DIY LED car lamp 12V. Making LED lighting for a car with your own hands

Owning your car is one of the first tasks that every car enthusiast pursues. LED headlights have become the equivalent of versatility. They combine the qualities of style and functionality. In practice, many people think that xenon headlights and LED headlights compete with each other. LED optics enhance the light by “beaming”, while looking stylish and not dazzling the warriors in the oncoming lane. The downside of LED optics is their complexity. Thanks to good light dispersion at any time of the day, the owner of LEDs receives a bright, saturated spot of light, which can be adjusted by reducing the distribution area. This is why DIY car LEDs are an interesting mechanism that decorates a car. DIY LED headlights require skill and imagination. This is the only way to create a car design with your own hands.

When replacing conventional headlights, you must remember that the supply voltage for each color of the LED bulb is not the same, and it is necessary to calculate the energy with the engine running and switched off. hands will be original and the brightness of the light depends on the correctly calculated voltage. As a rule, the bulk of LEDs operate with a voltage of 3.5 V, some in the range from 2 to 2.5 V. The service life of LED lamps is much longer than other lighting devices in the car. LED optics are ready to serve up to 2500 hours continuously. Due to the absence of a filament in the LED housing, the design is quite simple and does not require knowledge in the field of radio electronics.

Connecting LED headlights

The process is not the most difficult. DIY LEDs are not the hardest process. With the new traffic rules, LED headlights will help you comply with the rules of behavior on the road. LED headlights shine brighter without blinding the opposite driver. The LED lights are connected according to a pre-developed scheme. Lamps can be installed in any position and combine different colors and sizes. You can make various kinds of patterns, thereby decorating the car. Do-it-yourself LEDs for cars are connected to the car battery, but this must be done indirectly. A series-parallel connection will make it possible to connect several LEDs at once and at the same time maintain the same voltage. A voltage stabilizer of approximately 9 volts is a universal device when connecting flashlights. You don’t have to worry about the incandescent temperature of the flashlights and prepare the body in advance by painting it with nitro paint. For insulation, you can also use gel silicone, squeezing it into the body using a mounting gun. This way the LEDs will be insulated from moisture, which is practically the only danger for lamp failure.

The use of LED lamps in a car.

The answer to this question lies in the place where the LEDs will be installed. As a rule, lamps are connected in series to the lighting circuit of cars. A 220 ohm resistor is used. When installing in a chain, you can use mounting adhesive. You should not use super glue, because if you need to replace the lamp, it will be difficult to dismantle it. Using a multimeter, each chain is closed. If necessary, you can make a flashing pattern. It is best to connect each circuit in series and separately, so the voltage will be supplied alternately. You can connect each light bulb separately, but here you need to calculate the voltage, since each type of LED has its own voltage. Installation is carried out by drilling holes of the required size (depending on the size of the lamp). This way the LEDs will fall into place with your own hands. Finally, it is necessary to carefully glue the lamps and protect them from moisture getting inside the circuit. This can be done by using silicone sealant. It is worth remembering that the light from LED lamps is diffuse and needs to be focused. The exception is the headlights and fog lights with LED lamps.

Where is LED optics used?

Here the owner’s imagination can be limitless. LED lamps can be used as fog lights, as a replacement for turn signals on side windows. On the headlights, as well as on the car's rims. Taillights with flashing turn signal arrows will also fit very nicely into the design of the car. If necessary, you can also decorate the car dashboard with LEDs.
LED lamps, xenon, neon and conventional incandescent lamps have their pros and cons when used in a car. Let's look at them. At first glance, there is quite a lot of hassle with LEDs, but there is a big “But”. LED lamps consume less energy, due to which you can save on energy supply from the battery. On some cars, the battery may fail and not supply energy, meaning that even a low voltage can cause the car to ignite. Secondly, LEDs are more attractive in appearance than neon, xenon or incandescent lamps. They burn much brighter and individual lamps can be replaced. For incandescent lamps, you will either have to purchase a multi-colored housing or paint the lamps manually. The third, compelling argument is the safety of LED lamps, which do not cause harm to vision, even if installed on the headlights. The extraordinary compactness of LEDs allows them to be used almost anywhere and at the same time they will be a stylish decoration in the car. A DIY LED headlight will cost much less than purchasing an imported one. A Hella LED headlight costs approximately 40,000 rubles and not everyone is able to purchase it.


