Cool Ideas for Alarm Indicator Lighting?
Printed From: the12volt.com
Forum Name: Car Security and Convenience
Forum Discription: Car Alarms, Keyless Entries, Remote Starters, Immobilizer Bypasses, Sensors, Door Locks, Window Modules, Heated Mirrors, Heated Seats, etc.
URL: https://www.the12volt.com/installbay/forum_posts.asp?tid=54853
Printed Date: May 09, 2025 at 8:47 AM
Topic: Cool Ideas for Alarm Indicator Lighting?
Posted By: torx
Subject: Cool Ideas for Alarm Indicator Lighting?
Date Posted: April 30, 2005 at 4:48 AM
I need some good ideas for alarm indication rather than the little ol LED light flashing.
I know about the cheezy stuff like the batman signal looking thing, the laser "SECURITY" thing that beams onto a surface, and flashing LEDs in the corner lenses and stuff.
Give me some ideas you guys use or like.
Replies:
Posted By: eteaby
Date Posted: April 30, 2005 at 7:06 AM
use neon style lights, like the gear shift nob or the string lighting that goes around the dash and stereo grooves. or one of my favorites is getting a laser pointer and putting a chalydascope (excuse the spelling) in front of it. it puts out this crazy ass laser zone radar affect, like the ones in the movies that are protecting a huge diamond or something. good luck though.whatever you do, anything is beeter than a pusslittle led light. ------------- speedkills
Posted By: mr-allenp
Date Posted: April 30, 2005 at 2:11 PM
But won't it drain the battery? How much power consumption will it have? I am just wondering.
Posted By: torx
Date Posted: May 04, 2005 at 8:17 PM
any new ideas?
Posted By: brcidd
Date Posted: May 05, 2005 at 8:45 AM
I have installed little red LED's in 2 of my vehicles- they are wired to battery hot- from fuse box and are in driver's side of dash- visible through driver's window- on continuously for 6-7 years- the key here is I don't have an alarm- just the LED lights- Have never had a false alarm- never been broken into.......cost about a buck..... just my thoughts.....
-------------
Brcidd - Engineer That Does Remote Starter Installs on the side.
Posted By: glamisguy99
Date Posted: May 05, 2005 at 5:49 PM
Ya know, I used to have a little red flashing led in my truck without an alarm too. I had it wired to a switch though because my girlfriend at the time couldnt stand it blinking while driving. 2 times over a period of several years my truck got broken into, both times I had forgotten to turn that little bastard back on when I parked. Might be coincidence but I personally think having one helps... well as long as its on! For what its worth, I wired the light to constant hot after the 2nd break in and told her to get used to it. On a side note, I wonder if anybody is gonna tell us how stupid we are for telling the world about our fake alarm lights on the internet... get a clue guys, if anybody on here has thought of it, chances are the thieves have thought of it first. AND its not like I gave out my license plate number, and even then I doubt anything would happen if I did.
Posted By: xenon2000
Date Posted: May 05, 2005 at 5:55 PM
I am planning on using the 1 watt high power LED suspension mounting lighting kit from Varad. The control box has a "breathing" mode where it fades in and out. 4 one-watt LEDs (very very bright), 1 for each wheel area. I will have a latched output on the armed signal so when it's armed the LEDs will breath. Not sure what color I will do. And if I get bored, the control does other patterns as well. It uses a digital wired remote for in the car. I am going to ask them about interfacing with it. Hopefully it can just keep it's last used setting and has a physical power switch. If so, it will be super easy to control it with the alarm as well as keeping the remote for using it at anytime. The idea of the laser projected word "Security", pointed on the hood from within the car is a cool idea. If you have a light color vehicle and can hide the mounting well. 4 watts of pulsating light isn't a ton of power, but would be a fair amount of drain over a long period of time. I don't know if I would want 4 watts of 50% duty cycle running overnight. And would need a light sensor to ensure it doesn't get used during daylight hours. Which is still simple to add to the latched relay curcuit. For much lower power comsuption, using LED sidemarkers and/or LED windshield nozzles use much less power than the 1-watt LEDs used in the suspension kit. That would only use maybe 1/4watt and would only need a resistor and power transistor to run it straight from the single alarm LED. In the past I had a convertible that I made a knightrider bar for the front of the car, with a matched LED bar for in the car that was an exact mirror of the speed and movement of the front light bar. Has a knob for speed and a switch. If I did the same thing again, I would make a low power LED version for someplace on the car and have that be an indicator.
Posted By: Fullthrottle
Date Posted: May 05, 2005 at 6:50 PM
On my jeep - I changed out the red LED for a white one and mounted it behind the factory SECURITY bezel in the dash. Looks stock but with a surprise if any thief decides to go in for the kill.
Posted By: glamisguy99
Date Posted: May 05, 2005 at 7:49 PM
See bobk, thats why I'm here, to learn. Thats a simple answer to the problem I didn't realize how to solve. I owe ya again buddy!  As a side note, I'm learning to love relays!
Posted By: lucky259
Date Posted: May 06, 2005 at 2:02 AM
eteaby wrote:
or one of my favorites is getting a laser pointer and putting a chalydascope (excuse the spelling) in front of it. it puts out this crazy ass laser zone radar affect, like the ones in the movies that are protecting a huge diamond or something.
I like that idea....any idea how one might hook something like that up??
Posted By: eteaby
Date Posted: May 06, 2005 at 5:24 AM
I havent actually used a laser, but the bright led lights work damn good. ------------- speedkills
Posted By: 12V_REP
Date Posted: May 06, 2005 at 7:33 AM
What we used to do was take the interior lock post covers off, if you have the post style, and drill them out and put the LEDs in them. It is a tight fit, but looks better than the on-dash LED and it is visible as hell, being it is next to the glass on both sides of the car.
|