Well, since during a recent accident, all my left optics were covered (including my DRL - the top strip was cut, the trim was torn out), I decided to make it a little differently.
There were so many ideas - like shit on a pig farm! To begin with, I decided not to put tapes on the sides of the trim - anyway, they shined sideways and did not really affect the visibility of the car from afar and in front. Although it was convenient in nature - I turned it on - and my whole clearing was illuminated!
Then I thought about putting two ribbons on top: one long for the entire overlay (as it was) and the second above it, but only in front. I applied it, looked... Better, but not the same...
What if, like on factory DRLs, you also put them on a bevel? Attached... Ugly. Tape on top, tear, tape down.
And then it dawned on me!!!
Why so many tapes? After all, they usually sell a DRL panel with 8-10-12 LEDs! So let's put a double tape on the front bevel and that's it!!!
Well, here's what happened:
1. This is a heat-shrinkable transparent tube and a piece of ordinary tape for two rows of LEDs (which, by the way, I installed instead of all the light bulbs in the cabin):
Since the tape is simple, I placed it in a tube, filled it with a little transparent sealant and set it with a hairdryer. The result was such a sealed panel. I pulled it to the cover using zip ties. I soldered the usual male-female connectors and wrapped them in heat shrink (female).
The image is reduced. Click to see original.
And this is what happened in the end:
The image is reduced. Click to see original.
In the apartment, on the table it shone like this:
The image is reduced. Click to see original.
I connected it, as always, through the fuel pump relay. Ground on the fuse box bolt under the hood. Appearance the car became like this:
The image is reduced. Click to see original.
Close-up view with light:
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At a distance of two entrances:
The image is reduced. Click to see original.
In my opinion, it turned out okay. If you don’t like it, it won’t take long to redo it! Moreover, I still have almost all the tapes from the previous DRL. And they are workers! Even on the cut tape, I threw out only 10 cm: there, one LED was broken and the tracks in two places were completely cut.
And these tapes are on sale for every taste.
For now, I’ll use the leftovers to make lighting for nature. And what? 12 volts, without any converters. Lights up decently. At least much better than a gas lamp.
I immediately ask you not to write in the comments that “the DRL function is not implemented”! I know it myself. If I save up some extra money, I’ll buy a relay and sell it... And maybe I’ll redo my DRLs 10 times!
About a year ago I got confused about buying daytime running lights. There was an idea to install DRLs on the “classic” (VAZ 2107) in order to relieve a little of the car’s electrical network, eliminating the need to turn on low beam headlights during the day. As you know, LEDs consume significantly less electricity than bulbs in car headlights, and on a fuel-injected “classic” with a standard generator, every watt counts (but that’s a slightly different story), so this decision was quite natural.
Having pretty much scoured the Internet for GOST laws and personal experience operation of DRLs, I chose this model.
The main legal requirements for running lights are:
1) Luminous flux - 400-800 cd.
2) The area of the light-emitting surface of the headlight is at least 40 cm2
3) Requirements for installation on a vehicle.
4) Automatic switching on with the ignition.
5) Automatic shutdown when turning on the “dimensions” or low/high beam headlights.
In principle, these lights satisfy all requirements and have the following characteristics:
1) Luminous flux - approximately 230 cd.
2)Area - 57 cm2
3) They have a convenient bracket for attaching the headlight to the bumper.
4) Automatic switching is realized by connecting the power wire after the ignition switch.
5) For automatic shutdown, there is an additional output, when power is applied to which, the DRLs are turned off.
I installed it slowly in the garage in one evening. The bumper of the "seven" is located on required height, all that remains is to place them in width.
I took the plus power from the ignition switch (I had to tighten one wire into the passenger compartment), the minus directly from the battery terminal, and the shutdown “relay” output from the wire going to the positive terminal of the “dimensions” (next to the headlight).
The DRLs worked flawlessly for about a year, until a friend had a minor accident. Nothing serious, but the blow hit the running lights.
Both had their fastenings torn off, but the lights themselves were intact, not a single crack.
I cut out new fasteners from thick galvanized steel.
