Do-It-Yourself Angel Eyes Upgrade
This page shows how I upgraded my DIY eagle eyes. Currently, I'm happy with my existing eagle eyes as they are already bright, but there's always room for improvement. This upgrade will make my angel-eye rings stand out at night even more. More importantly in the daytime, they are clearly visible! The trick is not so much about getting more light into your angel-eye rings. There is so much light that can be fed into them. Like a straw, you can suck up only so much liquid. You will need extra straws or a bigger diameter straw. My existing eagle-eye rings use 1100 mcl white LED bulb. Getting a 10000 mcl LED bulb does not necessary mean 10x brighter rings. I've tried 10000 mcl bulb and don't see much different.

Keep in mind that the light you see from the rings does not come directly from the light bulb; it is being refracted. Remember, light is invisible. You don't see it as it travels through space. You only see it at the source or when it is being reflected or refracted. Like our sun, you only see it at the source (looking at it directly) or when it is being reflected off windows, mirrors or water, or when it is being refracted from tangible objects. In the case of refraction, the color of the objects is the color you see when light hit it. Once you understand the basic principles of light, you'll understand the reason behind my upgrade. Enjoy!


Disclaimers
Modifying your headlight may be subject to state laws. By using the procedures shown here, you are accepting all risks involved. Use these information at your own risk. The information posted here are free, and you can copy the information for your personal use ONLY. If you plan to post the information elsewhere, please give credit where needed. Any selling or trading in an attempt to gain profit is discourage and may be illegal. You are responsible for any legal actions brought against you.


Materials Used
I assume you have already made your angel-eye rings using the Do-It-Yourself Angel Eye procedures. For this project, you will need a roll of white reflective tape ($3) (or white electrical tape) and a bottle of nail polish ($2). That's all! You can buy reflective tape from most automotive stores or Home Depot. K-Mart, Savons, Target, and Wal-Mart may also carry them in the automotive/bicycle department.

Materials use for this project

As you know, when you shine light into a reflective tape, it will light up. It is commonly used in road signs, commercial vehicles, fire fighter equipments, etc. They are relatively bright even at a distance. Keep in mind that you only see the reflection at certain angle.


Trace Out Your Angel Eye Rings
Because they don't sell reflective tape large enough for your rings, you will have to do this step in pieces to form a full ring. First, cut out a piece of reflective tape. Then place your angel ring on top of the tape and trace out the shape of your angel rings. Cut out the angel-ring shape. The reflective tape is double-sided (the reflective element is on both side). Now, just stick it to your ring. Use your thumbs and apply pressure to ensure it doesn't come off. Do this step again to make a complete ring. Finally, use your mom's or sister's nail polish and apply several layers to the edges of the reflective tape. This will hold the tape in place and will prevent it from peeling off.

Trace out a portion of the ring Using a scissor,
cut out the reflective tape		 Stick it to the backside of
the ring. See the difference?



The Result: Angel Eyes - Upgraded
Note the pics below are shown with some foreground lighting, except for the page logo on top which is taken in complete darkness.

Bright even /w a halogen light
shining on it. Eagle eyes are ON.		 Clearly visible in the day at 10 am
Eagle eyes are OFF.		 On the car at 7 am. Nice!
Eagle eyes are OFF		 At 4 pm /w BMW X5 lowbeam and
Audi A6 highbeam retrofitted headlight		 At a side angle at 7 am
Eagel eyes are OFF


Note how my eagle eyes are very visible in the day, even without turning them on. Turning them ON in the day doesn't make big difference since the light from the sky does much of the work. I also used a black housing headlight, which make the angel eye rings stand out better due to the contrast difference. I highly recommend using a black housing headlight over clear reflective housing.

At 9 pm in front of white street light
Eagle eyes are OFF.		 Eagle eyes are now ON.
Clearly bright!		 Outside Los Alamitos racetrack /w
stadium lightings. Eagle eye ON		 Closup shot. Note reflection of
stadium lighting on highbeam side		 Eagle eyes are now OFF

You're not only seeing the light from the angel eye rings but also the reflection of light from the reflective tape. A simple upgrade with a big result!



Angel Eyes Video
The following videos are saved at 768 Kbits/sec for 640x480 resolution, so the quality is not perfect. In real life, the rings are larger, brighter, and look better.

Creating the Rings
Sept 11, 2006 		People have been asking me to help them create the angel eye rings. Sorry, but I have a busy schedule and a personal life too. I'm not here to make money or do business. So, I decided to make it a little easier for you, by creating this video showing how I did it. It would be a good compliment to the DIY instructions you read here. Hope this help.
Angel Eyes Output
Dec 9, 2005 		View my DIY angel eyes video with the reflective tape upgrade. The rings are clearly visible regardless of time of day. The reflective tape uses external light to make the rings visible. It also traps escaping light that would otherwise hitting the reflector bowl behind, causing irregular light pattern and making the rings less distinctive. I also painted my S2000 and TSX bezel black to go with the entire black housing, giving the rings more contrast. It's not about having the brightest rings, it's about making it stand out, all for about $15 of materials.



Related Links
Do-It-Yourself Custom Angel Eyes (Dec. 2002)


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