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Blinking the Third Brake Light?

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karls59tr

Obi Wan
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There was an article on another forum about a relay that you could install inline with an added on third brake light that some have installed on their cars so SUV's and Semi trailers could see that you've braked. I've lost the link. This gizmo would blink the 3rd light twice before going solid red and cost about $20.00. I beleive it was originally for scooters? Anyone heard of this?
 
I contacted a guy who has them on eBay and says his work for LEDs or regular incandescnet bulbs (not all do). I asked if it would work for positive ground, he replied:

"Hello, thank you for your interest! Unfortunatly, it will not. However... I can custom build you one that will. The output from the unit would then be a negative pulse rather than positive, the red wire from the unit would connect to the positive chassis and the black wire would connect to your negative switching brake light switch. The cost would be $22.00 plus the $1.70 shipping and I would need 1 week lead time. Please let me know if you are interested."

If I try this I will report the result.
 
George,

If you decide to order one from him for a positive ground, let me know. I would like to get one also and would order at the same time to save him some set-up time.
 
I saw a kit in a magazine a few years back that you could mount a 3rd brake light kit on the rear license plate. I can't remember if it was Victoria British, Rimmer Bros, or TRF =/
 
rlwhitetr3b said:
I would think the object of the third brake light is to get it higher so the other drivers would see it...
Click to expand...
Exactly, hence the official name <span style="font-style: italic">Center High Mounted Stop Lamps</span>(CHMSL). Here's a dated but interesting report of their effectiveness.
 
Here is the one I designed and fitted to the rear of my 1958 TR3A. It has no visible screw heads (it's attached with the pegs for the top or tonneau and hidden under rear flap of the vinyl top or tonneau cover. It can be removed in a few minutes for a serious concours show and it is out of the way when you flip open the gas cap to refill the tank.
 

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NikolausConrad said:
I saw a kit in a magazine a few years back that you could mount a 3rd brake light kit on the rear license plate...
Click to expand...

There was a license plate mounted one that activated via inertia when the car braked -- a friend tried that on his XKE and it proved useless, required more G-force to light up than normal braking would reasonably produce.
 
rlwhitetr3b said:
Do you have a link to his eBay listing?
Click to expand...

JohnBazzano said:
If you decide to order one from him for a positive ground, let me know. I would like to get one also and would order at the same time to save him some set-up time.
Click to expand...

I have sent him an additional question (whether there is a limit to the load, i.e. can one unit be used to flash all the brake lights) and also asked if there is a quantity that would get us a discount. His price ($22) is higher than the negative ground units as the + ground are custom but perhaps will be less if several are ordered.

I will pass along his contact info once I have that answer and will also suggest he consider being a list vendor if his product proves to be satisfactory.
 
The 3rd brake light on my 3 is on the back of the roll bar so height is not an issue for visibility....be nice if ii flashed though to get even more attention from the sleepy transport drivers behind me.
 
mgedit said:
especially since I only have one centre brake light on my 56 TR3.
Click to expand...
There are ways to fix that ...

DSCF0010.jpg
 
karls59tr said:
The 3rd brake light on my 3 is on the back of the roll bar so height is not an issue for visibility....be nice if ii flashed though to get even more attention from the sleepy transport drivers behind me.
Click to expand...

Mine is on the roll bar too. Check the "BackOff XP" in the link
https://signaldynamics.com/?option=com_content&view=article&id=58

The beauty of this is that you can use both modes simultaneously and simple to hook up,
1) Connect the the brake light wire to the white/red-stripe wire of the unit for 3 Short Flashes / 1 Long Flash (Repeats as long as your foot is on the brake)
2) Also connect the red/white-stripe wire to the high mounted LED 3rd brake light and ut will give 5 Quick Flashes & Steady On

So here's what happens when you step on the brakes:
All 3 lights turn on, the original lights flash 3 times then stay on, at the same time, the LED continues to flash 5 times total then it stays on, the brake lights then flash 3 more times, stay on for a second then repeat.

3) Additionally, you can add a manual dash and send 12V to the yellow wire resulting in all lights flashing (i.e. emergency flashers)

Totally nfi, satisfied with this product.
 
There are ways to fix that ...

Randall, I assume that the fix involves replacing the bulb holders and bulbs and rewiring to convert to signal/brake on the outside and brake only in the middle. Any advice as how to tackle this, which seems definitely worthwhile. Looks very good in the picture. Are those standard bulbs? Cheers, Mike
 
PeterK,

Will what you have, the BackOff-XP, work with a positive ground?
 
I'm wondering what's actually involved in converting one of these units from Neg to Pos ground ? I ordered a basic unit that does everything the other units shown here do from a company called Kapesco for under $20. unfortunatly I ordered before I knew about the Pos ground issue.
 
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