Topic: quick question about sail panel.leds

[Heartwork]

I have read many posts in here as a guest about the sail panel leds.i took your advice and purchased 10 5mm leds from ozonics i think.it was. Anyways they are pre wired and i read thry have their own resistor wired behind the led.

What i want to do is have them act as my running lights, brake lights and turn signals.

I have been browsing the diy posts and i have the gist of it. Do i require anything else before i start this project?

[NC Scout]

First off, 

I just did my LEDs exactly the way you describe.
The instructions here were spot on accurate. I messed up and missed a diode on the Tail Light circuit and had to go back and add it.

The only thing I'd suggest, and just my opinion, is to do the all 4 brake light mod while you have everything opened up. I ended up using the trailer wiring harness circuit for my Sail Panel LEDs anyway, and just by adding a couple diodes I knocked out two mods in one (three actually, since I also added the Bully Strip)

The one thing I did that was NOT in the instructions was to pre-assembled the LEDs, the Diodes and resistors. When I was done, I had each side pre-built, and just slipped them all into place. Made it easier to solder, heat shrink and test before I had everything buttoned up.

Yes, I soldered all connections and used heat shrink tubing on them.

If you go this way, it's 8" between diodes. 

[Heartwork]

Well, i have no diodes here. So i guess i have to order some befoee i even start.

Whuch ones do i require and what exactly do they do anyways?

[oHIobellboy]

Reply number 98 in this thread shows a pix of the diodes and resistors wired into a setup. If you look at the packages also at the top you'll see the part numbers for the diodes (top of pix and it's just the top of the package) and the resistors. The diodes prevent backfeed of power and the resistors only allow a certain amount of voltage through them so the lights are a little dimmer with the running lights. They will be dim and then brighten up when you step on the brakes or turn signals.
http://www.chevyavalancheclub.com/index.php/topic,3515.0/all.html

[NC Scout]

A diode is simply a one way check valve for electricity. Only allows current to flow in one direction.
they can be had at Radio Shack.
Radio Shack #276-1101.
You need 6

You will need 4 more and 2 440 ohm resistors to do the sail panel LEDs the way you want to do them.

Do a search here, or PM me and I can point you in the right direction on how to wire everything up.

[NC Scout]

What OBB said. He beat me to it and said it a lot better than I could. 

[Heartwork]

alrighty. saved the photo.

A diagram would be helpful. yes i have searched on here and seen some. but they are hard to make out. i am not all that and a bag of chips when it comes to wiring. I am a mechanical whiz "Aircraft Maintenence Technician"

So i guess i should start again.

I bought the LEDs from Oznium. 5 mm, pre wired. Their website says that they already have resistors behind the LED under the shrink tubing. Nowhere does it say what kind of resistors. So, do i need to purchase NEW resistors and wire them in?

Can anyone point me in the direction of where to order the diodes? There is no more radio shack up here in ontario canada, they are now the source, and have very,very little to do with electrical components now.

So i will need to order these online as my time off work is limited.

And in that pic on post #98. those diodes are soldered up to what exactly? they dont look like wires to me.

Sorry for all the questions, any help i can get is appreciated. I have been waiting for weeks to do this mod, now that its a warm weekend and i can, im bummed out.

[oHIobellboy]

alrighty. saved the photo.

A diagram would be helpful. yes i have searched on here and seen some. but they are hard to make out. i am not all that and a bag of chips when it comes to wiring. I am a mechanical whiz "Aircraft Maintenence Technician"

So i guess i should start again.

I bought the LEDs from Oznium. 5 mm, pre wired. Their website says that they already have resistors behind the LED under the shrink tubing. Nowhere does it say what kind of resistors. So, do i need to purchase NEW resistors and wire them in?

Can anyone point me in the direction of where to order the diodes? There is no more radio shack up here in ontario canada, they are now the source, and have very,very little to do with electrical components now.

So i will need to order these online as my time off work is limited.

And in that pic on post #98. those diodes are soldered up to what exactly? they dont look like wires to me.

Sorry for all the questions, any help i can get is appreciated. I have been waiting for weeks to do this mod, now that its a warm weekend and i can, im bummed out.

You should be able to order the diodes online at RS and see if they'll ship them to you.

The NEW resistors will go inline from the tail light supply towards the LEDs to lower the brightness ONLY for the "running lights" If you didn't use the resistors then your running lights, turn signal and brake lights would all be the same brightness making it indiscernible from the three different functions.  You want the lights a little dimmer the same as your rear factory lenses at night. The "tail lights" are not as same brightness as the brake lights. The resistor will do the same for your leds.

Here are more diagrams.
Number 1 is to used when tying into the trailer wiring.

Number 2 can be used behind the light lenses at the rear of the avy. This is per side.
  * Notice the 3rd dioded needed to go this route instead of the trailer wiring route.

[Heartwork]

Very good. But i see radioshack.com does not ship to canada. i cant win! lol

keep on looking

[saintmaniac]

If I am hooking into the trailer harness, would I connect all 8 leds together, then make ONE connection into the harness, (as opposed to TWO connections, one for each tail light)?