Configurable Tail Light Board
Setup and wiring guides for every board marked v1.x on the connector side, next to the logo. Start with the overview, then pick a setup. The drawings are to scale and viewed from the connector side: the bulbs sit on the opposite side of the board, and each socket's wires come through the center hole.
The board
- Edge connector
- Plugs into the car's original tail light connector. Pin 1 is TURN, pins 2 and 3 are both STOP, pin 4 is TAIL, pin 5 is ground and pin 6 is REV. Each signal pin has a trace to an IN pad.
- IN pads
- Carry the car's signals straight from the edge connector:
TURN IN,BRAKE IN,TAIL INandREV IN. In the setups below, a jumper from an IN pad to a lamp pad lights that lamp. The brake input arrives at the inner brake position; the outer brake gets it through a jumper. - BRIGHT pads
- One per lamp position, for the bright filament of a 1157 bulb (the brake or turn filament), or for a single-filament 1156 bulb.
- DIM pads
- One per lamp position, for the dim filament of a 1157 bulb (the tail filament), or for a single-filament bulb running at tail level.
- P2 · module connector
- A 14-pin Molex KK (2.54 mm). Every BRIGHT and DIM pad has its own pin, so a controller module can switch each filament on its own. Leave it empty when the lamps are jumpered to the IN pads. Its ground pins (1 and 2) are joined to the edge connector's ground (pin 5) on the board.
Pin Pad 1–2 Ground 3 TURN BRIGHT 4 TURN DIM 5 BRAKE1 BRIGHT 6 BRAKE1 DIM 7 TAIL BRIGHT 8 TAIL DIM 9 BRAKE2 BRIGHT 10 BRAKE2 DIM 11 REV BRIGHT 12 REV DIM 13–14 Not connected - Sockets
- Each socket mounts on the bulb side with two M3 bolts, which also ground its body. Its wires come through the center hole to the connector side: one wire on a 1156 (BA15s) socket, two on a 1157 (BAY15d). Each wire lands on a pad with a ring terminal under an M3 bolt, or is soldered.
Mounting hardware
- M3 × 10 mm for all bolts
- Sized for the 1.6 mm board, with up to three ring terminals on one pad.
- A flat washer under every head and nut
- Spreads the clamping load on the board and the socket bracket.
- Nylon-insert lock nuts
- The boards live in the rear fascia and see constant vibration.
- 3.2 mm pad holes, 4.0 mm socket holes
- The washer under the bolt head covers the larger socket mounting hole.
- Red heat-shrink ring terminals, 22–16 AWG, #6
- Crimped onto 18 AWG wire. The #6 hole is a little loose on M3, so let the washer clamp the ring flat, and point the barrels away from neighboring pads.
- Tighten until snug
- The nut only needs to clamp the terminals flat against the pad.
Bulbs
LED bulbs are strongly recommended, especially when changing the number of bulbs driven by a single wire. For example, using all three red lights as brake lights means adding more load than the stock design originally intended. LEDs draw much less current, significantly reducing the load on the old wiring. External Control requires LEDs.
1157 brightness by filament
When using the module connector, 1157 low and high can be controlled individually, providing 4 levels of brightness (including off). However, this is non-linear, and some LED bulbs may treat high and both as "high", and even if they do handle them separately, the difference may not be noticeable.
- Measured output
- Perceived brightness
Before you power up
- When the lamps are fed from the edge connector, as in the Stock, Brake on Tail Lamp, Brake & Tail on All Reds and Brake & Tail Swapped setups, leave the module connector (P2) empty. The jumpers tie the car's signals to the module pads, so anything plugged into P2 would be fed by the car.
- Each socket body is grounded through its two mounting bolts. The car's ground comes in on edge pin 5.
- Where a pad carries a socket wire and jumpers, stack all the ring terminals under one nut.
The board
- Socket wire, ring terminal on the pad
- Jumper between two pads
- Pad in use
- Pad not used in this setup
- Board trace from the car
Stock Wiring
The board behaves like the original: each signal from the car goes straight to its bulb, and no controller module is fitted.
