Sorry - I assumed they meant "always on when the car is on". Which both the outlets are. Otherwise patch into F14 if you REALLY mean "always on".

 

Yep - same here - the"white" front firing 4-LED high powers are pretty blue. The 5-way high power are nice and white - but they do fail frequently. I've gone through 3 or 4 already at $10 a pop.

 

The angel eyes use two 194s on each side (total of 4). Yes you can install orange LEDs. The opening is too small for 5 LED matrix refractor style. I tried the angel eyes and hooked them up without fully installing, and decided to return them. I thought they were too dim because of the design and the ring doesn't light up evenly all the way around. Maybe the high power 5-way 194 may work better than the supplied bulbs, which were 1W high power 194.

This UK vendor carries a one year warranty and may be worth trying: http://www.ultraleds.co.uk/u5015hpw5...ds-p-1407.html

 

Im actually quite excited about the idea of FULL LED front lights, im using it and the side turn signals and side markers as a test and learning tool to eventually do LED taillights.

 

If someone came up with LED tail lights I'd be all over that. I love how they look on other cars.

But an engineer, I am not.

 

Just in case anyone was wondering the domelight, puddle lights, floor lights and map lights are all 194's in the R56.

 

ImagoX is the strip in your engine bay enough to see the engine by at night?

 

Thats my goal, and by my hand or someone else it WILL happen. Im surprised i see aftermarket manufacturers for LED taillights all over the place now. And there LED lights for all kinds of cars but not MINIs

 

yep i meant "always on when the car is on". thx both of you~

When you say under the console, do you mean the place under the steering wheel??


LoL my gf forced me to get pink LED strips =D



I want some always Own LED to light up the driver side's boot~~ so my frds can see me heel toeing ~~

 

By console, I meant the place where the lighter socket is... wiring is under there... or you can pull the stereo head unit and there's good power sources there.

The only way I'd put pink LED strips in my MINI is if I could also put a big shiny brass pole in there that my girlfriend could dance on... but, hey, I guess you're secure in your masculinity.

 

Firstly, I just installed the LED and thanks for everyone on this post who have helped me throughout.


Now,

I have a question.


I would like my led to light up whenever i turn my headlight on.


Would it work if i connect the positive side of the led strip to the fuse box down beside the clutch peddal to get the desired effect?



This is just my idea, but Im not famliar with electrical stuff at all.


Anyone have any idea if this will work?

if it works, which fuse should i connect the positive to?

moreover, I dont think there's a Ground (-) in the fuse box confused::impatient

so this might be a problem?

Thanks for your time guys~

 

Where is the LED located that you want to illuminate when your headlamps come on? If it's located in front or in the engine bay, you can use any 12v positive for the LEDs - they draw so little extra current that you can tap the positive wire leading to the parking lamp (I wouldn't use the headlamp wire). If it's located someplace else, you can run a wire from any of the lights in the dashboard that come on when the headlights are switched on (lots of people use the lights in the heated seat switch or something easy to get to.

I wouldn't use the fuse box for a tap because you want them to come on with the headlights, and I'm not 100% sure if they'll be properly switched on if you tap for there - best to just use another light that comes on only when the headlight switch is turned on. Here's a good tip: if you unplug the wiring harness running into the tachometer, the gray/pink wire in that bundle is the positive for the light in there - it comes on when the headlight switch is turned on. Tap into it with a vampire tap and viola! Easy source for lights that come on only when the gauge lights come on.

As for a ground, on 2002-2006 cars, there's a ground nut under the bonnet on the driver's side - look near the driver-side bonnet support for a nut with a wire clipped under it - that's the ground. All a "ground" is in a car is a spot where the 12v current can flow into the chasis and back into the battery, so if you need to you can make your own ground anyplace on the car where there's metal (just use a self-tapping screw) or you can look for any bolt that's screwed into the chasis under the dash - there are several, just look.

If you're looking for one in the cabin, you can either find the ground from one of the OEM lights (you might need to refer to the service manual for the right color code) or if you don't want to cut into a wire just run a black wire from the ground nut under the hood into the cabin - this is what I did to make things simplier and to make removal of all my MODs possible if needed.

PM me of you're still stuck with more details and I'm sure we can figure out the optimal way to wire it.

 

Anyone ever use or consider using this product?

www.lighttape.com

I'm pretty sure it's not quite as bright as the LED's but the mounting possibility seem almost endless.

 

OMG - Might be my bonnet stripes for Midnight on the Dragon next year...

 

I've used EL tape in PCs... It's not as bright as LEDs, but it is indeed flexible (but so are LED flex strips from Oznium.com). Gives a different quaklityof light than LEDs as well - hard to describe; you sort of have to see it for yourself. EL tape also requires a ballast (a power supply brick) where LEDs can be directly wired to the 12v DC. It's cool-looking stuff, though in the right application. (EL bonnet stripes would be exceedingly cool - hmmmmm...)

 

Anyone got any pictures of those light tapes installed?

 

I thought YOU would - isn't your NAM ID short for "ElectroLynnElescent"?

 

Sure - how about THIS?



Seriously... most installations I've seen actually directly show the tape/wire as oposed to using it for just glow - it's so dim compared to LEDs or cathodes that it's really not very useful for glow. Unless you have a specific application in mind that calls for a directly-viewable glowing line, I'd use LEDs or cathodes over anything EL.

 

LOL. I think I will be doing some stuff with the LED tape. Looks like from what I read, they just splice right into the applicable wiring.

 

LED tape? Do you mean LED strips?



If so, yes - they just hook to any 12v positive/ground and require very little additional current to operate. They're very bright and are semi-directional, which lets you aim the glow to a certain extent (can be useful in some applications).

 

That website has a gallery: http://lighttape.com/gallery_automotive.asp

They must have used a lot for this one:

 

Found this good article on the Light Tape: http://www.richmond.com/business/out...r=1&position=5

The website lists it available in various widths up to 6", which should make for interesting applications and decent light output, but the article says it's pretty expensive at $70/sq ft.

 

That is really cool stuff. I'm picturing some along the door sill...

 

I have a small project that I'm about to take on involving these LED strips. I want them to come on along with the running lights in the brakes....What is the best way to wire them to a 12v source?

If i wire them to the actual brake light, would that be too much extra draw? LED's don't have much draw, but i don't know if it would be too much on top of the brake light.

If i do wire them to the brake light, would the LEDs remain dim and then get brighter when the brake is pressed.....like the actual brake light bulbs do.

Is there just another swicthed source that people know of in the back of the car that comes on when the lights are turned on?

Thanks for anyone with insight Sorry if this is the wrong place to ask.

 

I'm planning to run a strip of LEDs around the boot. That measely light on the left doesn't light anything. The blue LED I put in it's place is better, but still not very good.