I'm not sure what the best current to run them at is. On the website, it shows the test voltage is 50mA if that helps.
A.J.'s SL-C build thread
- Thread starter Pow3r
- Start date
AJ;
OK, let's assume that 50 mA is the correct current. There is a nice little IC driver that will put out a constant 25 mA into your LED, parallel two drivers and the total LED current will be 50 mA. Cost is $0.38 each. Of course you can parallel more, each one adds another 25 mA to the output current.
https://www.mouser.com/ProductDetai...MI_-bKtbPR3AIVFIh-Ch1FcQRSEAYYAiABEgIAq_D_BwE
The paralled driver can drive LEDs in series as long as the battery voltage (nominal 12V) minus the total voltage of the LED string is more than 5V. The "headroom" required for the driver is 5V. Depending on the type of LED that you are using, I'd guess that you could string 3 or 4 LEDs in series with each paralled driver. Mount the drivers in a small waterproof box and that's all there is to it. No matter what the temperature or battery voltage, the LED current will be 50 mA.
Regards, Neil Tucson, AZ
OK, let's assume that 50 mA is the correct current. There is a nice little IC driver that will put out a constant 25 mA into your LED, parallel two drivers and the total LED current will be 50 mA. Cost is $0.38 each. Of course you can parallel more, each one adds another 25 mA to the output current.
https://www.mouser.com/ProductDetai...MI_-bKtbPR3AIVFIh-Ch1FcQRSEAYYAiABEgIAq_D_BwE
The paralled driver can drive LEDs in series as long as the battery voltage (nominal 12V) minus the total voltage of the LED string is more than 5V. The "headroom" required for the driver is 5V. Depending on the type of LED that you are using, I'd guess that you could string 3 or 4 LEDs in series with each paralled driver. Mount the drivers in a small waterproof box and that's all there is to it. No matter what the temperature or battery voltage, the LED current will be 50 mA.
Regards, Neil Tucson, AZ
Frank Clark
Supporter
AJ, Updates?
I don't want to have the only running 1UZ!
I don't want to have the only running 1UZ!
I can't believe it has been so long since I have posted. I have over 3000 miles on the car, I think I love it even more now than when I first got it.
I'll just jump right in and share a few of my favorite pictures
I upgraded my rear view camera and screen. It's a huge improvement. The analog screen in the dash is now redundant so I'll be removing it and replacing it with a display for the gauges from the Megasquirt.
My air intake filters are on the bottom side of the car. They got way too dirty so I made air boxes to close them up and NACA ducts on the top surface for fresh air
I scanned the rear of the car and 3d printed new mesh pieces. The tail lights are also 3d printed. And yes, I'm still using the 1UZ
I'll just jump right in and share a few of my favorite pictures
I upgraded my rear view camera and screen. It's a huge improvement. The analog screen in the dash is now redundant so I'll be removing it and replacing it with a display for the gauges from the Megasquirt.
My air intake filters are on the bottom side of the car. They got way too dirty so I made air boxes to close them up and NACA ducts on the top surface for fresh air
I scanned the rear of the car and 3d printed new mesh pieces. The tail lights are also 3d printed. And yes, I'm still using the 1UZ
Attachments
I didnt have good vision from my rear view mirrors. I realized it's necessary to have the mirrors extend past the sides of the the car to be able to judge if I'm going to hit an obstruction while backing up. So I designed and printed a new set. I maintained the turn signal in the mirror housing
The mirror vibrated more than I was comfortable with so I made small braces. In the background of the underside of the clam, there are NACA ducts and snorkels to direct the air directly into the intake tubes to keep out dust and hot air from the engine compartment
I still have a long list of things I want to work on. One of the most significant things I did was upgrade to the Xtracker hubs. The car was out of commission for a long time while I did that, and I still need an alignment, so the handling isn't optimal. But it's wonderful to be back on the road. I drive it to work most days when it's not raining.
The mirror vibrated more than I was comfortable with so I made small braces. In the background of the underside of the clam, there are NACA ducts and snorkels to direct the air directly into the intake tubes to keep out dust and hot air from the engine compartment
I still have a long list of things I want to work on. One of the most significant things I did was upgrade to the Xtracker hubs. The car was out of commission for a long time while I did that, and I still need an alignment, so the handling isn't optimal. But it's wonderful to be back on the road. I drive it to work most days when it's not raining.
Ken Roberts
Supporter
Looks fantastic. Thanks for sharing the pictures.
Would love to hear more about 3D printed tail lights. Did you use a translucent filament?
I used clear PETG for the turn signal lens in the door mirrors. I tried using the same for the taillights but due to the complex shape I couldn't get the lens to print well enough to use. The back cover is black ASA and that printed great. A friend has a resin printer and he got a fantastic print for the lens. He used clear PLA which concerned me about durability and heat, but it has been fine. I painted the lenses red, which is what I did previously when the taillights were made from clear acrylic, and the paint is really good. This is my 4th or 5th design iteration.
When I say clear filament, it doesn't actually print clear. Maybe for a small cube, but not on complex shapes. The best you can do is translucent, but that's all I needed anyways.
Ken Roberts
Supporter
AJ, what's the rear centre mounted vent from? (behind the rear window)
Howard Jones
Supporter
I was wondering................... How much wider do the new mirrors make the car? Will it fit into a trailer?
Frank Clark
Supporter
AJ, what did you use for the mechanism inside the mirror (to allow the mirror adjustment)?
I just came for an update. I see that people had some questions, so sorry I missed them!
The center vent in the back, that's just for better ventilation. Nothing in particular back there. The oil coolers are just below.
The mirrors stick out maybe 4 inches each side. They're not foldable, either. My trailer is an open one, so I don't have to worry about the width.
As far as adjusting the mirrors, I 3d printed a ball and socket support. The allen bolt is accessible from under the mirror. There's a hole that the allen key goes inside. Not super easy to adjust, but once in place they don't move around.
Last year I drove the car in March, then it started smoking really bad. I spent the whole season trying to diagnose what is wrong. I was convinced something was wrong with the turbos, I had standing oil in the tubes before and after the turbos.
I pulled the turbos and sent them in to be put on a dyno. The turbos checked out ok. I fixed a lot of oil leaks in my oiling system, got new turbos anyways, and I went through 2 crank seals. This was a strong indicator that I had high crankcase pressures. I knew the compression varied widely between cylinders, it is far from factory spec. I did everything I could with the PCV system for the best possible venting, but the ports just aren't big enough. I removed the oil cap and drove it around and it didn't smoke. That verified it, finally. It was the first time I could actually make the smoke go away. By then it was November, and we got early snow and cold weather so I didn't get any more drive time to really validate it. I 3d printed an oil cap that has a 1" port in it to get as much breathing as possible.
I know, I know, this is super temporary. I was hoping to do a quick hone and ring job on my spare engine, but discovered a damaged piston:
So the spare engine needs to be completely rebuilt, and the engine in the car is running smoothly, but has tons of blow by. I'm hoping I can start accumulating parts for a rebuild. My goal is 800HP. I was also going to rev it to 8000rpm or higher, but that will add 50% to the cost of the components. No thanks.
I added some stone blockers to the rear clam. A lot of gravel and debris accumulates in there. I did paint it black....
I upgraded my hubs to the XTracker, and finally finished my engine cover
Took it to a car show even though it was smoking
Got AI to do a cool render:
Removed the dash to get rid of the old analog display and replace it with a digital touch screen powered by Raspberry Pi. It will display gauges from the Megasquirt controller. Previously I was using an old cell phone with terrible battery life to see coolant temps, boost level, and other important information. This was intended to be much more user friendly. Took me all winter. I also bought a different rear camera and display.
The center vent in the back, that's just for better ventilation. Nothing in particular back there. The oil coolers are just below.
The mirrors stick out maybe 4 inches each side. They're not foldable, either. My trailer is an open one, so I don't have to worry about the width.
As far as adjusting the mirrors, I 3d printed a ball and socket support. The allen bolt is accessible from under the mirror. There's a hole that the allen key goes inside. Not super easy to adjust, but once in place they don't move around.
Last year I drove the car in March, then it started smoking really bad. I spent the whole season trying to diagnose what is wrong. I was convinced something was wrong with the turbos, I had standing oil in the tubes before and after the turbos.
I pulled the turbos and sent them in to be put on a dyno. The turbos checked out ok. I fixed a lot of oil leaks in my oiling system, got new turbos anyways, and I went through 2 crank seals. This was a strong indicator that I had high crankcase pressures. I knew the compression varied widely between cylinders, it is far from factory spec. I did everything I could with the PCV system for the best possible venting, but the ports just aren't big enough. I removed the oil cap and drove it around and it didn't smoke. That verified it, finally. It was the first time I could actually make the smoke go away. By then it was November, and we got early snow and cold weather so I didn't get any more drive time to really validate it. I 3d printed an oil cap that has a 1" port in it to get as much breathing as possible.
I know, I know, this is super temporary. I was hoping to do a quick hone and ring job on my spare engine, but discovered a damaged piston:
So the spare engine needs to be completely rebuilt, and the engine in the car is running smoothly, but has tons of blow by. I'm hoping I can start accumulating parts for a rebuild. My goal is 800HP. I was also going to rev it to 8000rpm or higher, but that will add 50% to the cost of the components. No thanks.
I added some stone blockers to the rear clam. A lot of gravel and debris accumulates in there. I did paint it black....
I upgraded my hubs to the XTracker, and finally finished my engine cover
Took it to a car show even though it was smoking
Got AI to do a cool render:
Removed the dash to get rid of the old analog display and replace it with a digital touch screen powered by Raspberry Pi. It will display gauges from the Megasquirt controller. Previously I was using an old cell phone with terrible battery life to see coolant temps, boost level, and other important information. This was intended to be much more user friendly. Took me all winter. I also bought a different rear camera and display.
I scanned the dash opening, but the scan was wildly inaccurate.
Bought a new rear camera screen and display. I had to 3d print a base for the camera to hold it at the right angle. Otherwise, with the slope of the roof, I was looking at the engine. Couldn't see past the spoiler
The Raspberry Pi project turned out to be a real pain. This was my first experience trying to use it. I started in May, couldn't get it to power up and do basics, got frustrated and put it away. At Christmas break, I decided to spend time on it. I was following a tutorial from a guy on YouTube who walked through everything and had all the files you need, etc. But it turns out he used Pi4, and I have Pi5. They're not compatible. So it was a struggle, and I had to go off on my own. Without AI, I couldn't have done it. That being said, AI is not very smart. Lots of mistakes. I used it for the images of the gauges, as well as coding. I know nothing about coding, I told it what I wanted to do, it never got it right the first time, then it was iterative working through all the bugs. I had a free 30 day trial for ChatGPT at the $30 price point. That was nice, the free version cuts you off pretty quickly. But for what it says it can do for $30/month....I'd never pay it. I tried doing an animation for the start up sequence, and it was a joke. I thought it would be a cinematic sequence, but it was a 2 picture slide show. I couldn't have done the project without it, though. It was like having a nerdy tech support dude sitting next to me, not giving me attitude for my complete lack of knowledge. That was refreshing.
Test fit
There needs to be an ignition monitoring circuit to shut down the RPi safely when you turn off the car. Otherwise, you'll scramble the OS. Much like Windows. Lovely, more complexity
This is the startup screen:
I absolutely love this car. As much as the day I bought it. I love doing projects, and this is the perfect outlet! But driving it is still indescribable. It never gets old!
Bought a new rear camera screen and display. I had to 3d print a base for the camera to hold it at the right angle. Otherwise, with the slope of the roof, I was looking at the engine. Couldn't see past the spoiler
The Raspberry Pi project turned out to be a real pain. This was my first experience trying to use it. I started in May, couldn't get it to power up and do basics, got frustrated and put it away. At Christmas break, I decided to spend time on it. I was following a tutorial from a guy on YouTube who walked through everything and had all the files you need, etc. But it turns out he used Pi4, and I have Pi5. They're not compatible. So it was a struggle, and I had to go off on my own. Without AI, I couldn't have done it. That being said, AI is not very smart. Lots of mistakes. I used it for the images of the gauges, as well as coding. I know nothing about coding, I told it what I wanted to do, it never got it right the first time, then it was iterative working through all the bugs. I had a free 30 day trial for ChatGPT at the $30 price point. That was nice, the free version cuts you off pretty quickly. But for what it says it can do for $30/month....I'd never pay it. I tried doing an animation for the start up sequence, and it was a joke. I thought it would be a cinematic sequence, but it was a 2 picture slide show. I couldn't have done the project without it, though. It was like having a nerdy tech support dude sitting next to me, not giving me attitude for my complete lack of knowledge. That was refreshing.
Test fit
There needs to be an ignition monitoring circuit to shut down the RPi safely when you turn off the car. Otherwise, you'll scramble the OS. Much like Windows. Lovely, more complexity
This is the startup screen:
I absolutely love this car. As much as the day I bought it. I love doing projects, and this is the perfect outlet! But driving it is still indescribable. It never gets old!
Congrats AJ. What a journey. Thanks for the documentation.
Regards Brian
Regards Brian
Frank Clark
Supporter
I had a Pi5 running my center screen. In the end I switched to a full mini-computer (i5 powered). Much happier with that. It is setup to auto start/shutdown with ignition. My son did the same in his Lotus Evora which runs an aftermarket ECU (switched from Pi to i5 for his dash).
They boot faster and are more responsive on screen updates. We do run full TunerStudio to make changes in the car without a laptop.
They boot faster and are more responsive on screen updates. We do run full TunerStudio to make changes in the car without a laptop.
Frank, did you have issues with usb dropping out? Mine works, but will intermittently drop out and come back. I pinched together the terminals in the weatherpack connector on the MS3 harness to make sure the connection was good. I wiggled other wires, thinking there was an intermittent connection but couldn't find anything. Initially I connected using Bluetooth, but the next day the Pi couldn't find the EFI Analytics signal. I checked the BT antenna on the harness, reset it, it showed it was transmitting, but the Pi didn't find it. So I switched to the USB cord. I don't know if it's a MS3 problem, wiring, or the pi.
Frank Clark
Supporter
Sorry for the late reply. Don't get on here much.
I've never had a problem with the USB dropping out with my dash. Have had issues with my PC flaking out like that. In the end, I replaced that cable and problem went away. Don't use BT for any of it (Though my steering wheel talks to it's controller via BT).
