Hey, I had an idea, but I'm not sure if it would work. I was thinking of getting one of those LED strips and placing them in a square around my stickshift on that plastic piece that surrounds it (I have a first gen).. Then having them wired to my alarm so when my alarm is active, it strobes around the stick shifter in a square. A couple questions, what do you guys think this would look like? Good/Bad, Comments, etc? And also, does anyone know if it is possible to get a BLUE LED strip instead of just red? (I've seen the red strips at Circuit City and such, just never looked for a blue). Thanks for all help. rolleyes.gif

 

Yes you can get a blue strip, Although I think it would be next to impossoble to bend it around your shifter because if you kink the the strip it woun't work. As far as hooking up strobe lights you could do this but you would need a positive out put when armed wire and you might actually you probably would run down your battery and pull alot of unwanted attention to your car. As far as the look for the blue strip if you can get it to work it might look ok but it's your car so if you like it go for it.

 

Hey Jaws, I've been lookin all over the net for a Blue LED strip, but I can't seem to find one? Do you happen to know anywhere I could get one? I think it would be nice to get one that has the chasing lights effect (Kinda like the chasing ants thing, where like LED 1 would light up, then LED 2, then 3,4,5,6,5,4,3,2,1, etc..). Also, do you think having it do this would drain the battery, or would it work just like any other LED? Thanks for your help!

 

The led will drain no more power than the little red light well maybe a tad bit but not enough to worry about. I know they did sell them at Circuit City or just go to any car audio store most if not all that you go to should carry them but they are pricy the one you want run about $40-$60 (for the one that looks like a stripe of tape that one light follows the next like there chasing each other)

 

Yeah, I thought Circuit City did too, but I went in there and they said they never sold even one so they discontinued them or some crap.. Maybe I'll try a bigger Car Audio store like Car Toys or something, cuz the place I have my work done at doesn't have them, they've installed them before but they don't sell them. Thanks for your help! smile.gif

 

Well, in terms of current drain, modern auto security systems drain more current because of the LED than everything else in the security system put together. Then next big offender is a microwave sensor (Which I still think isn't that great an idea anyway. They're too hard to calibrate accurately.)

As such, adding multiple LEDs to the system always makes a signifigant difference in the amount of current drain that the alarm system puts on your electrical system. Brighter LEDs will also make a difference.

Check the installation instructions for your security system as well. Some are okay with self-blinking LEDs, and some are not. Usually the aftermarket ones make use of an "armed output" from your alarm brain. In addition, many (if not most) alarms use the LED for status reporting, so you'll want to use a standard non-blinking LED for that in any event. That can, of course, be any colour that you want, provided that you know how to properly connect it.

For myself, I don't think that I'd have a problem with LEDs draining my battery during any length of time that I might be leaving my car parked, but then I doubt that my car has been sitting still for more than 72 hours at a stretch more than twice since the day I bought it!

Now, if battery life isn't really an issue, you aren't limited to LED. lights, because you're using the armed output from the alarm. YOu can use anythign from fibreoptic to neon -- with the corresponding penalty in current draw.

 

Well, I currently have one of those nifty Clifford flush-mount LEDs(red) already installed, and I planned on leaving that in there, and really all I wanted was a blue LED strip to turn on and chase(such as LED #1 lighting, then 2, 3, 4, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, repeat) when the alarm is armed, and it to turn off when the alarm is not armed. For the most part, I think my car only sits unused over night, or when I work a 9 hour day. But that's about as long as it sits unused. I thought about neon, but I think I am going to take out my "Oh ****" handle above the passenger door and replace it with a 6" blue neon stick that turns on when the doors are open (AKA, when Dome Lights come on).. Thanks for everyones help.. I'll pry call around or go lookin for those Blue strips at Car Toys or something, the things people do for their cars.. sheesh.