Rolls-Royce laser headlight retrofit motorcycle - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / projects

author: Cheegro
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: June 21, 2024, 08:35:35 pm
content: Hello everyone second time posting here I have a very unique project on the go right now I managed to get my hands on a Rolls-Royce 2022 headlight assembly the whole headlight housing was broken but I had the internal parts it even had a Servo to move the headlight left and right as you steer but I had to ditch that so now I'm just left with the laser main Beam with reflector and two other LED circuits with reflectors the main headlight assembly basically....So I was pretty confident in my ability to figure this out on my own until I tore everything down analyse the circuits but most specifically once I got to that main beam I was staring at the diode thinking to myself wow that's the smallest LED diode I've ever seen and while thinking that I was thinking why would this led diode need so much circuitry to run it and then my girlfriend chimes in isn't that a laser and I'm like oh frigg it is.. And any experience I've had with lasers is not good but we have everything needed here to run it to my knowledge we just need to power it and to know how to power it where to power it and hopefully one of you guys will be able to guide me so I'm really counting on you guys let's get this project doneWill be trying to provide some better photos under microscope

author: moffy
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 21, 2024, 11:45:47 pm
content: The yellow dot in the cavity in the top photo is a similar colour to white phosphor which is used to convert say an ultra violet LED into a white light source. That's because LEDs/Lasers are a single colour and white light is a broad mixture of colours so a phosphor is needed.

author: Phil1977
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: June 22, 2024, 08:07:52 am
content: Yep, as already stated this is a LaserActivatedRemotePhosphor-emitter (LARP)They usually have a blue laser diode inside that is powered with 1 to 3 Amps and around 3.5V. It´s hard to tell the right current without a datasheet.You COULD connect a laser diode driver to two of the main pins on the bottom and just power this thing up until it reaches a healthy temperature (60°C are optimal)You´re not allowed to operate these things without some safety measures that are usually guaranteed by the headlamp manufacturer. E.g. if the white phosphor on top breaks, blue collimated laserlight with much more than 1W might escape and that is a real eye hazard.Even if the phosphor is okay, the luminance of the white light from that point can harm your eyesight.If you somewhere want to operate/test these things commercially you need a TON of safety instructions and gear.

author: Cheegro
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: June 22, 2024, 10:28:15 am
content: So I've got all the other LED lights working and based on the wiring I believe that the first pin starting from the left would be either positive or negative and then the third pin would also either be positive or negative if I didn't end up cutting the freaking harness to get the LEDs working I'd probably know this by now but maybe one of you could just take a few seconds to analyse it the very first pin is going almost directly to one of the legs of the laser so I'm at the stage of doing some digging myself and analysing a few laser circuits to see if there's any similarities here regarding a direct path from either positive or negative directly to the laser to help me figure out the polarityOh by the way the teeny weenie little LEDs on here are probably the brightest things I've ever seen I haven't even turned them up to 12 volts just at 10 volts there blinding meanwhile they're probably a 1\5 the size of a 555 timer

author: Cheegro
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: June 22, 2024, 10:39:08 am
content: Some evidence I got the LEDs working

author: Cheegro
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: June 22, 2024, 08:27:42 pm
content: just to clarify to every one. This laser "headlight". Is used in a production car, all my parts are Completely intact Perfect contidtion. i have The entire Assembaly To house this. with both lenses in original form. And thats how it willl be used.. Essensially. your helping me Fix my cars headlight.. Which happens to be a laser...

author: Someone
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 22, 2024, 10:03:15 pm
content: Quote from: Cheegro on June 22, 2024, 08:27:42 pm... shows photo of naked emitter operating at power.

author: mikeselectricstuff
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 22, 2024, 10:25:54 pm
content: I took apart one of these, and also an Aliexpress version a while agoThe BMW laser source can be treated like a high power LED with a tiny source, so can be focussed into a very tight beam, but as mentioned we don't know the current rating before it pops.The laser hazard is negligible - even if the phosphor somehow breaks, there is no reason to think a collimated beam will emerge - chances are it is focussed down to a small spot on the phosphor and would diverge significantly at any significant distance.The white source hazard is similar to that of the high intensity white LEDs ( which incidentally will set fire to paper at close range) - just don't view them close up, and the inverse-square law will preserve your eyeballs.

author: Cheegro
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: June 23, 2024, 03:34:22 pm
content: I specified that that was the auxiliary LEDs that come with the laser that's not the freaking laser emitting at Power I have not got the laser powered up you think I would turn it on outside of the freaking reflector

author: Cheegro
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: June 23, 2024, 03:35:52 pm
content: Yeah I think I might go your route and buy it a laser driver and just Power It Up Until It seems to be outputting a good amount thanks a bunch most help I got from anyone on here

author: SteveThackery
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 23, 2024, 10:52:34 pm
content: Quote from: Cheegro on June 23, 2024, 03:34:22 pmYou're a real charmer, aren't you.