The big and “inconvenient” thing is the heat transfer of LEDs. They get very hot and it is necessary to think about heat removal from the housing where the LED lamps are installed. This can be done by installing it in the generator housing. As a last resort, the generator can be taken outside.

LED lamps in world practice.

Not so long ago, the Audi concern announced headlights based on LED lamps, which are installed in the Audi A8. Unlike “handmade” ones, a ready-made headlight is an analogue of a conventional one with the ability to control the direction and range of light. The technology will eventually be introduced into all Audi cars, since LED lamps have long been recognized as the safest. Thus, automobile concerns strive to save money and protect the health of car owners. The finished headlights are insensitive to temperature changes and shock-resistant, since the body is made of polycarbonate. LEDs in a car can withstand from -40 degrees to +80 degrees Celsius.


From the above it is clear that LED optics are a stylish and profitable analogue to all lighting devices in a car. If you have knowledge in the field of radio electronics, then installing LEDs with your own hands will be an art.
You yourself can decorate and improve your car the way you want.

LED car tuning is the most popular type of lighting modernization. Car enthusiasts are trying to improve various parts of the car using LED strips instead of factory halogen lamps.

1

Installing and connecting LEDs with your own hands is not a difficult task if you have some knowledge of automotive electrical engineering and have the necessary tools. The main and unconditional advantage of such tuning is efficiency and durability. If you switch the main lighting sources to LEDs, the generator and, accordingly, the battery will work longer and much more reliably. LEDs are a compact and convenient material for upgrading various parts of a car body with your own hands. Most often, car enthusiasts use them for:

  • tuning the front and rear optics ("angel eyes", "eyelashes" or replacing the main lighting lamp);
  • tuning the bumper and rear-view mirrors (in the form of turn signal repeaters);
  • illumination of the underbody and interior of the car, license plates.

Rear optics for cars

Some also use LEDs as the main material for illuminating brake discs, which creates an effect that is noticeable at night, especially if high-brightness options and exotic colors are used. Today, soldering LEDs into clusters with your own hands one at a time does not make much sense, although for some types of tuning it is recommended to use “singles”. However, such work requires additional knowledge and takes a lot of time.

2

It is best to use ready-made LED strips of various lengths and brightness, which are convenient to install on various parts of the car with your own hands. It should be understood that the standard electrical voltage of the on-board network of a modern car varies between 12-15 volts, depending on the operation of the engine. Conventional LEDs are designed for a voltage not exceeding 4.5 V. Therefore, they are connected in a chain with an additional resistor. Connecting such lamps directly will result in instant failure; the lamp will simply burn out from excess voltage.

LED strips in the cabin

Manufacturers of LED strips in recent years have taken into account the voltage indicator of a standard automotive network and produced them with a transistor and marks for convenient cutting. Such tapes can be connected directly to the on-board network, but it is necessary to observe polarity and, if possible, provide additional insulation of contact wires. The tape can be used to decorate various parts of the car, but its power is not enough to replace the head optics. In this case, it is necessary to use powerful ones instead of a standard flashlight, and the connection and installation diagram depends on the make of the car, the presence or absence of an on-board computer and other factors.

If the car is equipped with a modern controller and you want to replace the head optics, it is better to use special “fake” lamps. They are made on a standard base, have an additional voltage resistor and allow you to avoid on-board network errors, since modern controllers recognize the installation of third-party equipment as a burnt-out contact. When tuning the rear optics, you can use several red tapes, the power of which is enough to completely replace the standard lights.

When connecting LEDs with your own hands, the main factor is the correct calculation of the series resistance. To avoid controller errors and loads on the on-board network, the total resistance of the LEDs must be equal to the standard resistance of a conventional halogen or other lamp. Thus, a strip of 5 lamps in series must be equipped with resistors with a resistance of at least 150 Ohms. This indicator is measured with a special device - a multimeter, and you need to check a standard lamp with your own hands in all modes - high beam, low beam, dimensions.

