Strobe your LED brakelight

[vfr870]

I have a custom strobe set-up in my VFR brake light housing and I was looking to have the same effect on my SV, but there isnt any room in the LED light assmebly to do this. My friend has a brake light modulator in his Bimota so I searched for it and came across this and ordered one....... http://www.customdynamics.com/led_strobe.htm

I just wired it up to my SV and it's pretty cool. You can change the flash pattern with the dip switches on the back. I set it to flash *really* fast then solid brake light, repeat. The rate of the strobe effect flash is controlled by a small adjustment screw in the back of the unit. It's encased in epoxy so it looks to be pretty waterproof but it shouldnt get too wet under your rear seat. It was about $41 shipped & you can paypal it.

Pretty cool gadget for not too much $$ to bring attention to yourself when braking/holding the brake. I've been rear-ended before here in NYC so I take the extra measure to make my brake lights more noticeable. It's not bike specific so it will work with just about any LED brake light set-up. The unit is pretty small, too.

*Note* it will NOT work with regular incandescant bulbs, only LEDS. 2 amp draw max.

Steve

[vfr870]

Switches & adjustment screw in back....

Steve

[NiteQwill]

Why not just a brake light modulator? I forgot the company, but it's plug-n-play and cheaper.

[bharbou]

strobe is bling baby!

[sdlnxgk]

I would love to see some video of this strobe in action can someone submit a short video???

[vfr870]

Originally posted by NiteQwill
Why not just a brake light modulator? I forgot the company, but it's plug-n-play and cheaper.


This is a brake light modulator....it just flashes *much* faster.

Steve

[Dante]

Question -- how long is the pause between flashes? Ideally, I'd like to have a modulator that flashes for like 2 seconds when I first apply the brake, and then stays solid until I let off the brake. I've been behind vehicles that flash, stay solid, flash, stay solid.... and it drove me nuts. I don't need to have the thing keep flashing at me over and over again... Then again, it does get people's attention.

Pretty cool that you can adjust the speed of the flash. A video of this would be really cool!

From the product description:

"An adjustment screw is used to adjust the strobe rate. The adjustment screw can can also be set to keep the LEDs on solid. Therefore, this unit can solid glow your LEDs and strobe the LEDs by the adjustment of a screw. "

This confuses me... what would be the point of this unit if you just have it keep the LEDs on solid?

[rb643]

Originally posted by Dante
Question -- how long is the pause between flashes? Ideally, I'd like to have a modulator that flashes for like 2 seconds when I first apply the brake, and then stays solid until I let off the brake.

http://www.comagination.com/bflasher.htm

I have the IBF4 which flashes 3 times and goes solid. Works very well on LED bulbs, but not on incandecent bulbs.

[vfr870]

Originally posted by Dante
Question -- how long is the pause between flashes? Ideally, I'd like to have a modulator that flashes for like 2 seconds when I first apply the brake, and then stays solid until I let off the brake. I've been behind vehicles that flash, stay solid, flash, stay solid.... and it drove me nuts. I don't need to have the thing keep flashing at me over and over again... Then again, it does get people's attention.

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I just went tinto my garage & checked...... when the brake is applied, it flashes (at a rate controlled by the little screw in back) 3 times, about once a second, then solid for 6 seconds. Then it repeats. The switches on back of the unit allow you to configure it so it does what you want.....you can have it flash for about 3 seconds, then go solid.

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Pretty cool that you can adjust the speed of the flash. A video of this would be really cool!

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I'm working on it....

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From the product description:

"An adjustment screw is used to adjust the strobe rate. The adjustment screw can can also be set to keep the LEDs on solid. Therefore, this unit can solid glow your LEDs and strobe the LEDs by the adjustment of a screw. "

This confuses me... what would be the point of this unit if you just have it keep the LEDs on solid?

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I think they mean instead of a strobe flash, it can be made to just flash once, then solid. At the rate I have it flashing, it's like the emergency vehicle strobe pattern. Pretty cool IMO.

My digital cam takes small MVI clips, how can I post that?

Steve

[NiteQwill]

I thought it was against CA law to have a strobing/flashing brake light that had more than 2 pulsations a second. Leave it to the dimwit lawmakers....

Edit: Here is is:

25251.5. (a) Any motor vehicle may also be equipped with a system in which an amber light is center mounted on the rear of a vehicle to communicate a component of deceleration of the vehicle, and which light pulses in a controlled fashion at a rate which varies exponentially with a component of deceleration.

(b) Any motor vehicle may be equipped with two amber lamps on the rear of the vehicle which operate simultaneously with not more than four flashes within four seconds after the accelerator pedal is in the deceleration position and which are not lighted at any other time. The lamps shall be mounted at the same height, with one lamp located on each side of the vertical centerline of the vehicle, not higher than the bottom of the rear window, or if the vehicle has no rear window, not higher than 60 inches. The light output from each of the lamps shall not exceed 200 candlepower at any angle horizontal or above. The amber lamps may be used either separately or in combination with another lamp.

(c) Any stoplamp or supplemental stoplamp required or permitted by Section 24603 may be equipped so as to flash not more than four times within the first four seconds after actuation by application of the brakes.

[Peiell]

Originally posted by NiteQwill
I thought it was against CA law to have a strobing/flashing brake light that had more than 2 pulsations a second. Leave it to the dimwit lawmakers....
[/B]

It may be just speculation, but a high rate of strobing has been known to induce seizures in some people. I think if that happened, the brake light modulator might lose its intended effect.

[illustr8dman]

Originally posted by Peiell
It may be just speculation, but a high rate of strobing has been known to induce seizures in some people. I think if that happened, the brake light modulator might lose its intended effect.

ROFL!

[Dante]

I've noticed a few stoplights now that when they turn red, one of the red lights strobes white for 3 seconds. I suspect it's to provide a flash for the traffic cameras so they can photograph people running the lights. Someone else told me it's so they'll get your attention. I think it's annoying as hell, and it is distracting if anything...

*end thread-jack*

I like the comagination products... I may wind up with a headlight modulator that toggles my soon-to-be-dual headlights back & forth... that would look pretty cool, L-R-L-R every second... just afraid it would burn the bulbs out flashing like that all the time. Gotta chew on that one...

Both the tail light flashers look pretty good, as long as you can make them go static after 3 secs.

Steve -- try uploading the video to a gallery.

[Zombiesai]

very cool..thanks for the link.....do I guess I need a separate unit for each set of lights right? like if I wanted to be ubercool an have it set up with tail lights and signals (akin to an ambulance or firetruck signals)

[timeadc]

Could someone please take a picture of how to wire the strobe?

[vfr870]

Originally posted by timeadc
Could someone please take a picture of how to wire the strobe?


It's really simple, I didnt see a need to take pics of the install but here's a link to the wiring diagram....
http://www.customdynamics.com/strobe_diagram.htm
The red wire goes to the wire that powers your brake lights when the brake is applied, the yellow (the diagram says white) wire goes to the brake lights, and the black wire goes to ground. That's it, 15 minute job.


Zombie, the unit I installed is designed only for LED lights. One wire powers both rows of LED's and another for both rows of tail lights on the 03+ SV's. I'm not sure how to get the effect you describe with non LED lights.


Steve