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Flexible LED Strips

Discussion in '2nd Gen. Tacomas (2005-2015)' started by CayucosTacoma, Mar 29, 2012.

  1. Mar 29, 2012 at 4:29 PM
    #1
    CayucosTacoma

    CayucosTacoma [OP] Just think outside the Yota

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  2. Mar 29, 2012 at 4:31 PM
    #2
    DTFtacoma

    DTFtacoma Dezert Toy Fabrication Vendor

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    Yeah looks like a good deal.

    Your in SLO?
     
  3. Mar 29, 2012 at 4:34 PM
    #3
    Sje1124

    Sje1124 Well-Known Member

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    Just a few
    I bought these and are very bright, i still have to install them though.
     
  4. Mar 29, 2012 at 4:47 PM
    #4
    CayucosTacoma

    CayucosTacoma [OP] Just think outside the Yota

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    yeah do you know if they are actually waterproof?
     
  5. Mar 29, 2012 at 4:48 PM
    #5
    CayucosTacoma

    CayucosTacoma [OP] Just think outside the Yota

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    Yes, well in Cayucos, so 10-15 minute drive
     
  6. Mar 29, 2012 at 4:49 PM
    #6
    Sje1124

    Sje1124 Well-Known Member

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    Well I havent put water on them but they are completely covered in the silicone covering.
     
  7. Mar 29, 2012 at 4:51 PM
    #7
    CayucosTacoma

    CayucosTacoma [OP] Just think outside the Yota

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    awesome definetly buying some then.
    So bright enough to be rock lights? and bed lights?
     
  8. Mar 29, 2012 at 5:06 PM
    #8
    Sje1124

    Sje1124 Well-Known Member

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    Here is what they look like as rock lights.....

     
  9. Mar 29, 2012 at 5:09 PM
    #9
    CayucosTacoma

    CayucosTacoma [OP] Just think outside the Yota

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    Nice and Bright. Definitely buying some now
     
  10. Mar 29, 2012 at 5:11 PM
    #10
    Sje1124

    Sje1124 Well-Known Member

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    Yep I just need to figure out how to wire them
     
  11. Mar 29, 2012 at 5:20 PM
    #11
    CayucosTacoma

    CayucosTacoma [OP] Just think outside the Yota

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    When you do could you write down your steps or something?
    Cause from what i can see in the pictures looks like one long strip
     
  12. Mar 29, 2012 at 6:04 PM
    #12
    Ridendirtywhips

    Ridendirtywhips Well-Known Member

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    That thing is bright.
     
  13. Mar 29, 2012 at 9:58 PM
    #13
    Mach375

    Mach375 Habitual Violator of Wheeling Rule #2

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    Sathington "Alowicious Devadander Abercrombie" Willoughby (but you can call me Mud)
    Location: Satan's Stinky Butthole (SoCal)
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    Too much to list, but enough to get me in trouble. Repeatedly.
    I used the same stuff for my old 94 Mitsubishi with a Lifetime Super Sport aluminum shell. I taped the stuff to the upper frame of each side sliding window, wired them to a switch. With this tape running along both sides of the shell for the full length of the shell, it was WAY too freaking bright! I needed to install a dimmer (never did). The LEDs were literally brighter than the headlights of my wife's Rav4 I shined inside the shell when they were on.
    The adhesive is phenomenal. I was expecting it to be the weak link, but after several trips through the desert, including several in Death Valley, the lights never showed any signs of peeling off.
    I can't personally vouch for the waterproofness of them, but I imagine they are water resistant to a good degree. You could always spray them with shellac or lacquer after installing, or run a bead of clear silicone along them.
    I just put my order in yesterday for a bunch of these (a total of about 20 meters). One meter of cool white 3528s for the inside of the new shell (like my old one), one meter of warm white 3528s for under my kitchen cabinets (with 12V converter) (gotta try it out on mine before I install it on a customer's), and a couple of meters of cool white 5050s for assorted exterior truck lighting (safari rack, rear bumper, side pinch rails [maybe], wherever I think some light for backcountry camping might be handy).
    I'll post pix when I get everything installed.