3

For car wheel arches or brake discs, use special sealed LED strips with additional protection from moisture and dirt, and are also resistant to temperature changes. Fastening can be done in several ways, but the most reliable and effective way is to place the LED strip on the sides and in the center of the bottom and secure it with iron or plastic clamps in several places. Be sure to route the contact wires into the interior, where you make the connection, observing the polarity.

Installing lighting on the bottom of a car

It is best to do the wiring yourself through the luggage compartment; on most car models you can find a hole. It makes no sense to leave wires outside; even with high-quality insulation, they will quickly burn out under the influence of climate change and external factors. Do-it-yourself LED tuning of brake discs is carried out in a similar way. It is necessary to remove the wheel and cut the tape along the length of the metal wheel casing. You also need to drill several holes in it through which to secure the LEDs in the plastic case with reliable clamps. The contacts, as when installing underbody lighting or wheel arches, should be routed into the interior and properly insulated. The nuances of connection depend on the car model, the voltage and resistance of the network and the electrical circuit.

It is important to remember that LED tuning, in principle, is not prohibited by technical regulations and traffic rules if the color of the diodes matches the standards and norms. The diodes in the headlights must be of a certain brightness and only white, and red when installed in the rear lights. Otherwise, the car owner may have problems when meeting with a traffic police officer who will issue a fine. In addition, when installing multi-colored “garlands” around the perimeter of the body, in the bumper and headlights, remember other road users, since at night, mismatched colors or too bright lights can cause an accident.

It is no secret that in the modern automotive market, LED lighting is gradually replacing the already familiar halogen and xenon lighting. This happens quite naturally, and for a number of reasons:

  1. LEDs are much more durable;
  2. they do not heat up and have low current consumption;
  3. The light output of headlights with LEDs is higher, but the emitted light does not blind drivers of oncoming cars at all;
  4. they are shock-resistant and insensitive to temperature changes (withstand from -40 to +80 degrees).

However, such ultra-mono lighting is present, naturally, only in new cars, and even then not in all. Owners of used cars have to either put up with this state of affairs or make LEDs for their cars with their own hands. How? If you take into account a few important nuances, it’s quite simple!

Changing standard car lighting to LED: what do you need to know?

In order to ensure that your motives to make the car better, you do not earn yourself extra “hemorrhoids” in the form of repairing this or that electrical equipment and, accordingly, unnecessary expenses, I would like to draw your attention to this.

The standard voltage of the car's on-board network is 12-13V when the engine is not running, and 13-14.5V when it is running. The standard LED voltage is, on average, 3.5V. Again - on average! Since there are possible options here: for red and yellow LEDs this indicator will be lower (2-2.5V), and for blue, white and green LEDs it will be higher (3-3.8V).

One way or another, the voltage of the LED is always less than the voltage of the on-board network, which means that if you simply wedge the first one into the last one, it will burn out (those who don’t believe you can check it yourself).

How to make LED lighting in a car correctly? Step-by-step instruction.

  1. Just buy individual LEDs in the store, or buy solid LED panels. They are, as a rule, designed for a voltage of 12V, so they can be safely connected to the on-board network and not be afraid of anything.
  2. Install them in the right place.

I would like to end this article here, but, unfortunately, everything is not so simple. Although this option also has a right to exist, but only if:

  • the on-board network of your car has normal voltage (not at its lower limit);
  • you are ready for the fact that when the engine speed changes, the intensity of the LED lighting will also change.

If not, you can try to make your own cluster (combining LEDs for a car with your own hands). To do this, purchase the required number of white LEDs, connect them in series (plus to minus) with each other, and then connect the resulting connection to the on-board network.

Taking into account the average voltage of the latter (12-14V) and the voltage of one LED (white - 3.5V), you will need a total of 3 LEDs (3.5x3=10.5V). But 10.5V is still significantly less than 12-14V, therefore, in addition to the resulting connection, you will need to include a resistor in the chain. It will absorb excess voltage and prevent your new lighting from burning out.

And, by the way, such chains (3 LEDs + resistor) can be assembled and connected in any quantity you need. The main thing is to do this in parallel, that is, plus to plus/minus to minus.

