Triumphrat

Ripper

I have just fitted the Lucas 564 reproduction tail light, such as this one from NewBonneville,



and have been planning for a while to convert it to LED when I got one. My original plans were to build a board containing Piranha Superflux LEDS which would replace the original 27/8w incandescent filament bulb. However, before I could put my plans into action I stumbled upon this LED board from Matchless Clueless...



The cost of the board compared to building one myself isn't much so I went down the lazy route and bought one. I was feeling a little sceptical at the time, since the board uses only 4 LEDS for the tail light and 6 LEDS for the brake light, a total of 10 LEDs. My plans had been to use at least 20.

I have to say though, that on fitting the board I was amazed. Those 4 LEDs completely outshine the original filament bulb and there is a large enough difference between light output of tail to brake lights as to be highly noticeable since all 10 LEDs light when the brake comes on.

Fitting the board is easy and only takes around half an hour. Two small (3mm) holes need to be drilled in the light unit base plate to take the board fixings. The guy who makes these boards is James Smith and apart from being a member of the Matcless forum owns his own site, http://www.matchlessclueless.com and he is based in Hong Kong. I have emailed James to suggest an alternative method of fitting the board that does away with the need to drill any holes and he says he will look into it for future batches.

Electrical connections are easy too. By default the light board comes with a 3 wire connector which plugs onto the back side of the board and the internals of the bulb holder are removed so that the 3 wires can run through the holder and connect via bullet connectors to the rear harness. This is the way I did mine, but James also offers an alternative method where the bulb holder internals are kept, and an adapter consisting of a BAY15D bulb base is just plugged in in place of the bulb, so there is really no wiring mods needed at all. Its completely plug and play.

All fittings are supplied as a kit and there is also a printable template for drilling the holes. The kit arrived extremely quickly, within a couple of days of ordering and was well packaged. For anyone who is considering converting their Lucas tail light to LED I would highly recommend this board. You will not be dissapointed with its performance. Here is a link to the page for the LED board:

http://www.matchlessclueless.com/sto...s-564-led-12v/

DEcosse

Nice product
Are all 10 at same intensity
Ie is only difference for brake10 vs 4?
Or are they also brighter?

Interesting use of those piranhas on edge for the plate light



Sent from my iPhone using Motorcycle.com Free App

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Ripper

All 10 LEDs are at the same intensity and the difference between light output between tail and brake is done by bringing in the other 6 LEDs. This is one reason why I was initially sceptical since I had thought that a good ratio between tail and brake LEDS is 3:1 which would have meant about 12 LEDs in total. Also 4 LEDs for the main tail light doesn't seem much, but went with the attitude of 'well, its very reasonably priced so I might as well give it a go'. But like I said, on fitting it I was pleasantly surprised.

What makes this board so good, in my opinion is that James has used a constant current source to feed the LEDs rather than the more usual current limiting resistors. This has resulted in a steady light output regardless of changes in battery voltage or fluctuations caused by the charging system. That, coupled with the use of Piranha LEDs which are noted for emitting an amazing amount of light with a good spread, even though they are not the brightest of LEDs. I haven't made any measurements but I estimate the consumption of the whole board to be around only 1 watt.

The number plate LEDs really do look good, giving an ice white light which has a more powerful spread than the original filament bulb.

Forchetto

Good mod, thanks. A lot of Lucas rear light users will be looking for something like that.

The site link is missing an "H" by the way, here's a link to the LED page:

http://www.matchlessclueless.com/sto...s-564-led-12v/

Ripper

Thanks for that Forchetto, I've edited the link and added yours to the post.

en7jos

Hi All,

Just wanted to say hello and thank Ripper for his kind words about my Lucas 564 LED light board. Really pleased that you have found an application on a modern bike too; it was designed for my old 1951 Matchless as I needed to reduce the electrical load to help the ailing dynamo whilst at the same time improving visibility in the horrendous traffic here in Hong Kong.

Surprising just how common the Lucas 564 tail lights are isn't it! I thought they were really only on classic bikes but I understand now that some of you guys are retro-fitting them to your modern machines too. I passed a new Triumph only this afternoon (nice looking bike) and paused to glance at it's rear light, and I can see why the old Lucas light is a common upgrade to the stock unit!

Great forum you have here guys. Ride safe...

Regards, James

Retro-Racer

LED Lucas Lamp with a lot more LED's:



/M

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"With integrity, nothing else matters. Without integrity, nothing else matters."

Forchetto

24 LEDS on this one, any advance on that?:

http://www.bulbsthatlast4ever.com/products/564-si.html

Ripper

Nice looking LED board this Forchetto, but in terms of performance my board has several advantages -

LEDs - This board uses QTLP321CR Piranha LEDs which are only 3mm. My board uses 5mm Piranhas with a wider viewing angle.

No constant current source on this board, only current limiting resistors. With the engine idling, this light will flicker. The LEDs will also have a shorter life and its prone to fluctuations in supply voltage. Very inefficient.

This board needs 20 LEDs. My board only needs 10.

Price - Your board: $95.95 (£60.47). My board: £27.50 ($43.63)

Retro-Racer - I've been experimenting with LEDs for a while now, mainly with turn signals and have learned a lot on the way. One lesson I have just learned is that more LEDs does not neccessarily equate to more light output. At least, not without the correct type of LED and the most efficient circuitry to run it.

Retro-Racer

You can get a whole tail light with housing for $60USD. I can't speak to efficiency, but these lil' buggers sure are bright.

/M

__________________
"With integrity, nothing else matters. Without integrity, nothing else matters."