community project: third brake light

[Kael]

alright you shaved apes.. (ladies excused)

I know this group is always asking for things and it seems we need some direction to focus our efforts to.

so here it is, the insane leading the blind.. wait.. thats not right..
wait yes it is.. are we arguing with ourselves? did we just refer to our self in the third person.. oh man..

anyway, getting on...

I have been noticing that a few members are starting to have their third brake lights go out on them.
since there is no way to buy a new one and you have to just get a used one I say we start a new project.

lets figure a way to fix the third brake light or replace it.

now since there are actual neon tubes back there I am going to bet that its the balast that is going out. which sucks cause they are usualy not cheap and hard to find


so how about REPLACING the neon with something that is better or cheaper and figuring out the wiring for the forum?

I was thinking we look into LED replacement (not bright enough in my opinion)
or even better: lets go cold cathode tube.
cathodes are cheap, bright, tough and use not much power.


so lets get going kids.
lets look for sources,
for measurements, for ideas.
anyone have a third brake light that they can take apart for us?
or how easy it is to take apart?
the more info the better.

[jgabrielson]

Ive got a 3rd brake light that went out on me earlier this year. My best guess would to be to replace the balast, keep the neon tube. Perhaps we can break apart and get the balast out, find a replacement. If I can get it out and get a p/n for the balast, I can get a replacement form an eletronics manufacture that I deal with. Let me work on taking it apart, see what I can find out.

Josh

[AmerLux]

Hell yes!!! Take the bull (GM) buy the horns (dodge?) and figure this thing out. Mine went dead in the last couple of days. No way do i want to pay $250.00 + $100.00 core charge for the ebay refurbished one. I'll get mine out soon and take pics so you electronic freaks can study it, as i have no business messin' with those wires

[heavymetals]

The OEM is glued shut so taking it apart is a BITCH.

I contacted a guy who makes replacements, but haven't heard any more from him.

[Custom88]

Personally, I think Cold Cathode tubes would be our best bet. That's the route I would take. They will look very similar to the stock look.

[denniscts]

I agree i have an old unit but looked at getting it apart and it looks like you tear up the housing doing it. I have access to strips of LED's and was think of using them or just a couple of LED hide-a-way tubes that would fit that couls be used as a steady burb brake light or hook up to a swotch and use as a flasing light for emergency purposes same led lights that i sell to the police depts. If you use led's though make sure you use red led's and not clear because red led's are brighter going through a red lens.

[mikes2nd]

anyone have pics? Numbers on the tube?

I mean why not look for the same tube?

[Kael]

well you see mike, I am willing to bet that its not the tube that is going out.

in the third braek light of the 03-07 cadillac cts there are actually two neon tubes, one on each side. Neon tubes have no filament and therefore can not burn out.

what is probably happening is that the ballasts that drive these tubes are failing.

[denniscts]

Oh yea I have fat fingers when I type so sorry for the errors

[afterdigital]

Originally Posted by Kael

well you see mike, I am willing to bet that its not the tube that is going out.

in the third braek light of the 03-07 cadillac cts there are actually two neon tubes, one on each side. Neon tubes have no filament and therefore can not burn out.

what is probably happening is that the ballasts that drive these tubes are failing.

if true, how possible is it to change the ballasts?

[afterdigital]

Originally Posted by AmerLux

Hell yes!!! Take the bull (GM) buy the horns (dodge?) and figure this thing out. Mine went dead in the last couple of days. No way do i want to pay $250.00 + $100.00 core charge for the ebay refurbished one. I'll get mine out soon and take pics so you electronic freaks can study it, as i have no business messin' with those wires

waiting for them pics...

[JayT1989]

Damn!!! Mine burned out yesterday. I can't believe Cadillac designed the 3rd brake light like this.

Any further progress on these?

[tommy compton]

i took mine apart when it burnt out, not easy. i used a heat gun and some prying to get it apart, you have to be carefull. it was the ballast it was all rusted, looked like it leaked, like ballasts from flourecent light do when they die. unfortunatly i broke one of the tubes when i was prying it apart. i gutted mine and used leds shinning through a clear plastic rod, but it is no way as bright. i don't plan on keeping it this way. i'm wondering if a neon sign place can hook me up with a ballast, lol and a tube?
i don't have an oven big enough to fit my brake light in, but if you did, im' sure baking it at low heat for abit would aid in taking it apart.

[Kael]

we would have to get the part number off of the ballast.

hmm maybe i can get a working one or show it to a few electronic expert friends and see what they think about getting a replacement.
(a ballast that takes the same input and puts out the same amp/voltage combo)

other than that,
I know that there are super bright led's out there. like from the cree company.

its just a matter of fitting them in there and wiring them up.
it would have to direct lighting as i dont think a light pipe will have enough brightness.

[tommy compton]

i have it around somewhere, i think, or i might have thrown it out. it is made by phillips.