How do you know which resistor to use? Using a multimeter and Ohm's law, which states that the resistance of a resistor is the quotient of dividing the voltage that needs to be extinguished by the circuit current that needs to be obtained. That is, if, for example, you plan to use 1 white LED with a voltage of 3.5V (current 20 mA) in your circuit, then your calculations and actions will look approximately as follows:

  • using a multimeter, measure the voltage in the place where you subsequently intend to install the LED(s), it is indeed different in different places; Let's say it turns out to be 13V;
  • now subtract the voltage of your LED(s) from this number: 13V - 3.5V = 9.5V - this is the voltage that needs to be extinguished;
  • the circuit current that needs to be obtained is known to you in this case - 20 mA, for the correctness of calculations we convert it into amperes: 20 mA = 0.02 A;
  • All that remains is to calculate the required resistor resistance by dividing one value by another: 9.5 / 0.02 = 475 Ohms;
  • in addition to resistance, when purchasing and installing a resistor, you will need to know its power, which is calculated by multiplying the calculated voltage by the circuit current that needs to be obtained: 9.5 × 0.02 = 0.19 watts, however, it is better to take this indicator with a reserve, so when you arrive to a radio store, you will not ask for “475 Ohm resistor 0.2 watt”, but “475 Ohm resistor 0.5 or 1 watt”.

A correctly selected resistor will allow you to connect any number of LEDs of any power to the on-board network, but it cannot eliminate the dependence of the glow intensity on engine speed, which cannot be said about a current stabilizer or the so-called driver.

To obtain a uniform glow of the LEDs, independent of engine speed, all you need to do is:

  1. purchase the same resistor (with a resistance of 500 Ohms) and this driver (three-terminal voltage regulator LM317, sold in stores for radio amateurs);
  2. solder two wires to the last one: one to its middle terminal, the other to the extreme one, which one doesn’t matter;
  3. by rotating the resistor rod and monitoring everything with a multimeter, achieve its maximum resistance - about 500 Ohms;
  4. correctly assemble the circuit: device - extreme terminal of the stabilizer - microcircuit connected through the central terminal of the driver - remaining terminal of the stabilizer - LED.

Video.

Many car tuning enthusiasts prefer to replace the backlight lamps for buttons, glove compartment, trunk, interior, and often side lights with LEDs. Their advantages are obvious: they are more durable, have low energy consumption compared to incandescent lamps with greater light output, and do not heat up like lamps.
However, simply taking an LED and installing it instead of an incandescent lamp will not work. In this article we will look at how to correctly replace conventional lamps with LEDs and how to properly connect them in a car.

So, to present the full picture, we need to understand that:

  • The voltage of the vehicle's on-board network when the engine is running is 13-14.5 V.
  • The LED supply voltage is on average 3.5 V. Moreover, it varies. For yellow and red colors it is 2-2.5 V; for white, blue, green - 3-3.8 V.
  • The average current of small LEDs is 20 mA.
  • The LED contacts have polarity, plus and minus. If the polarity is reversed, the LED will not light.

Accordingly, it is impossible to connect LEDs directly to the vehicle’s on-board network; they will immediately fail.

How then to connect them?

There are ready-made LED clusters on sale that are already designed for a 12 V power supply. They usually consist of three LEDs and a resistor on which excess voltage is suppressed. The same principle applies to the LED strip, which consists of parallel-connected clusters. It needs to be cut only in specially marked places, which are the junctions of parallel clusters.
True, when the supply voltage decreases, the brightness of the diodes will also decrease, and when it increases, it will increase, so if the voltage in the car’s on-board network floats, then the same will happen with the light of the diodes.

Using the same principle, you can make such a cluster with your own hands by connecting the required number of LEDs in series (plus one to the minus of the other), and the resulting 2 outputs at the ends of the chain to the on-board network.
For example, LEDs designed for a voltage of 3.5 V (white) will need 3 pieces (3 x 3.5 = 10.5 V). We compensate the remaining voltage with a resistor with a resistance of 100 - 150 Ohms with a dissipation power of 0.5 W.

