looking to see if i should make my own fog lights out of l.e.d.s i was thinking making like 12 or 15 on each light, so in total maybe 24 or 30 all in all. i wanted to get the power from my 12 volt cig outlet in the car, but i dont know what resister to get if i even need one. ive seen one dude in this forum who made l.e.d. fog lighs as well, but he never responded to me. so, if anyone could help me, it would be great.
this is the pic of the guy who made his own foglights using l.e.d.s
i wanted to make mine similar, but i just dont know how to wire it up if i wanna get it from the cig lighter.
thanks in advanced.
Thorium06
10-19-2009, 11:11 PM
just wire it to the battery, i rocked fogs like these for a while too
bouncer1989
10-19-2009, 11:29 PM
depends on the LEDs, the color, and how many you run
i dunno the formula, but 4V LEDs to run off 12v need a 150ohm resistor.
since ive fried LEDs before, i recommend just looking for 12v LED fog setup somewhere.
_NeXuS_
10-20-2009, 12:29 AM
Or you can buy my PIAA LED Fog Lights. With custom mounting brackets :P
i've done that... i just tapped it into the factory fog wiring.. and wired it up from the inside.
afaik, this guy did it first
http://scionlife.com/forums/showthread.php?t=63197
rcf22
10-20-2009, 01:15 AM
Depends how you wire up the LEDs... Most LEDs have a 3.3V drop. Best way would be to wire them as sets of 3 in series, and the sets of them in parallel. Then take 14.4V - 9.9 V = 4.5V / 20mA (typical LED current draw) = 225 ohm resistor needed. Here is a basic wiring diagram per this method:
btw, the basic formula is just Ohm's Law rearranged: V = I*R -> R = V / I
where V is the voltage difference, battery voltage (12~14.4V) - LED drop (anywhere from 3.1V to 3.3V per LED). You might be able to do 4 in series instead of just 3, but if your battery voltage drops, then you will be underpowering them. For worst case planning, I would stick to 3 in series.
bouncer1989
10-20-2009, 03:44 PM
good stuff, this is the info i needed when i first wired LEDs....i learned the hard way...ive got a handful of burned out LEDs
jeremydoc
10-21-2009, 03:40 AM
just wire it to the battery, i rocked fogs like these for a while too
if i do that, dont i need some sort of resistor? i dont wanna blow out all the lights u know? haha
jeremydoc
10-21-2009, 03:42 AM
depends on the LEDs, the color, and how many you run
i dunno the formula, but 4V LEDs to run off 12v need a 150ohm resistor.
since ive fried LEDs before, i recommend just looking for 12v LED fog setup somewhere.
im planning to make maybe 12 or 15 on each fog light.
im trying to make it similar to this one
http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p...l/Angel800.jpg (http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p66/jehoo/Mine/Angel/Angel800.jpg)
so, what kind of resistor do i need to light those up? cuz total, i will have maybe 24 or 30 LEDs.
jeremydoc
10-21-2009, 03:44 AM
Or you can buy my PIAA LED Fog Lights. With custom mounting brackets :P
wow, thats really nice. props. but thats the thing, i really dont have that much money to be spending. thats why im making my own. and plus, i thought it would be kinda fun, u know? but thanks anyways.
jeremydoc
10-21-2009, 03:58 AM
Depends how you wire up the LEDs... Most LEDs have a 3.3V drop. Best way would be to wire them as sets of 3 in series, and the sets of them in parallel. Then take 14.4V - 9.9 V = 4.5V / 20mA (typical LED current draw) = 225 ohm resistor needed. Here is a basic wiring diagram per this method:
thanks so much. but, with this diagram, do i need to plug it into a battery? or can i plug it into the car battery or the cig lighter plug?
rcf22
10-21-2009, 04:41 AM
You COULD tap any +12V line for power, but I would strongly recommend not doing this. I would recommend you calculate the total current draw you will be accumulating, and put a fuse from the battery and draw your power straight from there. It would be closer than the cigarette lighter, and safer if you use the proper fuse.
Here is an estimation of the power draw you can expect, but it will vary based on the specs of your system:
I per set of three diodes = 20mA (this is the maximum allowable current before you run the risk of burning up LEDs)
Total current = 20mA * 10 sets of LEDs (30 total) = 200mA. This current draw is small enough you would be ok to tap another 12V source, but if you just got a 1A inline fuse, you could run straight from the battery, which would be much closer to your fog lights. Just grab a ring terminal, run it to an ATC fuse holder, pop in a 1A fuse, and then run it to your sets of LEDs and you're good to go. Pretty simple wiring.
(I am a senior electrical engineering student at a prestigious Big Ten school, if you are wondering about my credentials.)
jeremydoc
10-22-2009, 07:15 PM
You COULD tap any +12V line for power, but I would strongly recommend not doing this. I would recommend you calculate the total current draw you will be accumulating, and put a fuse from the battery and draw your power straight from there. It would be closer than the cigarette lighter, and safer if you use the proper fuse.
Here is an estimation of the power draw you can expect, but it will vary based on the specs of your system:
I per set of three diodes = 20mA (this is the maximum allowable current before you run the risk of burning up LEDs)
Total current = 20mA * 10 sets of LEDs (30 total) = 200mA. This current draw is small enough you would be ok to tap another 12V source, but if you just got a 1A inline fuse, you could run straight from the battery, which would be much closer to your fog lights. Just grab a ring terminal, run it to an ATC fuse holder, pop in a 1A fuse, and then run it to your sets of LEDs and you're good to go. Pretty simple wiring.
(I am a senior electrical engineering student at a prestigious Big Ten school, if you are wondering about my credentials.)
im really sorry, but im really dumb when it comes to resistors and stuff like that. im pretty good at wiring things up that dont need any resistors or capasitors or w.e. but im real stupid when it comes to converting voltages and whatnot. do you think you could maybe give me the things to get other than the wires and LEDs. and maybe another diagram or w.e. i realllly appreciated your last diagram, i just couldnt understand it very well. thanks so much in advance, i really appreciate it.
rcf22
10-23-2009, 12:21 AM
This should clear things up. Otherwise, I recommend doing some reading on basic electrical components before working on your car... Bad things can happen otherwise (fires, burnt out components, etc.)
This should clear things up. Otherwise, I recommend doing some reading on basic electrical components before working on your car... Bad things can happen otherwise (fires, burnt out components, etc.)
wow, thanks soo much. this really helped. maybe when i get this done, ill send some pics or something. its gonna be a while tho cuz i go to school also. well, thanks again!