Parts
| Part | Quantity |
|---|---|
| Bulbs | |
| 1156 (BA15s) LED bulb, amberChoose amber on the product page | 12 |
| 1156 (BA15s) LED bulb, redChoose red on the product page | 24 |
| 1156 (BA15s) LED bulb, whiteChoose white on the product page | 12 |
| 89 (BA15s) LED bulb, redChoose red on the product page | 12 |
| Sockets | |
| 1156 (BA15s) socket with wire lead | 510 |
| Wiring | |
| Red heat-shrink ring terminal, 22–16 AWG, #6 (M3.5) stud | 1530 |
| 18 AWG stranded wire, 6-color pack, for jumpersCut lengths: 30 mm, 30 mm, 35 mm, 85 mm, 180 mmCut lengths, two of each: 30 mm, 30 mm, 35 mm, 85 mm, 180 mm | 5 pieces, 360 mm10 pieces, 720 mm |
| Hardware | |
| M3 × 10 mm bolt, stainless socket head9 for pads, 10 for socket mounts18 for pads, 20 for socket mounts | 1938 |
| M3 flat washer, 6 mm OD, stainlessOne under the bolt head, one under the nut | 3876 |
| M3 nylon-insert lock nut, stainless | 1938 |
Wiring
| Position | Bulb & socket | Socket wire goes to | Jumper | Fed by edge pin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reverse | 1156 in a 1156 (BA15s) socket | REV DIM | REV DIM → REV IN | 6 · REV |
| Brake (inner) | 1156 in a 1156 (BA15s) socket | BRAKE2 BRIGHT | BRAKE2 BRIGHT → BRAKE IN | 2 & 3 · STOP |
| Tail | 89 in a 1156 (BA15s) socket | TAIL DIM | TAIL DIM → TAIL IN | 4 · TAIL |
| Brake (outer) | 1156 in a 1156 (BA15s) socket | BRAKE1 BRIGHT | Long jumper wire from BRAKE2 BRIGHT | 2 & 3 · STOP, through the inner brake |
| Turn | 1156 in a 1156 (BA15s) socket | TURN DIM | TURN DIM → TURN IN | 1 · TURN |
The board
- Socket wire, ring terminal on the pad
- Jumper between two pads
- Pad in use
- Pad not used in this setup
- Board trace from the car
Brake on the Tail Lamp
Stock wiring, except the center tail lamp also brightens when you brake. The tail position takes a 1157 dual-filament bulb: its dim filament runs on the tail circuit and its bright filament on the brake circuit.
Parts
| Part | Quantity |
|---|---|
| Bulbs | |
| 1156 (BA15s) LED bulb, amberChoose amber on the product page | 12 |
| 1156 (BA15s) LED bulb, redChoose red on the product page | 24 |
| 1156 (BA15s) LED bulb, whiteChoose white on the product page | 12 |
| 1157 (BAY15d) LED bulb, redChoose red on the product page | 12 |
| Sockets | |
| 1156 (BA15s) socket with wire lead | 48 |
| 1157 (BAY15d) socket with wire leads | 12 |
| Wiring | |
| Red heat-shrink ring terminal, 22–16 AWG, #6 (M3.5) stud | 1836 |
| 18 AWG stranded wire, 6-color pack, for jumpersCut lengths: 30 mm, 30 mm, 35 mm, 85 mm, 85 mm, 135 mmCut lengths, two of each: 30 mm, 30 mm, 35 mm, 85 mm, 85 mm, 135 mm | 6 pieces, 400 mm12 pieces, 800 mm |
| Hardware | |
| M3 × 10 mm bolt, stainless socket head10 for pads, 10 for socket mounts20 for pads, 20 for socket mounts | 2040 |
| M3 flat washer, 6 mm OD, stainlessOne under the bolt head, one under the nut | 4080 |
| M3 nylon-insert lock nut, stainless | 2040 |
Wiring
| Position | Bulb & socket | Socket wire goes to | Jumper | Fed by edge pin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reverse | 1156 in a 1156 (BA15s) socket | REV DIM | REV DIM → REV IN | 6 · REV |
| Brake (inner) | 1156 in a 1156 (BA15s) socket | BRAKE2 BRIGHT | BRAKE2 BRIGHT → BRAKE IN | 2 & 3 · STOP |
| Tail + brake | 1157 in a 1157 (BAY15d) socket | Dim wire to TAIL DIM, bright wire to TAIL BRIGHT | TAIL DIM → TAIL IN; long jumper BRAKE2 BRIGHT → TAIL BRIGHT | 4 · TAIL and 2 & 3 · STOP |
| Brake (outer) | 1156 in a 1156 (BA15s) socket | BRAKE1 BRIGHT | Long jumper from TAIL BRIGHT | 2 & 3 · STOP, through the tail lamp |
| Turn | 1156 in a 1156 (BA15s) socket | TURN DIM | TURN DIM → TURN IN | 1 · TURN |
- To tell the 1157 socket's two wires apart, fit a bulb and touch each wire to 12 V with the socket body grounded. The brighter one is the bright filament.
