just got new dome light LED and i need help!

choestein · 04-09-2008, 11:11 AM

i just got a 9 LED festoon dome light. when i installed it, it was bright, but mainly seemed to all point the light in one direction instead of the factory bulb which distributed light more evenly. superbright leds state that their festoon leds all point in one direction.....how do i distribute the light for better light coverage? buy a different type of bulb?

icen · 04-09-2008, 11:34 AM

use sandpaper to sand the clear plastic part of the LED. until it's not "clear" anymore.
That can help a bit..

choestein · 04-09-2008, 11:41 AM

will that really work? im afraid if anything, that might make the light output weaker?

icen · 04-09-2008, 12:53 PM

The total light output will be the same, because the part that generates the light is the semiconductor inside the LED. You are not touching that part.

However, since the light is not "focused" anymore, it might seem less bright.

Think about it this way.
say, there's 100 lumen of light available.

you put 50 lumen here and 50 there, each area gets 50 only
if you focus all 100 lumen on 1 area, that are gets 100 lumen. 100>50, therefore will look brighter.

choestein · 04-09-2008, 02:27 PM

ok i have the 9 LED bulb that looks like this:

eBay Motors: NEW HID WHITE FESTOON 9 LED BULB 3022 3021 DE3175 (item 350045441966 end time Apr-09-08 15:00:00 PDT)

do i just sand the 9 tips? can u elaborate more on the sanding of it?

wheeler · 04-09-2008, 02:35 PM

you could use a dremel with a sanding wheel and file them down that way. I did that for my cup holder LEDs

choestein · 04-09-2008, 02:37 PM

file the whole thing so the 9 points are flat?????

wheeler · 04-09-2008, 02:39 PM

just take the rounded edges off so they're smooth across the tops

choestein · 04-09-2008, 02:41 PM

ok so the 9 points that stick out......dont get rid of them, but rather just sand the top part of them right?

wheeler · 04-09-2008, 02:44 PM

yeah if you cut them totally off you'd cut them too deep and probably mess up the diode. just that the rounds off the top, polish them a little and you're good to go. takes like 5 minutes. they won't be exactly like your original dome bulbs but definitely defuse the light more. did you consider hooking he dome to the maps for more interior light?

choestein · 04-09-2008, 02:47 PM

i have an EX, so when i unlock my car or open the door, all 3 lights turn on.....so i guess actually i would rarely use the dome light by itself.....

icen · 04-09-2008, 05:39 PM

Sorry , I was at class.

haha maybe you can do ti to the lights that gets turned out frequently =)

Basically, you can sand it as much as you want. the more "dull" the surface is, the better the light can spread.
If you screw up, you can always resurface ti with polish and finner sandpaper.. (lots of work to resurface it tho)

You can also cut out the little "tip" of the LEDs, such that the tip of the LED become a flat surface.. and then sand on the flat surface, that would also spread the lights out. (of course this is irreversible)

What wheeler said is really true!! Even if you stay away from the actualy semiconductor (GaAs diode), there's a really thin wire (either copper or aluminum or gold) that connects the diode to one of the lead of the LED. U might accidentally got to that wire if you cut too deep.

So, only work with the tip. Most of the lights from an LED is focused on that tip anyways.

04-09-2008, 11:11 AM	#1 (permalink)
choestein Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Posts: 186 iTrader: 7 / 100%	just got new dome light LED and i need help! i just got a 9 LED festoon dome light. when i installed it, it was bright, but mainly seemed to all point the light in one direction instead of the factory bulb which distributed light more evenly. superbright leds state that their festoon leds all point in one direction.....how do i distribute the light for better light coverage? buy a different type of bulb?

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04-09-2008, 11:34 AM	#2 (permalink)
icen Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Posts: 191 iTrader: 0 / 0%	use sandpaper to sand the clear plastic part of the LED. until it's not "clear" anymore. That can help a bit..

04-09-2008, 11:41 AM	#3 (permalink)
choestein Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Posts: 186 iTrader: 7 / 100%	will that really work? im afraid if anything, that might make the light output weaker?

04-09-2008, 12:53 PM	#4 (permalink)
icen Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Posts: 191 iTrader: 0 / 0%	The total light output will be the same, because the part that generates the light is the semiconductor inside the LED. You are not touching that part. However, since the light is not "focused" anymore, it might seem less bright. Think about it this way. say, there's 100 lumen of light available. you put 50 lumen here and 50 there, each area gets 50 only if you focus all 100 lumen on 1 area, that are gets 100 lumen. 100>50, therefore will look brighter.

04-09-2008, 02:27 PM	#5 (permalink)
choestein Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Posts: 186 iTrader: 7 / 100%	ok i have the 9 LED bulb that looks like this: eBay Motors: NEW HID WHITE FESTOON 9 LED BULB 3022 3021 DE3175 (item 350045441966 end time Apr-09-08 15:00:00 PDT) do i just sand the 9 tips? can u elaborate more on the sanding of it?

04-09-2008, 02:35 PM	#6 (permalink)
wheeler Senior Member Join Date: May 2007 Location: Lex, VA. Posts: 251 Dave iTrader: 1 / 100%	you could use a dremel with a sanding wheel and file them down that way. I did that for my cup holder LEDs

04-09-2008, 02:37 PM	#7 (permalink)
choestein Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Posts: 186 iTrader: 7 / 100%	file the whole thing so the 9 points are flat?????

04-09-2008, 02:39 PM	#8 (permalink)
wheeler Senior Member Join Date: May 2007 Location: Lex, VA. Posts: 251 Dave iTrader: 1 / 100%	just take the rounded edges off so they're smooth across the tops

04-09-2008, 02:41 PM	#9 (permalink)
choestein Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Posts: 186 iTrader: 7 / 100%	ok so the 9 points that stick out......dont get rid of them, but rather just sand the top part of them right?

04-09-2008, 02:44 PM	#10 (permalink)
wheeler Senior Member Join Date: May 2007 Location: Lex, VA. Posts: 251 Dave iTrader: 1 / 100%	yeah if you cut them totally off you'd cut them too deep and probably mess up the diode. just that the rounds off the top, polish them a little and you're good to go. takes like 5 minutes. they won't be exactly like your original dome bulbs but definitely defuse the light more. did you consider hooking he dome to the maps for more interior light?

04-09-2008, 02:47 PM	#11 (permalink)
choestein Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Posts: 186 iTrader: 7 / 100%	i have an EX, so when i unlock my car or open the door, all 3 lights turn on.....so i guess actually i would rarely use the dome light by itself.....

04-09-2008, 05:39 PM	#12 (permalink)
icen Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Posts: 191 iTrader: 0 / 0%	Sorry , I was at class. haha maybe you can do ti to the lights that gets turned out frequently =) Basically, you can sand it as much as you want. the more "dull" the surface is, the better the light can spread. If you screw up, you can always resurface ti with polish and finner sandpaper.. (lots of work to resurface it tho) You can also cut out the little "tip" of the LEDs, such that the tip of the LED become a flat surface.. and then sand on the flat surface, that would also spread the lights out. (of course this is irreversible) What wheeler said is really true!! Even if you stay away from the actualy semiconductor (GaAs diode), there's a really thin wire (either copper or aluminum or gold) that connects the diode to one of the lead of the LED. U might accidentally got to that wire if you cut too deep. So, only work with the tip. Most of the lights from an LED is focused on that tip anyways.