How to make and install angel eyes from tubes (plexiglass)

December 14, 2015 Lada.Online 34 286 2

Many modern foreign cars have daytime running lights designed in the style of angel eyes. Such lights can be made using different methods, but we will focus on only one of them. Let's look at the advantages of plexiglass tubes, as well as their disadvantages.

Angel eyes on cars - what is it and what types are there?

Angel eyes are luminous circles installed in the car's standard optics. This type of tuning became popular after the release of production BMW cars with such headlights. Nowadays, these lights are serially installed only on some models, but you can install angel eyes on any car yourself.

They are not only a car decoration, but can also be used instead of side or parking lights. LED rings cannot be used as daytime running lights.

LED angel eyes or LED

The ring is made of LEDs soldered to the base. Since LEDs are afraid of voltage surges, they must be connected through a stabilizer.

• high brightness;
• service life up to 50 thousand hours;
• consume little energy;
• are not afraid of shaking and vibration.

• must be connected via a stabilizer;
• If one diode fails, the entire ring has to be replaced.

Gas discharge or CCFL

The glass ring is filled with neon and protected by a plastic case. For them to work, you need to connect the ignition unit.

• light is distributed evenly throughout the ring;
• are not afraid of vibrations;
• produce soft light;
• low cost;
• consume little energy.

• short service life of the inverter, about 20,000 hours;
• maximum brightness occurs after a few minutes;
• Brightness is worse than LED.

Multicolor or RGB

LEDs soldered onto the base consist of three crystals (red, green, blue). Using the controller, colors are mixed, so you can get any color.

• high brightness, therefore clearly visible even during the day;
• long service life;
• are not afraid of vibrations;
• You can change the color and glow mode.

• a controller is required for connection, and this increases the cost of the kit;
• If one diode fails, the entire ring must be replaced.

Cluster or COB

Luminous crystals are soldered directly onto a solid base. In a conventional LED, the crystal is still in the ceramic substrate, so the COB is smaller.

• best brightness;
• long service life;
• light is evenly distributed around the ring;
• vibration resistance.

• high price;
• If one crystal burns out, the entire ring must be replaced.

Are there any penalties for installation?

The installation of angel eyes type lights must be carried out in accordance with the requirements of Rosstandart and the UNECE International Regulations:

• in front - white lights;
• on the side - orange;
• behind - red.

Multi-colored lights can be used when tuning show cars. If a police officer encounters a car with multi-colored angel eyes, he must seize non-standard equipment and draw up a report on the driver.

There is no fine for such a violation, but in accordance with Part 3 of Art. 12.5 of the Code of Administrative Offenses provides for the confiscation of these devices and possible deprivation of the right to drive a car for a period of 6 months to 1 year.

How to make and install angel eyes on a Priora with your own hands

You can make angel eyes yourself; there are several options for making them; let’s look at the example of using LEDs, since this is the most budget option.

To work you will need:

• 8 LEDs;
• 8 resistors of 1 kOhm;
• a drill whose diameter corresponds to the size of the LEDs;
• dichloroethane;
• hacksaw for metal;
• rod from blinds;
• mandrels whose diameter corresponds to the diameter of the headlights;
• sealant;
• clear nail polish.

The procedure for creating angel eyes: on Priora:

Making a ring. To do this, the rod is heated in a basin of hot water or using a hair dryer. After this, they are bent into a ring on a mandrel of the required size.

1. Removing the headlight. To do this, you need to remove the headlight from the Priora.
2. Removing glass. It is sealed on. It is heated with a hair dryer and pryed with a knife or screwdriver.

Video: installing angel eyes on Priora

Transparent option

To make Angel Eyes from a transparent tube, you should get an iron blank, which will help make the ring absolutely round if you plan to use rotary handles for blinds.

Plastic of the required diameter can be turned on a lathe from plexiglass with a thickness of 7-8 mm. Both options are suitable, but in the latter you will need to additionally drill holes for the LEDs and grind the corners, making the workpiece round.

Before bending the material, make cuts several millimeters deep in a circle at a distance of at least 1 mm. To do this, use a hacksaw. Then heat the tube with a heat gun and shape it into a round shape so that the ring touches the reflector inside the headlight in several places, since you will have to mount it later.

