DIY LED angel eyes...why? Because I can
 

I broke one of my CCFL angel eyes during installation, so rather than order a new tube, I decided to go with LEDs for longer life. I ordered a set, but they did not fit, so here we go.

About a 1 hour job...

http://i875.photobucket.com/albums/a...498DD656BB.jpg

http://i875.photobucket.com/albums/a...4995329996.jpg

http://i875.photobucket.com/albums/a...499B58CC11.jpg

http://i875.photobucket.com/albums/a...49A3233215.jpg

Just a low power test. Will be much brighter under full power. ;)

http://i875.photobucket.com/albums/a...49AD17A5E4.jpg

Will post more pics after installation.
I may be a little OCD :rolleyes:

Good... you're not saying that like it's a bad thing. I've got the t-shirt & bumpersticker too. :D

Can't wait to see the finished product.

I have angel eyes.....but they are in my head:)

Where do these go? Nice work at any rate !

They go around the projector lens and will function as daytime running lamps ;)

Here is a pic of the cold cathode fluorescent light that was originally in them before I decided to mess with it and break it :rolleyes:

http://i875.photobucket.com/albums/a...B04B920827.jpg

Looks like Tony Stark's chest reactor in that picture!

Haha! My son said the same thing :)

This project has been on hiatus for a while due to work and school, but I'm hoping to get it wrapped up early next week.

Calculating resistance...
12v to 3v with 20 LEDs @ 20mA each(400mA total) puts me at about 23ohms and 5watts for the resistor. Stopped by Radio Shack to see what I could find.
The best combination that they had was 2x 50ohm 10watt resistors. Running them in parallel will give me 25ohms @ 20 watts...a little overkill on the wattage, but better over than under.

FYI: I opted to run the LEDs in parallel so that if one goes out, it will not affect the rest. This will also make it easier to identify a bad LED for replacement. ;)
Another advantage is that the electrical contacts also serve as a frame, making it a tidy package.

Yeah, they're big!
http://i875.photobucket.com/albums/a...A51092F286.jpg

The install is finally finished! :)
I just need to attach the outer lenses and reinstall the headlights. These LED angel eyes are very bright! Much brighter than the CCFLs. I had trouble getting them to show up in the pictures...

This is the angel eye DRLs only, headlights are not on ;)
Not bad for 9.6 watts, eh?

http://i875.photobucket.com/albums/a...01FABC3526.jpg

http://i875.photobucket.com/albums/a...020DD1ABA4.jpg

http://i875.photobucket.com/albums/a...0206136CC7.jpg

Lights off pic...
http://i875.photobucket.com/albums/a...05485972D4.jpg

Looks awesome! nice work! This led me to think of a version where the LEDs are more spaced out on the ring and fewer, kinda of the range rover look.

What are you using to reattach the lance ?

Thanks!
I just used Permatex black silicone adhesive sealant. After some research, it seemed to be an ok solution. I've used it before and it seals well and softens up at about 200F degrees, so should be easier to remove than the stock adhesive. The project has been done since Friday, but I've been waiting for decent weather to get the car out and snap some pics. It's been cold, cloudy, and rainy for days :(

Here are some in the garage pics, but the lighting is bad. Loving the new headlights! They are a huge improvement over stock ;)
Please ignore the bug spatter and messy garage...been too cold for a wash :(

http://i875.photobucket.com/albums/a...CED65F228D.jpg

http://i875.photobucket.com/albums/a...CCC2D9BA1E.jpg

http://i875.photobucket.com/albums/a...CCD0C7665C.jpg

Damn! I too thought of Starks enterprise as I was reading your post. Awesome job!

Thanks for the info.
That looks great.

How do they attach? Are they floating or are there some hidden wires?

Good job on the work....we ALL here because we are at least a little OCD, don't let that stop you. It used to be a good thing, until Big Pharma made a pill for it!

I would rather work on projects like this, than medicate! My Porsche is my medicine and I take it every day!

If you look at the very first pic, you'll see the plastic ring/lens housing which snaps into the projector shroud. The LEDs are mounted into that... ;)

Or did you mean the projector itself? It mounts into the low beam bulb socket. I didn't take many pics during the install, but here is one. You can see the threaded portion of the projector that passes through the original low beam socket and the large nut that threads onto it. On the front side(side facing the original reflector) there is a thick silicone grommet(about an inch thick) that conforms to the shape of the reflector and serves as somewhat of a shock absorber, allowing the projector to move a tiny bit under stress(bumps in the road).

http://i875.photobucket.com/albums/a...94446844D9.jpg

isn't angel eyes a BMW thing? To me, modding a Porsche to have a feature of a BMW is a downgrade. Reminds me of those people that put the side mesh air vents on the side of everything

http://img02.taobaocdn.com/bao/uploa...pg_310x310.jpg

ya buddy, lots of air getting in the door now! :rolleyes:

come on guys, you drive a porsche, not a chevy or honda

If I recall, you were a fan of the LED eye-liner that some of us have on our cars.
You know that's also an AUDI thing right?

