Re-mirror headlamp interior

Topic: Re-mirror headlamp interior (Read 19896 times) previous topic - next topic

Re-mirror headlamp interior

Reply #60 – February 24, 2014, 07:45:25 AM

ok, thats siimilar to what i used except my rolls were 3'' wide.,,
I spent a lot of time laying down this stuff, takes a lot of time to work "flat" stuff into a concave shape.

Re-mirror headlamp interior

Reply #61 – February 24, 2014, 02:53:30 PM

Quote from: jcassity;429189

what did you use for your bias voltage and did you find it nessesary to use current limiting resistors?
got a diagram of a single lamp with the fet ?
did you do common emitter designs or did you find common base to to be easier to manage?

I'd have to look back into what I last did - it has been a year since I touched the things. The MOSFETs support up to 20V gate-to-source so as long as voltage spikes are suppressed, the MOSFETs won't burn up at the gate.

If one wanted to be able to use a positive trigger from a switch and turn on a light with the + (bulb grounded to chassis like the factory does), it would require driving a p-channel MOSFET with a (small) n-channel MOSFET. I haven't used one, but I'd take a look at the cheap MOSFET with part number IPP80P03P4L-07 in order to do this. $0.50 retail MOSFET with a smaller n-channel MOSFET to drive it, which costs pennies. Of course, I use these package types since they are easy to diy in the garage - no custom PCB needed. Huge legs to solder to, and quick/simple to bolt to a heatsink. I may be switching everything over to custom PCB/surface mount though - I have everything I need to get going for that. Time is the issue - lately I've been spending a lot of it finding the best value CAD-CAM software for a hobbyist, playing with each one to find which I like using. I won't spend $10k on software for just a hobby.

Back on topic, the vinyl wrap should work fine in the headlight housing, since I assume it doesn't fail on a car left out in the summer sun. I tried repainting the reflector and polished aluminum tape (to a mirror-like finish, but with lines at the edges) - neither of which were the same as new headlights. We need more reproduction of factory parts. Sadly, I don't think repro tails will ever happen - I was closely buttstuffyzing the ones from the 87-8 tbirds and there was a LOT of work that went into those things. I couldn't figure out how to make replacement/custom outer lenses simply due to how much that part does. Vacuum forming isn't even close to enough.

Re-mirror headlamp interior

Reply #62 – February 24, 2014, 03:20:20 PM

I plan to put some 3" or so round lights and bend a sheet metal cover that bolts to a gutted tail light if I ever get around to it.

Re-mirror headlamp interior

Reply #63 – February 24, 2014, 03:21:49 PM

Also, try spraying some water or windex under the tape like they do with window tint. should make it much easier to get rid of the ceases.

Re-mirror headlamp interior

Reply #64 – February 25, 2014, 03:06:40 PM

no,, the tape Vinnie and I used which is what it is "tape" but vinyl,,, well, its 2 dimensional,,,, the interior of the lights is 3D.

the vinyl tape does not stretch so that's why you see rough places in my pics.
I used plastic flat mirror material from autozone to redo the interior "flat" sides coupled with sticky back tape.

Interestingly enough,,no one came back and said WTF when I discovered this............
if you take off the cover of the lense, a 4 eyed bulb fits up onside the housing~!!! food for thought

im gonna break out a couple power transistors and tinker a little. time I tried it anyway..... less load is good.

going LEDs lightens the load more and adds light!

Re-mirror headlamp interior

Reply #65 – February 26, 2014, 05:09:17 PM

Browse all the chrome options here. There's quite a few. Plus I'm sure plenty of other ideas will come to mind for other parts around the car for not just the chrome stuff but all the other things they offer. My mind goes nuts every time I visit this site.

http://alsacorp.com/index.htm

Re-mirror headlamp interior

Reply #66 – February 26, 2014, 11:00:09 PM

chrometech USA does chrome for plastic. I had them plate some model car parts in 1/12 scale. It costs a bit, but, really chrome plated. Can't beat that.

Re-mirror headlamp interior

Reply #67 – September 20, 2014, 10:11:41 AM

Any updates on the exterior polyurethane substitute J? What kind of a voltage drop are you getting to the headlights? I'm getting a 2 volt drop and can't see squat! I'm going to try your reflective improvements and see if I can get away without relays (read: cheap)

Re-mirror headlamp interior

Reply #68 – September 20, 2014, 11:53:59 AM

Quote from: Cougars 2 go;429667

Browse all the chrome options here. There's quite a few. Plus I'm sure plenty of other ideas will come to mind for other parts around the car for not just the chrome stuff but all the other things they offer. My mind goes nuts every time I visit this site.

http://alsacorp.com/index.htm

Wow, they have a ton of cool stuff!

Re-mirror headlamp interior

Reply #69 – October 17, 2014, 09:26:21 PM

Quote from: Crash225;438153

Any updates on the exterior polyurethane substitute J? What kind of a voltage drop are you getting to the headlights? I'm getting a 2 volt drop and can't see squat! I'm going to try your reflective improvements and see if I can get away without relays (read: cheap)

I can measure tomorrow, the mods have been in for a long time with relays.

do my "jumper wire" mod in my diy link... it will run your HI/LO beams at the same time when you select high beam.

the exterior is best suited with "3M paint defender" sprays on,, peels off like ceran (sp?) wrap if you need to take it off.

Re-mirror headlamp interior

Reply #70 – October 18, 2014, 01:38:57 AM

How is that 3m paint defender working for you on the exterior?
I still have about 3/4 of a can
I used it on my window/seat control console since it was in such great shape, I wanted to protect it from wear and it's been holding up awesome.

Re-mirror headlamp interior

Reply #71 – October 18, 2014, 09:14:16 AM

it holds up very well except for those laser car washes,,,,
I learned that over time.

I've applied a new coat 2 times since the last final post. 3m paint defender has so many other applications.

Re-mirror headlamp interior

Reply #72 – October 18, 2014, 10:36:13 AM

That stuff looks awesome. Does it keep the lens from yellowing again? I didn't see anything on UV protection on their site. I'll probably cover the whole car in it anyways because my paint is hurting being out in the elements (no more car tent).
Thanks for the tip.

Re-mirror headlamp interior

Reply #73 – October 18, 2014, 11:01:55 AM

Quote from: Crash225;438153

Any updates on the exterior polyurethane substitute J? What kind of a voltage drop are you getting to the headlights? I'm getting a 2 volt drop and can't see squat! I'm going to try your reflective improvements and see if I can get away without relays (read: cheap)

You really should relay. It should cost about $30 for a kit, or less buying the parts separately, and soldering yourself. 2V drop gives you almost half the light from the bulbs. You still need a decent reflector and clear lens.

Do note though that twice the output will not appear twice as bright. We perceive FOUR times the output as twice as bright. People who think they are gaining a ton by going from relayed 1500lumen halogen bulbs to 3000lumen hid projector setups are delusional. It is perceived 40% brighter at best (even less due to projectors having higher losses than larger reflector housings), and contrast plummets due to having a CRI around 70 instead of 95+ of a halogen bulb. You do get a more even beam, but also lose throw/distance over a properly-adjusted halogen housing.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weber%E2%80%93Fechner_law
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stevens%27_power_law

Re-mirror headlamp interior

Reply #74 – October 18, 2014, 08:55:57 PM

Quote from: Crash225;439304

That stuff looks awesome. Does it keep the lens from yellowing again? I didn't see anything on UV protection on their site. I'll probably cover the whole car in it anyways because my paint is hurting being out in the elements (no more car tent).
Thanks for the tip.

actually, in the instructions,, that would take about 8 cans... and each can is about 40$ after tax