dimming a rgb led light controller

[sloop]

dimming a rgb led light controller - adding courtesy and ambient lighting

i'd like to add some led lights inside my 95. but i'd like them to be close to the color of the existing lights. whatever color that is. if i use a rgb controller i can probably come close to the ford color.

as far as i can tell, the dimmer for the instrument panel can dim led lights. but i am not sure how the controller would react to being dimmed.

dimmer----->controller----->rgb led

as i understand it, the dimmers for dc voltage lights are pulse width dimmers.

i will not be putting in switches.

i plan to add footwell lighting that will require one power source. these can just be warm white leds.

the led to replace the ashtray light (and maybe i'll add a few more) is where i'd like the rgb leds so i can adjust the color to match the factory color. these will have a different power source.

i have a viper remote starter that also turns lights on and off. like when you turn the key off, the interior lights come on for a minute or so. when some of the lights go off, they fade to off. not sure how that might impact my plans but i will think on that.

before i order, does anyone know how a rgb controller might react to being dimmed?

 

[sloop]

the answer is no. the controller cannot be put downstream of a dimmer.

 

[sloop]

aight - ima sit over here in the corner and speculate about this led stuff.

they are cheap. made for 12 volt. low heat output. draw very little current for the light they put out. many have the resistor already wired in, no math or any of that bothersome thinking stuff.

i'd like to keep mine stock looking, more like what ford would do if they were building the 95 today. but that color of the lighted instruments...what is up with that. i can't tell if its blue or green. and the leds are not offered in that color as far as i can tell.

the rgb led lights can be changed to almost any color if you use a controller. it changes colors by dimming each of the red, green and blue leds. it does this with one wire for the current and separate ground wires for each of the 3 led colors.

http://www.oznium.com/inline-rgb-led-controller

the leds i want to match the ford interior lights are on the panel dimmer. and some have a fade to off function. the rgb controller needs 12 volts to operate, so dimming a controller for those leds won't work. or any that you want to retain the fade to off function.

i am thinking i might try this. i might connect the ground for the blue and green leds but not the red. see if that gives me something close to that ford color. under the rgb section, it looks like it might be 'close enough'.

http://advill.com/content.php?sid=modLight

that will let me keep the dimming and fading. without trying to guess the resistor game. might use those for the ash tray light, cup holders, console cubby holes and maybe the inside door handles. power source would be when the lights are on. might have to do a 'dot on the led' if they are too bright.

http://www.oznium.com/prewired-surface-mount-led

might do a couple of the warm whites in the center console too.

the footwells will need a 'powered when door open' power source. i think i will try the same leds in warm white. front and rear. i might try these in warm white:

http://www.oznium.com/led-bolt

for puddle lamps and on the underside of each door. gonna need some rubber washers if i put a hole in the underside of the doors. maybe a couple under the rear bumper.

 

[sloop]

in lots of ways our cars are more automated than our homes. i don't have power thigh squeezers on any chair i own. and most houses don't have power windows or automatic lighting.

i'm into home automation. and while our cars are automated, in some respects they do it in a 20th century way.

i'd like to see the car networked. the components. mostly lighting but lots of stuff could be on the network.

in home automation, the network bus is sometimes the power line itself. that works for alternating current but direct current is a strange beast (to me) and i doubt it has been implemented. the network could be a dedicated bus run throughout the vehicle.

the power wires could then be 'always on'. wired in parallel to the network bus possibly.

if you want a puddle light, tap into the network and power with an intelligent module (a light), program the light to illuminate under whatever conditions you want the light at whatever level you want with fade on and off ramp rates at whatever you want. open the network protocol to anyone that wants to implement devices for vehicles, or license the right to implement the protocol.

some home automation uses rf. some are hybrid. this could be a hybrid dedicated bus/rf combination.

want an instrument cluster in the back seat? pick one up at radio shack. i suppose the engine and emission sensors could ride the network also. provide barometric pressure, photoelectric cell and temperature sensors on the network. gps. entrepreneurs would find all kinds of stuff that we could easily add to our cars if we gave them the inputs and protocol.

probably need something to monitor the power draw on the circuits. have to reject any new device that would overload the circuit. have to provide for devices that might crap out and jabber on the network. video might tax the network capacity. be a bummer if the o2 sensor could not get its reading out to the engine control because the wife is watching those 360 degree cameras. but it would allow us to add those splitview led screens for the wife to watch romantic comedies legally in some states while the vehicle is in motion.

