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tortuga
Nomad
Posts: 277
Registered: 8-11-2007
Location: Bellevue, Idaho or Los Barriles B.C.S.
Member Is Offline
Mood: Muy Despacio
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Even the Minister of Finance/Director of Family Happiness likes them.
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This is very important !
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woody with a view
PITA Nomad
Posts: 15939
Registered: 11-8-2004
Location: Looking at the Coronado Islands
Member Is Offline
Mood: Everchangin'
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Thanks for all the LEaDs!!!
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bajaandy
Senior Nomad
Posts: 769
Registered: 2-7-2004
Location: North County
Member Is Offline
Mood: Adventurous
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One way in mid Nov... Que donde?
subvert the dominant paradigm
"If you travel with a man, you must either fall out with him or make him your good friend."
JBL Noel
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woody with a view
PITA Nomad
Posts: 15939
Registered: 11-8-2004
Location: Looking at the Coronado Islands
Member Is Offline
Mood: Everchangin'
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stay tuned for the report!
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woody with a view
PITA Nomad
Posts: 15939
Registered: 11-8-2004
Location: Looking at the Coronado Islands
Member Is Offline
Mood: Everchangin'
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okay, here's the mods so far:
progressive dynamic intlli-charger/converter. clean enough power to charge the laptop.
solar battery tender- http://www.amazon.com/Battery-Tender-021-1163-Solar-Maintain... only 5 watts but should help top off the battery. i got it mainly to keep the
tundra battery alive-i only drive it once a month or less.
changed out a whack of old style bulbs to these: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003TKI4VU/ref=oh_details_o... not brilliant white but good enough.
new cooling unit in the refer. it's one of the newer ones that require power to run the mainboard but runs on propane. it's my weak link for now.
got the potential mouse entry holes all covered and caulked.
just need to figure out how the vent window frames remove so i can replace one broken glass!*$#%.
i think i'm ready!
[Edited on 10-8-2013 by woody with a view]
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durrelllrobert
Elite Nomad
Posts: 7393
Registered: 11-22-2007
Location: Punta Banda BC
Member Is Offline
Mood: thriving in Baja
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I guess anything is legal in Mexico (maybe)
Back in 1960 the US auto makers announced that henceforth all new cars would have amber front turn signals because "THEY WERE SAFER". So I started a
small company to manufacture aftermarket amber turn signal lens covers for older cars (64 different models) that consisted of a thin Mil-Spec amber
butyrate plastic cover that was vacuum formed to fit over the outside of the existing clear lens. I had an exclusive agreement with J.C. Whitney
(Workowski actually) to market them. After I shipped several thousand to him he cancelled all orders and sued me because his customers were getting
tickets for "ILLEGAL MODIFICATION OF THE LIGHTING SYSTEM". My lawyer checked into it and sure enough they were illegal in 47 of the states. That's
when GE and Westinghouse started making the amber bulbs that are still used on some cars.
This made me wonder about after market LED lights and here's what I found about legality:
California V C Section 26101 Modification of Vehicle Equipment
(a) A person shall not sell or offer for sale for use upon or as part of the equipment of a vehicle any device that is intended to modify the original
design or performance of any lighting equipment, safety glazing material, or other device, unless the modifying device meets the provisions of Section
26104.
(b) A person shall not use upon a vehicle, and a person shall not drive a vehicle upon a highway that has installed a device that is intended to
modify the original design or performance of a lighting, safety glazing material, or other device, unless the modifying device complies with Section
26104.
(c) This section does not apply to a taillamp or stop lamp in use on or prior to December 1, 1935, or to lamps installed on authorized emergency
vehicles.
Amended Sec. 45, Ch. 491, Stats. 2010. Effective January 1, 2011.
CA V C Section 26104 Required Laboratory Tests
26104. (a) Every manufacturer who sells, offers for sale, or manufactures for use upon a vehicle devices subject to requirements established by the
department shall, before the device is offered for sale, have laboratory test data showing compliance with such requirements. Tests may be conducted
by the manufacturer.
