DIY Color Changing Halos for Under $20

[anglwngss]

I do have a question too, though.. Would it be possible to only have 2 colors? I'm not specifically interested in the multi color RGB.

[damneighborkid]

GREAT WRITE UP!! I love the uniform look of the refraction(?) tube used on the stock halo's and HATE the individual LED ring on everyone else's aftermarket rings. This is exactly what I wanted. KUDOS to you!! You've made this lighting designer very happy.

[Gator6977]

Thanks guys! This has been without a doubt one of my most favorite mods to date as I love watching people passing by jump out of their seats pointing to the other occupants of the vehicle. Great time.

Anglwngss, you can do the 2 color thing, if you can find the led that only does both. I did a really quick search and only found the 5mm standard type LEDs, but I know the ones similar to those already in the lamp exist somewhere. You would just need to run a three position switch to tell them to either, for example, be white or red. In one of Ofer's posts I saw him use a 5mm LED in a halo, but he had to drill the bottom of it out and used some clear finger nail polish to affix it. If you find what you want to use and have any questions, shoot me a pm as I get an instant email and will get back with you fairly quickly.

[hapisok]

Originally Posted by jeepguy_1980

Do you think that a spray on mirror paint, followed up by some black paint would work/look/last better/longer than the tin foil and electrical tape? Or at the very least, tin foil and shrink wrap?

you can't put heat shrink on without cutting the halo...

and as an alternative to using electrical tape, where in colder climates i has the ability to unadhere itself you can use liquid tape:

[2SSRS@Gen5diy]

Gator6977 grate work, if i can add some info, here goes, To start you want the same length light wires going from the resisters to the LED, after lots of tests this seems to help the mach of colors on the 2 headlights, Next that controller is only a IR you may want a RF Controller and extend the antenna for range.

Or there is a new one i am testing that is Wifi and works with your phone

[Gator6977]

Ofer, your comments are always welcomed and helpful. I've not seen any color variation between the two with any of the colors, not to say it can't happen, but it hasn't occurred to me yet. And do tell more about that Wi-Fi controller!

[My Caroline]

Any problems with the controller or still going strong? I'm concerned about these smoking up and melting or worse, catching fire.

I say that because my computer (which I built) recently smoked out because some cold cathodes were using a small gauge wire that couldn't handle the load.

So, any observations? Would you suggest maybe cracking it open and soldering some thicker wires in?

I know I sound paranoid, but I'm just wanting to be safe.

[Gator6977]

Nothing wrong with safety or peace of mind. They're still working quite well and still turning heads.

[Unfkwthabl]

Originally Posted by hapisok

great write up BTW.

only thing i would suggest is to use the correct OHM resistors to ensure proper color mixing. one of the key factors to making sure the colors come out distributed evenly involves some simple math using OHM's law or an LED calculator. even if the numbers are close...24 for R and 27 for B & G, it WILL make a noticeable difference. so be as exact as you can.

http://ledcalculator.net/

you have to look at the data sheet to get for the information you need, but its really simple. generally the G & B channels will use the same OHM resistor where the R channel needs more or less resistance in comparison. you have to do the calculations for each channel (R G B) to have the proper set up.

for instance:

12v SUPPLIED POWER
LED: 3W RGB
PT #: VL-H01RGB00302
.................................................. using max fwd V
...........FWD CUR.........FWD V.........MAX FWD V.........RESISTOR OHM/WATT
R...........400mA.............2.5................. 2.8.........................24ohms/4W
G...........350mA.............3.4................. 3.8.........................27ohms/3W
B...........350mA.............3.4................. 3.8.........................27ohms/3W

or...

12v SUPPLIED POWER
LED: 1W RGB
PT #: PM6B-1LFS
.................................................. using max fwd V
...........FWD CUR.........FWD V.........MAX FWD V........RESISTOR OHM/WATT
R..........150mA..............2.2................. ..3.1.......................62 ohms/2W
G..........150mA..............3.5................. ..4.1.......................56 ohms/2W
B..........150mA..............3.5................. ..4.1.......................56 ohms/2W

MAX FWD V will be brighter but the trade off is a shortened life expectancy of the LED. FWD V will still be bright enough for most conditions including daylight use when using a 3W LED.

it doesn't hurt to have a Resistor with a Wattage rating higher than suggested where a 5Watt resistor would be more than sufficient for heat dissipation. anything smaller than the recommended resistor wattage and it will burn/melt/magic puffs escape.

OP...the reason why you are seeing more of a pinkish tint when in white light mode is due to the mismatch of resistors where R resistor doesn't have a high enough resistance and is putting out more light in comparison to B & G.

Anyone have any links to the correct resistors to get the nicest output of all colors. Looking to do this but am looking for resistors that will work best.

[Gator6977]

The only color that doesn't look completely correct is the white. The problem I had with resistors was the range in which the LEDs operate in. It's up to you to pick whether you want ultra bright, really long lasting or anywhere in the middle. I went in the middle and rounded my results from the calculator to the ones I used. Pick out the ones you want to use and run the numbers in a calculator and go from there.

[Bigcros]

You will go down as a legend for this money-saver hahaha I am looking forward to doing this. Do you know how to connect an led flasher to these? Will that still work with the remote?

[Gator6977]

The remote controls the controller/light color and effects. Hooking up a flashing led strip with these could work, you would just need to figure out the power needed and recalculate the resistor size needed. Of course then it too would be on any time the halos are on. I ran my additional strips to a switch mounted inside and left my halos stand alone. When ever the cars on, halos/drl's are on. For shows, I tossed a few diodes together and made an alternate power switch that leaves them on. Then flip my other switch for everything else.

That's the fun thing about wiring and LEDs. You're only limited by your imagination. Then there's google to steal ideas, bastardize them and make them your own. And thanks for the kind words!

[CamaroLS]

Thanks for the info!!

[Batmanntexas]

Excellent! I don't suppose you happen to have a picture of the weak factory LED that you replaced?