Custom JDM headlights with LED strip (2014 car look)

[MarkSanne]

I've been tinkering with 2 sets of JDM headlights that I converted to dual HID Xenon (4300K color) projector headlights. It also features white angel-eyes (or halo's) (which I smoked in the 'black' version of the 2 sets) and red 'demon' eyes (switched from an aux switch as it's quite illegal to have any other lamp color than white/yellow on the front of the car). To top it off, they have electronic height adjustment motors added (the wiring and everything was in my Galant from factory so that was pretty easy).

And today... I added a set of flexible LED strips that shine superbly uniform, just like many new cars on the market have.
As a bonus, these strips have an option to be switched into repeater/indicator mode (orange), which I tested, but didn't hook up (yet).

Personally, I really like the look of these lights. The HID projector Xenon light output (especially in dual mode) is fantastic and because of the projector lens it is not blinding traffic as it's just pointed perfectly on the road. Now it has looks and function and feels like it could be from a 2014 car :)

The silver version:
6937369374693756937669377

The blacked-out version, with the LED strip:
69370693716937269378

[adaxo]

This is exactly how I want to do mine, 'devil eyes' ans led strips running as you do. Great work, looks very good, could you share where you got parts from?

[Confused]

They look good :)

I did mine a few years ago, with single LEDs, before the mainstream manufacturers started doing solid strips

69381 69379 69380

[MarkSanne]

Hi Adam,

The HID projector kits are 2 sets (!) of these: They are bi-xenon, but I didn't use the 'bi', I hooked them up as 2x normal headlight-mode, preventing the 'high beams' from blinding oncoming traffic, so now it's working either as 1 set of main beams or 2 sets of main beams, depending on setting the lamp stalk to 'mains' or 'high beam' mode :)
I have MOT-ed them a month ago and they passed straight away like this. The super-high output is fantastic, and if you'd use the 'true' high-beam mode, you'll need to keep switching it on/off with oncoming traffic, whereas the difference in output isn't much. I usually drive in 2x main beam-mode and never got a signal from oncoming traffic in all the months of driving like this.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/3-Car-BI-Xenon-Universal-HID-Projector-Lens-Kit-ANGEL-DEVIL-EYE-H1-H4-H7-35W-AC-/161243720021


The LED strips need to be 850mm length. The shorter versions that you can find are just 20mm too short. So I bought this set:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/181354822039

[crazydriver81]

Fantastic job Mark!

[MastaG]

Nice work! They look great!

[adaxo]

Thanks MarkSanne unfortunately one seller not post to UK (wait for email back) and LED strips are sold out.

I try to implement strips in to EUR spec glass lamps so will need to find shorter ones.

[adaxo]

Found and ordered LED strip from there http://www.aliexpress.com/item/2pcs-Lot-2014-NEW-universal-flexible-drl-LED-daytime-running-light-Dual-color-850mm-car-Auto/1888043645.html

[MarkSanne]

nice find! very good price! show us when you start customizing please :)

[GregA]

That looks nice. I like the strip version. Can you show us a shot from straight on?

[adaxo]

nice find! very good price! show us when you start customizing please :)

Found the same HID set on UK ebay http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/331180877681?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649
now I need to think if i want one or two sets, thing is I would like to have two different projectors in one lamp as you can see on modern cars, they are usually different low to hi beam, not sure yet.

I will be playing with this as soon as mcosworth back from hols as he did conv on his car so will be very helpful with process.

btw, pls tell me MarkSanne is that evil eyes and angel eyes are separate to run? i mean I not want rings/angel eyes on but want to be able to switch on evil eyes at some special occasions, they have separate wiring?.

[MarkSanne]

Yes they have separate wiring and I have an 7G Galant 'cruise' button installed for those Terminator look eyes in the panel next to the steering wheel, where 3 optional switches can be, like TCL, headlight height adjustment, wiper-heater, etc.

69498
Here is it full frontal. However, the LED strip is so bright, my iphone 4s camera makes it blurry, where in real life it is a fine straight line of white light. Probably needs a real camera for such high contrasts. Anyway, you have an idea now :)

[GregA]

I dunno, I kinda like how it looks like a solid line vs a bunch of LEDs.