This is how you can turn on the required number of LEDs by assembling them in sections of 3 pieces with a resistor, and connecting the sections in parallel. He will tell you where this can be applied in practice.

The value of the quenching resistor is calculated according to Ohm's law. If you are not familiar with this, then in practice you can accept the following resistance values ​​for the on-board network of a car: for one LED - 500 Ohms, for two - 300 Ohms, for three, as indicated above - 150 Ohms.

For those who want to master a practical method for selecting resistances for powering LEDs in a car, let’s consider it in more detail.

To do this, we need a multimeter capable of measuring voltage and current. The simplest Chinese will do. Here's what it might look like:

Ohm's law for our section of the circuit with an LED and a resistor looks like this: R = U/I (R – resistance, Ohm; U – voltage, V; I – current, A). Thus, in order to obtain the required resistance, we need to divide the voltage that needs to be extinguished by the amount of current that needs to be obtained in our circuit.

Let's take as an example a white LED with the following parameters: supply voltage - 3.5V, rated operating current - 20 mA (or 0.02 A).

Using a multimeter, we measure the voltage at the connection point of the LED (if it is a side light, then at the contacts of the side lamp socket) with the engine running, let’s say we get 13 V.

If we connect one LED, then we need to subtract the rated voltage for which the LED is designed (3.5 V) from the measured voltage.

13 – 3.5 = 9.5 (V)

The current in our circuit should not exceed 0.02A so that the LED does not fail prematurely.

Then the resistance value will be:

9.5 / 0.02 = 475 (Ohm)

To prevent our resistor from burning out from overheating during operation, we calculate the power for which it should be designed. To do this, you need to multiply the voltage it suppresses (9.5 V) by the current in the circuit (0.02 A).

9.5 x 0.02 = 0.19 (W)

We take it with a margin, that is, from 0.5 to 1 W.

Now we have resistor data: at least 475 Ohm, power 0.5 -1 W, take these numbers and go with them to the radio shop.

You can verify the correctness of the calculations by measuring the current in our circuit using the same multimeter. To do this, the multimeter probes must be connected to the gap between the resistor and the LED.

It should show no more than 0.02A, which the LED is designed for; a higher operating current will sharply reduce its service life.

In this way, you can connect several LEDs, you just need to know the operating voltage of the LEDs and their current, and calculate the resistor value by substituting the data in the formula above.

It is also useful to connect a regular diode with reverse polarity to the LED, to protect our LED from reverse polarity voltage, which it really does not like. Necessary for use in older domestic cars.

That’s all for today, in the next article we’ll look at a more advanced method of powering LEDs in a car using a stabilizer.

LED light today is a popular method of lighting not only in apartments, but also in modern cars. Diodes can be used both for low beam and for arranging lighting in the car interior. You can learn more about what an LED is, how to connect it yourself, and what types of such light bulbs there are from this material.

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LED characteristics

LEDs are diodes that can glow when current flows through them. The light of an LED strip or light bulb depends on what additives were used to create the conductor. For example, yellow and red lighting, as well as shades of these colors, are possible as a result of adding phosphorus, aluminum, indium and helium to the conductor. If a blue phosphor is added to the conductor, the color of the diode will be white. Today you can find lamps on sale in dozens of different colors and shades, but their color does not depend on the color of the body of the diode itself, but directly on chemical additives.

It should also be noted that diode elements in a transparent case can glow in absolutely any color when connected to a car.

Such lighting has many advantages, including:

  • if compared with conventional incandescent light bulbs, then in this case the level of energy consumption will be ten times less;
  • quite a long service life, which can be up to ten years of continuous operation;
  • Also, such lamps are very durable and practically impervious to vibrations and shocks;
  • a huge variety of colors and shades;
  • ability to operate at low voltage;
  • diode devices are generally environmentally friendly and safe from a fire point of view - such designs do not contain toxic elements, therefore, they do not heat up, which means fires are excluded.

Marking

As for the main characteristics and markings, we will talk about this further. The crystal of the diode component is mounted in a reflector, which initially sets the required scattering angle. This light flux passes through a special housing made of epoxy resin, and when it reaches the lens, it is immediately dissipated. Moreover, it is scattered at an angle that depends on the design of the lens; it can range from 5 to 160 degrees.

