Viper brake light

[Slowsupratt]

Has anyone wired the viper logo brake light to be lit at all times(when lights are on) and then when you press the brake pedal it gets brighter. Pretty much the same way the brakes work. Hopefully I explaining myself clearly.

 

[RobZilla]

Not sure that is possible with the kind of bulb that is in it... It's also not an easy job running all those wires around in the back but I assume it can be wired to be constantly on like the running lights when you have them on. Not sure it will get brighter when you brake though.

 

[viperdude118]

Yes, this could be done. The wiring to the viper logo light would have to be in parallel with that of the tail lights. When the brakes are applied more current is being supplied to the bulbs to make them brighter.

Probably not worth the hassle of re-wiring, but it might look cool.

 

[RobZilla]

I stand corrected.

 

[BOTTLEFED]

if that center brake bulb is made in a dual-filament bulb it could be wired up like a combo turn/park light

 

[Ratical2]

The center brake light is made with LED's. For the GTS, there are 30 LEDs. I hand built the first 200 prototypes in 1995.

You would need to design a circuit to drive the CHMSL around 9-10 volts during tail operation and then full voltage in the Brake mode.

The easiest way would be to run a diode and resistor in series to the CHMSL from the positive side of the Tail Lamp. You would also need a second diode on the positive lead of the CHMSL to keep the functions separate.
The addition of these three components would give a lower voltage to the CHMSL with the tail lights on without affecting normal brake operation.

The ratio for brightness is about 10-15 to 1 from stop to tail. Let me know if you are interested in a resistor value and schematic. I have the CHMSL on my desk and can play around with it to get the approximate voltage and the resulting resistance value, tomorrow.

 

[treesnake]

The center brake light is made with LED's. For the GTS, there are 30 LEDs. I hand built the first 200 prototypes in 1995.

You would need to design a circuit to drive the CHMSL around 9-10 volts during tail operation and then full voltage in the Brake mode.

The easiest way would be to run a diode and resistor in series to the CHMSL from the positive side of the Tail Lamp. You would also need a second diode on the positive lead of the CHMSL to keep the functions separate.
The addition of these three components would give a lower voltage to the CHMSL with the tail lights on without affecting normal brake operation.

The ratio for brightness is about 10-15 to 1 from stop to tail. Let me know if you are interested in a resistor value and schematic. I have the CHMSL on my desk and can play around with it to get the approximate voltage and the resulting resistance value, tomorrow.

I think I would leave it a brake light...

 

[Ratical2]

The circuit is simple. Getting to the lamps is the hard part.
While it probably would look pretty cool, I am not even sure of the legality of it.

 

[w8liftn]

Funny that this topic is here, so I'll ask a question. When the third brakelight on a Gen II GTS goes out, do you have to replace the ENTIRE thing? In other words, not just the bulb, but the lens, housing, etc.? Mine went out and a dealer told me that it would have to be replaced and I just bought a new one on Ebay. I haven't recieved it yet, but I'm starting to wonder if this is BS or not.

 

[Ratical2]

Funny that this topic is here, so I'll ask a question. When the third brakelight on a Gen II GTS goes out, do you have to replace the ENTIRE thing? In other words, not just the bulb, but the lens, housing, etc.? Mine went out and a dealer told me that it would have to be replaced and I just bought a new one on Ebay. I haven't recieved it yet, but I'm starting to wonder if this is BS or not.

The answer is yes. The CHMSL is a sealed unit made up of LEDs on a PCB with wiring harness, inner reflector,housing and outer lens. The possibiliy of the unit going bad is remote. Other than your failure, I only know of one case where the Lamp didn't light and it was due to a wiring problem. The LEDs should outlast the car. I would be interested to find out what caused your failure.

BTW- I looked into the legality of having the CHMSL lit with running lights. It is not legal. The brakelight is only to function as a brakelight. Of course you can do what ever you like!

 

[Ratical2]

Here are some pics of what is inside the GTS CHMSL. Back in 1995, it took 30 LEDs to meet the Light Output requirements. Today, we can do it with one!

Powered down to 10.5 V input to simulate "Tail-mode" performance.

Fully loaded PC Board

Bare PCB

 

[w8liftn]

I wonder what would cause it to stop working???? My new one is in but I haven't had a chance to swap them out yet. I'm gonna be sick if it's something major. The car is in the body shop, I should be able to swap them out in the next week or so. I'll post when (and if) I get it figured out. Thanks for the pics!

 

[2snakes4us]

Thats some good info Ratical2, I like knowing what the third brake light is made up of.