StephenCranford@Austin.rr.com

PMs won't go through either direction, so there is the way to handle this directly.

I've spent ALL DAY PMing back and forth with a Moderator, on him wanting me to completely remove my claim. But, I get the feeling my compromise of editing my sig, as to to how I WAS affiliated with TGO, but am in no way, any more.

I figured I should post this before I get banned for "non-compliance", even though I edited my sig to the best I could come up with.

 

I think "co-founder of the original TGO" is good, or maybe you can put a year: "co-founder of TGO from 199x-200x". I've been around these forums awhile, and if members have questions, a simple search on the forum would reveal a change of hands (unless those posts have been removed). I'd be proud of founding TGO, and you better believe I'd put it in my sig.

Regardless, can't wait to see the finished product of those lights.

 

Ok, with a several-month delay, we finally have the finalized version of STS in production. We had a few snags and delays in board manufacturing in Europe but it's all good now and we should be able to get the STS out by the end of May.

Compared to the commercially available $80 kit, our STS will be only $40. That's without an enclosure/box ($45 with the box). That covers manufacturing and parts cost, we do not profit from this, we are only enthusiasts like you.

Like other STS products on the market, this one also requires some electrical skills (but no soldering) and does not include any extras like wires, 3rd pair of sockets, lightbulbs or so. Of course, we will provide instructions on how to modify your taillight harness on your GTA but we don't make or sell the modified harness ourselves, that's totally up to you.

Sorry for the delays, please bear with us and we'll make an official announcement once the STS boards are ready for shipping.

Cheers
Lou

 

Funny you mention this. I have wanted to do this to my T/A since I got it in '95. My dad had a '71 T-Bird with the sequentals. Had 3 in a row with a 4th extending down on the end. That car had class! White interior, big round gagues like my T/A, sequentals and a couch-like wrap around back seat in the 2-door. Not to mention the 429 Thunder-Jet beast under the hood. Hell the frame weighed more than my whole T/A. THX for bringing up that memory BTW, I am 30, I dont know how old you are, but youre not an old-fart in the eyes of the car-enthusiest.... just experienced!

 

The STS (Sequential Tail Light) modules are ready for shipping!


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=goAlwCJ7p7c

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pWrij98NdZ0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4cF1UZe5Zo4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I6THvAWA8-o

The first production run was limited in quantity, as we wanted to be sure they were perfect, before selling them. The second run is already in progress, and should be ready for shipping very soon. I can take pre-orders...so you can mail your check or MO now, and by the time the boards are ready, your payment will have arrived, and a check cleared, so there will be no additional delay and we can ship it to you right away.

Final cost...
$45 + $5 shipping, flat rate, to the continental U.S....


Step-by-step installation instructions are included, of course. They can be used for any 2 or 3 light per side conversion, so 3 lights per side is not necessary. No soldering is needed, only cutting of the stock wiring to tie the STS box into.

Please be sure to include "STS Order" in the subject line of your email, to prevent your email getting lost.

Check or Money Order only, at this time...cash in the mail, AT YOUR OWN RISK! PM me for the mailing address, to send check or money orders to. Not really into public posting of my home address. I can only imagine the junk mail I'd start getting! If paying by check, please allow processing time, for the check to clear. Orders will be sent, the day of or the next day, after the check clears. Email notice of shipping available, upon request.

 

Looks sweet. I take it you don't accept PayPal?

 

Not at this time...sorry. If it appears that it is wanted, I will set up for PayPal.

 

I should have done this from the beginning...

An order form, to reduce all the questions.

 

subscribe

 

Do you still have stock to send out?

 

Yes, we have plenty right now.

 

hmm, ever consider doing this in LED? Many people have been modding to LEDs recently, and I was considering doing the same. If you get ones with large viewing angles, it shouldn't be much more of a hassle. Besides, I'm sure many would be willing to fork over extra $ for some of those.

Just my $.02.. mainly because I was about to start modding mine into LED, but then I saw this and.. I want that.. haha.

 

I'm not sure what the voltage needs of LED bulbs are, but I know there are some LED replacements for our bulbs.

