Adding red LEDs to Back Window

[TomoHawk]

I was looking at some circuits for the flasher, and a few of them mentioned it was declared illegal soon after it came out.  Apparently, the strobing  could induce seizures in drivers behind, so it was no longer used.  I don't see how one or two strobes  could hurt anyone, like a camera's flash.

 

 I witnessed a couple rear-end night-time collisions over the summer, so it got me a little worried for my own car.  I bought an LED 3rd-brake lamp, and I can add that to the back window somehow (double-faced tape or screws into bosses.) I thought I would like to add a pair of small red LEDs as parking lamps so I can add  some extra safety when the brake lights are not on.

 

Is that usually something you would be permitted to do?  It's just there to act as an extra parking light, not as a brake light, and  when you press the brakes all 50 LEDs will turn on.

 

thxZ

Edited October 25, 2015 by TomoHawk

[Mark Maras]

 Let me share an idea that has been kicking around in my head for a while. This is based on reaction time. In the old days of drag racing they used a "christmas tree". The lights were spaced 1/2 second apart. It didn't take long to figure out the reaction time plus mechanical slippage took 1/2 second to move the car. Ergo, if you reacted when the last yellow light came on, you could hole-shot most people. With that in mind, if I was going to put a third brake light on the car, The color could be red or amber(red would be my choice) but I would have it activated by the throttle. Anytime the throttle is in the closed position, the light is on. This could possibly give the driver behind more braking time. even if it didn't fail to stop an accident it likely would cut down on the damage.  

[TomoHawk]

That's not a bad idea.   A magnetic switch would control  the power.   You might wizz off some people following you for a long time if they see the red (brake) light come on every time you coast, and would otherwise learn to ignore it, which would not be good, The alternative color, or a smaller/partial red area would allow you both the warning, and brake function.

[Mark Maras]

Yeah, maybe the amber would be better. Instead of wizzed off they would just be curious. And then there is the other thought, I don't care how wizzed off they are as long as they don't plow into me.

 If one continues this line of thought, green, yellow & red is the next step. Years ago I dug through the US Patents on this idea & as I recall Porsche had already explored the green yellow, red idea.

 Looking back, this idea came to me after Congress mandated the third b.light. At the time I wondered why, if they were going to add the third light, they didn't make it do something different rather than just more of the same.

 My 260 project will have one when it is back on the road. Been waiting to try this for years.

[Matthew Abate]

You can get red LED lights meant to go on the back plate or any number of other places on a motorcycle. If there are any places to mount them that you could run a wire this might be effective, especially if you can swivel them around to point directly into the following car.

I haven't gotten to that part of my restoration yet, so I can't think of where would work best.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[TomoHawk]

There are a lot of accessories that have red LED brake lamps on them.   One is a license plate bracket with a license plate lamp and red LED 3rd brake lamp.  One was a combination 3rd brake lamp and backup lamp, and one was a license plate frame with embedded red LEDs. 

[TomoHawk]

 Looking back, this idea came to me after Congress mandated the third b.light.

I remember back then that cars would go around with one or both brake lamps out, so the 3rd brake lamp was welcome, so you didn't have to concentrate on the car ahead of you, to see if it was slowing down or braking.  Plus, some trucks would tow trailers with no brake lights on them.  And with several bulbs or LEDs in the newer lamps, you could be confident that at least some will light up when braking.

Edited October 25, 2015 by TomoHawk

[Mark Maras]

 They weren't a total waste. I'm sure that they have prevented many accidents. 

 I like the idea of LED brake lights. Maybe a LED reader board. One could post messages(imagination time) to the car following you. Or even line drawings such as Blue's opening remark about F.B. and another plus, you could out-run them, if you had to, in a good Z.

[TomoHawk]

Yes, the LEDs have that snap of an on-time, so as you probably noticed from the Earlier Cadillacs, so you really took notice of them as brake lamps.  I think I will add only one pair of LEDs on the ends to my brake lamp, so they won't be mistaken for brake lights.  

 

The idea of a message board  would worry me.  Too many drivers have enough trouble watching the road and reading/obeying traffic signs, so asking them to read a message would gives me  concern.  If it flashed a solid red for braking, they would be fine.  If it had an arrow as a turn indicator, that ought to be fine too.

 

I haven't found one, but there has to be a circuit somewhere that would STROBE, not flash, the LEDs one before lighting them solidly.  The only circuits or electronic boxes I've seen pulse the LEDs slowly, which doesn't add and kind of safety to having LEDs.  Maybe one of our gadget gurus here could come up with such a thing.

[Mark Maras]

Interesting, I hadn't thought about all the options available today. A gadget guru could take this idea to another level. Originally, all I was going to build was a deceleration light & mount it in the third brake light position.

[TomoHawk]

I was looking at some circuits for the flasher, and a few of them mentioned it was declared illegal.  Apparently, the strobing  could induce seizures in drivers, so it was no longer used.  I don't see how one or two strobes  could hurt anyone, like a camera's flash.

 

Update:   Actually, it's a sustained strobing or flashing that was causing the seizures.  There was an experiment to flash the red traffic light so drivers would notice it better, but it caused a few seizures, so it was abandoned.

Edited October 25, 2015 by TomoHawk

[Bonzi Lon]

The flashing red lights and seizures were part of the plot in the movie "The Andromeda Strain". 

 

Bonzi Lon