If you missed it, here is the link to what is online, so far, about my project.

http://www.azflight.com/rcaz/sub%20indexes/eclipsecenterlight/index.htm

I am not too happy yet about the light output during braking so I am continuing to test. I have several options to explore.

LEDs are a wonderful little source of light but with some interesting technical issues.

LEDs are very fickle about current and voltage.
Very little change in either can be the difference between bright, dim or fried. LED current consumption increases as temperature rises. This means if you run a LED at its upper limits it will draw more current as it gets hotter. That means I have to plan for current demands at the upper ambient temperature limit in Phoenix of 122 degrees plus the additional heat generated by the LED when it’s on.

It's also not recommended to run LEDs in series-parallel combinations. You always run the risk of a cascade failure when powering multiple LEDs in series. A lot of these problems go away if I use less LEDs but then the light distribution does not look as pleasing to me.

My next experiments will involve using separate LEDs for the brake and running lamp functions. The benefit of this is two-fold. I’ll be able to eliminate the blocking diode needed when the brake and marker lamps try to back feed each other and I’ll be able to drive to braking LED’s to a higher level since they are not on constantly.

Take a look at cars that come with OEM LED tail lamps and you will see that the lens is designed quite differently. That also hinders my project since I have to use the stock lens.

All-in-all, this is still a fun project and I’ll post again after more progress is made.

For the normal Joe, just removing the silver paint from the lens and sticking a bunch of small incandescent lamps in the center piece is way easier and looks reasonably well to most.

I'm after that extra challenge of going all LED.