These interface with the stock wiring, not needed to alter the housings in any way.

 

This STS will work with LEDs with no problem, it is not load driven, like a few other STS kits out there.

The only thing you'd need to do is to replace the standard filament bulbs with LED bulbs. Those are easy to come by at any car parts store today, or cheaper online.

Lou

 

hah, that works

I wasn't quite sure what exactly the kit included, and what all you supplied. I guess you two kept the same size contacts and bulb sizes as well?

 

Anyone know all the sizes need on our cars.

I am getting full LED upgrade also but need all the bulb sizes.

I need: Tailights, turn signals, side markers, dome light.

Headlights I am doing the H4 conversion.

 

Yes. In fact, the STS module uses the factory sockets an bulbs. The only change needed, for the full 3 bulb conversion, is to replace the outer 2 two wire sockets, with 3 wire sockets, like the inner 4 sockets.

 

Here is the final product, with the instructions you will receive, the instructions contain 3 sets...GTA specific (like my car), another 3rd gen variation in the wiring, and a Generic Install set of instructions to be applied to ANY make or model of car, truck, boat, motor home...whatever! The unit is only 3"long x 1.5"wide x 1.75" (at the green wiring connector) high.

These are NOT for our cars only...They can be used on ANYTHING containing 2 or 3 lights, per side. Want these on a motorcycle? Want these on your Seadoo? As long as WHATEVER it is going on, has 2 or 3 lights per side, it'll work. Whether they are standard incandescent bulbs, LED replacement bulbs, it doesn't matter, as this is not load dependent, unlike others available.

The components inside the unit are waterproof, but the green connector for the wires is not. However, the prototype on my car, has been on since 10-22-06, for 7 months now, and it has had ZERO failures.

 

welp... as soon as I cash in a few checks, I'm definately considering buying some of those

 

To all....Orders are on hold for now. I need to build a few more, before I take any orders. Shouldn't be more tan a few days, maybe a week.

 

Stephen, were are you getting your boards made? I am considering selling one of my projects (don't worry, nothing to do with yours lol), but board manufacturing is expensive!

Thanks for any help!

Colin

 

In Europe. With labor so overpriced in this country, the STS price would have come up about $10. And that was not feasible. Mexiko is supposed to be also cheaper but I don't have any contacts there. Feel free to investigate.

I'm actually thinking about making the boards at home now. Same cost but no wait. You can find kits for different stages of the board manufacture at Fry's and online (comparable prices). You need to buy a presensitized board, print the mask on a foil, expose the masked board to UV light, dissolve the exposed film and finally burn the exposed copper layer.

Hope this helps.
Lou

 

Thanks, I was thinking about making them myself, but lots of equipment to buy, plus nowhere to do it in an apartment. Not to mention nasty chemicals lol.

 

I'm having trouble finding places on the net. Could you throw me a link? PM me if you'd like.

Thanks
Colin

 

OK...I have units ready for shipping now!

Orders paid by money order, typically ship the same day. Worst case, they ship the next day. Sundays excluded, of course.

 

Now taking payments by Paypal...

SteveCranford@Austin.rr.com

 

I would like to point out a potential issue from experience. I have an STS from another company (few years ago). I installed and used it for a few weeks and then my brake lights stopped working. I soon after tore the car apart and junked it for other reasons and then found the reason why the brake lights stopped working. The factory brake light switch had gotten hot and melted slightly. The extra current from the additional 3rd filament caused the contacts to generate more heat. If you take one apart I could explain what melted. There is a possibility that this could be avoided by filling the cavity with more grease. the inside is lubricated because a pin slides in and out. I have a new car and have not installed my STS in the new car b ut I plan on putting more grease in the cavity before use.
I am not saying Stephens kit will cause this to happen but if your brake lights stop working this could be a cause. I dont know how this kit operates but I just thought I would throw that out there for everyone so you dont think it is the STS unit that has failed. The one I had was all solid state.
When funds permit I would actually like to get a kit from you.

 

That's a valid opinion.
If the brake switch is designed to handle only 4 bulbs, that would be a very sad (and bad) design, though. I would hope that the switch malfunction was caused by its age and possibly arcing from bad contact.

