Mirror-mounted Baja S2 DIY

No they have worst plug connector location and their plug adds an additional couple inches to the rear of the light.

 

Of course I’ll get one during the day tomorrow

 

Appreciate it. The form factor wasn’t looking so good, and now that you point it out I see the plug location issue.

 

I can’t tell, what brand/light are we comparing against?

 

Yes, they're the Lasfit pods. Pretty well known for aping the Diode Dynamics SS3 design language and even promotional material. They're industry copycats, but with poor engineering and execution.






The hysterical part is that they're not true TIR optics, just projector optics that attempt to mimic TIR.

No thanks, that sounds like a colossal waste of time. Checking a spec sheet is much faster. Here's one for the SS3. Can you provide one for the Lasfit pods?

 

I agree on this. The Deutsch connector makes for a cleaner wiring setup with less connections, but it can be very inconvenient when it comes to fitting the light in tight places. Pigtails are better for applications with limited space behind the light.

 

Surely.
Above is the factory specs for the lasfit 3” pods, they’re available on the lasfit website it’s not hidden or anything. I’m gonna guess their lower numbers was gonna be your “told you” but the only lasfit factory parts is the housing and their TIR optics (yes they are true TIR). I designed a new pcb because for the new emitters, I run more regulated current and additionally I have a small fan behind the exterior helping cool the heat sink which helps reduce temperatures internally as well. The invite was mainly because I saw a lot of your posts specifically about DD products so I thought you might be their brand ambassador or employee of some sort and wanted to hahaha when you saw the difference.

Enjoy your 4th of July

 

Glad we could find common ground.

 

No, I would say that their numbers are too high. For their spot light, they've listed the output at 4000 raw lumens, but it somehow places 9000 lux on a surface 45 meters away. That... violates physics and the inverse square law. I'm not knocking your ability to modify the lights for more output (the fan is a great way to change from passive to active cooling, especially in an enclosed space). That sort of modding is completely out of my wheelhouse.

Nope, not a company rep or "sponsored" guy. Just someone who enjoys a quality set of lamps.

You too. Sorry if I came off like a dick.

 

Thanks it’s all good and I appreciate quality as well.
I can’t and won’t speak for lasfit, I bought them knowing I was gonna use the heat sink and TIR optics only for this project.

 

Those that have it installed, any concern with heat having them on for long periods?
Like a 6 hr night run.

 

Baja and others have protective circuits built into the PCB that will throttle power if they get too warm. So they'll work, but you may notice them getting dimmer.

 

Sorry I didn't clarify.
I meant the mirror covers. I have no doubt the light unit themselves are designed well.
Was wondering if the heat would melt the mirror covers a little or not

 

Those look amazing, what’d you use to cut the plastic?

Any pix of how u mounted them?

 

I think this would depend ambient air temperature and how fast your driving during that time. Most of the heat should be drawn out by way of the gap between the mirror glass and mirror housing if the vehicle is moving fast enough. I left a gap Small around the light When cutting the mirror caps to allow air thru the mirror housing.

Additionally everything in the mirrors is “water resistant” since they are already designed to be exposed to the elements. Pretty much anytime you spray the mirrors with the hose during a truck wash some amount of of water will still make it to behind the mirror cap area with that said there are weep holes to allow drainage.

sorry I know the second half wasn’t really part of ur question but wanted to address it for anyone else just reading this since I mentioned I left a small gap between the mirror cap and light.

 

I believe you’d have light failure issues before being able to drive the heat sink to a high enough temperature to warp the plastic cap.
But if you ever damage a mirror cap my Toyota dealer had them instock already paint matched for 58 bucks. I know because I bought 3 passenger side caps before achieving the fit I wanted.

 

Ok. First apologize if I'm not replying/posting right. And yes I see the first post info but only skimmed thru it. I am a newbie and I'm going to be broke after joining.

Back to the heat concern, I end up scanning both the install again and see that it's not actually in contact with the cover. During driving wouldn't be an issue since airflow.
Was asking since I was in a group night run trail and we got stuck (no air flow) in one spot for about a couple hours. Total trip about 6 hrs.

They look really good. I love tinkering and my truck is mainly weekend or camping use. So I should have time to do it. I do like the idea of a temp mirror so I can go slower with the project.

Thanks for answering.

 

I think your talking about the mirror cap plastic. First I tried to mill it but couldn’t secure the mirrors firm enough without damaging to maintain straight cuts. I ended up whole Saw cutting the four corners for the rounded shape and hand filed my straights and beveled the interior plastic Edge so the thickness of the plastic wouldn’t be visible just the painted edge. The HARDEST part of this project for me was alignment of the hole in the mirror caps.

 

No. ABS plastic doesn't start softening until almost 400°F. If your lights get to that temperature, you have the wrong lights installed.