LED Lights for the FJ40 Land Cruiser (1 Viewer)

[78fj40mg]

Ok, Here we go... Just got back from vacation. Some pics of the LED housings with the wiring as requested.

Real nice LEDs!

 

[shipmag]

i like the upgrade but I agree with Coolerman the system needs to be weather proof in order for me to move forward as the housings we would be putting them in are not water tight. This community is not so price driven as they are quality driven. I would hate to spend $350 only to see them short out because of the moisture.

 

[dancar]

They look good, I recall a similar advert on eBay (au) a while ago, they didn't sell/no interest.

Looking at your pcb - looks like you've just wired them up in series, which works, however I'd be conscious of spending that coin to have a diode fail, and therefore no lights.

It'd be that reason alone that I'd stick with the LED bulb fittings - at least you can hold a couple of spare bulbs in the glove box.

Hope you have some interest - you should list 'em on eBay

Dan

 

[watrob]

Can you tell me, on the side of the front indicator lights the Australian regulation states we must have a lights, have you shorted this out in your led light system?

 

[78fj40mg]

Can you tell me, on the side of the front indicator lights the Australian regulation states we must have a lights, have you shorted this out in your led light system?

View attachment 938036

Here's a pic of the LED lights it looks like the side marker shows LEDs, go to the 1st page for more pics.

 

[SandiaFJ40]

Ok, to answer a couple of questions here, the front side marker lights are LED's as well... that being said they can be configured in any way you like. I spoke wth the designer tonight and he told me that he has designed other light systems for salt-prone areas of the US... that being said, he recommended that clear silicone spray is applied over the board portion of the lights in order to protect the electrical board from exposure.These can be configured for a 24V system as well for our cruiser-heads overseas. Hope this helps.

 

[Vae Victus]

Well with the likes of Coolerman, Rwberinger and other in this thread, I had to listen in. I've been on the lookout for some LED upgrades, and I'm one of the ones who purchased the expensive Australian rear LED kits.

Love the innovation! Keep it up. Listen to Coolerman and others here: they have good insight to help you.

My dream is an FJ40 the likes of an Icon build, without having to pay someone else to do it. They have some nice LEDs on theirs.


...via IH8MUD app

 

[SandiaFJ40]

Vae Victus, I have spoken with Jonathan Ward of TLC on several occasions and he had told me that he was working on LED's for the ICON cruiser. They make sense, are brighter and can be seen from a distance. They are significantly less draw on the electrical system as well. They look really cool too!

 

[Coolerman]

To me, the biggest benefit to running LEDS, is the lower current draw.
The old harnesses we run in our antiques suffer from several things.

1. Rusted/Broken/Corroded/Missing ground connections.
2. Corroded brass terminals.
3. Non-water proof connectors ( on the older trucks).
4. Oxidized copper wire.
5. Long runs of small gauge wire. (Think Head Lights)

All these things add up to dim lights on a lot of Cruisers. By swapping out all the incandescent bulbs for LEDS, the overall current is lowered meaning less power loss in the circuit itself.

Now will doing the LED swap cure all your electrical woes? Of course not! But in a marginal system it will help. Oh and the LED flasher that SuperBrightLEDS sells WILL overcome several shortcomings in the FJ40 Turn/Hazard circuit such as: not flashing if you don't have enough current to activate the OEM flasher, having mis-matched bulbs that causes the same issue, hell it will even flash if you only have one bulb in the entire system!
BTW you can use this flasher with incandescent bulbs and gain the same benefits without swapping to LEDS.

 

[SandiaFJ40]

To me, the biggest benefit to running LEDS, is the lower current draw.
The old harnesses we run in our antiques suffer from several things.

1. Rusted/Broken/Corroded/Missing ground connections.
2. Corroded brass terminals.
3. Non-water proof connectors ( on the older trucks).
4. Oxidized copper wire.
5. Long runs of small gauge wire. (Think Head Lights)

All these things add up to dim lights on a lot of Cruisers. By swapping out all the incandescent bulbs for LEDS, the overall current is lowered meaning less power loss in the circuit itself.

Now will doing the LED swap cure all your electrical woes? Of course not! But in a marginal system it will help. Oh and the LED flasher that SuperBrightLEDS sells WILL overcome several shortcomings in the FJ40 Turn/Hazard circuit such as: not flashing if you don't have enough current to activate the OEM flasher, having mis-matched bulbs that causes the same issue, hell it will even flash if you only have one bulb in the entire system!
BTW you can use this flasher with incandescent bulbs and gain the same benefits without swapping to LEDS.

Coolerman, great insight! I'm hoping that some MUD members are interested in purchasing these... I would be willing to offer a discount to our MUD members to get some interest stirred up. I want to see these kits on some cruisers!

 

[watrob]

What's the cost for a set of front & rear lights plus flasher unit (if I need one) ? for my new rebuild.

 

[SandiaFJ40]

What's the cost for a set of front & rear lights plus flasher unit (if I need one) ? for my new rebuild.

Do you want the whole kit or just the lights?

 

[paranoid56]

looks good (kinda wished you had some for the front lights of the older ones (i ended up doing something similar)

few questions, why the use of 5mm leds? now not the more normal (for auto use) high flux 4prong leds? also, why use resisters for the dimming of the lights? why not a PWM?

