Topic: HOW TO: LED aux blinkers install

[78CB750CAFE]

Here is a little afternoon project I did that cost around $5 and is EASY.

My bikes frame is cut off just behind the shock mounts, and I have in the past used bicycle handlebar plugs to make it look a little more finished, and I got the bright idea to stick in some LED's to make sort of auxiliary blinkers. This idea would also work to make some handlebar end aux blinkers as well.

Here is what you need,  a pair of 7/8 bicycle bar end plugs, and a pair of these LED's from Radio Shack(1.79 each) plus a few feet of wire, a soldering gun and solder, and some heatshrink tubing.
 

[78CB750CAFE]

Drill your end cap right through the middle with a 9/32nd bit or a 1/4 bit then a light pass with a small round file. I used the rubber jaws on my vice to insert the LED down into the cap, but I guess you could push or twist it in.

[goon 1492]

Just make sure you got the volts and more importantly the amps right or it will go bbzzzzzzzzit. and go out.

[78CB750CAFE]

I wanted to be slick so I ran the wires internally right to the battery area, so I drilled some 1/4 inch holes and camphered them a little with a round file. I then passed about a foot of 18 and 16ga wire through the hole and out the back end, then soldered up the lamp wires to the wires I ran. I also shot some silicone into the backs of the plugs for good measure, probably not at all necessary.

[78CB750CAFE]

push 'em in all nice and tidy.

[goon 1492]

Have you tested them yet? singles are not that bright in daylight unless you buy the really expensive ones...
I really dig the setup your doing though and it blends form and function just right.

[78CB750CAFE]

Just make sure you got the volts and more importantly the amps right or it will go bbzzzzzzzzit. and go out.

12vdc 30Amp led's
I am already running a led blinker relay for this bad boy shown below, but it isn't necessary to do so since the Radio Shack LED's above had built in resistors I removed, so this is plug and play for people with stock electrics.

[78CB750CAFE]

(dang, can't even finish a tutorial before the questions start....... j/k)

Then tap into your blinker lines with nice solder joints and call it a day.

I will be replacing the Radio Shack LED's with some higher power one I have, I just wanted to do all the line soldering with some cheap lamps in there in case it went awry.

first pic is where I tapped into my trailer store special sub-harness for the new blinkers, notice my way cool brakelight modulator and the fused line to my headlight relays

2nd shot shows what it looks like when I plug in my seat/tail section.

[78CB750CAFE]

Damned if it ain't impossible to snap a good camera phone pic right when the blinker flashes, but here you can kinda see the finished product in action. Maybe I ought to do a video to show all my stupid LED tricks my bike does.

BTW, the flexible LED brake/tail/signal thingee was like $60+ but it is SUPER brite and cooler then the other side of an eskimo's pillow.  (hope I didn't sound too "Carpy")

[goon 1492]

Damned if it ain't impossible to snap a good camera phone pic right when the blinker flashes, but here you can kinda see the finished product in action. Maybe I ought to do a video to show all my stupid LED tricks my bike does.

BTW, the flexible LED brake/tail/signal thingee was like $60+ but it is SUPER brite and cooler then the other side of an eskimo's pillow.  (hope I didn't sound too "Carpy")

That is nice, I can't help but ask when it comes to leds, alot of people jump into them not knowing the science to them.
It's called as cool as a polar bears toe nails 

[78CB750CAFE]

Goon-
I have dealt with my share of LED's, But yeah, yer right those who don't know at least the basics about them better do a little research before blowing up a mess of diodes. Do a quick google search about them, check wikipedia or instructables, and a few of the companies that sell them like SuperbrightLEDs.com, CustomDynamics.com, and AutomotiveLEDS.com have good how to's and general information about working with LED's.

If I am not mistaken Goon, you are the one that turned me on to instructables.com a few weeks back.... I want my life back! Way too many cool projects on there, I am going through solder like nobodys business these days!

[goon 1492]

That was a great write up, Instructables is addicting. I did the same thing to all the engineers I work with and turned them into addicts too...