[TB] Quads plus turns -- a new solution

[kardain]

I've scoured the internet to see if this has been done... Couldnt' find anything, but chances are good I may not have looked hard enough.

Anyway, the mod bug got me again... I'm not sure I fully like this mod with the LED bulbs I have (they are f-in bright as is)... might make the center park only. Regardless, its different than the rest of the TB's out there... different is good.

One side of the tail light re-pinning is done... Driver's side is modified, passenger is OEM. No modifications were done to the vehicle harness. All changes were made in the circuit board (I won't splice in to the harness if I absolutely do not have to).

Bulbs are a 3157 CK Red LED up top, 3157 Standard Red LED in the middle and a 3157 W/A CK switchback LED in the reverse light socket.

I promise a better video when the passenger side is done For now, this is a proof of concept.

I'm using a Dorman board (at least that's what the box says), has wire instead of the metal trace

Halfway done:

99% done. It works, now to clean up the wiring so I can re-glue the casing together.... and buy another board for the passenger side.

[video=youtube;ILrFqDGEiWI]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ILrFqDGEiWI[/video]

 

[MAY03LT]

Haven't seen it done that way before, pretty cool!

 

[Blckshdw]

Nice job on the switchbacks in the reverse socket, never would have thought of that.

 

[DJones]

I have my reverse sockets wired through two diodes and an amber bulb. Amber reverse bulbs are legal here, so one color can serve a dual purpose.

 

[Wahugg]

Kardain

Do you think you could post a diagram showing how you wired in the turn signals into the reverse lamps?

Thanks
-Wahugg

 

[ScarabEpic22]

Looks good! I like it, any way to have the turns do both red lights though? Im not usually a fan of amber turn signals on the rear of cars if I can help it.

Have to check it out in person in a few weeks too!

 

[kardain]

Thanks for the props everyone. Should have the other side ready sometime next week.... Have to wait for the second board to show up in the mail.

Looks good! I like it, any way to have the turns do both red lights though? Im not usually a fan of amber turn signals on the rear of cars if I can help it.

Have to check it out in person in a few weeks too!

Not sure offhand.... I'll have to dig through wiring diagrams to trace the turn and brake back to the flasher to see exactly how they function.... Otoh, autolumination has some red/white 3157 switchbacks that function similar to the amber/white I'm using.

on edit: link -- http://autolumination.com/switchback.html -- about a third of the way down, 60 LED switchback, 3157 RO

 

[Blckshdw]

I think a future LED mod of mine may need to be a remixed version of this. Too many people around here have Depo tails

I really wish Autolumination would change the structure of their site, so you can link/go directly to a product instead of a catalog page. I buy tons of stuff from them, and love their products, but it's kinda irritating when you wanna show people stuff. :banghead:

 

[kardain]

I think a future LED mod of mine may need to be a remixed version of this. Too many people around here have Depo tails

I really wish Autolumination would change the structure of their site, so you can link/go directly to a product instead of a catalog page. I buy tons of stuff from them, and love their products, but it's kinda irritating when you wanna show people stuff. :banghead:

Remix away

Agreed with the autolumination site.... It could use a refresh, seriously.

Ok, I glanced through some wiring diagrams and I'm not sure a no-splice method for integrating brake and turn is possible due to how everything is traced throughout the vehicle... time to get creative. I'll be picking up a tail light integrator (one you would use to add in trailer wiring on a vehicle that doesn't normally have it, and the vehicle has separate brake/turn) and attempt to reverse engineer it down to a compact circuit board that can fit in the casing.... if that made any sense, heh.

 

[TXBlazer]

FYI....Jettstream has been making and selling a Quad trun/brake light kit for a few years now. If you want the quad turn/brake lights in a DIY....just tap into your trailer harness and eliminate the factory wires at the board plug

Someone needs to drag the thread from the OS for this quad rear parking light mod...it's been around for a few years, I can't remember how long ago I did mine, and quite a few other's as well. JS

 

[kardain]

FYI....Jettstream has been making and selling a Quad trun/brake light kit for a few years now. If you want the quad turn/brake lights in a DIY....just tap into your trailer harness and eliminate the factory wires at the board plug

Someone needs to drag the thread from the OS for this quad rear parking light mod...it's been around for a few years, I can't remember how long ago I did mine, and quite a few other's as well. JS

Quad Brake Light Dual Turn Signal - harness - Chevy TrailBlazer, TrailBlazer SS and GMC Envoy Forum

No offense, but the price seems a bit steep for what you get and still requires splicing... if there were a low cost, no splice alternative, I'd be all over it... that's the premise of this thread. I want something that is 100% reversible not have to worry about a short in trailer wiring killing the vehicle lights... IIRC, trailer and vehicle park lights are on separate fuse circuits.

