REDZMAN

I think I'm picking up some of those 4 inch cold cathodes and putting them in near the speakers and in the trunk. They have a sound sensitive box you can get for control.

DTN

^^^ sure, if you want to be just like every honda that picks up that setup at autozone.

besides, thats a completely different look. you have a pulsating look with those. Leds are as stated many many times before.... much more crisp and clean.

REDZMAN

No, I won't be taping them to my windshield you douchebag. Ugh. I do have SOME style. At least I don't have a LED shift knob you friggin ricer.

owned.gif

I prefer the nice light glow from Cold Cathodes when they are hidden. And I don't think I've ever seen them at walmart, but I'm SURE they don't have the 4 inch ones. Don't get mad because I'd rather have a manufactured item that I can trust instead of something homecooked in a match box.

LOL

DTN

^^not in a match box. in a project box. You can get the 4" at autozone for $7.99. They're redily available now. Look in the rice section. You'll see all sizes of them. That's where i picked up my shift knob, but then i gutted it, and installed my own circuitry which turns on and off with the interior dash illumination.



The whole reason behind this project was I didn't like the look of the neons which do a similar action. I drafted out a circuit in multisim electronics workbench and found components that work and which would perform a similar action to the neons. I liked the results much more then the neon equivilant. So when i built the next one instead of buying the $20 autozone setup, i did a DIY.



You can buy the musical pulsating neons at walmart or you can buy a components kit at autzone. Regardless, they're still neons and will always be a $20 setup that requires no skill to install.



A dancing LED is not a bolt-on modification and it shows.

REDZMAN

Hah, DTN, you are so much fun. I was playin with you man, don't get down. I thought we was bro's, not hoes.

I don't like the Automotive Cold Cathodes, the ends are huge and most of them look silly. I get the small computer ones as they are 12V and easy to hide. I know your cute little LED's are different, espeically in the way they light up, but I don't like lighting to show like that. I like it hidden, and to glow from under something.

Again, I won't be buying neons, as they are huge and annoying, the cathodes don't buzz like the neons do, and I think they just look better. I wouldn't buy the 20 dollar setup anyways, when I can get them for like 5 bucks online. And I'm rather glad they take no skill to install. Last thing I want is something difficult to install electronics wise, especially since I don't know how to solder or anything else. But these DO take skill to install. Look at the pics sjl01 put up when he first got here. Looked like crap. Then he took the time to find out where to install his lights properly and it looked great.

I don't see why you call them dancing led's, it's more like a LED VU meter than anything else, but if you like it, that's what counts. I want something UL listed. LOL

DTN

I call it dancing because origonally it was 2 levels of LEDs and then the speakers flash and light up..... with the music... like a dance club. My last setup does look exactally like a VU meter. I wanted it to look like that because it gives more of a interactive feeling to the back of my car instead of just a subwoofer blaring music.

REDZMAN

VU meters friggi rock.

Osv4

Can someone help me out here..=D i will be gettin this mod done in my car and i need those pictures on how to make the sencor or watever is there and they arent comming up..TibNaked could u re-upload them or something?

DTN

dude, right now photobucket's site is down. I'll need to remake 4 pictures from when RDT took a dump, but the rest will come up as soon photobucket gets squared away. Be patient.



You can get away with just using a 3W potentiometer rated between 5-30K ohms. I'd recommend that you find one that twists 12 times.



When you do this, keep in mind that the LEDs while bright enough to illuminate a white shirt from about 20 ft away at night, will not be as bright as they would be if they are on all the time. This is because they are only on for 1/2 the wave form. You can't tell, but if you're listening to music and they're flashing 400hz or so it's actually turning on and off faster then the eye can see, so they look constantly on.



LEDs will be about 1/2 as bright as if you hooked them to your vehical's battery. Regardless of that, it's still very bright, very flashy, and very noticable even in daytime.

Osv4

OK..ill wait..

But from what i see now and just reading the stuff it seems that ill screw up something..ill see how it goes when i see the pictures but now its a bit confusing..



"You can get away with just using a 3W potentiometer rated between 5-30K ohms. I'd recommend that you find one that twists 12 times."

Can u explain what is this bit for? Cos now i just got lost even more...