LED Mod Thread

[richphotos]

Yeah, the taillight boards are definitely CK and I changed out the reverse socket for a standard not knowing.

I have ordered a standard switchback which will be here on sunday and I hope it all works. Thanks guys.


My other set I made are starting to fail so I am doing this.
The bulbs got used so many different times over the last 10 years.

Might be selling my optidrive PWM though

 

[richphotos]

Well, same problem different bulbs.
Turn the lights on amber glows too. I am giving up on this for now. All the info I have found is gone.

 

[Blckshdw]

So did you gut the insides of these boards, and run new sockets through the rear? (the modded tails I bought off a former member for my current project were done this way) Or did you use the existing connections, and just modify the reverse socket to receive the signal from the traces?

 

[richphotos]

I modified the reverse socket to accept the signal circuit *kinda* I got 3157 sockets off amazon and wired up the wires to their connection in the tail light board

I am guessing that's where I went wrong somehow
I don't want to give up yet lol to I am open to things to try. I am guessing a diode or a load resistor somewhere. Or have them all standard or ck instead of mixing one standard and the top 2 are ck.

 

[Blckshdw]

Any chance you can provide some pics? Maybe something will stand out to additional sets of eyes.

 

[richphotos]

Any chance you can provide some pics? Maybe something will stand out to additional sets of eyes.

It all works as I go through the pins testing with a power supply, but once it's on the vehicle it acts weird.

 

[Blckshdw]

Is your pic mirrored? It looks like all your pin assignments are the reverse of what mine are.

Edit: This is how mine look, the Dorman boards.

 

[richphotos]

No it's not mirrored. From left to right on the pins it's ground-parking/running-reverse-turn signal - brake

Where can you get those doorman boards? They are non ck I see. These ones are

 

[Blckshdw]

I got them on Amazon for under $12. I plan on removing and repurposing the wire connections, so I haven't done any testing yet. I'll be mapping the pins to my truck's harnesses anyway.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001SGC45E/?tag=gmtnation-20

 

[richphotos]

Thanks. I think I will pick up a couple of those and play around. Is there a diagram of the tail light harness anywhere?
I appreciate the help, I was running out of ideas.

 

[Blckshdw]

You can get the electrical wiring PDF from the link in Mooseman's signature. I have a cut down version of it, for the 2 pages for the tail lights on my laptop at home, otherwise I'd post it.

 

[richphotos]

From my searching, this appears to be the pin out for the harness?

Park - turn signal - reverse - brake - ground.

If that's correct, I have them wired up correctly. It must be the ck sockets. I will see when I get the others

 

[Blckshdw]

Yeah you're right, sorry. When looking at your pic, I didn't recognize that your pins are pointed down, instead of up like the Dorman board pics

 

[richphotos]

Same issue as before, turn signal illuminating when the lights are on

I put a stock board on one side with led bulbs in it and the turn was lit up on that as well. I wiggled the trailer harness and noticed the lights flickering and getting brighter and more dim.
When they are plugged in, both dash indicators are solid lit as well.

There has to be a short somewhere.

For the time being, the tails I built and are running off the trailer harness still works.

I'm just confused now.

 

[Blckshdw]

Hmm, and you confirmed the proper power signals at the trailer plug itself? It sounds like you're definitely back feeding into the turn signal circuits for both sides. Maybe try disconnecting the parking light connection, and see if it behaves as expected otherwise?

 

[richphotos]

Im going to throw some incandescent bulbs in tomorrow to see if the problem continues
Turn circuit is definitely back feeding and I am not sure why.

I unplugged everything at the trailer harness and was only using the oem harness that plugs into the tail lights.

I wonder if pulling the trailer harness fuse? Is that under the hood or back seat?


When you say unhook the park circuit, where?

Thanks for the help, this is wacky

I can never have a project go smooth

 

[richphotos]

Found a fuse I will try and pull and also check #42 rear fuse block, trailer park fuse
I have only tomorrow for awhile to play around. Monday and Tuesday will be about 0f for a high here in Minneapolis.

Well, now I will have 4 boards set up for quad brake/ park with turn in the reverse socket

 

[Blckshdw]

OK, I thought you were feeding the tails from the trailer plug. OK, maybe try opening your boards, and pop out the pin that's receiving the parking light signal. Since that seems to be the one feeding both turn signals.

 

[Sparky]

Geound may not be direct full ground. I've noticed some of these things use a floating ground on some lighting circuits, and that can result in wacky operation. I do not know if that's the case here exactly, but thought I'd throw it out there.

 

[richphotos]

I Will pull the park pin out of the board I made. Not sure when, gonna get real cold.

I used a unmodded board with normal leds as a control and that board both signal and brake/park lit up. I will try that again too without led bulbs. even when it was just the unmodded board hooked up and nothing hooked to the other side it did this.
Might just throw all stock bulbs in and see what it does.


Are the front signals not tied in with the rear signals wiring? They function normally with switch backs in. If that's the case I know it's just the rear.

I wonder if the taillight harness pigtail is bad on either side?



Sorry my brain can scatter and move fast sometimes

Geound may not be direct full ground. I've noticed some of these things use a floating ground on some lighting circuits, and that can result in wacky operation. I do not know if that's the case here exactly, but thought I'd throw it out there.

I was thinking that too but I mostly have only come across that with the side marker lights up front (well on the first gens s10s)

 

[Blckshdw]

Are the front signals not tied in with the rear signals wiring? They function normally with switch backs in. If that's the case I know it's just the rear.