The board
- Socket wire, ring terminal on the pad
- Jumper between two pads
- Pad in use
- Pad not used in this setup
- Board trace from the car
Brake and Tail on All Reds
All three red lamps work as both tail and brake lights. Each red position takes a 1157 bulb: the dim filaments all run on the tail circuit, and the bright filaments all run on the brake circuit. Turn and reverse are unchanged.
LED bulbs are strongly recommended. This setup lights three tail filaments where the car was built for one, and three brake filaments where it was built for two.
Parts
| Part | Quantity |
|---|---|
| Bulbs | |
| 1156 (BA15s) LED bulb, amberChoose amber on the product page | 12 |
| 1156 (BA15s) LED bulb, whiteChoose white on the product page | 12 |
| 1157 (BAY15d) LED bulb, redChoose red on the product page | 36 |
| Sockets | |
| 1156 (BA15s) socket with wire lead | 24 |
| 1157 (BAY15d) socket with wire leads | 36 |
| Wiring | |
| Red heat-shrink ring terminal, 22–16 AWG, #6 (M3.5) stud | 2448 |
| 18 AWG stranded wire, 6-color pack, for jumpersCut lengths: 30 mm, 30 mm, 35 mm, 70 mm, 85 mm, 85 mm, 120 mm, 135 mmCut lengths, two of each: 30 mm, 30 mm, 35 mm, 70 mm, 85 mm, 85 mm, 120 mm, 135 mm | 8 pieces, 590 mm16 pieces, 1180 mm |
| Hardware | |
| M3 × 10 mm bolt, stainless socket head12 for pads, 10 for socket mounts24 for pads, 20 for socket mounts | 2244 |
| M3 flat washer, 6 mm OD, stainlessOne under the bolt head, one under the nut | 4488 |
| M3 nylon-insert lock nut, stainless | 2244 |
Wiring
| Position | Bulb & socket | Socket wire goes to | Jumper | Fed by edge pin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reverse | 1156 in a 1156 (BA15s) socket | REV DIM | REV DIM → REV IN | 6 · REV |
| Tail + brake (inner) | 1157 in a 1157 (BAY15d) socket | Dim wire to BRAKE2 DIM, bright wire to BRAKE2 BRIGHT | BRAKE2 BRIGHT → BRAKE IN; jumper TAIL IN → BRAKE2 DIM | 4 · TAIL and 2 & 3 · STOP |
| Tail + brake (center) | 1157 in a 1157 (BAY15d) socket | Dim wire to TAIL DIM, bright wire to TAIL BRIGHT | TAIL DIM → TAIL IN; long jumper BRAKE2 BRIGHT → TAIL BRIGHT | 4 · TAIL and 2 & 3 · STOP |
| Tail + brake (outer) | 1157 in a 1157 (BAY15d) socket | Dim wire to BRAKE1 DIM, bright wire to BRAKE1 BRIGHT | Long jumper TAIL BRIGHT → BRAKE1 BRIGHT; jumper TAIL IN → BRAKE1 DIM | 4 · TAIL and 2 & 3 · STOP |
| Turn | 1156 in a 1156 (BA15s) socket | TURN DIM | TURN DIM → TURN IN | 1 · TURN |
TAIL INcarries three ring terminals: the jumper toTAIL DIMand the two jumpers to the outer DIM pads.- To tell each 1157 socket's two wires apart, fit a bulb and touch each wire to 12 V with the socket body grounded. The brighter one is the bright filament.
