LEDMarkers 370Z Headlight Project [06/19/2009]

DIGItonium

Dilemma
Two years ago CinCity modified my headlights which featured black housing, projector turn signal lens, and forward facing SuperFlux LEDs (not regular 5mm round 20mA LEDs):
CINCity Designs 370Z Headlight Project

I got in an accident in March this year, and it left me with a broken passenger headlight (driver side sold). I did some searching and found LEDmarkers. What makes them stand out is their ability to etch custom PCBs and design custom drivers for various LED applications. Plus, they seem to be well known in the G35 community (owner has a modded G35c).

Objective
LEDmarkers kept an open mind with my design proposal. The goal is to have cleaner (i.e., less blue) and brighter high power LEDs, replace my custom 100mA K2 parking light bulbs with an integrated design, use high power side marker LEDs, and build an LED cluster for turn signal. Although the Luxeon K2 is obsolete, the package is very robust with a nice silicone dome lens and can handle up to 1000mA of current.

Plan

• Design: Similar to v1.0, but I source my own LED components.
• Housing: Matte Black
• Shrouds: Graphite
• Landing Strip: Luxeon K2 @ 150mA with heat sink rods
• Parking Lights: Luxeon Rebel Star with Carlco Bubble Optic @ 150mA with heat sink
• Side Marker: LEDmarkers retrofit PCB with dual Cree LED @150mA
• Turn Signal: Projector style 40-LED SuperFlux @70mA (each side!)
• Misc: 5000K Morimoto bulbs and projector lens from The Retrofit Source. Includes replacing main projector lens with STI lens for a sharper cutoff.

LEDmarkers improved the design by using high power LED drivers in place of 1W resistors. As a result of this project, they will be selling the turn signal and side marker boards for DIY modders:
Product Page: LEDmarkers

Review

• Design - 10/10: LEDmarkers was able to fully realize and enhance my original design proposal consisting of MS Paint drawings and calculations. I left some design elements open so they can work their magic. It is hard to tell from pictures because the exposure levels were reduced to simulate the lighting in person and reduce glare, but the entire dimple in the landing strip is filled with light. In the past, it was only bright at the light source. The parking light and custom turn signal previously had a hot spot, but it has been reduced so the area appears to fill with light.
• Workmanship - 9/10: The overall work is beautiful. I'm good with soldering, but not good with drilling and cutting. Nitpicks include minute lint caught in the paint on the shroud and slight lint and dust on the painted surface of the housing.
• Service - 10/10: The owner is very down to earth and shows great passion for LED projects. His responses are mostly immediate, is not hesitant to express concerns, and is honest and confident with his work. They did not hesitate to make things right and improve their work. We pretty much ended up getting OCD with the headlights.

Issues
The turn signal projector was my idea carried over from CinCity's design. It looks sick, but LEDmarkers discovered the lens was constantly directing sunlight to the surface of the housing and melted part of the painted surface. Overall, NOT the fault of LEDmarkers or CinCity.

LEDmarkers tests the assembly for 12 hours before shipping. They also packed the headlights very well. However, USPS was not careful handling the package marked "fragile." The top of the box was nearly crushed. The RH headlight was in great condition, but the LH headlight suffered impact to the floor (corner bent). The LED drivers were also intermittent, and the projector assembly was far out of alignment. The plastic clip broke off the projector assembly, which is why it could not be adjusted. The projector reflector bell also broke. LEDmarkers quickly offered to fix the headlight and reimburse shipping. I shipped it back, and within a week they moved the mods over to a new headlight. The intermittent LEDs were caused by a loose wire that was probably damaged from the drop. They ended up adding additional reinforcements to the wires to further reduce the likelihood of damage during shipping.

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