LED Mod Thread

[DJones]

Got an e-mail from V-LED's less than 30 minutes ago: (edited)

Your order is On Hold.

ATTENTION!!! We have just received the first round of CXA LED headlights and they are amazing! Upon further testing we found the light color to be different than what we had originally specified to our manufacture. The color temperature is actually closer to 5K. We wanted to reach out to you before shipping your order and see if the 5K color will work for you or if you'd rather have a refund. We are working to get the 6K we originally spec'd but it may take a few months. Please let us know what you'd like us to do with your order at your earliest convenience.

I responded to that and sent me back another e-mail saying they will process my order as soon as possible.

I thought it was unusual how they claimed to be 6000K Cree CXA1512 LED's when the CXA1512 LEDs are only available in 2700, 3000, 3500, 4000, and 5000 Kelvin options.

:wootwoot: :wootwoot:

 

[Boricua SS]

GHenny440 came over and we installed some more leds on the beaSSt... we're going to remount the side bulbs as they're not shining out as far as I had hoped... but for $50 bucks.. I'm happy with the end result..

The beaSSt and Big Black...

 

[ghenny440]

a few shots he forgot lol

The one is really just to show how bright they REALLY are, my HID's didnt even wash out the lights

 

[v7guy]

That was a Trailblazer NorthFace Edition that you saw. The roof rack marker lights were only on 2 model year versions IIRC, and they discontinued making the parts years ago, so they are very difficult to get your hands on. There were a few threads on the OS, and I think one on here talking about them. I had a failed attempt at making some myself, which I may revisit somewhere down the road. (I am STILL driving around with no front caps on my side rails )

Edit: A couple pics...

It would appear that you can still get them...

LUGGAGE CARRIER. Fits: BRAVADA 2WD, BRAVADA 4WD, ENVOY 2WD, ENVOY 2WD DENALI, ENVOY 2WD SLE, ENVOY 2WD SLT, ENVOY 2WD XL, ENVOY 2WD XL DENALI... | Nalley Buick GMC Brunswick

 

[Blckshdw]

It would appear that you can still get them...

LUGGAGE CARRIER. Fits: BRAVADA 2WD, BRAVADA 4WD, ENVOY 2WD, ENVOY 2WD DENALI, ENVOY 2WD SLE, ENVOY 2WD SLT, ENVOY 2WD XL, ENVOY 2WD XL DENALI... | Nalley Buick GMC Brunswick

Nice find, I was able to track down another elusive piece for my EXT, on that site, that I was having trouble locating.

 

[jstrut]

next up is door handles!

 

[jstrut]

DONE! Next up i think is vents!

 

[DDonnie]

anybody have the polarities for an 06 non dic cluster? or can walk me through finding them on my own? Also, why the heck is there no cruise control light on this year? I thought it was just burnt out, but nope. not there.

Could i just make a test light, plug it back into the car, and test each bulb? Would it hurt anything if i had it backward?

 

[DDonnie]

As voluntold, 2006 non DIC dash cluster polarity
View attachment 30873


Here was the final outcome. I wasnt getting enough output from replacing the incandescent with LED's (red just isnt bright enough). I didnt do any on the right hand side and just pulled the incandescent bulbs. I ran a strip of 5050's all around the inside of the gauge cluster (it's separate from the idiot lights) and connected the power from one of the incandescent sockets. turned out pretty good imho.


View attachment 30874


Also, I didn't mess with 12 & 13 as those are for the blinkers

 

[Blckshdw]

...Also, why the heck is there no cruise control light on this year? I thought it was just burnt out, but nope. not there.

As voluntold, 2006 non DIC dash cluster polarity
View attachment 17767

It looks like you have an SMD LED in the spot for the cruise control indicator. The notch indicates the negative side so you've got the polarity. You could confirm by soldering a regular LED to the same mounts, no resistor would be needed, since there's already one on the board, and go for a spin to test it.

And yes, your polarities are the same as my non 06 non DIC cluster

 

[DDonnie]

It looks like you have an SMD LED in the spot for the cruise control indicator. The notch indicates the negative side so you've got the polarity. You could confirm by soldering a regular LED to the same mounts, no resistor would be needed, since there's already one on the board, and go for a spin to test it.

