# LED wheelchair taillights :)



## The_LED_Museum (May 17, 2001)

Remember last new year's when I got stopped in my wheelchair for having "improper lighting"?

Well this should **** off a few cops... 







I decided to butcher up my new wheelchair this evening by adding 18 of those blue-violet Kingbrights in the rear bumper. In this picture, the still half-disembowelled chair is lying on its side on the floor just after I soldered the last connection. Even off-axis like in this picture, they were enough to leave a large blue halo on the camera image.
In real life, they have a very distinct super deep blue-violet color, and when my red taillights come on, the wall is flooded in a brilliant purplish magenta color.





The blue phosphor in your computer display just doesn't have a short enough emission wavelength to do this picture justice... they really are more purplish in real life.

I also reinstalled the original "offensive" red & blue PIC flasher module under the footrest of my chair, aiming at the ground just in front; and I added a super bright PIC flasher (80 ultra bright red LEDs with a programmed set of flashing patterns) to the undercarriage to illuminate the ground beneath. Both should be visible in this picture:






Guess that means I'm back... and I'm back with a vengeance!! No silly earthquake can stop this LED nut from making his appointed rounds!






:


----------



## Chris M. (May 18, 2001)

Looks great! If anyone`s ever in Seattle, watch for the blue glow in the sky- that`ll probably be Craig!

I just got my deep blue Kingbright LEDs from Craig today and they have to be the most stunning colour of LED I have ever seen- even beating Nichia`s wonderful turquoise ones. OK so they aren`t the many-thousand-mcd blinding bright ones that flashlights use, but the very eyecatching deep blue/violet colour makes up for that. 10 of the little beauties are currently shone at my celing and cast a glow that I can only liken to the deep blue of UV black-lite reflected off white clothes or inkjet printer-paper. Use a few for a nightlight, indicator lamps, disinctive taillights



The most eye catching LED lamps you`ll find until they finally perfect true Violet ones.


----------



## The_LED_Museum (May 19, 2001)

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Chris M.:
*Looks great! If anyone`s ever in Seattle, watch for the blue glow in the sky- that`ll probably be Craig!*<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

I actually discovered I drilled too many holes



so I filled them with more of the blue Kingbrights. Let's see if I can get a picture of how they go with the red taillights that I put in last Thanksgiving...

snap! snap! snap!
Downloading... moving... etc... etc...





Off-axis, with flash.






Off-axis, with no flash.






More or less on-axis... this is how someone 10' or more away would see these.






<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Chris M.:
*I just got my deep blue Kingbright LEDs from Craig today and they have to be the most stunning colour of LED I have ever seen- even beating Nichia`s wonderful turquoise ones. OK so they aren`t the many-thousand-mcd blinding bright ones that flashlights use, but the very eyecatching deep blue/violet colour makes up for that. 10 of the little beauties are currently shone at my celing *<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

I'm glad you like them. I saw this particular chip in a lab sample last fall, but only recently did I find any actually for sale on the commercial market.


----------



## snakebite (May 30, 2001)

i am making a 60led headlamp for a rascal scooter i occasionaly use.running it off 24v right from the switch.will let you know how i did it when finished.
as for the cops f*** them if they cant take a joke!


----------



## Badbeams3 (May 31, 2001)

Looks way neat Craig...just keep that handcuff key light handy.


----------



## **DONOTDELETE** (Jun 5, 2001)

really cool, craig! how much for a ride?



is that a wheelie-bar i see on the back?


----------



## The_LED_Museum (Jun 8, 2001)

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by franken:
*really cool, craig! how much for a ride?



is that a wheelie-bar i see on the back?



*<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Yup that's a wheelie bar.




I endoed my old chair in the doorway of a nightclub last fall...they had this steep concrete threshold I had to traverse, and I gave it too much "gas", and over I went.
There was stuff flying everywhere and I had to crawl out of the wreckage of the upside-down heap of garbage, while everyone just stood around watching.





So I collected the pieces, made a couple of impromptu repairs, and limped home with half a motor mount holding the back section together.





A week later, I had the new chair delivered, complete with wheelie bar on the back, heavy duty gearbox, heavy duty motor mounts, and spring-loaded anti-tip things on the sides.


----------



## Marked (Jun 22, 2001)

looks like close incounters of the 3rd kind in those pics. 

Why did the cops stop you? Flashing red and blue lights? Maybe you should try yellow lights. I don't think anything is wrong with flashing yellow ones. I could be wrong tho.


