Rubicon LED Dome Conversion
Official
Rubicon Owners Sale thread.
I am currently building a drop-in module with a Luxeon star 1W LED. Constant current (350mA) dropping converter with reverse polarity protection and large Vin range. No modification of factory light fixture needed. Just pop out the factory bulb and pop this module back in its place. Much whiter than the incandescent, uses 1/10th the power and is about the same brightness as the factory bulb. LED emitter and circuit should easily outlast the vehicle. While these were designed with the Rubicon on mind, they will, of course fit any (within reason) fixture with a similar bulb.
At 12.8V input (standard resting battery V), the factory bulb draws 1.10A. This LED module draws 0.110A
LED "white" light is much different from what we're used to. These will make incandescent "white" light appear quite yellow. LED white is akin to moonlight and may take some getting used to.
Please note that while these units are not priced at mass-market (low) levels, I am not out to retire on the profits from my hobby! These are cutting-edge units, and I have yet to see a similar product offered. These are fully regulated, protected, and sport a Luxeon 1W emitter that is as bright as 18 of the brightest 5mm LEDs on the market. The modules are built with high quality components. Some parts had to be purchased in large quantity to keep the final price from rising even higher. The circuit was designed and built by a good friend, and between the two of us, we assemble every part on these modules from the bare components. These are most definitely "designed AND made in the USA." While this is the first application of this module for this particular light fixture, the circuit and emitters have proven themselves over the past three years. There are over 600 of these modules in service today. Because of advancing LED technology, these are the brightest dome modules that we (and likely anybody) have produced.
Pricing (subject to change without notice!):
* Priority Mail shipping to anywhere in the US for any number of modules is $5 uninsured. Once the package is in the possession of the USPS, I cannot afford to be responsible for the package. I do want everybody to be happy with this product though, and will do what I can to make any problems right. If you want your package insured, please add $5 per pair.
Examples:
Cash PayPal Preferred! (in other words, PayPal funded by anything other than Credit Card). My cash account is cash@darelldd.com. If Credit Card must be used, I'll ask that you add 4.5% of the total price to cover my acceptance fees, and send the money to credit@darelldd.com. When ordering via Paypal, please write exactly what you are ordering in the notes section of the paypal form.
Questions before ordering? I'll happily try to answer them. Just send an email to ev at darelldd dotcom. Please note that I am a one-man operation here. While I strive to have minimal lead-time on the product, and I try to answer my emails promptly, I sometimes travel, I sometimes sleep, and I sometimes have *gasp* other things to do. It is usually best to let me know what you'd like to order before sending payment - then I can give you an estimate for lead-time and availability. Plus this way you can make sure I haven't been hit by a bus before sending money.Installation
Module polarity (orientation): Before installation, determine which way around the module will be mounted. The first image below is of the LED module installed correctly in the factory fixture. Since the bulb is held off-center in the fixture, it should be easy to determine the proper orientation of the LED module. In this picture, I have drawn a '+' on the positive contact to make it obvious. You will notice that there are little + signs on the circuit board at the same edge, and that the LED connection wire is also red (will be red or orange in the production units). If put in backwards, no harm will come to the unit (it is reverse-polarity protected), but it will not light. Do not install the module with power applied to the fixture! Some folks have managed to let the magic smoke out of the circuits during powered installation. I test these modules extensively before shipping, and damage during installation is the only problem we've seen to date. BE CAREFUL. I can fix or replace broken modules - but I cannot afford to do it for free! Next slide please
Module installation: Now that you are confident in the orientation, it is time to snap the module in. Disconnect power to the dome fixture by turning it off at the switch, shutting the doors, or pulling the fuse. Center the module between the clips, and with your fingers on the module contacts as shown below, press both tubes straight into the fixture contacts until they snap into place. It takes a bit of pressure to snap these in, so DO NOT just press on the board or the LED! Once in place, the board can easily be tilted forward or backward (press on the front or back edge of the circuit board so the brass tubes pivot in the fixture clips) until it is pointed where you want it. Aimed just a bit forward is likely the best position. Once in, I'm pretty confident that it won't be falling out! Turn the power back on to the fixture, and you're in business.
If you ever want to remove the LED module, I have found it easiest to use a small screw driver poked into the end of one tube, and gently pry one side half way out, and the pry the other side all the way out. As with the installation, just pulling on the board could break the tubes off. And prying on one end too much can bend the tubes enough to break them as well. You be nice to the module, and it'll be nice to you. If the tubes are broken, then CAN be repaired, of course.
If everything went right, this is how it should look! If it isn't bright enough after installation, wait until dark. :)
Rear of the module with the factory bulb. The black conformal coating on the components is to prevent anything conductive from dropping in there and making a mess of the circuit. Many "production" units will use white thermal epoxy.
OK, we're ready for action.
And for those who just can't have enough light, I can also do a double emitter sitting on a heat sink. The round, finned puck under the pair of emitters is the sink. This show was taken of the mock up to determine if the module will still fit under the stock diffuser lens. It does. Barely. Adding the second LED and heat sink costs an extra $14/module.
Here is the double still running after 12 hours of burn-in. Everything seems fine. I can make these if folks want 'em.
Double whites installed (thanks, Andy)
And then there are the night-ops guys who need to maintain their night-vision. For those folks, I made these RED Lux3 modules. The RED domes cost $8 more per pair since the emitters are purchased in much smaller quantities than white.
Here is the first RED dome installed in a Rubi (thanks, Rich).
And another, so you can compare seat covers. :) (thanks, Andy)
And now I even have a couple of domes in BLUE (this sure would have been easier and cheaper with Photoshop!). Nobody has been brave enough to order a set of these, so I have no interior shots of blue.
Yes.. and now we have a color-switcher. This allows you to choose between red, white or both. Can be made with blue as well. Picture on the left has them both fired up. while the colored domes are special order, these are SUPER special order.
Rubicon Foot Well LED replacement bulb
I have limited quantities of a drop-in replacement for the foot well lights seen here (in a similar Jeep product):
Image used by consent from: http://www.wjjeeps.com
Here is the LED replacement next to the stock bulb. The LED "bulb" has six 3mm LEDs pointing straight out the nose where the light belongs. It fits perfectly in the stock fixture. I recommend leaving the white plastic diffuser dome off when you use the LED replacement (for max light output). Please try the LED bulb one way and if it doesn't light, rotate it 180° and try again... until it lights, then shove it home. It will only light one way around.
Cost for the LED replacement is $11.00 for the pair. No shipping cost if bundled with Dome Conversions above. I have limited stock of these and will order more as demand merits.This is a commercial product that is NOT built by me. I am simply reselling them for convenience to the dome buyers.
Wanna see more LED conversions that I've done for the Rubicon and others? Click