Steve's prototype has been on his car for months (since fall 2006) and he hasn't experienced any brake light issues so far.

If this posed a real problem, it would be very easy to add a relay bypass for the brake switch.

Lou

 

I am not putting the STS down in any way, unfortunately it is a problem on the GM side. The switch I had in my last car was new too. I had broken the original one while doing my auto to manual conversions. I sent Stephen a picture of the inside of the switch where it had melted. On the contacts there are little "wings" which I am guessing are to act as tiny heat sinks. I hope no one has any problems with this STS, I just wanted to let you know where GM has let us down

 

Right, right, I was agreeing with you.
I am just puzzled that GM would design the switch to handle 4 and ONLY 4 bulbs. Well, not puzzled too much because I realize we're talking about a Chevy. When the brake switch on my Ford truck broke, I took it apart and noticed the three big HONKING metal plates in it. That thing could turn on a full city block without melting. :biggrin: (where the hell are all the smileys??)

As I mentioned, Steve's car has had the STS on since fall 2006 and so far, there have been no issues. It gets hot here in Texas, up to 110 normally, it also rained A LOT (I mean a lot for Texas) here recently, we got more than the annual rain total in two months. And Steve's car is not garaged at all - so far, no failures. So we're pretty confident in the kit.

Lou

 

I would like to get one as soon as I have some extra money. I like your design better, with the screw down terminals. I dont like the cheezy connections the other kit has.
Where do you mount this module on the car?

 

The module usually resides behind the driver side taillight.
If you're afraid of water damage from rain, you can easily wrap it in duct tape for added protection.
The module is in a plastic box with mounting tabs so it can be easily attached to the tail panel.

Lou

 

Mine was installed October 21, 2006, a Saturday night. No failures. Mine is behind the lens, outside the sheetmetal, but if water is a concern, there is no reason it couldn't be mounted inside the sheetmetal, behind the plastic interior pieces instead.

 

Hey Stephen, are you still in need of adjustable electronic flasher modules?

 

What ya got? The only ones I can find, can't handle the amperage of the 10 bulbs. 6 rear lights, 2 side markers (fronts), and 2 front bulbs. Because it would hafta handle all 12, during hazard light operation. I can't eve find one, that will handle just 3 of the rears, 2 for the front, for a turn signal!

 

When people change out the lamps in their Grand Prixs, the stock Delco electronic flasher module starts it's bulb out detection routine. I've successfully found a way to modify the electronics in the flasher to disable the 2x flash rate and set it back to DOT timing. My early prototypes had pots to adjust before I chose fixed resistors, so I know I can still build adjustable flashers. These are electronic 3-pin modules, so an additional ground will need to be added when installing the new flasher into our old cars... The flasher's relay should be able to break a 30A circuit no problem. During some hard testing, I was able to flash sets 9007 headlight bulbs with no problems. There is a DIY flasher mod link i my web site below if you're interested.


So, does your module chase when the brakes are applied as well? Have any thoughts on pulling 3 additional wires to your chaser module: front turn signal feeds and an additional +12 to carry the current. This way, you can keep the brake function stock (so if you get rear-ended, you won't get sued for not-DOT spec brake lights) and use the front turn signal feeds as a trigger for your chase sequence. I started this project a few years back using a microcontroller, but never got farther than the prototyping board. Basically, I was going to use the CHMSL feed to trigger the brake lights, and the front turn signal feeds to trigger the chasers. Since the most outboard lamp in my tails is only a single-filament, I was going to hit the junkyard for some more dual-filament sockets to get my 3 flash positions like the old Thunderbirds, but more reliable than vacuum-operated contactors...

 

What link?

The module has a 4th connection, for the front lights, if needed.

When the brakes are applied, you get the sequence until all the lights are lit, then they all stay on, until the brake is released.

When you are sitting at a red light, waiting to turn, the STS takes precedence over the brakes. So, if you are turning left, your left tail will still sequence, and the right 3 will all stay lit. Right turn? Vice versa.

