This video shows you how the LCI rear lights should work..

 

very informative post, this should answer many questions.

 

Call me thick but even with that video it's not clear if the LED rods are the only thing that is lit in normal tail light mode or is there the dim red backlight as well. Come on LCI owners why can't anyone tell us how this works on the LCI. Also in what mode is the rods only lit without the circle - is it DRL?

However no sweat I think I've got a solution to make the lights look like the LCI. Its going to be a difficult solution but should work. I think now I should order a set of these lights to at least try a few things out. What say

 

Bruce, I found a tiny circuit today at an electronic parts store, which takes 12-14V input and converts to 6V. When it will take 6V input what it will do? It will give something like 2V, or maybe nothing? I think that it will work somehow, but I'm afraid that it will give a check control fault. Anyway, I ordered one to check out, but I will get it on Monday.

I was standing behind the car for some time yesterday night and was trying to realize what is wrong on tails and I don't get this magic ledbars effect. I decided that at least I must get rid of the central taillight brightness. So I will connect the central tail and LED circuit in row (with a jumper on the appropriate pins/contacts). That way, LEDs will work without a doubt, because lamp will work as resistor, but I don't know how the buld and the check control will react. I will try it a little later

 

Nick you've lost me now. Connecting the LEDs and the bulb in series will just make them dimmer. ALso even if you circuit works (which i doubt) it will stop the light from lighting when dim (6v) but then will light dim when actually a bight light is required. Is that what you're after?

 

Nick you've lost me now. Connecting the LEDs and the bulb in series will just make them dimmer.
I will check it on brakes circuit (6-12V) and will see


ALso even if you circuit works (which i doubt) it will stop the light from lighting when dim (6v) but then will light dim when actually a bight light is required. Is that what you're after?

Sorry, I forgot to mention that I will check this little circuit only on the brakes line, to make them little dimmer when in normal "lights on" condition.
You can choose to get 6, 7.5 or 9V on output using the proper diod. I think if it could work 3V normal > 9V braking it would be ok.


I forgot also to mention that you get the 5 seconds strobe effect when you start up the car, only if the lights are in the center "off" position.
If lights switch, when you turn the ignition key, is at any of the on positions, (mine is always in Auto) then, there is not any flickering/strobe effect.

 

Nick so what you are trying to do is decrease the over all brightness of the lights both in dim and in bright mode. With your solution they will be 25% and then 75% instead of the original 50% and 100%. I don't like that solution because its going against the safety feature of having the lights shine BRIGHT when the brakes are pressed.
My suggestion would be to got with 0% and 100% giving a true LCI apperance.

 

The difference is equal ...50% brighter
The 0% and 100% LCI apperance is shown only when DRLs are activated. (The extra wire on the LCI connector, that we don't and we can't have it).
We also have DRLs but works in a different way, basically they are simply always on, when our switch is at the "auto" position

 

So have you concluded that in the LCI cars the bulbs are lit behind the LEDs but only dimmer than on the our non LCI cars. If that is what you wanted to do all you needed to do was add a resistor in series with the bulb, don't need any fancy circuit for that.

 

I believe that when DRLs are on, nothing is lit behind the rods on LCI, and I agree with what you mentioned in the other post, that the LCI, has swapped the brake light and Brake force Display position.

Do we have to do the same change??