And yes, your polarities are the same as my non 06 non DIC cluster

I figured they would be, but there were more lights on yours so i wasnt positive. As for the cruise, there isnt a spot on the gauge face for it. IE, i can see where all the other lights symbols are if i look at it from the back, but there isnt one for cruise. That's probably something else on mine. Could be where they put the stability control light (or whatever chevy calls their version of traction control)

 

[jstrut]

how did u do this what did u use i want to do this

I work for a pontoon boat manufacturer and we use a waterproof strip led light and when we trim it down they let me take the drops. Its just a copper ribbon with SMD LEDS soldered in 3 light sections in a silicone casing. I simply cut it whatever length i need, solder new wires on and silicone and shrink tube the ends. the same stuff that they sell at auto zone only i don't know if that is able to be cut down.

 

[Sparky]

I work for a pontoon boat manufacturer and we use a waterproof strip led light and when we trim it down they let me take the drops. Its just a copper ribbon with SMD LEDS soldered in 3 light sections in a silicone casing. I simply cut it whatever length i need, solder new wires on and silicone and shrink tube the ends. the same stuff that they sell at auto zone only i don't know if that is able to be cut down.

You can get the same kind of thing from superbrightleds.com.

 

[DDonnie]

Amazon.com: SUPERNIGHT (TM) 16.4ft 5M SMD 5050 Blue Waterproof Led Flexible Flash Strip 300 Leds LED Light Strip 60Leds/M Multifunctional: Everything Else

Here choo go.

 

[Black_tb]

I'm going to look into that now love the way it looks just wiring the turn signals so when I unlock or lock they will light up

 

[Blckshdw]

I'm going to look into that now love the way it looks just wiring the turn signals so when I unlock or lock they will light up

You mean parking lights right? I can imagine how interesting that would look at night when you were sitting in a turn lane waiting on your green arrow....

 

[Black_tb]

Doh ! But now i kinda would only like them on when I unlock and lock so I guess I'll hit up the interior lights .... Don't really want to be drive around with light up doors which I guess would be a attention grabber

 

[jstrut]

Doh ! But now i kinda would only like them on when I unlock and lock so I guess I'll hit up the interior lights .... Don't really want to be drive around with light up doors which I guess would be a attention grabber

That's how mine are, both the door handles and the grill lights are wired into the dome light circuit so when i open the doors or hit unlock on the fob they come on.

 

[DJones]

VLEDS in talks with The Retrofit Source to offer the complete line of Morimoto HID Systems as well as a full line of retrofit solutions.

"Our mission statements are very similar." Says Jake York President CEO. "We both strive for excellence and continue to pioneer the aftermarket automotive lighting industry. Our goal is to offer our customers the highest quality products, and top level customer service at the best price. Offering Morimoto and TRS retrofit products will provide our customers with a one stop shop experience backed by the confidence of buy from two of the industries most recognized lighting brands."

We hope you find this news as exciting as we do! Like and share if you agree!

 

[DDonnie]

For any of you guys that use the LED strips, what are you using to hold it in place? Right now, im using 3m double sided molding tape, but that shiz is expensive and doesnt always work well. The tape that comes on these things is weaksauce.

 

[Sparky]

The LED strips I used for my turn signals have 3M adhesive on them.

 

[Blckshdw]

For any of you guys that use the LED strips, what are you using to hold it in place? Right now, im using 3m double sided molding tape, but that shiz is expensive and doesnt always work well. The tape that comes on these things is weaksauce.

The LED strips I used for my turn signals have 3M adhesive on them.

All of mine that came with adhesive used 3M tape, the ones that didn't, I used my own 3M tape. My first LED strip mirror mod, I simply stuck them to the outside of the mock lens, and they held up for years in the elements and a couple drive through car washes.

 

[jstrut]

For any of you guys that use the LED strips, what are you using to hold it in place? Right now, im using 3m double sided molding tape, but that shiz is expensive and doesnt always work well. The tape that comes on these things is weaksauce.