[Bobby~d]

Really liking the look of the solid line of light and not the dot dot dot of led's.

[Dimes]

Real good stuff Mark, they look fooking awesome. Any chance you have thought about commissions, I'm not sure what I'd pay for this sort of work but I'd love to know how long it took you and a ball park price if it was something you'd consider doing.

[MarkSanne]

Not thought about commission Olie, but I guess the amount of time needed if depending on what you want.
- 1 or 2 HID projector (Bi-)Xenon lamps
- LED strip (used as: Daylight Running Light/Parking light and/or connected as side repeater mode (these strips have the orange light function too).
- Main beam electronic adjusters
- Anything else?! :)

The whole works is quite some work, it'll take a good set of hours for each headlight for the full works.
I do got me some experience as I've recently done yet another Galant/Legnum set for my other ride and did a more simple setup for my mums' VW, my sisters' Colt and my dads' Mazda :) So getting quite upto speed, but as said: it all depends on what you want exactly.

[Dimes]

Well now you've thought about it............. And still thinking I hope.

I would have mine pretty much like yours mate, only I'd have the LED strip on the top edge like Confused's above.

You're not wrong about the amount of work involved, I've attempted similar projects in the past and just ended up swearing a lot. As such I wouldn't even dream of doing these.
I'm interested because my car came with single projector angle eye headlamps and HID fogs, they look great but really aren't that bright, the finish and quality are also way less than I'd hoped.
I'm going to buy spare headlamps for someone to have a go at some point, I plan on keeping my car for life so it's worth having spares, and I do need to change mine sooner rather than later because driving at night is almost scary without full beams on. Having said that I'm not really in a rush so would be quite relaxed if you wanted to take your time and do it. It sounds like you've had a lot of practice already so if you fancy another go at perfecting the craft let me know.

If it's helpful to you ? I could get a couple of quotes for this sort of work local to me and you could compare to see if it's financially viable for you. I'll PM you after making a couple of calls next week.

[MarkSanne]

Sounds like a plan! Let me know and we'll see if it's both worth the time and money to ship back and forth. Alternatively, I could source a spare set of JDM here saving at least one GB>NL transport costs. Let's discuss in PB further :)

[Dimes]

Very much looking forward to you building mine Marc.
Quick question, do the LED's come on with the lights or can you set them to the ignition like DRL's ?

[MarkSanne]

However you like it Olie! Switched by Ignition would of course require an extra feed (cable) but nothing hard to do, I can explain where/what to connect to.

[VR4-Dipsy]

Looks great!! Love it! May do that to mine! But one question what did you use to glue the strip to the inner part of the headlight?

Also how can i connect it up as a drl?

[MarkSanne]

I only used a tiny bit of Womi transparant automotive kit, normally used for glueing spoilers and the likes a car. Very strong stuff. For the most part it stays in place because of the tight fit between the black surround and the transparant 'glass' of these headlights. FYI: I did drill a hole in the upper corner of the black surround where the strip is entering.

[adaxo]

nice find! very good price! show us when you start customizing please :)

I eventually get my ass out and carry on tinkering with my lights, so far I go this far

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[MarkSanne]

Looking gooood!

[adaxo]

Looking gooood!

Quick question for you and others experienced with hid conversion, do you use provided 'wiring loom' or just plug in ballasts to original car bulb plugs?

[MarkSanne]

I used the wiring loom every time. Of course you also need the original bulb plugs to tap of the low/high beam signals onto the relay.

[adaxo]

I just think that its faster and much 'cleaner' install without all that additional loom. I connect everything via supplied loom and decide to have a go with plugin without it as its makes lot easier and with much less cables just wonder what's are pros/cons of doing either way. I'm not an electrician so simply don't know.

It just not working as I want to with original loom ie I want to low beam on only two external units and hi beam on all four units.

[Davezj]

are you using the white led strip as daylight running light (on all the time).
and make them orange for indicators, and remove original indicator bulbs.

