led light bar
Printed From: the12volt.com
Forum Name: Lights, Neon, LEDs, HIDs
Forum Discription: Under Car Lighting, Strobe Lights, Fog Lights, Headlights, HIDs, DRL, Tail Lights, Brake Lights, Dashboard Lights, WigWag, etc.
URL: https://www.the12volt.com/installbay/forum_posts.asp?tid=109614
Printed Date: June 08, 2024 at 11:48 PM
Topic: led light bar
Posted By: chev104275
Subject: led light bar
Date Posted: December 09, 2008 at 6:03 PM
I have a bunch of xtra red leds i was wondering if i would be able to make a tailgate light bar for my 2000 F150 i would like it to have directionals (half the bar blinks) parking and brake if possable anybody have a suggestions on how i would do this or is it worth doing ? i searched the forums didnt find anything
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If i Can't Install it I Don't need it Joe
Replies:
Posted By: ckeeler
Date Posted: December 09, 2008 at 6:55 PM
you could easily do parklights and turn, but brake also.....thats a different story.
Posted By: chev104275
Date Posted: December 10, 2008 at 5:30 AM
how would i go about doing parking and turn i have the 4 flat trailer connector in the back i can tap off of
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If i Can't Install it I Don't need it Joe
Posted By: ckeeler
Date Posted: December 10, 2008 at 7:46 AM
ill post a diagram in a few hrs
Posted By: chev104275
Date Posted: December 10, 2008 at 8:58 AM
thanks
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If i Can't Install it I Don't need it Joe
Posted By: ckeeler
Date Posted: December 10, 2008 at 9:35 AM
ok, here you go. the only problem i can see with it is if you use the wires in the trailer plug, the led's are going to flash opposite the turn signal light. for instance, when the right turn signal flashes on, the led's on that side flash off, then when the turn signal light flashes off, the leds on that side flash on. look at the diagram and youll see why. 
Posted By: ckeeler
Date Posted: December 10, 2008 at 9:56 AM
if you dont want it that way, it can be changed to go the other way but takes a little more wiring. you can do it like the following, which i think is better anyway. you have to run a wire from the left and right side 12v out at the turn signal switch before it goes into the flasher to terminal 85 on the relay. terminal 87 will go to its respective turn wire off the trailer plug. see below. 
Posted By: chev104275
Date Posted: December 10, 2008 at 10:08 AM
alternating is fine now for wiring the LEDS series or parrllel ? if series how many in a line if parrllel what size resistors ? the leds are from alarms they have black and red leds on them i think i have like 150 of them
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If i Can't Install it I Don't need it Joe
Posted By: chev104275
Date Posted: December 10, 2008 at 10:24 AM
wouldnt a constant 12 at pin 87 make the LEDS flash the same rate as the dir. power removed from parking lights 87A and applied at 87 sending 12 to pin 30 again opposite is fine with me makes it look different just a thought
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If i Can't Install it I Don't need it Joe
Posted By: chev104275
Date Posted: December 10, 2008 at 10:33 AM
the only other problem i can see is whether i go to the trailer conector on the rear lights or the multi function switch the same wire does my brake and turn signals so when i would use the brake the led bar would shut off completely
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If i Can't Install it I Don't need it Joe
Posted By: ckeeler
Date Posted: December 10, 2008 at 10:34 AM
the problem with that is.....if you have on the parklights you will be toggleing between 87 and 87a with 12v on each and the time it takes to switch between the 2 terminals is a fraction of a second. so they in essence would flash so fast, they wont even "flash" at all.
Posted By: ckeeler
Date Posted: December 10, 2008 at 10:49 AM
chev104275 wrote:
the only other problem i can see is whether i go to the trailer conector on the rear lights or the multi function switch the same wire does my brake and turn signals so when i would use the brake the led bar would shut off completely
i didnt even think of that. brain fart. you might just have to do "turn and brake" with out park. or............. on each side alternate the leds so that one it park and the next is brake/turn then the next park again and so forth so that half the leds on each side are turn/stop and the other half is park. that setup wouldnt need any relays, just resistors for the sets of leds and you can connect it all right to the trailer wiring.
Posted By: ckeeler
Date Posted: December 10, 2008 at 11:59 AM
ckeeler wrote:
i didnt even think of that. brain fart. you might just have to do "turn and brake" with out park. or............. on each side alternate the leds so that one it park and the next is brake/turn then the next park again and so forth so that half the leds on each side are turn/stop and the other half is park. that setup wouldnt need any relays, just resistors for the sets of leds and you can connect it all right to the trailer wiring.
either that, or just use the second diagram i posted.
Posted By: chev104275
Date Posted: December 10, 2008 at 12:21 PM
so how would i wire up the leds red to power then black to the next LED red led and so on ? if so how many can i do in one line every other for brake and turn then the others for parking would work i want to do the whole lenth of my tailgate
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If i Can't Install it I Don't need it Joe
Posted By: ckeeler
Date Posted: December 10, 2008 at 12:27 PM
do you know about how many total LED's that will be?
Posted By: chev104275
Date Posted: December 10, 2008 at 12:46 PM
about 50-60
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If i Can't Install it I Don't need it Joe
Posted By: ckeeler
Date Posted: December 10, 2008 at 2:35 PM
give me your email address and ill send you the diagram. i tried to paste it here, and it didnt work sorry.
Posted By: chev104275
Date Posted: December 10, 2008 at 5:58 PM
ok sorry i just measured my tailgate and its 62 inches so if i do 60 leds it would put them about an inch apart if i wanted to double the amount to 120 and put them about .5 inch apart i can use the same diagram just double it right ? or would i have to change the resistors to different values ?
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If i Can't Install it I Don't need it Joe
Posted By: ckeeler
Date Posted: December 10, 2008 at 6:33 PM
youll have to change stuff. let me recalculate and ill send it to your email again
Posted By: ckeeler
Date Posted: December 10, 2008 at 6:45 PM
ok, just looked at it again. you were right. just double everything to do the 60 led' for the park lights and then again to do the 30 on each side that will function as the stop/turn led's
Posted By: chev104275
Date Posted: December 10, 2008 at 6:59 PM
Thanks alot ckeeler you were lots of help time to drill 120 holes in half inch incerments
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If i Can't Install it I Don't need it Joe
Posted By: ckeeler
Date Posted: December 10, 2008 at 7:00 PM
 i dont envy you on that one. have fun 
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