Thanks

 

[SandiaFJ40]

looks good (kinda wished you had some for the front lights of the older ones (i ended up doing something similar)

few questions, why the use of 5mm leds? now not the more normal (for auto use) high flux 4prong leds? also, why use resisters for the dimming of the lights? why not a PWM?

Thanks

Paranoid56, thanks. I have a '75 and was looking for an LED solution, but I wasn't happy with what was out there. If there is enough interest, I would consider desigining some for the earlier model, but until then, I will stick with these. The 5mm LED's were used because that is all the guy who builds them uses and he uses them for other LED applications. So I am pretty new to the lighting game, what does PWM stand for? Thanks.

 

[TOBASH]

I'm very interested in your units for my 24 Volt Japanese BJ-44 RHD, BUT I am worried about Coolerman's salt issue post. Not only do they salt the roads here in NYC, I also drive to Montreal where they paint the streets with salt, AND I live by the Atlantic Ocean, so the air is full of salt.

I'm not sure it I will ever drive in the water (great way to get your car stuck and flooded by the ocean, and I don't plan on extending the vents on my axles), but I will be on dry sand near the water.

Will your lights be able to take that kind of abuse?

Best,

T

 

[SandiaFJ40]

I'm very interested in your units for my 24 Volt Japanese BJ-44 RHD, BUT I am worried about Coolerman's salt issue post. Not only do they salt the roads here in NYC, I also drive to Montreal where they paint the streets with salt, AND I live by the Atlantic Ocean, so the air is full of salt.

I'm not sure it I will ever drive in the water (great way to get your car stuck and flooded by the ocean, and I don't plan on extending the vents on my axles), but I will be on dry sand near the water.

Will your lights be able to take that kind of abuse?

Best,

T

Tobash, PM me directly and we can discuss further. Looking forward to figuring this out with you!

 

[Coolerman]

PWM stands for Pulse Width Modulation. It is a way to use electronics to send a variable width pulse to LEDS to control their brightness. You can also save significant energy using this technology for lighting due to the human eye and it's persistence of vision. This is generally used for LEDS that need to be dimmed and brightened on a regular basis or for show.

 

[SandiaFJ40]

PWM stands for Pulse Width Modulation. It is a way to use electronics to send a variable width pulse to LEDS to control their brightness. You can also save significant energy using this technology for lighting due to the human eye and it's persistence of vision. This is generally used for LEDS that need to be dimmed and brightened on a regular basis or for show.

Thanks Coolerman. This helps.

 

[SandiaFJ40]

I see how these are better than the replacement LED bulbs that are out there. They are emitting the light from a much larger area, in the direction it is needed, and they do not rely on a reflector to focus the light back toward the viewer. I bet these are really bright in person.

Combine those design features, with the fact that the cheap after market light housings do not have reflectors like the OEM version, nor are they painted with reflective paint on the inside, and you have a really a good upgrade for the after market housings.

Now: If these circuit boards are already coated with something that will with stand salt water, post that fact, and ignore this next part.

You mentioned there was a life time guarantee on these things? On the production units, are the backs of the PC boards sealed or epoxy/silicone potted in any way? Reason I ask: An unprotected circuit board won't make it through one winter if they use salt on the roads.

I know this from personal experience building lights mounted on the rear of vehicles...

Many years ago I used to make these trailer hitch brake flasher things out of these cheap Chinese bicycle flashers I got from an import company. I opened them up, added a miniature relay triggered by the trailer socket brake light wire, and fed the LEDS with the park light circuit power. I put the relay contacts across the push button On-Off switch and when you hit the brakes the LEDS on the flasher would flash in an on/off pattern, alerting drivers behind you that you were stopping. Just like the Toyota third brake light flashes now. The bicycle flashers snapped together, and had a nice rubber seal all the way around, making them at first glance, water proof.

Uh... no.... Every single one, I sold to a state that salted their roads in the winter, failed within the first year! This was due to salt water intrusion into the housing. When I opened the returned units up, the bottom of the circuit boards were covered in green corrosion, which shorted out the park light circuit, blowing fuses on these folks vehicles. So much for that venture....

Now, the OEM, and the after market housings, are not sealed to anything approaching even IP66, so they are NOT water proof. This means that a salt water solution film will eventually get inside the housings, and bye bye circuit boards. There was a post above that mentioned how the aftermarket stamped steel light housings last a few years, then rust out.

An idea would be to offer these with the lenses, or have the interested folks mail you their lenses. You could then place the boards in the lenses, embed the circuit boards in epoxy, silicone, wax, or whatever material would work making the whole assembly water proof. All the end user would have to do is route the wires out through one of the bulb bases, and then seal that one, and the other two, making the housing inside water proof. Just a thought...

OK Coolerman, I have an answer for you regarding the salt mist issue... My designer let me know about this today.

There is an industrial coating for PC boards that can be applied to the LED boards to make the lights weather-proof. It is a Urethane Conformal Coating that will protect the boards from the elements. That would solve the salt mist problem. These coatings would be embedded in the LED board before they are shipped to the end-user. I believe that this would be the best solution in salt-prone areas. Thoughts?

 

[Bill Fleming]

Hi - I am interested in your LED kit for the FJ40. How to buy? Did you sort out the elimination of the resistors? Are you coating the boards to resist water/salt, etc. - or can you recommend a DIY coating and source.

Thx Bill