I was going to switch inner and outer on as low beam and flick the mask bar for hi beam on both projectors maximum light when needed.
I might fit an additional switch to be able to turn the white led strip off, if I want to.
I was also going o run both ballasts off the one relay on each side, as the relay is 40A rated and the ballasts take less than 10A each. you can do this and it simplifies the wiring if you switch both inner and outer on as low beam. also the hi beam on (mask bar) can be spliced together from inner and outer projector into the original loom at the high beam plug. again simplifying the wiring. I bought an H4 kit so there is only one connector to attach the old headlight wiring to it keeps the wiring even simpler, one less connector.

[Nick Mann]

Adam - the ones I have are using the supplied looms. Both new looms terminate in a plastic box thingy, which I have located just tucked under the battery tray. That made battery positive connections easy.
Loom one is plugged into the passenger side dipped beam feed and feeds the dipped beam (outer) projectors on both sides of the car.
Loom two is plugged into the passenger side dipped beam and feeds the high beam (inner) projectors on both sides of the car.
Loom 2 controls the high beam solenoid for the dipped beam projectors.
I removed the cut off plate for the high beam projectors so they cannot do dipped beam, so:
Loom 1 high beam is not attached to anything & high beam projector solenoids are not connected to anything.
The right hand side headlight bulb feeds are not attached to anything.
That meant I could just use the new loom sockets from the bulb feed on the stock loom - no rewiring necessary on the stock loom.

Does that make it more obvious or have I just confused you more?!

[adaxo]

Will use strip and ring as parking light and keep standard indicator+strip
I want to run outer only as they will be bright enough running on two outer only, second thing is, I want to keep ring visible, with inner and outer on you're not able see ring and last thing IMO four lights on will MAY cause unwanted attention from cops and not looks OE (imo) ??

71084

[adaxo]

You both not make things easier TBH :-)

I ask my question differently, is there any harm possible without using extra looms? as i find out much much simpler to install all without it.

btw I want to be able to back to stock any time if needed.

[Nick Mann]

I have no idea. I didn't take the new loom apart to see if there is anything in there other than simple connections.

From a "put it back to stock" mode, mine would be VERY simple. I have cut no wires on the stock loom at all.

[Confused]

All mine just plug into the standard wiring - my sidelights/DRLs are hooked up using the sidelight connector from the donor headlight unit, the HIDs are hooked up via spade terminals to the original H4 connectors on the standard loom.

As my projectors are H7, I also have a pair of standard H7 bulbs in the boot, so if an HID fails, I can very easily swap in a standard halogen light, and be on my way within minutes.

[Davezj]

You both not make things easier TBH :-)

I ask my question differently, is there any harm possible without using extra looms? as i find out much much simpler to install all without it.

btw I want to be able to back to stock any time if needed.

put this way, with the normal bulbs in the car you are running 55W on each of the headlight connectors all the time which will draw 4.6A, so from a power consumption point of view there way be a reason why the HID ballasts can not be powered directly from the headlight bulb sockets as although the HID ballast is specified as 55W the max current printed on the outside of the ballast box is 10A ish. it could be an issue with initial inrush current when the ballasts switch on. i made the mistake of assuming a 55w bulb would use the same current if it was HID or not it seems the HID bulb will take about twice the currect to light it, although the 35W versions would use less current. just read it off the side of the ballast box.
there could be an issue with electrical noise, as the ballasts are step up DC-DC converters with a few thousands volts output which are swiched on an off very fast to creat the Kilavolt output.
then there is the safty requirement with the HID ballasts, if there is a failure and the output gets back onto the input via a fault it will go back into the lighting circuit of the car and probably trash some of the electronics controlling it on the car. If the ballast fails when it is connected to the loom the KV output would go dirctly back to the battery which should be able to absorb the failure until the integral fuse blows in the supplied harness.
but it could just be somplicity for the average car owner with no autoelectic experience, the supplied harness needs a power and gnd connection then you just plug in the original lighting connector from the loom. the manufacturers of these after market looms have to ensure they isolate the electronics they supply to you, so they are not to blame if anything goes wrong. there is no physical connection other than the power and gnd to the additional lighting all the existion loom is being used for is to supply a switch on voltage for the realy to connect the power supply to the ballast.

i am sure this question must have been asked online before.

