Achieving the Camaro concept's afterburner tail light effect

[bolteon593]

Originally Posted by skuttduck

I think you got it. I kept thinking of using LED, or a smaller bulb for the afterburner, when all you really have to do it put the LED's as the brake light. Use the 3156 bulb in the socket you have and wire up the LED's in front of it as the brake light.

You get the eclipse and the board that the LED's are attached would provide the light for the brake light.

I may have a 3156 bulb in the garage I'll put it in one of the light housings and see if it works with the tail or the brake light.

been saying that all along....


and just so you guys know, if i remember correctly there wasn't just one version of the rear tail lights built for the concept car... it was a stage of different attempts to see if they could feasibly (read: cost effectivly) build out the led set or mimik it close enough. thus the multiple versions and the question of trapazoid (it's actually the bulb idea just like in the production version in that pic you keep referencing) or half moon (original led array).

[kga10734]

Originally Posted by MisterCamaro69

Instead of thinking 'Afterburner', think 'Eclipse'.

The "eclipse" is what I am thinking.

The mock up I did was about 3 layers of window tint placed on the outside of the tail light just to see if it would give me a look I am trying to achieve. It blocks most of the light until the brake is pressed, then the light shines through pretty bright.

I have a long weekend and may take apart one of my tail lights to play around with it. I would really like to have a spare to play with, but I will have to order one. I haven't given up on this project yet. I will be happy if I can get something close.

I can't believe the ass end of my car made the Home page of the site.

[aldaran]

Originally Posted by bolteon593

been saying that all along....


and just so you guys know, if i remember correctly there wasn't just one version of the rear tail lights built for the concept car... it was a stage of different attempts to see if they could feasibly (read: cost effectivly) build out the led set or mimik it close enough. thus the multiple versions and the question of trapazoid (it's actually the bulb idea just like in the production version in that pic you keep referencing) or half moon (original led array).

Yes you did, and you deserve the credit on that one. Great Job. The eclipse sounds like the best way to go and use LED lights for the brake light/turn.

[franknbeans]

wouldn't it be easy to tint the clear plastic piece with some nightshade spray?

leave the bottom unsprayed and it will give you the eclipse look.

[kga10734]

Originally Posted by franknbeans

wouldn't it be easy to tint the clear plastic piece with some nightshade spray?

leave the bottom unsprayed and it will give you the eclipse look.

That is exactly what I'm thinking. That's why I tried it with the window tint first just to see if it would give me the effect I was looking for. I'm also think about changing out the clear lens to a piece of plexiglas and maybe getting it further up into the housing.

[Jericho]

Originally Posted by Ringo

Neither of those is even remotely close. If you want yellow half circles for tail lights, those are great. Afterburners they are not. Too many people out there buying these things and are willing to settle for third best. The demand is out there, we just need somebody to do it correctly with diffused light, and make it happen.

Sad but true. Different light set up to begin with. But, they still may be able to pull it off. The tail light is composed of two seperate lights hung together one if front of the other in such a way that a simulated semi-cone is created. Without the half moon light panel hanging in front it would not achieve the same effect.

Originally Posted by 2SSRS

It may be me but i see a trapezoid inside not a round after you hit the bake light.

It's you.

[binlow84]

Alright, I am no expert by any means but there is only one way I can see this happening and looking like the concept, and unfortunately I don't think it is possible with the stock lights. Others have touched on it (eclipse rather than afterburner, diffused lighting, etc.) but I have yet to see it all compiled the way I see it happening. Basically, it's like this:



In the image we have 3 separate sections. Section A is the brake light area. When the brakes are applied the circle in A will glow brightly. At all times section B should be lit with a softer glow (and by softer I don't mean less bright, just not a glaring red; more a pinkish glow).

