ambient lights

[Tyno]

Here is the link to the el wire I used: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Yep it's just held in there by tension, no adhesive or anything. I'll take a picture when I leave work this afternoon of what it looks like during the day. I will say that they make el wire with "threading", which is basically a little piece of plastic that extends off the wire which would make it easier to tuck into the door. I've had a couple of issues with it popping out of the door trim a little bit every now and then. However after messing with it after a few days it seems to be staying in place pretty well.

[Tyno]

Here's what they look like during the day. What do you think? I feel like I need opinions. Is the orange too much? I may try and explore other options to have them clear during the day. I just don't know. But at night they definitely look really bad ass.

[RichardR0404]

I'm thinking doing something with the wood trim. Like cut a line through it and use melted clear plastic or other fillet to fill it flush. Re clear coat the whole panel and put led behind it.

[m5james]

I think it looks nice on the drivers door pic but I don't like how it's tucked behind the armrest on the passenger pic...could just be the angle though. The color looks fine against the black, but in my case I've got a Sakhir Orange interior so it might stand out too much. It might be something I'd have to live with though since I'd prefer it matches the interior lighting when in use vs during the daytime.

How many control modules did you use overall?

S Pen is overreacting but you get the idea...more of a stock location.

[ncho77]

Broadcom's part # HLMP-EJ08-Y2000 is a Through Hole T-1 3/4 (5mm) Orange/Amber LED with the following specifications:

Packaging: T-1 3/4 (5 mm)
Illumination Color: Orange
Wavelength: 605 nm
Viewing angle: 8 degrees
Luminous Intensity at 20 mA: 27,000 mcd

You can order them at mouser.com and download the full specification sheet for the product family as well. Mouser is one of the big 3 electronic component distributors that typically services companies & engineers vs consumers.

Based on the excellent writeup & investigation by 95wildtt from Carmel IN, these LED's should have ideal color, better focus (8 degrees vs 15) on the lightbar (brighter), as well as having a higher max intensity (27,000 mcd vs 18,000 mcd)

To get the most out of the LED's you'll have to change the default 610 Ohm (15mA) resistor to the 470 Ohm resistor (20mA) as per 95wildtt.

Thank you again 95wildtt! Please let me know if you want to discuss how to upgrade some of the other LED's in the car...

Best,
Frustrated BMW X5 E70 LCI Owner.
(working on multiple projects to restore what the engineers designed the car for vs all the items the accountants / management crippled... )

Originally Posted by 95wildtt

No the 18000 mcd were the brightest I could find in Orange and the correct size.
Be careful with the color, Amber is not Orange.
Amber is what is used for turn signals and is more yellow than Orange...
You really want something very close to the 605nm color or it won't be orange.

Here is a color chart:

[95wildtt]

Thanks for the props and for the new/better LED source ncho77!

[ncho77]

So I went to do the install & discovered a couple of things:

1. Looking at the specifications for the Broadcom LED's
(Orange wavelength 605 nm):
Typical Forward Voltage: 1.98
Average Forward Current max: 30 mA
Tested Luminosity is all at Forward Current of: 20 mA

When I checked with the the multimeter the actual output Voltage on the circuit was a minimum of ~1V to a maximum of ~5V depending on the intensity control on the light switch.

With all that said, the below resistor recommendations of switching from 610 to 470 Ohms 1/4 watt, would have to be changed to a 150 Ohm 1/4 watt resistor if you are looking to get the peak brightness that the Broadcom LED's are specified for.

One final note, the wire lead connection to the LED are not soldered on in the factory configuration (makes sense), they are actually connected using teeny tiny (technical term) swage connections...

I've ordered the correct resistors and will report back on how super duper bright the LED and light panel becomes...

Originally Posted by ncho77

Broadcom's part # HLMP-EJ08-Y2000 is a Through Hole T-1 3/4 (5mm) Orange/Amber LED with the following specifications:

Packaging: T-1 3/4 (5 mm)
Illumination Color: Orange
Wavelength: 605 nm
Viewing angle: 8 degrees
Luminous Intensity at 20 mA: 27,000 mcd

You can order them at mouser.com and download the full specification sheet for the product family as well. Mouser is one of the big 3 electronic component distributors that typically services companies & engineers vs consumers.

Based on the excellent writeup & investigation by 95wildtt from Carmel IN, these LED's should have ideal color, better focus (8 degrees vs 15) on the lightbar (brighter), as well as having a higher max intensity (27,000 mcd vs 18,000 mcd)

To get the most out of the LED's you'll have to change the default 610 Ohm (15mA) resistor to the 470 Ohm resistor (20mA) as per 95wildtt.

Thank you again 95wildtt! Please let me know if you want to discuss how to upgrade some of the other LED's in the car...

Best,
Frustrated BMW X5 E70 LCI Owner.
(working on multiple projects to restore what the engineers designed the car for vs all the items the accountants / management crippled... )

[0-60Motorsports]

Some excellent info here. If i just want to install 63316971823 in the front and rear pockets would i still need a resistor? I want to do an OEM Style install and not have to mess with anything.

Or would i have to buy parts 8-12 here:

https://www.realoem.com/bmw/enUS/sho...08#63316971823

[Bahnstorm]

@ncho77 were you able to complete this with the new LED and resistor combo? Would like to know if the results were successful.

Originally Posted by ncho77

So I went to do the install & discovered a couple of things:

1. Looking at the specifications for the Broadcom LED's
(Orange wavelength 605 nm):
Typical Forward Voltage: 1.98
Average Forward Current max: 30 mA
Tested Luminosity is all at Forward Current of: 20 mA

When I checked with the the multimeter the actual output Voltage on the circuit was a minimum of ~1V to a maximum of ~5V depending on the intensity control on the light switch.

With all that said, the below resistor recommendations of switching from 610 to 470 Ohms 1/4 watt, would have to be changed to a 150 Ohm 1/4 watt resistor if you are looking to get the peak brightness that the Broadcom LED's are specified for.

One final note, the wire lead connection to the LED are not soldered on in the factory configuration (makes sense), they are actually connected using teeny tiny (technical term) swage connections...

I've ordered the correct resistors and will report back on how super duper bright the LED and light panel becomes...