The board
- Socket wire, ring terminal on the pad
- Jumper between two pads
- Pad in use
- Pad not used in this setup
- Board trace from the car
Brake and Tail Swapped
Stock wiring, except the red lamps trade jobs: the center lamp becomes the brake light and the two lamps beside it become tail lights. Turn and reverse are unchanged.
Parts
| Part | Quantity |
|---|---|
| Bulbs | |
| 1156 (BA15s) LED bulb, amberChoose amber on the product page | 12 |
| 1156 (BA15s) LED bulb, redChoose red on the product page | 12 |
| 1156 (BA15s) LED bulb, whiteChoose white on the product page | 12 |
| Tail-level 89 (BA15s) LED bulb, redChoose red on the product page | 24 |
| Sockets | |
| 1156 (BA15s) socket with wire lead | 510 |
| Wiring | |
| Red heat-shrink ring terminal, 22–16 AWG, #6 (M3.5) stud | 1734 |
| 18 AWG stranded wire, 6-color pack, for jumpersCut lengths: 30 mm, 35 mm, 70 mm, 85 mm, 120 mm, 135 mmCut lengths, two of each: 30 mm, 35 mm, 70 mm, 85 mm, 120 mm, 135 mm | 6 pieces, 475 mm12 pieces, 950 mm |
| Hardware | |
| M3 × 10 mm bolt, stainless socket head10 for pads, 10 for socket mounts20 for pads, 20 for socket mounts | 2040 |
| M3 flat washer, 6 mm OD, stainlessOne under the bolt head, one under the nut | 4080 |
| M3 nylon-insert lock nut, stainless | 2040 |
Wiring
| Position | Bulb & socket | Socket wire goes to | Jumper | Fed by edge pin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reverse | 1156 in a 1156 (BA15s) socket | REV DIM | REV DIM → REV IN | 6 · REV |
| Tail (inner) | Tail bulb in a 1156 (BA15s) socket | BRAKE2 DIM | Jumper from TAIL IN, routed under the module connector | 4 · TAIL |
| Brake (center) | Brake bulb in a 1156 (BA15s) socket | TAIL BRIGHT | BRAKE2 BRIGHT → BRAKE IN; long jumper BRAKE2 BRIGHT → TAIL BRIGHT | 2 & 3 · STOP |
| Tail (outer) | Tail bulb in a 1156 (BA15s) socket | BRAKE1 DIM | Jumper from TAIL IN | 4 · TAIL |
| Turn | 1156 in a 1156 (BA15s) socket | TURN DIM | TURN DIM → TURN IN | 1 · TURN |
- The
BRAKE2 BRIGHTpad carries jumpers but no socket wire. It links the brake input to the center lamp. - The center lens is not the same as the lenses at the brake positions, so the brake light may look dimmer than stock. Test it before you drive to make sure it is bright enough for you.
The board
- Socket wire, ring terminal on the pad
- Jumper between two pads
- Pad in use
- Pad not used in this setup
- Board trace from the car
External Control
An external controller drives every filament through the module connector (P2), so there are no jumpers. Each position takes a 1157 socket, with its dim and bright wires on that position's DIM and BRIGHT pads, and the controller decides what lights and when. A second harness carries the car's own signals from the IN pads to a 5-pin connector, so the controller can see what the car is asking for and draw power from it.
External Control requires LED bulbs. P2's pins and the board's traces are sized for LED current, not the several amps incandescent bulbs draw.
