More LEDs, in my Avalon? Turn Signal Edition!

[Jigg007]

WORKINPROGRESSWORKINPROGRESSWORKINPROGRESSWORKINPR OGRESS

Sequential turn signals, on my Avalon you say? Yes! after abandoning this project earlier, I came back to it. But instead of using Logic chips, I went the other route of microprocessor/PIC programming.

Functions are,

4 segment turn signal, chase or fill pattern. added a hazard pattern, and strobe lights too, why not, as they are LEDs.

Anyway.. Videos are better than pictures:


On car: (Only shows right turn, left works too)

You Tube

You Tube

On bench: (shows all functions)

You Tube

You Tube

First step was to built the controller for it:

Didnt work, so revision 2 came shortly after!



Only started documenting the front turn signal housings, which I pulled apart with MAP gas torch, and a screwdriver. I was impatenit (it was cold outside!) and chipped the lens.





Wow, I never thought being safe looked so sexy!





Drilled 42 holes in a peice of lexan, mounted LEDs, soldered in groups of 9. Also, attaching the transistors directly to the LED groups was a really, really dumb idea.




Module for other light (verses method mentioned above) The transistors simply act as small relays to turn on each LED segment, as the controller chip could never supply that much current.




Oh my, what a mess.



Messes, they dont stop!



Project boxes! (and RJ45, definitely Toyota OEM!)



There you have it folks, what you all have come to see...

Soon, more switches to control the functions. Then... the tailights! (gasp, he might be crazy enough to do it!)

[Chunkywolf]

I was planning on a similar project for my Avalon, but it's been set back due to the Celica in my garage.

Very nice job though. Using programming is a pretty cool idea that allows a lot of different settings.

Are you going to do the tail light signals at all?

[Jigg007]

Yeah, but theres no way im cutting and drilling a piece of plexiglass/lexan for the leds to sit in by hand. (well, maybe if I had a drill press, but I don't) Might draw it up in CAD and send it out to a machine shop to have a plate of aluminum milled out..

And you know, because I'd have the taillights open, id have to do the brake lights too! Which would be a lot better say, if the lens' were not such an red opaque color

Its a lot of work too do, and it would all be lost if somones too busy on their phone and rear-ends me. Though, the whole car would probably be lost after that.

I plan to get my carputer going again before the tail lights, though.

[Chunkywolf]

Just mount these in your brake lights in the rear to solve the rear ending problems. They should do the trick of making people focus on the road again...

Edit: haven't purchased many LEDs(so i may have been fooled on power output), but my point is, Maximum brightness

[pmesfun]

Very Cool.
I can only beg for a clue on how to do this stuff. Would fail miserably, and probably end up like this camry catching fire outside my house earlier.


Sound of a tire popping is like a gunshot.

[CTB727]

You have way too much time on their hands jk.

Looks awesome though. I never would have thought of doing something like that. Reminds of the new Mustang turn signals. Keep up the good work!

[VIPTRD]

I've got to say after following your projects on cardomain and seeing everything here you are an electrical genius lol

[pmesfun]

forgot to add the pic lol

[Jigg007]

Car fires are never fun! Well, any kind of fire isnt fun! well, unless if I started it...

Thanks for the comments guys, I've had this idea for the past couple years, but never kicked myself in the butt enough to go forward with it.

As far as free time goes, I finally got a break. I was not only a full time student, but a full-time employee too for the past three years.. After my employer let me go, oh man do I have free time on my hand! All sorts of time to do crazy stuff like this. Did I mention I dont have a girlfriend either? Ha! All the time in the world, yes!

Chunkywolf, cool LED site. I was thinking of the typical 5 or 10mm LED approach, but that would require hundreds of leds per brake light. If I went with a couple of super bright diodes though, Id simply things. Though make design a little different. I keep on thinking of some sort of clear lens approach but..

[greeksoccerboy]

jigg! you got my num, if u ever need a hand working on it give me a call! btw, if you do the tails i'd love a set (good way for u to make some $ possibly =P), the turn signals look great! i'm not sure how smart it'd be to put those in a smoked lense like mine though haha. your car looks like an electrical nightmare haha