The 3rd gen are the same way, as your GP lights were. The inners and middle come stock with dual filament bulbs, were the outers only have 1 filament. You can buy new sockets, exactly the same as the stock inner 2, for the outers. I had to buy a complete used harness, then hack off the 2 I needed. Now, you can buy them at parts store. For a lot cheaper than the way I did.

These are not GTA specific. So they would easily fit a GP. They could be used on ANY car, as long as you have 2 or 3 lights per side. I've even seen this done on the front turn signals, of a Dodge Dakota! If you only connect 2 bulbs, the STS won't care, that there is no 3rd bulb. If 1 of the 3 blows out, it'll still sequence, just without the blown bulb.

 

The 97-03 GPs only have a single 3157 bulb for brake/park/turn, so there's no point in sequencing one bulb. I did mod the wiring in the back to alternate the rear corner side marker with the turn signal, but some people with digital climate controls had problems with their VFD afterwards. Not sure what that is all about, since the rear lighting and the HVAC controls are on separate circuits all together...

Link to my OEM flasher modification:
http://users.adelphia.net/~bpaskevic...rflash_Mod.htm

 

I thought you had something about replacing one socket though? Would that turn it into 2 bulbs them, instead of just 1?

 

I mentioned replacing the outboard sockets on the rear of the Firebird. No room in the GP tails... Unless I put a red filter in the reverse light compartment, then I'd have two physical bulbs... Hmmm....

 

Ah....I just assumed you meant the GP. My bad.

Mine was the same way, so I had to replace mine too.

 

Any left ?

 

Sure do.

 

P.M. sent

 

Hey Stephen, mine finally turned up (for anyone wondering, he sent it out immediately, I gave him the wrong address: paypal kept changing the street number on my address to an incorrect one but the maildude finally figured it out) but I haven’t had time to play with it yet.

I’m thinking of a somewhat custom install and have a question. You have the 2 “F” terminals that can be connected to the front turn signals so the setup can sense when the reason for the lights coming on is the brakes have been applied rather than a signal being on so if you want you can have normal brake light action. I’m wondering what it’s actually checking for on those terminals? You would assume that it’s checking that the front signal lights are not getting any power from the flasher circuit confirming that it’s a brake application, but I’m guessing that’s not the case because normally you wouldn’t connect those connections (essentially the same lack of signal as when the brakes are applied) and the STS always works… so how does that part work?

Thanks

 

No one? Stephen? BigBabyLou?

 

Sorry....Lou seems to think he has a wife, house, and car to take of on the weekends...WHAT'S UP WITH THAT?!?!? (he's gonna kill me in the morning)

And I'd had a hectic (but profitable!) weekend, selling off old parts, and my python.

Anyways...If the STS sees a front turn signal, but it isn't getting the flash as well, the STS module sees the signal as a brake, not a turn signal, so it lights them all, as a brake, instead of sequentially lighting them. With nothing hooked up there, it sequences A, B, C, then all of the stay lit, until the pedal is released, turning them all off.

Make sense?

 

Who said that you guys were allowed to have a life outside of the board?


Yes, but it doesn’t answer the question… How does it sense that the F terminal is connected to a signal if it doesn’t flash? What does it check for? I was thinking maybe the resistance of the bulb filament, but that wouldn’t work with LED bulbs that you guys have already stated work fine.

Basically, the thought that I had was to connect the F terminals to a double pole switch, and then connect one side of it to something that would “look” like the front signals but would never flash. Effectively a simple, quick switch to disable the whole deal without having to take anything apart in case of some hassle from a cop or something.

 

Good morning everybody.
Not only I have a wife, a house, a few car projects and a foundation in progress, but I also do NOT have internet at home. So there.

Anyway, to answer the question, the F input senses ground from the front signals (one F input per side). If it senses ground, it doesn't flash the bulbs but turns them all on at once (brake light application). If it does not sense ground (default behavior if disconnected), it flashes the bulbs (turn signal application).

Hope this clears it up.
Lou

 

So that sounds easy enough, run a wire from the F terminals to a switch and then one from there to a ground. Circuit closed and the taillights should work like normal, circuit open and you should have STS…