Parts
| Part | Quantity |
|---|---|
| Bulbs | |
| 1157 (BAY15d) LED bulb, amberChoose amber on the product page | 12 |
| 1157 (BAY15d) LED bulb, redChoose red on the product page | 36 |
| 1157 (BAY15d) LED bulb, whiteChoose white on the product page | 12 |
| Sockets | |
| 1157 (BAY15d) socket with wire leads | 510 |
| Wiring | |
| Red heat-shrink ring terminal, 22–16 AWG, #6 (M3.5) stud | 1530 |
| 5-position connector for the input harness, to suit your controllerPin 1 TURN, 2 TAIL, 3 GND, 4 STOP, 5 REV | 12 |
| 18 AWG stranded wire, 6-color pack, for the input harnessFive wires from the board to wherever the controller sits. The colors make each signal easy to trace. | Length to suitLength to suit |
| Hardware | |
| M3 × 10 mm bolt, stainless socket head14 for pads, 10 for socket mounts28 for pads, 20 for socket mounts | 2448 |
| M3 flat washer, 6 mm OD, stainlessOne under the bolt head, one under the nut | 4896 |
| M3 nylon-insert lock nut, stainless | 2448 |
| Module Connector | |
| Molex KK 254 14-position right-angle header (22-05-7148), for P2Not fitted at the factory. Place it on the connector side and solder from the bulb side. | 12 |
| Molex KK 254 14-position housing (22-01-3147), mates with P2 | 12 |
| Molex KK 254 crimp terminal (08-50-0114), 22–30 AWGPins 1–12; 13 and 14 stay empty | 1224 |
Wiring
| Position | Bulb & socket | Socket wires go to | Driven by P2 pins | Car signal to harness pin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reverse | 1157 in a 1157 (BAY15d) socket | Dim wire to REV DIM, bright wire to REV BRIGHT | 11 bright, 12 dim | REV IN → 5 |
| Brake (inner) | 1157 in a 1157 (BAY15d) socket | Dim wire to BRAKE2 DIM, bright wire to BRAKE2 BRIGHT | 9 bright, 10 dim | BRAKE IN → 4 |
| Tail | 1157 in a 1157 (BAY15d) socket | Dim wire to TAIL DIM, bright wire to TAIL BRIGHT | 7 bright, 8 dim | TAIL IN → 2 |
| Brake (outer) | 1157 in a 1157 (BAY15d) socket | Dim wire to BRAKE1 DIM, bright wire to BRAKE1 BRIGHT | 5 bright, 6 dim | Shares pin 4 (STOP) |
| Turn | 1157 in a 1157 (BAY15d) socket | Dim wire to TURN DIM, bright wire to TURN BRIGHT | 3 bright, 4 dim | TURN IN → 1 |
- P2 pins 1 and 2 are ground. It's the same ground as edge connector pin 5 and the socket bodies: every ground on the board is joined. The full pinout is on the Overview tab.
- The controller switches 12 V to each pin (high-side drive). The sockets' bodies are already grounded through the board.
- The input harness runs one wire from each IN pad, plus a ground wire from the tail socket's lower mounting bolt, to a 5-pin connector: 1 TURN, 2 TAIL, 3 GND, 4 STOP, 5 REV. With the edge connector plugged into the car, these wires carry the car's turn, tail, brake and reverse signals.
- The controller can sense each signal to follow the car's actual state, and can draw power from whichever circuit is on. Brake works with the ignition off on most cars, so the controller can run whenever the brake pedal is pressed.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Can I use 1157s everywhere?
Yes. A 1157 socket and bulb work in any position, so you can stock one part for all five. Land only the wire for the filament you need: the bright wire for brake, turn and reverse, and the dim wire for a tail-level lamp. Put the unused wire on its own pad, or insulate it and tuck it away, so it can't touch anything.
Using 1157s everywhere also means a later move to another setup, such as External Control, is a wiring change rather than a parts order.
- Can I put a 1157 in a 1156 socket, or the reverse?