As for marking, such diode elements can be divided into two types:

  1. Visible radiation. Typically used as indicators, as well as backlight sources in various devices.
  2. Infrared range. Such devices are used in remote control panels, sensors, controllers, as well as all kinds of transceiver devices operating in the infrared range.

In any case, such light sources are marked using a color code. First, you should identify the type of diode in accordance with its design, and then clarify it according to the markings given in the table.

Connection Guide

Now we propose to find out how the LED is turned on after connecting the plus and minus, which circuit can be used for this and which cannot.

In the case of a car, a twelve-volt on-board network allows for greater possibilities in terms of connecting plus and minus. If the circuit is implemented in a car, then it can be sequential with three elements. A larger number of parts, as a rule, are no longer connected to the network, since it is necessary to remember that the voltage level decreases under load. For example, if it drops even slightly, by one volt, to 11 V, this can cause a large loss of light flux. When arranging the circuit and connecting the positive, you can use a resistor, but if it is not at hand, then experts recommend using a low-voltage driver in such cases.

Its use is due to the fact that it also operates from a twelve-volt network and is also equipped with a special output voltage regulator. In addition, the driver must also have an ampere setting, which will allow optimal distribution of current and ensure high-quality lighting. In addition, its design is much simpler than when compared to connecting to a household network; such a circuit eliminates the need to use an additional transformer, only a choke.

As you know, despite the fact that a car electrical circuit has 12 volts, when the engine is running, the voltage parameter can vary around 13.5-15 volts. However, if surges occur in the system, this parameter can increase to 30 volts. When the power unit is turned off, the voltage level should be around 12-13 volts, in this case it all depends on how charged the battery is.

So when arranging the circuit, in any case you need to use a stabilizer or a stabilized power supply. Moreover, Chinese-made products have difficulty withstanding voltage surges, since in general the quality of the conductor on the chip leaves much to be desired. If you use higher quality, branded versions of lighting sources, then they can function without stabilizers, it is safe for them (the author of the video is the KAR AutoCity channel).

The procedure for installing diode elements in a car may differ, depending on what kind of circuit you want to arrange and how you will connect it.

Below is a universal version of the assembly steps that will allow you to do everything correctly:

  1. Before assembly, read the technical documentation. You must know exactly the characteristics of your light sources, specifically how many volts each LED will supply in your circuit.
  2. The next step will be drawing up a connection diagram. There are quite a lot of options for such schemes on the Internet, you can easily find something for yourself. When drawing up the circuit, take into account the supply voltage in the electrical network.
  3. Next, you will need to calculate the power consumption level of the circuit as a whole.
  4. When you do this, you will need to select either a stabilizer, an appropriate unit, or a driver that is suitable for your electrical circuit in terms of power. It would also be a good idea to correctly calculate the resistor in case you plan to use power with a stabilized voltage.
  5. Then you need to find the correct polarity on the light source elements. You must know exactly where the plus is and where the minus is. Using a soldering iron and consumables (tin, rosin), solder the wires to the plus and minus, after which you can connect the power source (that is, the cable from the on-board network). The connection in this case will depend on your goals - if you want the lighting to work when the ignition is on, then you need to extend the cable directly from the ignition.
  6. After the wires are soldered, it is necessary to securely and tightly mount the diode elements on the radiator and fix them. Next, the assembled structure is connected to the vehicle’s on-board network. If nothing burned out when connecting, then check, just in case, the energy consumption parameter, the heating of the diode elements, as well as the current they consume. If the current turns out to be higher or lower than you planned, then this indicator should be adjusted.
    Please note that although diodes can withstand vibrations and shocks, all components of the circuit must be securely fixed. This will prevent malfunctions in the operation of lighting sources, as well as the appearance of extraneous sounds caused by shaking of loose elements.

Video “How to make a voltage stabilizer for LEDs with your own hands”

To prevent burnout of diode light sources, you can try to make an appropriate stabilizer with your own hands; detailed instructions are given in the video (the author of the video is the Created in Garage channel).