Need a PROJECT! Who wants to LED their interior?

[TylerT/AZ28]

stock gm compass/temp no map lights i dont think. havent wired any of it up yet. l.e.ds were all plug an play. i didnt need the autodimming feature as they arent blinding. ive been having issues with two sockets making contact but thats about it. what should i ask my friend about the bulbs?

[ruckusz28]

ruckusZ28: Do you only want the dome light replaced, or are you interested in both the dome light (rear of car, above back seats) and the map lights (built into rear-view mirror)? We have a working prototype for the dome light, and should have something going for the map lights soon, so duplication of the prototype wouldn't be an issue, but we will need some time to evaluate and make any necessary improvements. The dome light would require either you sending us your dome light assembly, or we could buy one for you and just trade. We are replacing the entire light assembly with a board, and it's rewired to the pins in the factory harness connector. You will not be able to use an incandescent after we modify your dome light housing, but it's a simple plug-and-play swap for you. There's a picture earlier in the thread of the finished prototype, it's very clean looking, and EXTREMELY bright, so we will likely have to tone down the light output a little bit to prevent blinding occupants if dome lights are activated while the car is in motion, but this will all be worked out before production.

Hey thanks for reaching out. I'm only interested in the dome light as my car does not have the map lights. I've already got the 194 5 led wedges in the under-dash from superbrightleds in the natural white. My domelight is in very good shape so i'd like to use that if possible. The square formation has pressed into the headliner and the P.O. riveted it up so i'll have to cautiously drill it out. I'm interested in learning more of a price point as well before we proceed. If we go this route, i'm more than cool with you using photos and such to promote the product. Also, what would be your expected turnaround time moving this from prototype to production? I'm in no hurry at the moment. It'll be 3 months before i'm on the road so feel free to prioritize on your behalf.

[Akodo]

Hey thanks for reaching out. I'm only interested in the dome light as my car does not have the map lights. I've already got the 194 5 led wedges in the under-dash from superbrightleds in the natural white. My domelight is in very good shape so i'd like to use that if possible. The square formation has pressed into the headliner and the P.O. riveted it up so i'll have to cautiously drill it out. I'm interested in learning more of a price point as well before we proceed. If we go this route, i'm more than cool with you using photos and such to promote the product. Also, what would be your expected turnaround time moving this from prototype to production? I'm in no hurry at the moment. It'll be 3 months before i'm on the road so feel free to prioritize on your behalf.

Price point would probably be $5-$10 tops. I'm not looking to get rich off of this,m its more of a hobby to keep me busy. Production is a strong term, I can whip one of these out fairly quickly, and since they will need to be "tuned" to each application... Lets just say I can get you one within your time frame.

[Atrus]

1: If we do make overlays, the ideas we are exploring would allow us to keep the price down, and the beauty of having the whole package is that we are able to measure color shift through the faces of the various components, and can actually "tune" the output from the LED's to match everything. You may not want to replace what's in the car already with the cluster and HVAC panel, but it may be a good idea to allow us to take some readings from them, so we can make the lights in the other panels all match visually. Just something to gnaw on a bit. We are currently running down some leads to figure out the best option to make this happen (including some REALLY cool "outside-the-box" solutions that may be available in the future), and when we get a working prototype up and running, we will be sure to share photos, pricing, and options.

2: The problem with switching to LED's is that they have a "Threshold", that is, a voltage level, below which they will not illuminate. The trick is to figure out where the threshold lies for the LED's you have, and either replace the dimmer dial with something that will work, or use other components to make the existing dimmer work. Once we get out of the prototype stage, the whole system will work with the factory dimmer switch. We can't guarantee it will work with other manufacturer's products, but we will make sure it is usable with ours, or that an option that is compatible will be available. The design process is in the early stages, and the troubleshooting and product review phase will be coming once we have a working prototype being used everyday. Mike and I will be working on troubleshooting the products' issues before they are available for purchase, as well as making sure that all of the kinks are ironed out. We are trying to make a product of the highest quality, so we can focus more on designing new products than repairing and re-designing old products.

That said, your concerns have been added to my list, and we will be sure to let you know when we have a solution available. I will do some research on the LED's you have, and maybe we can remedy the issues you have with the current lighting in your car. If I can find the threshold for the LED's you have, we can find a way to allow you to dim the lights again.

Thanks for the reply - I follow everything you are saying, makes perfect sense.

I know you guys are trying to gauge interest and whatnot. I am already invested in this as I am already about $100 into it. I'm not willing to break the bank, but to get a really good (I am OK with it not being "perfect") cost effective solution to the reaming pieces (headlight switch and other misc OEM interior switches), I'd be game.

