A license plate holder for use on a vehicle has a frame that holds and displays a vehicle license plate on the vehicle. A plurality of red light emitting diodes (LEDs) is mounted around the perimeter of the frame. They are connected to the brake light circuit of the vehicle to light up when the brakes are applied. A lesser number of non-red LEDs are also disposed around the perimeter of the frame. These are connected to the running light circuit of the vehicle. They may be multi-colored or of a single color such as blue or green.

An incandescent tube bulb replacement assembly that is used in place of a horizontal incandescent tube light in a standard interior horizontal tube light fixture. The assembly includes a small printed circuit board (PCB) with a plurality of LEDs mounted perpendicularly thereon. During installation, the existing horizontal incandescent tube is removed and replaced with an LED assembly so that the LEDs fit into the center of the reflector. Attached to the opposite sides of the PCB are two, upward extending conductor arms that snap-fit into the two existing end conductors. The PCB includes a lighting circuit that allows the assembly to connect without regard to the polarity.

Open LED chips may be arranged directly on the surface of a replaceable lamp capsule without intervening packages that reduce overall light emission. The chips may be oriented in such a way that the lamp generates a unique "donut" shape radiation pattern, which is suitable for a flat and shallow secondary optics to collimate the light into a desired beam pattern, and to reduce the unaesthetic appearance of points of light in an onlooker's view. The LED chips are driven in such a way that one chip fails, the whole lamp fails to avoid a partially lit appearance. At the same time the heat generated by the LED chips may be conducted away by the support structure to possibly vehicle's sheet metal to enhance life of the LED chip. The standardization of this LED lamp makes this product more cost effective thus to be used in broader lighting applications.

A LED lamp mounting assembly for use in motor vehicle lamps is described. The LED lamp mounting assembly connects a LED lamp to a pre-existing incandescent lamp socket in a motor vehicle. The LED lamp mounting assembly therefore allows a LED lamp to be operated from incandescent lamp hardware. In one embodiment, the LED lamp mounting assembled includes a LED lamp assembly, a heat sink, a cradle, printed circuit boards and an electrical connector. The electrical connector is insertable into the incandescent lamp socket and connects to the printed circuit boards. The printed circuit boards power the LED lamp assembly and the heat sink adsorbs excess heat created by the LED lamp assembly. The motor vehicle lamp becomes a LED lamp without any changes to the existing incandescent lamp hardware.

An indicator is provided that utilizes a side-emitting light-emitting diode to indicate the state of a vehicle. An example vehicle indicator is an automobile turn indicator. Other embodiments and features further provide for a conventional light-emitting diode additionally mounted to the vehicle indicator. Certain embodiments provide a cover that protects the vehicle indicator from damage and influences the pattern and/or frequency of light emanating from the vehicle indicator. Yet other embodiments provide a circuit board for converting power from the vehicle's power source to the particular power requirements, a timing mechanism for controlling illumination, and a heat dissipating apparatus for controlling the temperature of the side-emitting light-emitting diode. Still other embodiments provide an indicator that directs light toward the vehicle operator.