----------



## MorrowA (Jun 12, 2006)

I am new to the forums after researching for powerchair lighting and ran across this site a while back, its a cool setup I ordered their complete kit and they installed it since I was nearby, in fact those pictures on their website are of my chair as I was one of the first to do the entire kit on one chair. The headlights are hecka bright at night in fact I dim them quite regulary as they can be blinding in some situations. Anyways looking forward to learning some stuff on this site just thought I would point out a cool product.


----------



## cobb (Jun 12, 2006)

Wow, you want to temp faith dont you?

I had a light kit from a wheelchair company on my wheelchair that had two standard side marker red lights in the back wired in series for 24 volts and a 24 volt wide angle flood light up front. 

I late installed two 55 watt hallogen lights up front in place of the one and man, that was bright. I then installed two two lamp side markers for the rear in place of the single bulb ones. Then a roll bar with gun rack and 4 more 55 watt lamps. WOOHOO, I could turn night into day and see a battery bar go out on my battery meter til I turned them off. I would blink the roll bar in crowded areas or leave it on to magically get a patch clearned in front of me. Also worked well for reading chaulf boards and bullitin boards in the hallways at the college I attended. 

My other wheelchair had 2 red rear led side markers and 2 amber front ones wired in series/parallel for 24 volt operation and hard wired to the electrical system so they are on 24/7 I left it on for 2 years and finally unhooked them when I stopped using a wheelchair. 

I was tempted to wire the led lights to a strobe box, but didnt want the cops bothering me.


----------



## dirtie (Jun 14, 2006)

holy sh****** what a invention.. never heard of such things..i have a pride celebrity scooter.. which i could find someone to help me do this to my scooter.. what a life saver this could be. im out at nite ofetn. my wife gets worried when im out on the road

thanks all
dirite


----------



## The_LED_Museum (Jun 14, 2006)

I just got a Pride Celebrity X3 scooter yeterday, and was quite surprised that it came with three white LEDs in the front for running lights, and red LED taillights. :thumbsup:


----------



## Ken_McE (Jun 14, 2006)

Craig, I can only see one of the pics. The others come through as broken links. Got 'em posted anywhere?


----------



## cobb (Jun 14, 2006)

You like it led? I was going to get one a few years ago when they speced to still offer a reclining seat and turbo mode. I was never able to get a direct answer on the reclining seat. Supposely it was discontinued for the 3 wheel, briefly offered on the 4 wheel model, then not offered at all on a scooter. 

I had an invacare cat with the aviation tiller. Man, I opened up thespeed controller, turned the pot and got it to do wheelies and 7mph on level surface. I can hit 17 on down slopes. The only lighting and leds on it was the battery meter.


----------



## ACMarina (Jun 14, 2006)

Ken, that's because this post is mega-old.. look at the post date on the first message..

I'd also like to see the pics, though, if they're still around someplace..


----------



## dirtie (Jun 17, 2006)

hey led i had mine for 5 years.very little trouble. got new heavy duty batts, new tires and tubes, arm rest. and due to a malfunctioning handicapped door a new floor board[ damn thing would nt open when it did i hit the gas and the door slammed shut on my front end cracking the floor.  fortunatly the owners of the doctors clinic paid for this.. like @425.00.  [ i think it was too cold for the fiber glass ,-20 deg real feel... brrrr. :lolsign: i hope ya like urs like i like mine.keep in touch all
regards,
bill


----------



## MorrowA (Jun 26, 2006)

cobb said:


> Wow, you want to temp faith dont you?
> 
> I had a light kit from a wheelchair company on my wheelchair that had two standard side marker red lights in the back wired in series for 24 volts and a 24 volt wide angle flood light up front.
> 
> ...


 
The entire lighting system on my chair only draws about 2 amps average at 12vdc so I am not in the situation as you were with having probably close to 10 amps with the halogens and the markers it adds up quickly... I actually have recieved a lot of positive comment about the lights from law enforcment plenty of oportunities for them to give me problems so far so good, beside legally nothing I have on the chair is "against" the law as I am running amber strobes and white headlights with a non flashing red tail light. I cannot get over how bright the headlights are for as small as they are!


----------



## cobb (Jun 27, 2006)

I had 35 and 25 watt lamps, but they seemed dim since they were running on 12 volts or less vs 14 volts or so when a car is running. The 55 watts really stuck out as being bright, so on they went.

Yeah, its closer to 15 amps with all 6 lamps on.


----------



## The_LED_Museum (Jun 27, 2006)

Ken_McE said:


> Craig, I can only see one of the pics. The others come through as broken links. Got 'em posted anywhere?


As far as I can determine, all of the photographs in this thread are on this website:
http://ledlights.home.att.net/how.htm


----------