modular. buy the econo version of the car and buy seats at the parts store with the thigh squeezer thing for the wife for her birthday. but NOT for your anniversary. dawg house for 3 months if you did that.

remote monitoring for both you and the nsa. see the inside temp of the car before venturing out. program the car to start and adjust the climate control, seat warmer and fire up the keurig at 8:00 am tuesday through friday but 8:30 on monday. because you are gonna hit that snooze button a couple of times on monday morning.

hit the romance button to change the light color when you get frisky with the girlfriend and program that button to turn on the lcd glass windows.

yell 'if you kids don't shut up back there ima make you watch the o2 sensor from the left exhaust manifold on your headrest monitors and there WILL be a test when we get home!'

all this because i have ford wanting control of the ashtray light on its dimmer circuit, viper wants to control it and fade it off and i want a rgb controller powered on that same circuit that needs 12 constant volts to change the color to that funky aquamarineseafoam color.

sigh

 

[sloop]

aight - enough with the theory

the warm white leds in the footwells work great - i placed 2 in each of the front footwells - if anyone is interested, you tap the bk/lb wire for the positive - i used the one behind the passenger kick panel - there are several ground wires bolted to the chassis there so i tapped one for the negative - the leds can be dimmed so the fade to off is no problem - gonna put 2 in each footwell for the back on the rear of the front seats

i had replaced my ashtray light - but that gel cover thing was cracked all to hell and back - bought one at az but i never could get that bulb mounted wherever it was supposed to mount - so there was little light - its that blue/green whatever color that i have dubbed 'close enough'

i placed 2 of the rgb leds on the BACKSIDE of the cup holders for the ashtray lighting - tapped the red and black for the ashtray socket and removed the bulb - the color is 'close enough' because i ONLY powered the blue and green leads of the rgb leds

the 95 cupholders don't really have a recess that i can use for a led - i think i might rig a way to mount a 'close enough' rgb at the top of the kleenex holder hole - i'm not into bright colors so that might provide enough light to see the cupholders

i nixed the idea of leds in the console cubbyholes - there is no recess to hide the leds and they are so bright that i'd have to use a sharpie to mask off some of the light

gonna pick up a drill bit this week and install those bolt leds to the underside of the doors - and test the 'close enough' leds in the recess for the interior door openers

 

[sloop]

for the door handle recess leds i tapped the power and ground for the instrument lights, specifically, the r/bk positive and bk negative for the power window lights - no holes needed because the ribbon wire on the leds are so thin they can be routed through a crack between the door and the plastic that holds the power window buttons and power lock button

the bolt leds are fed by the courtesy lamps in the front door - bk/lb again and bk for the ground

i used the 11mm bolt leds - drilled a 7/16" hole in the bottom of the door, filed it smooth, slipped a 7/16" neoprene washer over the led and fed it inside to attach the power

for the rear doors, i will have the power feed for the door handle leds - using the light circuit again for the power windows

the bolt leds under the rear doors will need a wire run from the courtesy light positive circuit (bk/lb)

the bolt leds i used under the door are the ones WITHOUT the lens - the lens sticks out and might cause a problem under the door when its closed (might not fit) - the bolt leds without the lens mount fairly flush, even with the neoprene washer - i have some WITH the lens i plan to use as puddle lights in the mirrors - the lens focuses the light

all these leds are waterproof

i'll post how effective they are after sunset

 

[sloop]

mixed results

i really like the bolt leds under the door - lots of light with almost no heat and little power draw - in combination with the footwell leds, plenty of light - that is - AFTER you open the door - nice when getting out but when approaching your car to get in, well i need to put in those puddle lights on the mirrors

i like the warm white color for both the bolt lights under the doors and the footwell lights

the rgb leds in the inside door handles...notsomuch - i decided the green interior of the car was enough green so i powered all 3 legs of the rbg led (should be a white light with all 3 lit) - the light is kinda white but you see the red, green and blue around the edges - not a fan

i debated trying the green and blue but that is just too much color on that green plastic - powering only 2 colors would have the advantage of dimming the light some - but its still too bright - a sharpie might take care of some of that brightness but i think i will change it for a warm white led

the position is another annoyance - i drive with the seat all the way back - the led was placed under the handle (that you close the door with) facing the front of the vehicle - i thought it would not be visible (the led) but you do see the one on the opposite side - need to move it to the front of the handle and face the led downward

gonna find a way to mount one of those rgb leds at the top of the kleenex opening - not a fan of the leds inside the cup holders