(b) The department may at any time request from the manufacturer a copy of the test data showing proof of compliance of any device with the
requirements established by the department and additional evidence that due care was exercised in maintaining compliance during production. If the
manufacturer fails to provide such proof of compliance within 30 days of notice from the department, the department may prohibit the sale of the
device in this state until acceptable proof of compliance is received by the department.
Amended Ch. 399, Stats. 1980. Effective July 11, 1980.
_________________________________________________
Typical CA BS that says nothing and is subject to interpretation by the police. But here's some stuff that police in different states say on their
unofficial web site regarding giving you a ticket for this:
http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&a...
(1) It is illegal in Louisiana to alter the tail lights from the original manufacturer guidelines. I do not know anyone who enforces it including
myself. I think it makes vehicles safer. There are some after market lights that are not LEd and are really small and difficult to see especially
during the day which can bring civil liability or traffic citations that I agree with enforcing.
(2) Be careful with that "DOT approved" logo, US DOT does not approve or disapprove lighting devices. Lighting devices, both original equipment and
aftermarket, must meet the specifications in Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 108. The manufacturers SELF CERTIFY that their devices meet
FMVSS108. It the manufacturers lie and put DOT approved on the box or on the item, guess who still gets the ticket.
(3) FMVSS108 requires that REPLACEMENT lights/lenses shall conform to the standard (S5.8.1)
The standard also specifies the size of the lens, Stop lamp lens shall be not less than 50 square centimeters (S5.1.1.26.(a))
Concerning flashing tail or stop lamps they are not legal per FMVSS108- S5.5.10
FMVSS108 supercedes State laws so a State law can not allow tail or stop lamps which flash. State laws follow FMVSS108 so there are State statutes
which can be used to enforce these standards.
There are a lot of ways that your aftermarket LED lights can be illegal.
Bob Durrell
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woody with a view
PITA Nomad
Posts: 15939
Registered: 11-8-2004
Location: Looking at the Coronado Islands
Member Is Offline
Mood: Everchangin'
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mine are on the inside. don't care about the outside lights.
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DavidE
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 3814
Registered: 12-1-2003
Location: Baja California México
Member Is Offline
Mood: 'At home we demand facts and get them. In Mexico one subsists on rumor and never demands anything.' Charles Flandrau,
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The cops are too busy citing people with no lights, or those who forget to turn them on at 2:00AM. Really bright lights, dim lights, or 335 lights
burning will get their attention.
Having dealt with LED lighting as a professional I could offer some advice. Cheap Chinese lights rely on series parallel configuration with carbon
resistors to control incoming voltage. I will not touch one as far as buying for resale because of the reliability issue. Lamps with voltage
regulators inside are the most reliable and they do not dim as the battery voltage varies. BUT. Voltage regulated LED lamps can act as a radio
frequency emitter and disturb radio, Television, and communications signals. If you decide to go with lamps with regulators AND have suseptible
electronics aboard, I sure would try one sample lamp out before making a bulk purchase. RF shielding is not cheap and it is not easy to install.
For flat panel "plate" retrofits I like the voltage regulated units from COMMAND ELECTRONICS. They offer both cool and warm white. Command does not
lie about the lumen output of their lamps. For toy haulers I have selected a FIFTY WATT Luxeon flood lamp with nine thousand lumens. I have seen
operation rooms in use with less brightness of illumination.
BTW, for safety, in case I get stuck, stalled out on the highway after dark, I found out the hard way that a good LED flashlight with the "flicker"
emergency setting placed in the rear window to have no equal (except maybe for flashing red and blue lamps haha) to warn approaching drivers that your
car is disabled. Even a driver that enjoyed a gallon of Tecate for dinner might have a chance to have successful eyeball to soused brain
communication.
A Lot To See And A Lot To Do
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