Also, I am coming to the realization that it may be hard to match component LEDs to the superbrightled "bulbs". If you do end up offering "matching services", I could gladly ship you off my completed gauge cluster and my HVAC for measurement...if I make an overlay, maybe you could "tune" or find an LED that would give similar coloring to the cluster/hvac? Additionally, do the same with the switches - provide close color-match LEDs and potentially solder them in for me. That'd be really helpful to me. I realize by not "owning" it from the beginning you are limited in what you can do for me, but I am 110% confident you could get a much closer match than I ever could!

Anyway, I look forward to staying tuned to see what you two come up with as offerings!

[ruckusz28]

Price point would probably be $5-$10 tops. I'm not looking to get rich off of this,m its more of a hobby to keep me busy. Production is a strong term, I can whip one of these out fairly quickly, and since they will need to be "tuned" to each application... Lets just say I can get you one within your time frame.

Wow, i was expecting much more than that. I'll hack that thing down this week and box it out to you. PM me where to ship to.

[9302z28SS]

Ok just keep me posted, I was also thinking something custom with my Berger panel. Maybe cutout where it says camaro. Put a piece of plexiglass behind it painted black then maybe a led strip behind it hooked to a toggle for a custom light. Or do red LEDs hooked to the tails. That way it lights up with the brakes.

I don't know if that would fall under the liability area or not because its an extra add on. If it does maybe ill do it
And make a writeup on it if its cool?

[93formulalt1]

Ok just keep me posted, I was also thinking something custom with my Berger panel. Maybe cutout where it says camaro. Put a piece of plexiglass behind it painted black then maybe a led strip behind it hooked to a toggle for a custom light. Or do red LEDs hooked to the tails. That way it lights up with the brakes.

I don't know if that would fall under the liability area or not because its an extra add on. If it does maybe ill do it
And make a writeup on it if its cool?

I'd rather just set the precedent now. We will not make or sell any LED component that is going to be used in place of or in conjunction with the existing exterior lighting of any vehicle. This is two-fold, as first, we are not equipped to make weatherproof components as of yet, and second, we are not well versed in the legal aspects of tackling projects of this type. Maybe after we do some research and consult with an attorney, but for now, we will NOT make any exterior lighting parts for any vehicle.

[Darren]

Wow, i was expecting much more than that. I'll hack that thing down this week and box it out to you. PM me where to ship to.

So wait your having the dome light changed to a led? how does that work, will it use factory wiring. Noob. For $5-10 ill send mine over too. My car isnt going anywhere.

[93formulalt1]

So wait your having the dome light changed to a led? how does that work, will it use factory wiring. Noob. For $5-10 ill send mine over too. My car isnt going anywhere.

Basically, we will be removing the entire factory light bulb assembly, installing a small LED circuit board in it's place, and hard wiring it to the factory connector. You will be able to simply plug it in and reinstall it when we are done.

Here's a picture. Once it's installed, I'll get a picture of it illuminated inside the car. It's REALLY frickin' bright. We will have to tone it down a bit, honestly. I'll have to find out what the stock light output is, and try to keep it around 25%-35% brighter than that, we don't want to cause temporary blindness when you open your doors. . .

[9302z28SS]

Hate to change this thread but will you post pics of your 93 formula and its engine bay

[93formulalt1]

Hate to change this thread but will you post pics of your 93 formula and its engine bay

Take a look at THIS THREAD. That's my project thread for that vehicle, right up until I gave up on it due to severe rust issues. There are photos of the engine bay before/during/after the head swap in there.

The '94 Formula is in THIS THREAD. It's in far better shape overall, but I don't have many pictures of it up just yet.

[TylerT/AZ28]

hmm thats a different take on em. i just have the led festoons in my overheads and are still bright i imagine them being wired like that will increase output alot though.

[93formulalt1]

hmm thats a different take on em. i just have the led festoons in my overheads and are still bright i imagine them being wired like that will increase output alot though.

These lights (unregulated) at 12.8 volts are roughly a 200% increase in light output over the stock bulb. We are going to cut back a bit, because unfortunately, there is such a thing as too much light. Maybe 35% isn't an accurate number, I think we will be looking more at around a 50% increase in light output over stock. Definitely a noticeable difference.

These LED's are a higher quality than most of the others you'll find on the market. These are surface-mounted diodes, and you'd be surprised just how many different types there are available. We can make an LED to fit just about anywhere. The smallest LED board I've seen Mike work with so far is smaller than a dime, and we are working on a couple of neat projects where that one will be used. . .

[meissen]

Post the pics you showed me on Saturday, Nick - those LEDs are ****in bright!

[93formulalt1]

Here are the bad phone pics Mike sent me from his lab. . . First picture is pointed straight at the light, second is of the light pointed forward. Both photos taken in the test lab, a room with black ceiling and walls, with no ambient light whatsoever. The only light source in that room is the dome light being tested.

93-97 Firebird Dome On.JPG93-97 Firebird Dome Throw.jpg