And everything would have been fine, but I noticed that after that incident the DRLs began to sweat from the inside. The seal has broken. And then, after about a month of use, they stopped working altogether.
After which the lights were dismantled and thoroughly studied. I couldn't find the cause of the leak. Apparently, over time, the factory sealant lost its elasticity, and upon impact, the adhesive layer cracked somewhere.
Moisture that got into the case damaged almost all the LEDs.
I went to my favorite Aliexpress :) A quick study of the range of LEDs convinced me that replacing the LEDs would probably be more cost-effective than buying new DRLs. And it’s a pity for the old lights, because their condition is a solid four.
Soooo, stop! If we’re going to redo the lights, then why not modify them a little by ordering not one-watt diodes, but three-watt ones :)
It turns out that the lights will be a little more powerful.
LED manufacturers usually indicate the luminous flux (total or per 1 W) in the dadsheet, but we need to know the luminous intensity of the headlight, because in GOST this is exactly the value.
Given:
1) Flat LED glow angle (degrees) - 120
2) Luminous flux of the diode (Lm) - 220
1) Luminous intensity (Cd) - ?
Calculation:
1) Determine the solid angle:
2) Find the intensity of light:
Anything not more than 800 means it fits into GOST. We will modernize it :)
Current limiting resistors in parallel arm:
It turns out you need 4 pieces of 24 ohms. The trouble is, I don’t have any of these on my farm. The closest one is 36 ohms (36/4 = 9 ohms). I'll have to install them, I hope there won't be a huge difference in the glow.
I soldered the diodes to the board and resistors.
Resistors are soldered as follows. Since there is one seat for R1, and a double seat for R2, we solder it accordingly, in the case of R1 all three pieces are on top of each other, and in the case of R2, two pieces for each seat. It's a perversion, of course, but you have to save space.
I serve food. At first glance, everything works! The diodes glow, the resistors, although they heat up, are quite tolerable. Really did it (yeah, shazz!)?! All that remains is to check whether it will turn off. I apply +12 V to the control pin and... Bummer! As they glowed, they still glow...
Apparently, by changing the resistor values, I upset the delicate balance of that part of the circuit that is responsible for switching.
So, sir, let's see what the gloomy Chinese genius has done there :)
I drew a diagram and it looked something like this.
Hmm... Which one interesting way get rid of excess parts in the warehouse :)
The circuit, damn it, should be at the level of a radio circle.
I spat and decided to redo everything. Work for two evenings, but everything will be according to Feng Shui :)
Of course, ideally it would be to do everything on one p-channel mosfit, but, as luck would have it, it could not be found on any donor board. Okay, I'll use what I have.
I decided to install more powerful transistors. And the position of the power pins is more convenient for soldering.
And other daytime running lights are of good quality. But, as for so-called “no name” goods, the quality leaves much to be desired. Therefore, when working with such daytime lights, they often cause problems and inconveniences, for example, they break down, or problems arise with the operation of the diodes.
The appearance of all Chinese ones is quite stylish. They have durable transparent plastic glass with a special protective film applied, which must be removed before installation. The body of all DRLs is strong and shock-resistant, and the mounting brackets are metal and are universal, allowing you to install the device on any car. There are bolts that allow you to adjust the tilt of the devices. The kit comes with 4 self-tapping screws or screws, with wide and dimensional washers for fixation. This design and mounting is often ideal for cars from the Japanese automobile industry.
What do we see on our roads?
The result of purchasing low-quality ones is visible on our roads. That is, when purchasing nameless Chinese-made DRLs, you can notice how some of the LEDs that make up the module do not light up or flicker, the modules do not light up, or processes such as turning off the DRLs when turning on the headlights and low beams, and so on, do not function. Sometimes, if the assembly is of very poor quality, LEDs can even flash due to current breakdown.
The main malfunctions of low-quality DRLs
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Flicker. One or more LEDs blink rapidly, which reduces the quality of the glow and affects the efficiency of the device. |
Flashing. Intermediate activation and deactivation of diode light, which also negatively affects the efficiency of daytime running lights. |
Combined blink. This is the most unpleasant thing about daytime lights, since individual diodes or an entire row begin to deactivate alternately in one or another row. |
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What to do, because it is strictly forbidden to use such running lights outside the city and in the city, since they do not meet the safety requirements for movement on the road. In order to change the position, modifications must be made or tuning done to such running lights. By examining different running lights made in China, you can see that the design is almost identical.