While I understand as a small business a profit has to be made on the products and that there are people out there that aren't comfortable with anything other than plug and play, there is another demographic which doesn't mind a little dirty work, of which I am included

 

[DJones]

Im not usually a fan of amber turn signals on the rear of cars if I can help it.

I'm not a fan of red turn signals on the rear of cars at all.

 

[MAY03LT]

Ok, I glanced through some wiring diagrams and I'm not sure a no-splice method for integrating brake and turn is possible due to how everything is traced throughout the vehicle... time to get creative. I'll be picking up a tail light integrator (one you would use to add in trailer wiring on a vehicle that doesn't normally have it, and the vehicle has separate brake/turn) and attempt to reverse engineer it down to a compact circuit board that can fit in the casing.... if that made any sense, heh.

What do you think about the dual relay (per side) layout in the that thread on trailvoy? It looks like it doesn't need anything that isn't already in the tail light 5 pin connector.

I wish I saw this thread before I started my quads. Can you wire me up a time machine?

 

[kardain]

I'm not a fan of red turn signals on the rear of cars at all.

I'm not a fan of turn signals on the rear of cars

What do you think about the dual relay (per side) layout in the that thread on trailvoy? It looks like it doesn't need anything that isn't already in the tail light 5 pin connector.

I wish I saw this thread before I started my quads. Can you wire me up a time machine?

Time machine is a bit out of my budget. Lol.

You mean this thread? http://forums.trailvoy.com/showthread.php?t=50076&page=3

Still requires destruction of the factory harness... A viable solution, but not for me.

Yes, I'm picky like that.

 

[MAY03LT]

Time machine is a bit out of my budget. Lol.

You mean this thread? Quad Tail Lights? How-To Inside - Page 3 - Chevy TrailBlazer, TrailBlazer SS and GMC Envoy Forum

Still requires destruction of the factory harness... A viable solution, but not for me.

Yes, I'm picky like that.

Yeah, that be the one.

I read this somewhere, not sure if it was in that thread.

The idea was to take a female 5 pin and a male 5 pin, and use those as the input and output connectors to the tail light connector and board while keeping all the 'business' in between the two. Kinda like what that expensive harness has. Something like this:

Home » Shop » Connectors / Harnesses » Delphi / Packard » Mating Connector Pair Kits » GM Delphi / Packard - Sealed 5-way GT 150 MAF connector pair, black

The only downside is, even if it works it still won't be as awesome as yours.

 

[Harpo]

Wow, that is the perfect EU mod for us with imports in EU.
I have amber turn signals put in the reverse light housing, then there is always this problem with reverse lights.
I have a separate reverse light under the bumper and that is not optimal, its always full of water and road dirt.

Excellent mod.

 

[fadyasha]

they look good! I like em

 

[kardain]

Passenger side board came in and it's been modified to match the driver's side.... Batteries are charging for my better camera (cell phone cam won't cut it) and the weather appears to want to cooperate tomorrow....

 

[kardain]

Ok... sorry about not being able to put up a new vid today... Had to wait for the epoxy to cure. But two small problems after having to fix a crossed connection in one board (which wasn't discovered until after the epoxy set... figures)...

1) one of the switchback bulbs is faulty and since the base was slightly modified to fit the front turn socket it is non-returnable.... it works, just not very well on the white. The amber is perfect. There's probably something loose in the bulb itself <shrugs>

2) four 7w LED brake lights = burning retinas.... I have to snip the added brake wire going to the lower red. Although the brightness of four of these as brakes is technically legal in Washington (law is "visible no less than 100 feet or 300 feet in normal sunlight"), knowingly blowing out someone's night vision is not OK with me. The overall brightness should be fine if using non-LED bulbs (or less bright LED bulbs).

I'll get the new vid with the quad park/brake tomorrow, I promise. Afterwards will be undoing one brake light on each side.

Finally, if anyone thinks a write up is needed, I'll put one together.

 

[Blckshdw]

Well I guess if you had an inkling to Niteshade your tails at all, that would be as good a reason as any to finally pull the trigger.

 

[kardain]

Well I guess if you had an inkling to Niteshade your tails at all, that would be as good a reason as any to finally pull the trigger.

Hmm.... That's an option I hadn't considered.

[video=youtube;YwWOFOVp8Tc]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YwWOFOVp8Tc[/video]

^of the three cameras used, this was the best of the three (moto atrix - the winner, htc flyer, Kodak z1012... all three at 720p). 22' from the bumper, no zoom. The only post process was trimming at the beginning and end.