Mmkay, ya got me curious: Why?

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一期一会
Too many people who were born on third base actually believe they've hit a triple.

We got the TMC Satellite in fairly rough shape (see the before photos) and the guts and wiring for the lights were missing. Our budget to buy parts is nonexistant; the inserts for the '71 lights are very hard and very expensive to come by and are are different from the later '73(?)-up lights.

It fell to me to get the lights working again, and trying to reproduce the stock assembly looked very difficult - an LED-based replacement looked far easier to fabricate.

I epoxied together some Lexan I cut and sanded to shape, an old credit card, and an LED to make a replacement. The original lens was amber and the light appeared yellow; I tried some yellow LEDs but decided I liked the color of the amber better.

I sanded the optical surfaces to change (defocus) the LED's optics and diffuse the light appropriately through the (very roughly 1/4" thick) Lexan face. Clear epoxy joined the LED to the Lexan for better optical coupling.

I compared the ones I made against stock ones to set the intensity.

I satisfied myself in a side-by-side comparison that the ones I made are very, very similar in function, viewing angle, appearance to the stock lights. Everything but the amber LEDs was stuff that I had laying around my shop.

[FYI: I have considered using an old HeNe laser w/ diffraction grating, total internal reflection optics, and diffusers for a 3rd brake light... haven't tried it yet - maybe on the next TMC car...]

OH, OK, gotchya, I misunderstood. Thought you had kept the stock amber lens inserts and retrofitted LEDs behind them instead of light bulbs.

HeNe laser CHMSL is an interesting idea, but it's sort of reinventing the wheel. (first three products on page)

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一期一会
Too many people who were born on third base actually believe they've hit a triple.

SlantSixDan,
you are 100% right that there are much simplier, easier, and sensible ways to add a 3rd brake light.

The sole advantage of using a laser is the pretty & unique effects one can generate... after all, the current TMC giveaway car http://www.tidewatermoparclub.com/furry07.html is *not* an exercise in being simple nor easy nor sensible.

I was browsing for clues to my headlight/running light issues, and found this old thread, it seems to me like a good candidate for a sticky in electrical, maybe even the beginnings of an article.

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-Christopher

"Gray Ghost"-1970 Dart.
"Frederick II"-1994 Geo Metro.

I would 100% agree, however which post would you link to? This one, or perhaps this, or again this?

Maybe someone cares to compile the important stuff (links to info on relays, tips on dash backlights, etc) and add that to the sticky?

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'66 Dodge Dart

Well, right now the information on lighting is, as you've shown, rather spread out, I actually found the post on page two of this thread rather helpful as well. i also saw somewhere a wiring diagram example for installing relays. I think it would be worth the effort to compile, edit, and update where needed to make either an article or sticky, I know it can be done, but I don't actually know how, or even if a regular member can. I just figured I'd bump the thread to the top for now, so if someone else needed the info it would be easier to find.

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-Christopher



"Gray Ghost"-1970 Dart.

"Frederick II"-1994 Geo Metro.

hehe, ya. Regular members cannot, however if you ask one of the moderators I'm sure they will see the usefulness of the information and someone may be willing to compile it into an article and/or a thread for a sticky.

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'66 Dodge Dart

I created a link to this thread in Electrical. Get a list together of the threads that you would like to see in the FAQ, and I will put something together.

CJ

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Part of Tyrde-Browne Racing

Thanks CJ!

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'66 Dodge Dart