Connection

It is best to connect angel eyes in parallel with the side lights of the car. You cannot do this directly to the Priora on-board network. When the engine is running, the car's electrical network is about 14.5 V, while the LEDs are designed for 12 V. Connecting directly will lead to them failing after some time. This is the reason for most of the negative reviews about this tuning.

Angel eyes must be connected through a stabilizer. You can do it yourself. In the store you need to buy an integrated voltage stabilizer KR142EN8B. It is installed on the radiator or on a metal part of the body so that it can be cooled. All eyes are connected in parallel, and then connected to the stabilizer output. Its input is connected to the power supply for the side lights.

Installing angel eyes allows you to make your car more visible and beautiful. They are visible when approaching 10 meters. When installing such tuning, you must follow the existing rules and then there will be no problems with the police.

Cilia

Tuning Priora headlights, for many, ends precisely at the “eyelashes”. These are ordinary covers that follow the shape of the top of the headlight and are painted in body color. They are sold ready-made in auto parts stores, but eyelashes can be made. They can be made from a piece of vinyl film, the shape of which will have to be changed in order to be applied to the headlight - this is done with a soap solution (in the same way as with applying tint). The trims from the store are attached to the body either with sealant or double-sided tape. Remember that eyelashes limit the height of the illuminated space. In addition to them, there are other worthy ideas for tuning the Lada Priora.

What is remarkable about the Lada Priora with “angel eyes”?

Stylish tuning of domestic cars can be done in different ways. But it is the installed angel eyes of the Priora that make it truly attractive and make it stand out from the stream of identical cars. The car looks impressive and allows you to additionally obtain high-quality lighting. LED or gas-filled lamps can be used for installation.

When choosing suitable dimensions, you need to pay special attention to their parameters. It is recommended to buy angel eyes for Priora, consisting of LED bulbs. They have a long service life and are unpretentious in operation. An additional advantage will be the low energy consumption of the battery, which is important for most drivers.

How to make angel eyes on a Priora with your own hands and at minimal cost?

Most drivers prefer to do car tuning themselves. Updating your vehicle yourself allows you to save on costs and get a truly high-quality result. Therefore, before buying angel eyes on a Priora, owners of domestic cars are exploring possible upgrade options at minimal cost. You can make stylish lanterns yourself.

The work of creating illuminators and installing them will take only 2-3 hours and does not require any special skills. Anyone can make angel eyes correctly on a Priora with their own hands. To prepare the eyes, you will need to purchase solid plexiglass tubes and 8 LEDs. Assembly is carried out according to the following instructions:

1. Plexiglas rods are placed in a container with hot water and, after softening, are bent. To obtain an even circle, you can use any round objects that are suitable in size. You need to get 4 blanks: 2 large and 2 small.

This is how this rod glows if you put an LED next to it (it lies below on the table)

2. Marks (small slits) are placed on the plexiglass circles with a step width of 2.5 - 5 mm. Holes are cut out at the edges for subsequent installation of LEDs. After cutting, the inner surface is treated with dichloroethane (for cleaning).

3. The eye blanks are attached to the substrate using sealant (it can get messy) or superglue. You need to grab them at about 3-4 points. After such an operation, Priora’s DIY angel eyes will hold securely and will not peel off from the backing when the plexiglass slightly expands when heated.

4. LEDs are inserted into the prepared niches in the tubes. It is not recommended to glue lamps in order to be able to replace them in the future. It is better to fix them with a shrink tube or electrical tape.

5. Parallel soldering of wires and a limiting resistor for breaking one cable is performed. Next, the headlight unit is assembled and sealed with sealant. At this stage, the installation of angel eyes on the Priora will be completed. The driver will only have to evaluate the result of the painstaking work.

After completing all the instructions, the Priora angel eyes with your own hands will be fully operational. Some drivers carrying out such an assembly noted the possibility of removing standard dimensions. The decision to leave the standard dimensions or completely replace them must be made by the driver himself. In any case, angel eyes will do a good job of illuminating the road.

