PROJECT  360

R. A. SNIVELY  DESIGNS                                                                                                  RICHMOND, INDIANA 

LED

LIGHTING

In an attempt to create safe lighting without increasing the demand on a small alternator for Project 360, it has become necessary to seek LED type lighting for various areas of the car's illumination.

First on the design board is the small tail light that looks period correct and proportional to the overall size of the Subaru 360 sedan. However, the original 1157 type filament bulb seems to lack the necessary glow that today's drivers have come to know in modern traffic. After experimenting with "over-the-counter" LED tail light bulb replacements, Bob has found a more efficient method that creates a brighter illumination at an absolute fraction of demand for the charging system.

Below, you will see the outcome of several hours of experimenting and fabrication. Bob would also like to extend his appreciation for the help he received during this part of the project from LED SUPPLY.

The above pictures are the actual LED assembly that will occupy the space that was formerly filled by a metal reflector and standard filament bulb socket in the Subaru's tail light.  A schematic of the assembly is available by clicking here.

The picture on the left is the front view where the three Luxeon K2 LED's are mounted along with the "Buck Puck" LED driver. There is also a resistor mounted just above the driver. It is used to achieve the tail / parking light brilliance of illumination.

The picture on the right is the rear view of the same assembly. Leaving that assembly is a pigtail of three wires;

one for the tail / parking light circuit (red)

one for the brake / turn light circuit (green)

one for the chassis ground (black)

This is a comparison of the LED tail light (left) and the standard 1157 filament bulb tail light (right). The Luxeon LED's have a much more brilliant illumination and is a richer red color than the bulb version.

A pair of NOS tail light lenses have been used in this test bench mock-up for a fair comparison. Usually the aged and faded tail light lenses found on original cars seem to reduce the amount of light that passes through them, which is all the more reason to convert to LED's.

Also, there is virtually no heat generated with the LED's when illuminated by the tail / parking light circuit. The tail light lens gets warm almost immediately with the bulb type.

to be continued...........

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