Poll: Brighter 3 rods on my blackline keeper or not?

scanboy · 08-04-2008, 05:40 PM

Don't forget to answer the poll.
I want to have brighter and more evenly lit 3 rods on my blackline, so here's what I did.
I collected a lot of those IDE cable plugs (those black plugs that goes to your hard drive in your computer see picture below) and use them to hold a series of 5mm red LEDs that I got from ebay, something similar to this:
http://cgi.ebay.com/100-5mm-5000mcd-...6.c0.m14.l1318

Anyway, I fit them through the light bulb hole and wired them accordingly.
In the second picture, the truck part has my mod LEDs and the left part has the original bulb, it's difficult to take pictures that could show the difference, since all light source seems to be brighter in picture, but you can kinda see that with the LEDs, brightness is more even. You can probably see the spacing of the LEDs too, which doesn't look as nice as e92, but it's a different look.
The other pictures are all LEDs on both pieces.

hamann330ci · 08-04-2008, 11:03 PM

One of a kind. I like it a lot!

scanboy · 08-05-2008, 01:56 PM

Thanks.

AJerman · 08-05-2008, 02:06 PM

That's a very clever mod. I'd never thought about using an IDE cable as an LED array. I like it.

3Thirty5i · 08-05-2008, 03:05 PM

Cool idea! Can you post any pics with just the cable with the LED's mounted in the cable? Also, how are you powering the lights? No warning lights on the car that your bulbs are out?

TheSpungos · 08-05-2008, 03:12 PM

That is a very cool idea. Keep it!

1clean335i · 08-05-2008, 05:39 PM

nice idea.. i like it.

scanboy · 08-05-2008, 05:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 3Thirty5i

Cool idea! Can you post any pics with just the cable with the LED's mounted in the cable? Also, how are you powering the lights? No warning lights on the car that your bulbs are out?

Thanks. I'll try to post some picture of that later. I actually striped off the cable itself using only the blue/black part. At the back of the plug, you'll have 2 rows of pins, I just use 1 row as + and one for ground. I solder wire next to the bulb on the white piece that you take out when you change bulbs, but a cleaner setup would be to solder the wire inside the base of a broken bulb and put it in the original socket, I was gonna do this, but didn't want to break any good working bulbs, I'll probably do this if I get some broken bulbs some where else.
Using the resistors that came with the LEDs, you'll only need to use 3 of them, 1 for each row and you won't get any bulb out warning.

scanboy · 08-05-2008, 05:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheSpungos

That is a very cool idea. Keep it!

Quote:

Originally Posted by 1clean335i

nice idea.. i like it.

Thanks guys. I'm thinking of doing similar thing to my brake and indicator light also, if I have the time.

PaulBailey@ltbmw · 08-05-2008, 05:59 PM

Damn. . . nice job.
very creative.

scanboy · 08-06-2008, 01:51 PM

This is what I did:

View Poll Results: Should I keep this mod?
Yes	15	75.00%
No	5	25.00%
Voters: 20. You may not vote on this poll

08-04-2008, 05:40 PM	#1
scanboy Lieutenant 16 Rep 458 Posts Drives: E90 Montego Blue+Black Int. Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Torrance iTrader: (0)	Poll: Brighter 3 rods on my blackline keeper or not? Don't forget to answer the poll. I want to have brighter and more evenly lit 3 rods on my blackline, so here's what I did. I collected a lot of those IDE cable plugs (those black plugs that goes to your hard drive in your computer see picture below) and use them to hold a series of 5mm red LEDs that I got from ebay, something similar to this: http://cgi.ebay.com/100-5mm-5000mcd-...6.c0.m14.l1318 Anyway, I fit them through the light bulb hole and wired them accordingly. In the second picture, the truck part has my mod LEDs and the left part has the original bulb, it's difficult to take pictures that could show the difference, since all light source seems to be brighter in picture, but you can kinda see that with the LEDs, brightness is more even. You can probably see the spacing of the LEDs too, which doesn't look as nice as e92, but it's a different look. The other pictures are all LEDs on both pieces. Attached Images
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08-04-2008, 11:03 PM	#2
hamann330ci Second Lieutenant 13 Rep 229 Posts Drives: 2002 E46 330ci Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Metairie, La iTrader: (1)	One of a kind. I like it a lot!
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08-05-2008, 01:56 PM	#3
scanboy Lieutenant 16 Rep 458 Posts Drives: E90 Montego Blue+Black Int. Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Torrance iTrader: (0)	Thanks.
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08-05-2008, 02:06 PM	#4
AJerman Major 34 Rep 1,381 Posts Drives: '08 335i Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Wake Forest, NC iTrader: (0)	That's a very clever mod. I'd never thought about using an IDE cable as an LED array. I like it. __________________ 2008 BMW 335i: Jet Black, Jade Gray, Gray Poplar, 6MT - Stock... for now.
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08-05-2008, 03:05 PM	#5
3Thirty5i Private 7 Rep 50 Posts Drives: E90 Black Sapphire Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: East Bay, NorCAL iTrader: (0)	Cool idea! Can you post any pics with just the cable with the LED's mounted in the cable? Also, how are you powering the lights? No warning lights on the car that your bulbs are out?
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08-05-2008, 03:12 PM	#6
TheSpungos Second Lieutenant 37 Rep 207 Posts Drives: F80 M3 Tanzanite/Black Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Minneapolis iTrader: (0)	That is a very cool idea. Keep it! __________________ 2018 M3 - Tanzanite/Black, DCT, Comp, Exec
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08-05-2008, 05:39 PM	#7
1clean335i Perf BMW mag issue 147, 159 435 Rep 6,799 Posts Drives: Project Estoril Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Miami, FL iTrader: (31) Garage List 2013 335i M-sport [0.00] 2011 X5 xdrive35i M ... [0.00] 2009 335i M-sport [0.00] 07' 335i Sedan [0.00]	nice idea.. i like it. __________________ '13 Estoril Blue 335i M-sport *Don't PM me!* Message me here- http://www.facebook.com/ProjectEstoril
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08-05-2008, 05:59 PM	#10
PaulBailey@ltbmw General 688 Rep 26,876 Posts Drives: 2-325 330 2-335 2-Z4 2-135 X5d Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Huntington Beach, CA iTrader: (34) Garage List 2008 BMW 335i E90 [7.00] 2011 BMW 335i E92 [7.96]	Damn. . . nice job. very creative.
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08-06-2008, 01:51 PM	#11
scanboy Lieutenant 16 Rep 458 Posts Drives: E90 Montego Blue+Black Int. Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Torrance iTrader: (0)	This is what I did: Attached Images
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