Hi All,
I am getting my son a 12v battery powered tractor for Christmas and would love to wire it up to have working lights as the guy in the video did. I'm not after anything as complicated as this setup and would be more than happy to have the 4 headlights and 2 taillights operate off a simple on/off switch.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pD-InblYDlk
Unfortunately my knowledge of electrical components and circuits is extremely limited however with some guidance on these I feel I could put this together ok.
LEDs - the LEDs used in the video were 1w whites for the headlight and 1w reds for the taillights. I will have to drill a hole through the plastic behind the supplied cover lens to insert/mount the LEDs. I will also have to apply some reflective tape or use a reflective lens and holder to help push the light out. Could anyone recommend what type LED would work best in this scenario and how best to mount it? would I need a heat sink?
Battery - here I have two options: 1. power the lights off the 12v battery that powers the motors or 2. add a new battery to power the lights. In the second option what size/type battery would be best to run the lights (preferably rechargeable)?
Resistor/Driver - this is where I get completely lost. Most videos I have watched about wiring LEDs talks about using a resistor but I have saw it mentioned that a resistor may not be the best thing to use with high powered LEDs. Would a resistor work and if so what size would I need? or would I be better using a driver?
Switch - I would like to use a red illuminated rocker switch so it will be easier to notice if he leaves the lights on.
Any help, recommendations or guidance would be greatly appreciated guys.
Thanks
Michael
I am getting my son a 12v battery powered tractor for Christmas and would love to wire it up to have working lights as the guy in the video did. I'm not after anything as complicated as this setup and would be more than happy to have the 4 headlights and 2 taillights operate off a simple on/off switch.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pD-InblYDlk
Unfortunately my knowledge of electrical components and circuits is extremely limited however with some guidance on these I feel I could put this together ok.
LEDs - the LEDs used in the video were 1w whites for the headlight and 1w reds for the taillights. I will have to drill a hole through the plastic behind the supplied cover lens to insert/mount the LEDs. I will also have to apply some reflective tape or use a reflective lens and holder to help push the light out. Could anyone recommend what type LED would work best in this scenario and how best to mount it? would I need a heat sink?
Battery - here I have two options: 1. power the lights off the 12v battery that powers the motors or 2. add a new battery to power the lights. In the second option what size/type battery would be best to run the lights (preferably rechargeable)?
Resistor/Driver - this is where I get completely lost. Most videos I have watched about wiring LEDs talks about using a resistor but I have saw it mentioned that a resistor may not be the best thing to use with high powered LEDs. Would a resistor work and if so what size would I need? or would I be better using a driver?
Switch - I would like to use a red illuminated rocker switch so it will be easier to notice if he leaves the lights on.
Any help, recommendations or guidance would be greatly appreciated guys.
Thanks
Michael