12v LED Strip Light Channel Plastic (2 Foot Long) - The Lighting Solutions

I use a track that locks the strip in place and works great with 3m VHB tape. The track also allows me to be able to use staples or small screws in some locations to hold the track then the track just holds the strip in place. The track is very rigid so it cuts down on the problem of broken solder joints inside the LED strip so they should last longer.

 

[ChevyTBLover]

Sunglasses please.
[video=youtube_share;9r0pH6R0PbE]http://youtu.be/9r0pH6R0PbE[/video]

 

[brandongill8]

Finally got around to doing a lil documentation of the module polarities yesterday. First up are the instrument clusters, there are a few slight differences between the DIC and non DIC clusters. Of the 4 contact pads per stock bulb, only 2 of them are used. I put the + sign in the corner where the positive pad is, since there isn't one side or the other like all other modules.

For some reason some of my negatives and positives were flipped compared to yours on the Non-DIC picture. They were for the right blinker, right one for the Speedo, and water temp lights. Might be some years are different, mine is a 03.


Good to know for others putting LEDs in their 360s.

Here is what I got.

 

[Blckshdw]

For some reason some of my negatives and positives were flipped compared to yours on the Non-DIC picture. They were for the right blinker, right one for the Speedo, and water temp lights. Might be some years are different, mine is a 03.


Good to know for others putting LEDs in their 360s.

Here is what I got.

Yeah a couple of differences have been noted here and there. Thanks for posting yours.

 

[Ryan05 LT]

When it warms up a bit in a few months, I want to finally do the interior LED swap. I've got lights going out everywhere and if they're not completely burned out, they're loose and decide to only work some of the time. With the full swap though, I want to install strips under each of the 4 doors and maybe a 5th on the hatch. I want the strips for each door to light up only when that particular door is opened. I know that each door is equipped with a switch that turns on the domes when a door is open, but I'm thinking that I'd make all 4 doors light up together if I used that switch. Just a guess though, but I'd like a confirmation either way to eliminate the hassle in advance.

So, my question is: Is there a wire/fuse/switch or sensor I can tap to get this to work or am I going to have to fab up my own?

It's too late this year because of the cold to do it, but not too late to buy myself Christmas presents..

 

[Blckshdw]

When it warms up a bit in a few months, I want to finally do the interior LED swap. I've got lights going out everywhere and if they're not completely burned out, they're loose and decide to only work some of the time. With the full swap though, I want to install strips under each of the 4 doors and maybe a 5th on the hatch. I want the strips for each door to light up only when that particular door is opened. I know that each door is equipped with a switch that turns on the domes when a door is open, but I'm thinking that I'd make all 4 doors light up together if I used that switch. Just a guess though, but I'd like a confirmation either way to eliminate the hassle in advance.

So, my question is: Is there a wire/fuse/switch or sensor I can tap to get this to work or am I going to have to fab up my own?

It's too late this year because of the cold to do it, but not too late to buy myself Christmas presents..

A couple people have talked about setting up their puddle lights the same way you're describing. It's been quite a while since I looked into it, but I believe the door ajar switches in the doors are ground activated, not +12V. So you'd have to connect the hot lead of the LED strip to a constant power source, and then the ground wire to the door switch's wire upstream of the switch.

If you wired the strips up to the dome light, as most of us do, you'll effectively have the same visual. Even though all of the strips would be on when 1 door is opened, you won't see them if the door is closed. So that can be your backup method, if needed.

 

[SBUBandit]

A couple people have talked about setting up their puddle lights the same way you're describing. It's been quite a while since I looked into it, but I believe the door ajar switches in the doors are ground activated, not +12V. So you'd have to connect the hot lead of the LED strip to a constant power source, and then the ground wire to the door switch's wire upstream of the switch.

If you wired the strips up to the dome light, as most of us do, you'll effectively have the same visual. Even though all of the strips would be on when 1 door is opened, you won't see them if the door is closed. So that can be your backup method, if needed.

Carlton is right. I have LED strips on the bottom of my doors, and even through they're on as soon as you hit the unlock button at night, I can't tell they're on at all until I open the door. Easier to just wire them to the dome lights. If you'd like to imagine they only come on when that particular door is open, go for it, no way you'll get your head in there to prove otherwise.