No. A 1156 (BA15s) bulb has one contact on its base and two locking pins at the same height. A 1157 (BAY15d) bulb has two contacts and offset pins, so each one only locks into its own socket. Match the bulb to the socket in each position; the parts list for each setup shows which goes where.
- What is P2 for?
P2 gives a controller direct access to every filament. Each
BRIGHTandDIMpad has its own pin, so a controller can switch any filament on its own: sequential turn signals, a chasing brake light, or a custom tail pattern. The full pinout is under The board, above.The header isn't fitted at the factory. You only need it for External Control. In the setups fed from the edge connector, leave P2 empty, because the jumpers connect the car's signals to its pins.
- Can I wire straight to the IN pads?
Yes, in the setups fed from the edge connector. An IN pad carries the car's signal, so a socket wire bolted directly to it works the same as a wire on a lamp pad with a jumper to the IN pad, and saves a jumper and two ring terminals.
Two things to keep in mind. The outer brake position has no IN pad of its own, so it still needs a jumper from
BRAKE INor another brake pad. And wiring through the lamp pads keeps every position ready for a controller: moving to External Control is then just a matter of removing jumpers.- White or colored LEDs?
Colored, matched to the lens: red behind the red lenses, amber behind the amber turn lens, and white only for reverse. A colored lens passes only its own color, so most of a white LED's light is filtered out, leaving it dimmer and often a washed-out shade. A red LED behind a red lens passes nearly all of its light.
- Solder or bolt?
Start with bolts. Ring terminals on M3 bolts let you try a setup, change it if you don't like the result, and move your sockets and wiring to a newer board later. With lock nuts and washers they hold up to vibration on their own.
Once you're happy with the result, you can solder the wires to the pads instead. Soldered wires need strain relief, so use the zip-tie points marked on the board to keep the wires from flexing at the joint.
- Why do my turn signals blink fast with LEDs?
That's hyper-flash. The original flasher times its blink from the current the bulbs draw, so it reads the much smaller LED load as a burned-out bulb and blinks fast. The fix is an LED-compatible flasher, which keeps time on its own.
The DeLorean uses a three-pin flasher on the left side of the steering column. A CF14 E35 fits. Avoid the CF14 E34: it looks the same, but its B and E pins are swapped and the turn signals won't work. More detail is in the LED Taillights write-up.
- Why won't an LED bulb light, or why does it stay on?
Some LED bulbs only work one way around. A 1157 also only locks in one way, and if it's forced in the other way the wrong filament stays lit, so the tail light can stay on at full brightness. Check that each bulb is seated correctly, and test every lamp before closing up the housing.
- Does this need changes to the car's wiring?
No. The board plugs into the original tail light connector, just like the stock board. External Control adds a harness to your controller, but the car's own wiring stays as it is.
- Can I go back to stock later?
Yes. Rewire the board to the Stock setup, or refit the original boards. Nothing on the car is modified.
- Do the brake lights work with the ignition off?
On later cars, yes: fuse 18 feeds the brake switch at all times. Early cars don't have fuse 18, so their brake lights only work with the ignition on. Adding fuse 18 the way later cars have it lets an early car's brake lights work with the ignition off.
- Are the left and right boards the same?
Yes. The same board fits either side, so a pair is two identical boards, and the parts lists give totals for both.
- Can I use incandescent bulbs?
Yes, in the Stock setup, which puts the same loads on the car's wiring as the original boards. For the other setups, LEDs are recommended due to the non-stock loads. External Control requires LEDs.
- Is the board weatherproof?
The board is gold-plated and conformal-coated, so it handles the damp rear fascia. The exposed connections are the ring terminals and bolts, which is why the parts lists call for heat-shrink terminals and stainless hardware.
- Is Brake & Tail Swapped street legal?
Every lamp still does its job: the brake lamp lights for the brakes and the tail lamps for the tail circuit. Plenty of cars have a single brake lamp and a single tail lamp per side, often the same bulb at two brightnesses. The one thing to check is that the brake light is clearly brighter than the tails, as noted on that tab.