    2010-03-19 20.20.26.jpg
     
  14. Mar 29, 2012 at 10:02 PM
    #14
    Mach375

    Mach375 Habitual Violator of Wheeling Rule #2

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    Too much to list, but enough to get me in trouble. Repeatedly.
    As for wiring them, it's extremely easy. All you need to know how to do is solder.
    Cut the strip perfectly perpendicular at the location it says to cut (generally a paired pair [4] of bare solder points with a line between them, located about every three LEDs). Solder (low heat) a two-conductor wire of preferred length onto the bare solder points where you made your cut. The other end of the wire goes to whatever you want: switch, another LED strip, brake light, whatever.
     
  15. Mar 29, 2012 at 10:09 PM
    #15
    Mach375

    Mach375 Habitual Violator of Wheeling Rule #2

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    Too much to list, but enough to get me in trouble. Repeatedly.
    http://www.ledlightsworld.com/page.html?id=32

    Generally speaking, the higher the SMD number, the brighter the light. Also the higher the amp draw.
    3528s are overly bright for interior lighting......which means 5050s would be blinding.
    Exterior lighting should be at least 5050s, if not 5630s.

    If you plan on using a dimmer, keep this in mind: You need a switching dimmer, not your standard voltage dimmer. LEDs are on/off, with no in-between. That means lowering the voltage ain't gonna do squat. You need to reduce the amount of time the LEDs are lit -- basically, you need to adjust how rapidly they are switched on and off. A switching dimmer will decrease the amount of on/off cycles, increasing the amount of off time between on cycles -- but so fast that human eyes don't detect any flicker, only dimmer light.
    Thankfully, switching dimmers are cheap. About $5-$12 (or you can build your own for about $3).
     
  16. Jan 7, 2013 at 11:21 AM
    #16
    blackhawke88

    blackhawke88 wo ai ni bao bei ^_^

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    I just used the LED light strips OP posted to redo my interior lighting. I tapped into the dome light housing so it comes on with the dome light switch and the doors:
    photo1-19_3b49b444463e58524c29390cd34551a1f33d8ffd.jpg
    65F12C46-EFEC-472B-A208-6E9F98431007-594_c4490812c97e581f43e0c7324b5e7e6b04099221.jpg
    2555C5B3-0370-4EAD-9DFF-D2D15724BDDF-594_dd7a37638fa1e25a141ef50695ab71d35b7c3abb.jpg
    photo5-5_80bdb0a31d7a39875cb31f9328778312eabb8823.jpg
    photo4-8_374a3b4e200bbe928529c1c3f189709b15c4889d.jpg
    photo3-13_2d844881322de14842b81674b3eb40047c1844fc.jpg
    photo2-20_c1d9ee56158311a5fb4164c409ca8de0911bae2b.jpg
     
  17. Jan 7, 2013 at 12:19 PM
    #17
    CayucosTacoma

    CayucosTacoma [OP] Just think outside the Yota

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    Looks good! how bright are they? im sure the pictures dont do any justice
     
  18. Jan 7, 2013 at 12:28 PM
    #18
    blackhawke88

    blackhawke88 wo ai ni bao bei ^_^

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    they are way brighter than the stock map and dome lights and they pretty much light up every inch of the cab. You can kind of see the difference in light output in the picture that shows the old dome light and the led strips.
     
  19. Jan 7, 2013 at 12:31 PM
    #19
    CayucosTacoma

    CayucosTacoma [OP] Just think outside the Yota

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    yeah i already have csjumpers led's but i was thinking about using these for bedlights considering i never got around to it almost a year ago haha
     
  20. Jan 7, 2013 at 12:37 PM
    #20
    blackhawke88

    blackhawke88 wo ai ni bao bei ^_^

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    Yes I had them for a year too and finally got around to installing them. This is how I prepped them:
    photo-162_0b3ab819ce6eff56d8505d01d5226c1e214efc26.jpg
     

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