Yes they are tied together. I messed up a mod a long time ago, and I had the same issue you're having. Running lights came on, it back fed into the front turn signals, and both indicators lit up on my cluster.

 

[richphotos]

Yes they are tied together. I messed up a mod a long time ago, and I had the same issue you're having. Running lights came on, it back fed into the front turn signals, and both indicators lit up on my cluster.

What mod was it? What did you do to fix it? I appreciate the help. Just wish I could work on it instead of just brainstorm

 

[Blckshdw]

What mod was it? What did you do to fix it? I appreciate the help. Just wish I could work on it instead of just brainstorm

I put 194 switchbacks in the corner turn signals, and because there are only 2 terminals instead of 3, each circuit's positive used the other circuit's positive as its ground. So that sent voltage back through the other one. Running turn signals during the day, caused the parking lights to flash, that was nice. Parking lights caused both turn signals to stay on. So I built a polarity switcher, that added a dedicated ground connection, ran that to the fender grounds.

Since I put clear corner lenses in the headlights, it was about time I made a new video for the switchbacks.

To recap, here's what I'm working with.

LM487 LED flasher relay from Rockauto.com, and Autolumination.com's 60-60 Ultiimate Stealth Switchbacks.

Autolumination's 194 Switchbacks for the corners

And to make the corner switchbacks work properly (they are not plug and play) I built my own polarity changers out of some OEM sockets and DPDT mini relays.

Put em all together, and this is what you get

 

[richphotos]

Tail lights are in and working.
Dual park/brake with the signals in the reverse. I will have video later.

Front signals were the issue, both running and signal were causing backfeed. I installed oem bulbs and it's all working like it should.

Also, one of the boards I made had a short inside which kept popping the brake fuse, had another board ready to go.

 

[TollKeeper]

@richphotos - Are you running the switchbacks on the Turns in the reverse position, so that you have reverse and turns?

 

[richphotos]

@richphotos - Are you running the switchbacks on the Turns in the reverse position, so that you have reverse and turns?

Yup

 

[richphotos]

Not the best video.

 

[TollKeeper]

Looks good man.

 

[richphotos]

Looks good man.

Thank you, once the minor hiccups were worked out its pretty easy looking back on it.

 

[Blckshdw]

Thank you, once the minor hiccups were worked out its pretty easy looking back on it.

I think that's accurate for most first time mods

 

[TollKeeper]

I think that's accurate for most first time mods

No idea what your talking about.. Now can you tell me where this red wire plugs into? (sarcasm)

 

[richphotos]

I think that's accurate for most first time mods

This should have been easy since I did build the full set and ran them off a controlled board but man
I appreciate all the brainstorming

 

[richphotos]

No idea what your talking about.. Now can you tell me where this red wire plugs into? (sarcasm)

There is a red wire stuffed into a fuse slot under the rear seat that goes up to the front I still haven't traced yet

 

[richphotos]

Do you happen to have a diagram and parts you used for the circuit to prevent back feed? I'm getting signal mirrors from the yard and will have to mod them lol

I think that's accurate for most first time mods

 

[Blckshdw]

Do you happen to have a diagram and parts you used for the circuit to prevent back feed? I'm getting signal mirrors from the yard and will have to mod them lol

Post 62

 

[TGstring]

when I bought my truck all the bulbs were burnt out except for one.
not wanting to replace without trying to fix it first, I bought some new 4mm 6v and 12v incancescent bulbs. After soldering them in place, it was good as new.

Except, in only a few months, a bulb that i replaced has already burnt out.
Admittedly, I bought them online (ali express or ebay) for peanuts... and since I paid peanuts, i got a monkey bulb

question: has anyone been able to find a QUALITY 12-14v LED that fits?

It seems that finding a 3-5mm 12v white LED isn't that easy. Not sure why, or maybe I'm not looking in the right place?

Eager for any confirmed source/quality recommendations.

 

[Blckshdw]

question: has anyone been able to find a QUALITY 12-14v LED that fits?

My recommendation

Amazon.com

 

[richphotos]

Got some mirrors with signals and am modding some LEDs in there.
What is the wiring colors in the mirror sockets?
There are 2 wires, green and white. Is green ground and white 12v or is it the other way around?

 

[Blckshdw]

Got some mirrors with signals and am modding some LEDs in there.
What is the wiring colors in the mirror sockets?
There are 2 wires, green and white. Is green ground and white 12v or is it the other way around?

It looks like white is the signal, and green is the ground. See the lower left corner of fig 10 in the attached schematic.

What kinda LEDs did you decide to go with?

 

[richphotos]

It looks like white is the signal, and green is the ground. See the lower left corner of fig 10 in the attached schematic.

What kinda LEDs did you decide to go with?

I had I right! Thanks man!!

I went with these here

Amazon.com: AUTUNEER 2PCS Sequential LED Side Mirror Turn Signal Lights Warning Strip Tape Signal Stickers Safety Pair Set(Amper): Automotive

Buy AUTUNEER 2PCS Sequential LED Side Mirror Turn Signal Lights Warning Strip Tape Signal Stickers Safety Pair Set(Amper): Side Marker & Turn Signal Combos - Amazon.com ✓ FREE DELIVERY possible on eligible purchases

www.amazon.com

Super bright. Made an insert to fit in the light