[Davezj]

this all sounds logical and is explaned much better than i can do.

HID Relay Harnesses Explained...

A typical relay power harness for HID Conversion Systems.

The primary function of an automotive headlight wire harness is to provide power directly from the vehicle’s battery to the lighting system. This allows the bulb, or HID ballast, to operate independently of the vehicle’s original wiring system and can provide a power source that is more consistent.

A lighting relay harness is most commonly used in aftermarket HID conversion kits to bypass the factory wiring in order to get around complicated electronic control systems or to allow a higher rate of current to be delivered to the bulbs. A Relay Wiring Harness utilizes a 30amp fuse protected power wire that directly connects to your positive terminal on the battery. An Automotive Relay is used to pull signal from a source (Headlight connector) that triggers power to be drawn from the battery. There are two sets of cables meant to provide power to an HID ballast. There are also two separate ground wire terminals that need to be connected to the chassis to complete the electrical circuit.

The different components of the Accessory Wiring Harness.

As previously stated, this product is most commonly found used in aftermarket xenon retrofits but can also be beneficial when trying to get the most light output from aftermarket or OEM halogen/incandescent light bulbs. Any lighting system can benefit from increased current capacity in the wiring. GTR Lighting offers a wide array of Plug and Play Relay Wire harnesses for H7, H8, H9, H10, H11, H13, 9004, 9005, 9006, 9007 and more.

What does a Wiring Harness fix?

An Relay Wire Harness is capable of fixing a variety of power related HID lighting issues i.e. intermittent on/off, flickering, delayed start, HID low light output, and uneven brightness.

Problem: Delayed Start
An HID Ballast requires more power to ignite on start-up than during normal usage. This initial power surge can sometimes be problematic for vehicles with weaker electrical systems that cannot provide the power needed. The vehicles stock headlight connectors are not capable of providing 7-8 amps per headlight and as a result, only one HID turns on when the switch is turned on. After about 20 seconds when the ballasts power consumption drops to 3.2 amps, you can quickly turn the lights off then back on and voila, both HID lights turn on. This scenario happens all the time and is the direct result of insufficient power.

Solution:

An HID wiring harness with power supplied directly from the battery would eliminate this issue as it would be able to consume up to 30 amps through the batteries positive terminal to ignite both ballasts.

Problem: Flickering
An HID Ballast that is not getting sufficient power from a stock headlight connector will cycle on and off as it tries to ignite and power on. This can also be a result of an inefficient ballast that is not able to convert the available power to properly ignite an HID system. I always recommend high quality HID components like the 35w CANBUS Pro ballast from GTR Lighting.

Solution:
An HID wiring harness will provide the power necessary to ignite even an inefficient ballast for flicker free HID lighting.

Problem: Dim/Dark Light Output:
When a ballast is under-performing, light output can appear more blue and dimmer than it should be. This is a result of the ballast not converting enough power to ignite the bulb at its optimal range. A bulb that is 4300K connected to a ballast with a weak power source, can look like an 8000K blue color with substantially lower light output.

Solution:
An HID Wiring harness will be able to provide more power to the ballast allowing the system to operate at 100%. This however is not a guaranteed solution as a poor quality ballast which will not output sufficient power no matter how much is being inputted.

Problem: Uneven Brightness
My passenger side is brighter than my driver side! Power in not always delivered in equal amounts to each headlight, and depending on your vehicles wiring configuration, can have a negative impact on lighting performance when installing HIDs. If one headlight has less resistance to the power source i.e. less bends or curves in the wiring, length of wiring, fuse panels bridging connections etc, it will receive power first leaving less for the second headlight to consume. In this scenario, one headlight could end up brighter than the other.

Solution: An HID wiring relay harness will provide equal amounts of power to each HID Ballast allowing for even and consistent brightness between both headlights.

To Buy or Not to Buy?
An HID wiring harness for some vehicles is a safety and assurance item to prevent future problems, and for other vehicles is a necessary requirement to a successful HID installation. My general recommendation is to always use a harness where possible to help extend the life of your HID system, avoid unnecessary headaches, or to boost the output of your halogen light bulbs. Not only are you providing your HID ballasts with adequate power, you are protecting both your vehicle and HID system with the inline fuse that separates the systems.

