Grimzors

does anyone know where i can find any...? or how i can make them waterproof?

this sounds cheesy but whatever.

i wanna put lights in the hood vents of my camaro, making it look kinda like night rider style.... < thats david hasslehoff by the way... anyways... i need some help guys, links, or suggestions how to make LED's waterproof and maybe how to install it...etc, please? thanks

Brian2006

Almost all LEDs are waterproof

n2ceptor

The only water proof I have seen are for boat trailers........ YOu could probably use a clear silicone adhesive.....

Grimzors

hmmm i had something like that in mind.... hopefully i get some more input on it... thanks so far guys

Brian2006

Trust me, they're pretty much all waterproof.

What style of LEDs are you lookin to buy?

Grimzors

they are like really micro LED's theyre on a 9 inch strip and theyre for cars, just doesnt say if i can use it outside.

Brian2006

Here's an example of what I'm talkin about from one of my LED boards I've made:



They're just ordinary 5mm LEDs.

Grimzors

Oh wow... so it should be waterproof, i myself have messed with led's.... i made this.





it was so hard to make -_-
i no longer have the desire or money to make a custom guitar so im looking to sell it, lol.

i got another question, i wanna give it a diffused glow look, how could i pull that off? any idea?

Brian2006

To get the diffused look, you want to grind the heads of the LEDs flat to have a greater viewing angle.

I myself have messed with some LEDs as well

Grimzors

Yea the annoying thing is dealing with the resistors and such...what a pain.

i dont think i can sand the heads though they are INSANELY tiny, lol

Brian2006

That's what a dremel is for. The resistor's really aren't that hard... what are you having trouble with?

Grimzors

well, i havent bought the strips yet, as far as resistors go i was referring to my previous guitar LED project, irrelevant to this. but yea i mean, the only thing im worried about is how to mount it in the vents, either on the bottom, facing up, or face directly towards the front...

97FormulaWS-6

I have something similar in the hood of my car; I have them pointing straight vertical such that there is just a glow in the vents.

If you're custom making a strip like that, I HIGHLY suggest coating all the leads/jumpers/connections with a thin coating of RTV, just to keep everything waterproof and preventing corrosion. They may work without any issues, but over time they will corrode and stop working.

My install is a little different as mine is a 3rd brake light from a Nissan rear wing that I mounted in the vent; looks factory.

P.S. if you need info on LEDs, let me know... I do Solid-State lighting (LED based lighting) for a living...

Grimzors

where in the vents do you have them installed? and what is RTV?