Painting headlights

Tuning the front and rear lights on a Priora is not limited to increasing the aperture ratio. They can be tinted. But this does not mean that you need to paint the glass - the light will simply become cloudy. The tinting effect is obtained due to a change in the color of the substrate. This is done using high temperature paint.

This is done in the following order:

1. The entire block is removed and the backing is removed;
2. Wipe off the chrome from the substrate (zero polish will help). Cover the substrate with two or three layers of primer and wait about an hour;
3. Apply 4-5 layers of paint over the primer, wait for each layer to dry;
4. Assemble the block lights, close all the cracks to prevent fogging;
5. After painting, all that remains is to adjust them. The main thing is that the light is not too dim and does not cause inconvenience when driving.

Adjustment after any modification of the optics is performed as follows:

• Place the car at a distance of 5 m from a flat wall (for example, opposite the garage);
• Set the adjusting screws under the hood to “0”. Put a person of similar height behind the wheel;
• The headlights are adjusted one by one; while one is being adjusted, the second one is closed;
• The clear edge of the light should be 10 mm below the top edge of the headlight.

Adjustment is not a useless requirement of technical inspection standards. This must be done for comfortable driving at night - you won’t need to peer and look for obstacles on the road, they will be illuminated if adjusted correctly.

How to choose and how to install angel eyes on a Priora yourself?

If the owner of a Lada does not want to spend time making angel eyes for the Lada Priora with his own hands, he can contact any car store to purchase new illuminators. Among the proposed options, you should choose the most suitable one. There should be several criteria: price, type of lamps, type of headlights in the car. Ease of assembly in any version will be simple and fast.

You will need to initially study the angel eyes on the Priora, photos based on which are presented in the catalogue. The brightness of the glow will differ for different lamps. If you frequently drive at night, you should choose brighter elements. For daytime use of vehicles, you can purchase any products you like.

It is important to consider the parameters of the lamps purchased. The standard size of angel eyes on a Priora is 115 mm in diameter for a large one and 105 mm (Bosch) or 100 mm (Kirzhach) for a small one. There are no distinctive installation features. But you need to choose the correct size to avoid purchasing the wrong items.

Matte option

To add diffused light, use milky plexiglass; if this is not available, then plexiglass will do. To give it a matte finish, treat the latter with fine-grained sandpaper grade P200 or P400. In this case, you should make an additional element from thin PCB with conductive tracks, to which you need to solder LED elements at the same distance from each other. It will be cheaper and faster to use an end or corner LED strip. By the way, the same headlights can be made on a VAZ 2109 or VAZ 2111.

For a clearer glow, a steel-colored reflective element, for example, food foil or metal tape up to 0.5 mm, should be glued to the inner and outer parts of the rings. In this case, the glow will be directed directly in the direction of travel of the car and will be much brighter.

You can make angel eyes on a Priora or other car, even if the headlights have the correct rectangular shape. After installation, be sure to adjust the headlights to prevent glare from oncoming traffic.

And then a detailed video on how to make angel eyes for any car with your own hands:

How much do angel eyes and their installation on Lada Priora cost?

The cost of purchased illuminators depends on their type. For example, manufacturers set the price for angel eyes for Priora CCFL (gas-filled) within 1000-1500 rubles. LED analogues (SMD) are sold for 1500-2200 rubles. Replacing them, if necessary, will be expensive.

There are other angel eyes, the price for Priora, which ranges from 1200 to 1700 rubles. They consist of COB diodes, which are inferior in brightness to conventional LEDs. They have less durability than the SMD type, but longer than CCFL. They are less common and are sold only in specialized stores.

Before purchasing, you should study each type in action. Priora's angel eyes will help in this photo, demonstrating the brightness of the glow of different types. Therefore, drivers who want to make their car stand out as much as possible are recommended to install diode elements. Practical owners should purchase durable CCFL illuminators.

For those who want to go even further, there is an example of RGB tape for angel eyes. Just remember: turning on any color other than white will raise a lot of questions from the traffic police. However, nothing prevents you from turning on such a thing to music during your next stop with friends. But I didn't tell you that!