well do to the PMs i have recieved i will go into more detail about LEDs.
A diode only lets current flow one direction. A Light Emitting Diode is just a diode that gives off light. the current only flows from positive to negative. the positive lead of an LED is the longer lead.
All LEDs have an operating voltage. the ones i bought had an operating voltage of 3.2v-3.6v. there are 12v LEDs available. LEDs also are available in different sizes. i know of 3mm, 5mm, and 10mm
LEDs are ratted in milli-candela (mcd) the higher clamed number the brighter the light emitted. the LEDs i bought for the reverse lights are 50,000 mcd.
For resistors for LEDs that operate on 3.2v-3.6v you shouldnt go any lower than 470 ohms, and shouldnt go any higher than 1000 ohms. the less ohms the brighter the light, more ohms = less light. BUT with lower resistance means higher current and shorter life. so pick a resistor that will give you plenty of light but not give your LED a short life span. you can buy one high wattage resistor for all your LEDs on your LED board or you can put the free 1/4 watt resistors on each LED, your choice.
A little lesson in electronics, when you wire in parallel each load gets voltage equal to the source. but if you wire in series (and the loads are equal) then the voltage gets divided by the number of loads EX. if you wire 4 LEDs in series on an automotive system where the voltage is 12v-14v then you divide by 4 and have a voltage at each LED would be 3v-3.5v.
now for the task at hand.
For the backer boards for the LED panels i used counter top laminate, cut to the shape of the side marker/reverse light and drill your holes (3/16 for 5mm) for however many LEDs you want (i put 16 per side marker and 24 per reverse light)
when all the holes were drilled i put in the LEDs and soldered them together, then insulated with hot glue (you could also use liquid electrical tape).
Finally i mounted them on the truck
http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=226179
