Red Floods. Like an aircraft. See what's what! In the dark.

Having spent a life associated with flying, I came to recognize how important it is to see all the controls at your fingertips, feet, elbows, passengers, etc, at an instant.
The answer is simple, Red-Floods. Yes, Red lights that illuminate the inside of your car - or whatever, while not distracting your attention from the outside. Watch any military movie, including aircraft & submarines, and you might learn how invaluable these lights really are.
So, I had previously fitted some red lights, bought from China, into my car. They were LED's, encased in plastic. They seemed okay... for a while... until they each decided to fail. Sigh! They were cheap to buy, although I had to wait for over one month to get them. They were not too good anyway and the amount of red light they showed was limited, to the extreme.
I recently replaced them, with 10mm, red-LED's. All wired in parallel, supplied from a DC 12v supply with 1/4 watt resistors in-line. I took the supply voltage from the Center Console - there's a socket to supply a rear 12volt cigar socket. I say cigar instead of cigarette because I am so upmarket... Not! Only kidding. I don't smoke.
See my pictures, which are not very complementary. But in reality, they are fantastic.
12volt, LED's and a controlling power-switch. It's all you need.

Looks like a brothel!

I tend to use amber coloured light, picks up decals better,

dog-man said:

Looks like a brothel!

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That could've been the look the OP was going for

Alot of cars come with "submarine" lighting now. Yours looks too harsh tbh. Ive always found black on white dials work well. And are quite boy racer ish too.

dog-man said:

Looks like a brothel!

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I guess that's why you recognize it then. lol

freelance said:

I tend to use amber coloured light, picks up decals better,

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What? Like a Traffic light preparing to say "GO!" lol

goonarmy said:

Alot of cars come with "submarine" lighting now. Yours looks too harsh tbh. Ive always found black on white dials work well. And are quite boy racer ish too.

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It isn't harsh, at all. The photo is not the best to show how good it actually is. I drove, no, that's not accurate. My wife & I drove for quite a distance in the dark recently and if she was in any way unhappy with the Red light, she would have said. In fact, she was quite complimentary. And believe me, that says everything.
And, for many years, I have had Red-Floods in my cars, but this year it's the first I've used LED's. They do work, and until you try it you do not know how beneficial they can be. So cut the crap and give them a try. if i can be of any assistance please don't hesitate to ask. I like to help others. And if you still cannot see the benefits, then perhaps you should go to, 'Specsavers'. lol

My defender doesn’t even have an interior light, I use a torch lol

flat said:

My defender doesn’t even have an interior light, I use a torch lol

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Gas or petrol powered? lol Just remember to keep the doors open in case you need to get the f**k out fast. lol

I once crossed the Sahara Desert in August, 2012, and used Red-Floods to see the inside of my cab. It was the hottest month in that year and my eyes were strained from the previous day's heat. The red floods helped me to cross a terrain that could have ended my journey, with wadi's and dried river-beds galore. I'm not saying we all need to cross a desert to appreciate the usefulness of Red-Floods, but the lesson is to know it can be useful. In my experience, they are invaluable. And when I lived in Scotland, they were also very helpful.

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We have a red led light on the old man's yacht for chart work at night so that your night vision is preserved. Pretty handy, and standard in the boating world.

PopRivet said:

It isn't harsh, at all. The photo is not the best to show how good it actually is. I drove, no, that's not accurate. My wife & I drove for quite a distance in the dark recently and if she was in any way unhappy with the Red light, she would have said. In fact, she was quite complimentary. And believe me, that says everything.
And, for many years, I have had Red-Floods in my cars, but this year it's the first I've used LED's. They do work, and until you try it you do not know how beneficial they can be. So cut the crap and give them a try. if i can be of any assistance please don't hesitate to ask. I like to help others. And if you still cannot see the benefits, then perhaps you should go to, 'Specsavers'. lol

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No crap. I had em in a caddy for years. And ST's and TT's. Personally didn' think they made much difference. Any body needing them in an already illuminated cabin will definitely need to go to Specsavers by law. Shouldn' be behind the wheel of a car at night if that is the case.

I like them!

Have you got a picture of the flood lamps you made? Photos on camera phones at night are rarely the best - definitely not your fault!

Nope sorry, just not seeing the point of this at all, totally pointless!

I'm including two photo's, as requested. I'm planning to replace the Controlling Switch with a 'Switchable potentiometer', which will allow me to alter the brightness - if required. That'll be the Mk II.
I must add, that until anyone uses such a device it's difficult to understand or accept the benefits of Red Floods. I swear by them.


Edit: I've just bought a pair of potentiometers off Ebay. They are On/Off, upto 1KΩ variable, 2w rating, 240 volt max. I'll get them in a month or so - coming from China & cheap. I'll let you know how I get on, with updated pictures.

did you buy logarithmic or linear pots

Linear. A carbon-track giving a direct scale wave-form without altered deviation. An On/Off with Max to min, or, Min to Max, output, all dependent on the wiring configuration.