The first thing you can see is that the manufacturers of such low-quality materials have completely forgotten about what a sealant is. Despite the fact that the two parts of the module are fastened with screws, there is a gap between them, and this absolutely should not exist. In rainy weather, it is through this gap that moisture and debris will get inside, which instantly disables the diodes - they simply burn out.
The second thing that is poorly made in the Chinese daytime lights without a name is the board itself with LEDs. You can notice the following - the board is assembled by itself simple principle, low-quality LEDs are taken as a basis, that is, emitters and a simple current-limiting resistor.
It is worth noting that most LEDs in such products are of the super-bright type, and accordingly, they operate from direct current and a slight deviation from this norm leads to their rapid failure. Chinese manufacturers take 3 diodes connected in series and connect them to one resistor, which entails problems with the operation of the device.
To approach the issue of modification correctly and transform low-quality DRLs, you need to stock up on the following details:
- Several 12V DC voltage stabilizers. You can take any stabilizer with these parameters - it will be ideal.
- Electrolytic capacitor that will fit under the daytime running light housing.
- High quality silicone sealant.
- Electrical tape, a soldering iron and the entire accompanying kit, as well as patience, perseverance and attentiveness.
How to fix DRL defects?
First, in order to stabilize the further operation of the LED device, it is necessary to equalize the current. That is, it is necessary to resort to installing a special voltage stabilizer. If you have a voltage of 12V on the box with diodes, then you need to purchase a miniature stabilizer with the corresponding indicator. It is worth noting that in cars the voltage is not constant and even, and fluctuates from several units, which is typical during startup and can rise to 14V, which is typical when charging the battery. If you install a stabilizer, it will control the supply of only 12V current to the device. Also, it is very important to eliminate voltage fluctuations in order to bring the DRL operation to a stable mode. To eliminate this, experts recommend installing an electrolytic polar capacitor with a high-capacity characteristic. It must be installed to the common diode buses on the board itself, connecting it to the output of the stabilizer. It is worth noting that it is necessary to strictly adhere to polarity during installation.
Firstly, if you carry out the manipulations described above, the diodes will be ignited gradually and smoothly, which may not be noticed, but it is so. Secondly, thanks to the installation of a stabilizer, there is no reverse current flow, and the module is deactivated gradually, which can be seen with the naked eye. Such events provide LEDs Better conditions work, and also allow you to increase the service life several times, which is important for you as the buyer of this product. And the last thing to do in this case is to use silicone sealant. They need to process the edges of all parts of the case that are in contact with each other in order to remove gaps and prevent moisture and dust from getting inside the case.
Hi all! I bought these cheap daytime running lights for the housing, intending to replace their filling with my own. As a result, only the transparent protective “glass” remained intact. Dedicated to lovers of alterations and improvements...
Such DRLs have already been reviewed on MySku (https://site/blog/aliexpress/12041.html,), and frankly, I think that installing such flashlights makes no sense, since they have simply scanty brightness, and, in principle, do not can increase the “visibility” of a car on the road during daylight hours. Well, at night only a crazy person would turn them on instead of the low beams. Therefore, these kids were converted by me into such “monsters” in terms of brightness.
Those who want to see the result of the revision can skip a good half of the text, but I will start from the very beginning.