 

[NinjuhhNutz]

When I wired mine in, I wanted to avoid having them all on at once and have to pull in as few new wires as possible. I used to door ajar ground, and the constant 12v from the window motor harness. Completely contained inside the door, and the minimal draw from the led's makes a quick and clean install

 

[DFWWIZ]

A couple people have talked about setting up their puddle lights the same way you're describing. It's been quite a while since I looked into it, but I believe the door ajar switches in the doors are ground activated, not +12V. So you'd have to connect the hot lead of the LED strip to a constant power source, and then the ground wire to the door switch's wire upstream of the switch.

If you wired the strips up to the dome light, as most of us do, you'll effectively have the same visual. Even though all of the strips would be on when 1 door is opened, you won't see them if the door is closed. So that can be your backup method, if needed.

I looked at hooking up the ghost lights and found no suitable power wire and the "triggers" are negative so I went with a separate switch to have them on since I'm doing shows a lot. The dome is the easiest place to get power and is also what I recommend for the lighted door sills also.

 

[DenaliHD66]

Well I have a brake light out. The running lights work fine, but when brake is depressed the bulbs in the right taillight go out. I have a spare 3057 bulb, hopefully that's all it needs. What have you guys used as LEDs for brake lights? I just wanna get something bright that lasts.

 

[Sparky]

Something sounds off. Pretty sure that the running light is always on whether or not you hit the brakes. If the running light goes out when you hit the brakes it makes me wonder if the ground is bad. Does the turn signal on that side work properly with lights on and off? reverse light?

 

[DenaliHD66]

Something sounds off. Pretty sure that the running light is always on whether or not you hit the brakes. If the running light goes out when you hit the brakes it makes me wonder if the ground is bad. Does the turn signal on that side work properly with lights on and off? reverse light?

Okay scratch that, it was just the brake bulb. The lights stayed on when brake is depressed but the brake light didn't get brighter. Replaced; all good.

 

[fr34kout]

For LED bulbs in the tail light, do some research and don't just do what I did. I tried a set of LED bulbs from a friend, and kept blowing fuses. I had no idea why, until I started to do some research into how our tail light circuit boards are wired in a SRCK style. Basically the grounds are swapped around in a weird way, and with certain LED bulbs when you install them it creates a dead short and pops fuses as soon as the bulb gets power.

From what I remember, you either need to open up the circuit boards and rewire them, or buy SRCK bulbs.

 

[DenaliHD66]

Meh, I think I'll pass lol.

 

[dmanns67]

Or you could fork out some cash for a set of LED tail lights.

 

[Fire06]

New is always better.:wootwoot::wootwoot:

 

[Blckshdw]

For the sake of this thread, LED is always better

 

[IllogicTC]

Not too sure on doing LEDs in the vents myself... even with the LEDs themselves hidden, there'd still be "hotspots" of light and other areas where it isn't as bright. One way I would think of to fix it is to diffuse it with semi-opaque plastic or something, but that'd defeat the purpose of a vent.

Also, I looked around a few pages and never saw this (I'm not looking through all ~50 to be sure), but anyone ever thought of modifying the TrailBlazer nameplate found just inside the door for LEDS?

My idea would be to mill out the letters and replace with diffusing plastic/glass (so we get more uniform light distribution), then installing LEDs underneath it. Ideally it would light up when one opens the door, and turn off when it's closed. Of course, you wouldn't have to stick with the default metal plate, could always mill a new plate out with the truck's name or your name or something. I just have no clue if there's any real clearance under the plate to do such a thing, or if drilling through to the underside and installing (and weatherproofing) from underneath is feasible.

Go ahead and take my idea if you want, by the way. I just toss things around in my head a lot that I think would be cool but probably wouldn't end up doing a lot of the time lol.

Edit: Also, anybody ever considered adding an Arduino device for LED control? I mean, I know you guys are wiring them up to be turned on and off as appropriate, but for some people with "vanity" LEDs that don't actually light up gauges or anything but just various parts of the vehicle, I would wonder if one could use an Arduino to make them do various things like light up in a certain order, or even flashing with music if you get the right board. I know it's getting pretty far up there in advanced wiring, but it sure would be neat.