what it's worth, you may consider doing what I do, using double sided foamy tape so it isolates the LED from ground.
No problem sticking the LED tape to the metal, must be insulated.
Posted by: mgp4591 Apr 15 2017, 07:09 PM
You could run a white strip for running lights and wire up 2 red strips for the brake lights - that may give you the effects desired without wiring in resistors, etc. Just a thought since I'm too lazy to make things more complicated....
Posted by: oakdalecurtis Apr 21 2017, 10:20 PM
Ok, you guys win. I went back and added a second light strip. First pic is in running lights only mode, one strip on. Second pic is brake lights activated, both light strips on. Does that work for ya? 
Posted by: raynekat Apr 21 2017, 10:53 PM
Where are my sunglasses.....ee gads!
Actually, looks OK, or great.
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