A long time ago, in mid-June, I received a letter from DealExtrema in the mail containing a burning (I don’t quite understand the meaning of this word, but it’s appropriate) offer to buy with huge discounts LED bulbs and so on. Okay, I think I’ll see what they offer there... I didn’t think I was going to buy anything. But still, I was sold on 10-watt LED modules on an aluminum substrate, and bought two warm lights and two cold lights. For what purpose, at that time I didn’t know exactly, but I figured it was for home lighting. 4 modules cost $17, which, as I found out later, was not cheap at all. I admit, the order was a little hasty. Here is a link to the cold light module, the discount is now much greater, and the price is now $3.46 per piece:
Well, okay, I ordered it, I ordered it, and began to wait. The parcel arrived in 40 days: a standard bag, and in the bag there are 4 modules, each stuffed into a “pocket” made of bubble wrap. Well, it’s not surprising that the post office abused such packaging: two of the four modules were very badly bent. First of all, of course, Dylextrim is to blame for saving on packaging; they could have at least stuffed pieces of cardboard to give it rigidity. This is what it looked like:
I took these photos back then for a dispute with the seller, but it turned out that I ignored the transaction protection time in PayPal. I buy from Aliexpress more often, and their protection system suits me, so far it hasn’t let me down (pah-pah-pah): I just keep track of the remaining “protected” time, and Aliexpress itself reminds me that time is running out. Dilextreme works through Paypal, and accordingly the protected time starts from the moment of payment, not sending, which I didn’t think about. In general, summer is not the best best time for disputes with online stores: dacha, village, river, construction site, work, etc. distract from tracking online orders. A day here, a day there... and while I was preparing “evidence” about the damage to the goods, the time for protecting the transaction in Paypal was over. As a result, I now more carefully monitor orders made through PayPal, and open a dispute a few days before the end of the “protection”.
Well, okay, the firewood itself... Let's start testing. I straightened the aluminum base of the damaged modules as best I could. But naturally, such a powerful mechanical impact did not pass without a trace: the LED that got into the bend does not light up, and if you “play” a little with the bend of the aluminum base, it lights up periodically. Another LED on the other side of the module is also blinking - maybe the module was bent in this place and then straightened by the Chinese? For a less bent module, all the LEDs are lit and do not blink. By “luck”, one strip of cold light and one strip of warm light were bent, so, unfortunately, I did not get a full pair of undamaged modules.
The brightness of the purchased LED modules turned out to be very high, which gave me the idea to use them as daytime running lights. There are no DRLs on my car, and the front of the car is designed in such a way that few DRLs can be installed in it without giving the car a collective farm look. The 10-watt LED modules I bought fit perfectly into the overall appearance of the car, and just fit into the only places possible according to GOST for installing DRLs.
I must say that several of my friends have already spent a nth amount of money on DRLs priced from 500 to 4000 rubles, both online and offline, and, despite laudatory comments on store websites, no one has yet been completely satisfied with the result. For some, the DRLs died in a matter of days, for others they began to blink, for others they still work, but the brightness is many times weaker than necessary, etc. One guy used cheap DRLs he bought as a trunk light, just like the reviewer mentioned above.
I myself was also looking for DRLs, but in the end I gave it up. I didn’t want to buy branded “lights” for 3-4 thousand rubles, because a high price, judging by the experience of friends, does not at all guarantee quality and reliability. Poor soldering and assembly, savings on materials (aluminum housing is good, but for powerful LEDs the cooling surface area is still not enough), savings on the thermal interface - even expensive DRLs are dying from this. But the guarantee is of no use; it has long been noted that it is much easier to demand money from a Chinese for a bad product than from a store next door.
Even what the Chinese offer for over $50 does not inspire confidence. First of all, a good LED flashlight must have a good radiator, and the Chinese have so far succeeded only in simulating radiator fins with the profile of a plastic body, imitating brands. Well, it’s clear why Chinese DRLs, even with the truthfully declared power, overheat and die. For example, this “flashlight” came to one friend with an aluminum body, another with a plastic one (photo for example, the seller was different):
Therefore, I decided to take a different path, abandoning the plastic DRL housing as the main design element. For me, the basis of the DRL should be a radiator with a decent surface area; the DRL is also attached to the car using the radiator, as the heaviest element. An LED module is installed on the radiator, and the transparent “glass” only serves to protect the LED module from external environment. The idea, of course, is not new, and expensive DRLs are made just like that. Although the LED module I bought is considered waterproof, since the LEDs are filled with a compound, it is unlikely that the elastic compound will withstand close contact with rain, snow, ice and dirt, plus washing off this very dirt.
