Night-Vision Lights Project

[MattJ]

Yes, they cast deep, red light. And plenty of it! But I realized a couple things:

1) They face forward, and I always set up my camping gear behind my Jeep since that's where the cargo bay, fridge and everything else is.

2) They are directional, so they do cast shadows, unlike overhead lights. So if a group of Scouts were setting up tents in the glow of the red lights, the Scouts toward the back of the area would be in the shadows of the closer tents and wouldn't be able to see well.

 

[1000arms]

Yes, they cast deep, red light. And plenty of it! But I realized a couple things:

1) They face forward, and I always set up my camping gear behind my Jeep since that's where the cargo bay, fridge and everything else is.

2) They are directional, so they do cast shadows, unlike overhead lights. So if a group of Scouts were setting up tents in the glow of the red lights, the Scouts toward the back of the area would be in the shadows of the closer tents and wouldn't be able to see well.

At least you got the light you wanted! ?

You could solve #1 by remounting at the back, but to solve #2 you might need a heavy duty collapsible paint pole and some lightweight lights (or aerial flares). ?

 

[MattJ]

I used the lenses this weekend at a Scout event. They worked great and took less than 1 minute to set up. I flooded a field with deep red light for a game of Capture the Flag that had been re-worked into Martians versus Aliens (hence the red light). The Scouts loved it!

 

[NEwhere]

Bro, if you aren't an eagle scout I grant you an honorary membership, unless you dont want it I'd understand lol. That is an awesome idea I'm gonna steal!

 

[NEwhere]

Amazing!

 

[MattJ]

Bro, if you aren't an eagle scout I grant you an honorary membership, unless you dont want it I'd understand lol. That is an awesome idea I'm gonna steal!

Thanks! Not only am I a proud Eagle Scout, I have spent the last two years building the world's first BSA Expedition Vehicle ("BEV"). It is a project that I dreamed up to get kids excited about Scouting and overlanding, my two favorite things! I should probably start a separate thread about the entire project from start to finish. I'll be part of a Chrysler exhibition at the World Scout Jamboree next summer: 70,000 Scouts from 140 countries . . . lots of future Jeep customers!

 

[Bruce988jl]

Hey Matt
Good meeting you this weekend at the fall crawl - did a bit of poking around on here as I'm not normally active mostly lurking. I saw this project of yours come up. I have been passively researching something similar for the Rigid Scene led lights I have mounted to my roof rack. As much as I love having them - their light is still super blinding and obviously white light. I wonder if there is anyway to replace the lens or paint the lens red (I have a set of knock off rigid scene lights I could strip down to test). Did you try the dychem on plastic lens' by any chance?
-Jason
(Blue tacoma with the Tepui)

 

[MattJ]

Did you try the dychem on plastic lens' by any chance?

I did try the Dykem on Lexan lenses, but the heat from my Warn lights melted them. You wouldn't have that problem with LED lights. Some thoughts:

1) Wear breathing protection. The warning label on Dykem is four paragraphs long.

2) Design a solution that is removable (not permanent) since most jurisdictions have laws that prohibit driving with red lights. I only use mine when parked (and on Halloween when driving 3mph for trick-or-treating).

3) The Dykem is very thin, more like colored water than paint, so you won't get a nice, even finish. When you add a second coat, it will etch into the first coat and you will get some streaking and puddles. It still works great for creating a red filter, but just don't expect it to look perfect.

4) The Dykem isn't weatherproof. Over time, it wore off my lights. I'm sure the heat didn't help. If you're only using the Dykem lenses for occasional night trail runs or camping, it should last a long time.

 

[Bruce988jl]

I did try the Dykem on Lexan lenses, but the heat from my Warn lights melted them. You wouldn't have that problem with LED lights. Some thoughts:

1) Wear breathing protection. The warning label on Dykem is four paragraphs long.

2) Design a solution that is removable (not permanent) since most jurisdictions have laws that prohibit driving with red lights. I only use mine when parked (and on Halloween when driving 3mph for trick-or-treating).

3) The Dykem is very thin, more like colored water than paint, so you won't get a nice, even finish. When you add a second coat, it will etch into the first coat and you will get some streaking and puddles. It still works great for creating a red filter, but just don't expect it to look perfect.

4) The Dykem isn't weatherproof. Over time, it wore off my lights. I'm sure the heat didn't help. If you're only using the Dykem lenses for occasional night trail runs or camping, it should last a long time.

I plan on using them for the scene lights I have mounted to my roof rack. Next time we meet up I'll show you what I mean so these can only be turned on from the outside of the vehicle when stationary. Hopefully the cops don't bother me on that nonsense. I bought some red filter film to try before the dychem so we will see how that works.

 

[MattJ]

OK - I wish I knew you were working on this project before we met last weekend. I've got a container of red Dykem I could have given you!