Section C is the most important part in the setup. Without it it won't work, not even tinting would make it work in my mind. Section C is a conical half-circle/half-ellipse that sort of resembles a very shallow funnel. It must be a solid material that will reflect the inner brake light but will not allow light leak from the outer running light area. Section C shroud is a physical barrier between the running light bulb/bulbs and the brake light bulb/bulbs. There must be minimal light leak from section B to A (some can be allowed provided the glow from section B is bright enough to fool the eye). The "shroud" separating the 2 sections would have to physically touch the lens cover of the light so no light could leak around to section A and cause it to light up.

The second most important part of the setup would be the placement of the running lights, which just happens to be why the AAC-style will not work. The running lights MUST MUST MUST be diffused. You can't stick a string of LEDs/cold cathode tube pointed outwards and expect it to mimic the concept's look. My solution lies in the conical shape of the divider shroud between the 2 sections. Instead of pointing those LEDs straight out the back, stick them to the hidden side of the shroud and point them inward at a highly reflective surface which reflects the light outwards. This will give the effect that the light is more evenly distributed along the outer rim.

That's basically how my mind sees it working. Not a simple solution by any means but there is little doubt in my mind that it would resemble the concept's look.

[skuttduck]

Originally Posted by kga10734

That is exactly what I'm thinking. That's why I tried it with the window tint first just to see if it would give me the effect I was looking for. I'm also think about changing out the clear lens to a piece of plexiglas and maybe getting it further up into the housing.

I don't think that would work. The light is still coming from the same bulb. Only difference is that the brake light is brighter. I think this would work if the filament is more toward the base of the bulb and you could direct the light downward that way.

The more I look at the concept light I believe it was achieved using two chambers and two bulbs.

I like the idea of using the LED circuit board in front of the existing bulb, and replacing the clear plastic with that. I'll see if I can find my 3156 bulbs and see how they work in place of a 3157 bulb.

If they work to control the tail lights then this would be good, as you can using the existing wiring and not have to cut anything.

[Mr Twisty]

Originally Posted by kga10734

........... This will give the effect that the light is more evenly distributed along the outer rim.

Good write-up. Just to throw another curve in there, we don't want even distribution on the outer edge, we want a fade... Or at least the appearance of a fade to black. Will probably have to settle for an illusion of a fade because of the size constraints.

There's also a caveat I want to throw out there... Law and safety requires a minimum brightness of running lights. If you're tooling down the highway at night, and someone rear-ends you, and they prove you modded your lights, the accident COULD be blamed on you.

[ycgoat]

I think I know how to do it, but it's probably not an easy mod, and will require a lot of LEDs. I am going to add this to my list of LED projects, and will post back when Ive made some progress.

[ycgoat]

You are close, the outer section B can be made by defusing red/orange LED's through a piece of glass and the inner part by custom biulding PCB using small low power red LEDs and larger higher power yelllows. The concept is easy its the fabrication and cost thats a bitch.

[ycgoat]

An Eclipse effect could work also but would need extra depth to accomodate a light source behind the LED board( which appears to be bothe red and yellow.

[Mr Twisty]

Originally Posted by ycgoat

I think I know how to do it, but it's probably not an easy mod, and will require a lot of LEDs. I am going to add this to my list of LED projects, and will post back when Ive made some progress.

[Phantom.5SS]

OK I screwed around with an old Trans Am tail light (honey-comb style) and found that there is one more step....put reflective foil on the BACK of the eclipse lid. This intensifies the parking light (afterburner effect) and spreads the light out a little more evenly.
As far as the burners adjusting I had to make a change........
Use the park light as just that...BUT BUT BUT, wire the stop/turn side of the original bulb to a "String Potentiometer" attached via a spring to the gas pedal. I tried the park light and it went out at 0 throttle (never good at night), but the stop/turn is already off and when I apply voltage from the "pot" it gets brighter and brighter and oh hell we are blazin baby!!!!
Now I gotta fit it in a tiny little SS tail light...DANG!


By The Way...would it not be easier to wrangle Fbodfather into getting GM to make some??