So I started looking for a suitable housing, or rather, not even a housing, but a protective glass for my homemade DRLs. And in the end, the choice fell on the hero of the review, as the cheapest one of the right size on Aliexpress. I was interested in the case itself, but neither the number of LEDs nor their brightness bothered me, so I was looking for the most low price for “boxes with glass.” Boards with LEDs from these “boxes” can then be used somewhere, for example, for the same trunk lighting.
And so, some 1.5 months after ordering, these DRLs arrived to me. The DRL box was very wrinkled, but all its contents were safe and sound. Here is a photo of the DRL, the “glass” is even covered protective film. After receiving them, I checked them - they work, and the light from 12V is somehow too bright, I suspect that the current through the LEDs is too high. But for now the fate of these 16 LEDs does not concern me.
But here is the filling of the DRL: a board with LEDs and a reflector - I will put it aside for the time being, and in the future I will use it somewhere. The quality of soldering on the boards is so-so.
The search for a suitable heat sink among its considerable reserves of “aluminum casting and rolled products” led to the only suitable radiator in length (L>=150mm) from the power supply of an ancient computer. This is the last, third such radiator from my collection - two were already cut into pieces at different times and placed in different electronic devices.
Two “strips” about 20mm wide were sawn off from this radiator, which is about 3-4mm wider than the DRL glass. Special precision was not needed, and therefore one radiator turned out to be about 1mm wider than the second.
Then the process began machining radiator using a hacksaw, belt grinder, files, grinding wheels and bars, drills, taps. The difficulty was that the surface of the radiator where I was going to install the LED module was not initially flat, but contained short “ribs”: they had to be cut off and the surface sanded. But if available suitable tool all problems can be solved. Here is a photo of radiators at one of the manufacturing stages.
Actually, this was the first time I used tape grinding machine for processing something harder than wood, and I liked it, without a machine I would have spent a lot more time, but I still wouldn’t have gotten a high-quality plane. The outer three ribs of the radiators had to be cut off, as they would interfere with installation in the car. Here's what we ended up with:
I didn’t bring the plane “to zero” and didn’t polish it to the mirror: the resulting surface cleanliness is more than enough to cool the LED module.
Maybe someone will say that it would be easier to buy a radiator of a suitable size, cut it in half and enjoy life. I actually worked out this version. But nothing suitable was found in radio stores. It was possible to order a piece of an aluminum radiator profile of the required length in some Chip-Deep, but the ribs would then go along the long side of the DRL, which in in this case, it seems to me, is not optimal for cooling. I preferred the ribs to be across the DRL. The Chinese also offer radiators (on the same Aliexpress) in a large assortment, but with the length I needed from 150mm, the radiator already cost $25 + wait another month. Well, the thickness of the radiator base is 3mm - somehow childish. Naturally, I chose to save money, but saving required additional effort, the result of which is shown in the photo above.
The next stage is the installation of LED modules on radiators, using KPT-8 thermal paste (not finished yet).
My main 25W soldering iron for medium-sized elements could not cope with soldering the wires to the module, which indicates good heat dissipation from the module to the radiator. A 40W soldering iron did a 5+ job with soldering wires to the modules.
Then I connected the module to a power source and checked the thermal conditions of the DRL at a rated current of 720mA. I was wondering if the thermal conditions would be out of bounds. Unfortunately, I didn’t write down what the voltage was directly on the module, but I vaguely remember that it was about 12.1V, which corresponds to a power of 8.7W. At the same time, the module “shone like a beast” (in the photos the current is reduced so as not to blind the camera).
After half an hour, the radiator temperature turned out to be 57 degrees: already in the first 10 minutes the radiator warmed up to 55 degrees, and over the next 20 minutes it increased by only two degrees. I didn’t test it any longer because I was sure that there would be no further increase in temperature. The measurements were made with a Chinese digital multimeter with an external thermocouple (coated with thermal paste and pressed to the measurement site). To control, I checked my temperature, and the device showed 38 degrees, which is more or less true, but I fully allow for an error in measuring the radiator temperature, plus or minus a couple of degrees. Well, the thermal test was successful; 57 degrees is not enough to worry about the health of the LEDs.