Haha! Definitely ;)

geez, I thought I was good with details! Great work Particlewave and thanks for the details.:cheers:

No prob ;)
If I did it again, or if I open up the lights again for some reason, I would use twice as many LEDs for better coverage and change the resistors to dim the light output a bit. A white filter may also help distribute the light better.

All in all though, I'm pretty happy with the way they look ;)

how do you open them up? I read previously, to use a heat gun and patience???

Bake at 225f for 15min and gently pry apart with a wide flatbar. ;)
Takes patience and a cool head, though.

Nice job on your customizing. You are one of the few of us that dare to open the lights as its a bit tricky and stressful getting them apart....not to mention running the chance of breaking or melting your expensive lights. I practiced with an old amber set I had laying around before I started opening the clear ones.

Question, Why did you make your own LED angel eyes when you can buy them already made?

Theretrofitsource has some nice ones that are very close together the only exception, like I said in another post, is they are yellow when not lit which is a turn off for me. Also I noticed you mounted your HID ballast inside your head light. This is a big No No as heat kills electronics especially the LED's won't last under heat. Before I retrofited my HID projectors I put LED's in just the small park/background light (Not sure what they call it; the small bulb placed to the side, the one that stays lit while the headlight is not) and it would keep burning out after 6 months from the heat inside the headlight. The LED's are supose to last a long time but heat kills. I've even thought of maybe installing a small fan with a filter to vent the lights.

I did the same thing as you the first time around mounting the ballasts on the inside. but I could feel how hot the light was getting on the outside and later started having problems with the ballasts not firing. If you notice the Ballasts have cooling fins built in and need to have cooler air in order to transfer the heat. There is plenty of space to mount them to the outside of the cover, just drill a hole and put a rubber grommet and some sealant. I do use my Dremel tool to trim some of tabs so the ballast and grommet sit flush. I then use a little mounting tape and a couple of Zipties to mount the ballast to the backside.

I ordered a set of 70mm led halos, but the circuit board would not fit in the diffuser, so I pulled the LEDs off of the board and did this. Didn't want to mess around with trying to find some that did fit or wait for shipping...I can be a little impatient when I've got my mind set on something. ;)

Ballasts: absolutely. During my first lengthy night drive, the driver side hl shut down 45min into a 2hr drive. Luckily, it didn't kill the ballast. As soon as I got home, I moved them to the outside of the rear cover. So far, so good. I didn't post a picture because it isn't as pretty as the internal mounting, but will do so soon. I used the supplied mounting bracket which keeps them about 1/4 inch off of the housing so that air can circulate on all sides. :)

No offense, but are you seriously asking this question? Why did you make your own HID headlights when you can just buy litronics? Why do you do your own mechanical work when you can just pay someone else to do it?

Why? Because I can. :D And for the same reason that we all do our own work: because I enjoy it and it wasn't at all difficult.
Why pay theretrofitsource $50 for $3 worth of LEDs? The set that I did buy on ebay(which didn't fit) was $6.50...not much more than the cost of the LEDs, so I figured "why not give them a shot, and if they don't work or fit, I need the LEDs anyway to make my own". ;)

Particle I was just curious.

;)
Sorry if my post came across as irate...I didn't mean it that way. Thanks for your thread documenting your headlight retrofit. As you know, it inspired me to do my own, so I am thankful for that. Otherwise, I'd still be driving around with orange on my car :D

I'm checking out for a while. The car is looking and running great, so I'm just going to drive it for a few months ;)

Two 50 Ohm resisters in parrallel is still 50 Ohms resistance however your right about the wattage capacity being 20 Watts.

Its just as well anyway because with less resistance they would be even brighter and thats sure not necessary based on the pictures. They'll last longer this way as heat is the enemy and in an enclosed light like that they will need all the help they can get.

Looks good

Actually....

http://i875.photobucket.com/albums/a...ps056c8de3.jpg

R1=50
R2=50

1/(1/50 + 1/50) = 1/(2/50) = 1/(1/25) = 25/1 = 25 ohms ;)

A common error in this equation occurs when one adds both the numerator and denominator. In this equation, that would yield 2/100, but that is incorrect.
Ex: 1/50 + 1/50 = 2/100 = incorrect. 1/50 + 1/50 = 2/50 = correct.
To add fractions you just find the lowest common denominator, change the numerator to suit, and add the numerators . You do not add denominators. ;)

And you can easily verify this with an ohmmeter and any two equal value resistors.

Thanks for clarifying with the proper formula, I do agree with your result now and stand corrected.

You can always learn something by questioning things.

In the process I found this site with calculators for more things than you ever wanted to know about audio & electronics.

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How are those angel eyes holding out, they seem awfully bright, or is that just from the camera exposure.

I've been meaning to try the light pipe version of angel eyes that are more subtle. http://986forum.com/forums/305655-post1.html

I bought a bunch of LED's for some other projects I was working on and found there are some insanely bright LED's available these days.