[MarkSanne]

Nice one Dave! I never really investigated this, but my simple mind already had these kind of ideas. Yet, as I don't like to see too much additional wiring, nor do I like to chop up original wiring, I used the looms, managed to hide them quite well and modified the converted headlights completely so all is working with original plugs so if I ever want or need to switch back to normal halogens/glass headlights/etc is directly plug & play. For some it's of no importance, to me it's something mandatory for reasons I don't even fully understand myself ;)

[VR4-Dipsy]

I eventually get my ass out and carry on tinkering with my lights, so far I go this far

710817108271083

OH MY! They look spot on! think i may have to get a set... They the 30cm strip? or the 60cm ?

[adaxo]

VR4-Dipsy

They 850mm length but significantly cut to size.

Davezj

My eyes hurt by reading all that but thanks for pasting it here, my conclusion is, if you had issues with hids then 'hard wire' it by additional harness if they work ok plugged in original harness then not bother with additional harness. It may its mandatory to use in vehicles with CANbus to keep things happy and not have 'broken bulb' msg flashing on dash, lucky enough our vr4 are good old school without this crap on board.

I tested hid lights thoroughly, read play with them by turning on/off flashing ect, great fun, and they behave as OE, fire up quickly no flicker ect so I think I will plug them without that extra wiring, hope it not cause issues or fire.

[Davezj]

As long as they work.

There seems to be many many different ways to connect up hid projectors from a functional point of view.
I would go with it is your personal preference, as long as they meet mot operating standards you should be able to do what you want.

[VR4-Dipsy]

VR4-Dipsy

They 850mm length but significantly cut to size.

Ah cheers ! Got a link to them? Or they the ones off eBay for I think £23? adaxo

[MarkSanne]

Yeah the link Adam provided is perfect (correct length & perfect price!):
http://www.aliexpress.com/item/2pcs-Lot-2014-NEW-universal-flexible-drl-LED-daytime-running-light-Dual-color-850mm-car-Auto/1888043645.html

You'll need to carefully cut the end of the strip (around 22cm) off that strip. As I stated earlier, the 60cm LED strip is just 2/3 cm too short...

[VR4-Dipsy]

Has anyone connected them as a indicator? If so does it flash if tapped into the loom of the car indicator ?

[Davezj]

i bought these ones,
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/281396346612?ssPageName=STRK:MESINDXX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1436.l2649

but they have not arrived yet so i will let you know if they are any good @£17.68 including postage

[VR4-Dipsy]

Has anyone connected them as a indicator? If so does it flash if tapped into the loom of the car indicator ?
Just answered my own question today 😂 yes they blink when connected to the loom of the indicator then transition back to white ... Been working a on a set today... Will post pictures this weekend when all finished

[Bobby~d]

^^^^ Do a lil video of it and post it up please. I would like to see it transitions from white to indicator and back.

[VR4-Dipsy]

^^^^ Do a lil video of it and post it up please. I would like to see it transitions from white to indicator and back.
Here's a short clip on what it looks like running... http://youtu.be/tXERJU6rz8M

[Bobby~d]

Thanks very much that's really cool. Now I have to add it to my to do list lol.

[VR4-Dipsy]

I only used a tiny bit of Womi transparant automotive kit, normally used for glueing spoilers and the likes a car. Very strong stuff. For the most part it stays in place because of the tight fit between the black surround and the transparant 'glass' of these headlights. FYI: I did drill a hole in the upper corner of the black surround where the strip is entering. MarkSanne .... Had some difficulty gluing my strip to the light :/ you got a internet link of where I can get this stuff? Or a similar product which will let me glue my rubber strip to the glass of the headlight

[MarkSanne]

Womi Technobond, this stuff:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Womi-5534200-Technobond-Transparant-290/dp/B00DPFYEWC

It's insanely strong (I use this for spoilers and stuff that needs to be strong, sealed and flexible). I did use a set of 5 mini-clamps (even clothespin will probably work perfect here) to secure the strip and left it overnight.