Next, the DRL body was modified so that its “glass” could be placed on the radiator. I had two options for modification: put a piece of glass on the radiator along with a black plastic base of the case, cutting off the back of the black base. Cut:
Or use one piece of glass, attach it directly to the radiator, cutting off the flange that previously went inside the black base. Glass untouched:
It would be nice to make a groove in the radiator so that the bead of glass would fit into it, but without a CNC machine this is a little difficult. I started with the first option, intending to move on to the second if I didn’t like the result.
After sawing off the rear black part of the DRL housing, I tried the rest of the housing with glass on the radiator with the module, turned on the power, and made sure that the glass works as a diffuser.
But I didn't like this design. There was too much emptiness underneath protective glass, besides, I would have to seal two joints: the joint between the glass and the plastic, and the joint between the plastic and the radiator.
Therefore, I moved on to option 2: I removed the black part of the case completely, cut off the collar from the glass, shortened the fastening “posts” into which the screws were previously screwed, and cut an M2.5 thread in the holes of these posts in order to attach the glass with M2.5 screws to the radiator. It was possible, of course, to use self-tapping screws, but I was afraid that the fragile transparent plastic It will crack, especially since there was a high probability that I would have to install and remove the glass several times, and the screws held securely only the first time.
In general, the weakest point of my design is the output wires. Not only did the radiators already have enough unnecessary holes that had to be sealed, but the wires also came out in inconvenient places, and it was inconvenient to seal them. But I made it with what I had, so I had to get out. I first wanted to route the wires into the holes at the end of the LED module, but the wires ended up next to the radiator mounting to the car, which was also inconvenient, so I routed the wires between the ribs.
And this is what happened in the end:
And how they shine:
The installed glass slightly expands the luminous flux, distributing it slightly down, up and to the sides, thereby creating the effect that it glows big square than the surface area of the LED module. Which, in general, was what was needed.
As the current decreases, dead “pixels” become noticeable (first a fully working module, then a “chapped one”):
By good radiator It is worth protecting the LPK, otherwise the silumin on the machine will begin to actively oxidize. I haven’t decided yet whether I’ll paint it or just varnish it. For mounting, you can use the supplied brackets, although they are very flimsy. I haven’t installed it on the car yet, because I was a little sick, it was cold outside, and the installation is unlikely to take 5 minutes. Maybe I won’t rush to install DRLs until spring, since in winter I have to drive with headlights both in the morning and in the evening, and DRLs are simply not needed. In addition, I don’t have drivers with a stable output current yet, I’m looking for them, but I don’t want to install resistors at all. In addition, I have not yet decided what the final scheme for connecting the DRL to the car will be, so that the operation of the DRL complies with GOST. In general, I don’t like to do anything hastily.
This homemade project took more than a month, since I have very little free time at home, and I did everything gradually, little by little: today I brought a radiator, tomorrow I sawed it, the day after tomorrow I sawed off one radiator, the day after tomorrow a second one, after... the day after tomorrow I sanded one, etc. . That's why I held out until the cold weather.
I have not coated the “glass” with sealant yet, but it is clear that this must be done before installing it in the car. It was necessary to cover the radiator with varnish or paint even before installing the modules and sealing the wires, but then I omitted this point. At least I’ll paint it with the “glass pieces” removed, which is why I don’t seal them.
So perhaps my homemade product will sit until spring, and when I have a complete installation kit (DRL + drivers + well-thought-out circuit), I will install it.
Well, that seems to be it. In my opinion, normal (external) DRLs should have exactly this design: a radiator - aka a housing, LEDs on the radiator, and protection of the LEDs from the external environment (glass). Everything else is from the evil one. The brightness of these converted DRLs is certainly not lower than that required by GOST, and I will try to comply with the remaining GOST requirements during installation.
We kindly ask you not to start discussions on the topic of illegality self-installation DRL. It’s clear that if you turn on such flashlights at night, then you’ll have to pay the first price for this. These are “daytime running lights”, they will be used during daylight hours, and will be connected in accordance with the standards. Finally, the coolest option for collective farming, which is offered by one of the sellers on Aliexpress:
