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Old 04-18-2013, 09:29 AM   #25
SteveC7010
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Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: Northville NY in the Adirondacks
Posts: 2,128
Quote:
Originally Posted by JRTJH View Post
Speaking of learning, Steve, Earlier you mentioned putting new backup lights on your truck. I don't recall (can't find) any mention of the actual light you used. Do you have a link to where you got them?
Yup, they are partially installed. I say partially because I have only done the physical install and hooked up the white half of the lights. Light output from half of the fixture is way over 1,000 Lumens each. That's just a tad brighter than the two 921 incandescents that Ford uses!

The lights are LED hideaways or LAW's.. They're commonly installed in emergency vehicles in the headlights, turn signals, fog lights, tail lights, and back up lights. They are pretty much invisible until they are turned on and then they flash extremely bright. The forerunner of these was strobe lights installed in the same locations. Those are known as HAW's.

Up until very recently, you could only get them in single colors: red, blue, amber, green, purple , and clear. Now an outfit called Feniex has introduced the Cannon to the marketplace. It's the first dual color LAW. There are 12 LED's divided into two banks of six each. Each bank can be any color desired. Each bank can be set to steady burn or flash in any number of patterns.

If you looked at the tail lights of any Ford pickup these days, the back up light housing is tiny and there's no room for anything but the 921 bulb. I'm an EMT and I want some flashing lights on the back of the truck for scene safety. The Cannons solved my problem. I modified the housing to accept the Cannons and installed them in place of the 921's. The white side of the Cannon is set to steady burn and connect to the back up circuit. When I put the truck in reverse, they light normally but a lot brighter.

When I get the wiring finished, the amber side of the Cannons will flash a wig-wag pattern when ever I am operating in emergency mode. The lights are configured so that if I put the truck in reverse, the flashing ambers are shut off and the normal white comes on.

Here's how bright the lights are:



The bad news is that they cost $160 for a pair. Most of the folks here won't have any need for the dual color ones. There are less expensive LAW's available in single colors that would work well for enhancing the back up lights without adding fixtures on or under the bumper. But they'd still be over $100 new. I bought my Cannons from http://www.advancedwarninglights.com/ he does carry other models of the LAW's
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