Author Topic: LED Signal Help (Read 6091 times)

Nacho2059 · « **on:** May 05, 2006, 01:15:44 AM »

I am going to be replacing both front and rear signals with LED signals and I have heard that when you use LED lights sometimes they wont flash at the right rate or wont flash at all. True or not? and what can be done to fix this?
thanks for you help in advance

Farre · « **Reply #1 on:** May 05, 2006, 04:09:14 AM »

true, you'd neeed to put a resistor in there. if you have the basic electric skills then it's easy to compare the 2 circuits (one with the normal bulb, and one with the led-resistor combo).
You simply need to mimic the characteristics of the bulb with help of the Law of Ohm

Like this i found on the net:

Example calculations
A red, a yellow and a green LED in series need a supply voltage of at least 3 × 2V + 2V = 8V,
so a 9V battery would be ideal.
VL = 2V + 2V + 2V = 6V (the three LED voltages added up).
If the supply voltage VS is 9V and the current I must be 15mA = 0.015A,
Resistor R = (VS - VL) / I = (9 - 6) / 0.015 = 3 / 0.015 = 200ohm,
so choose R = 220ohm (the nearest standard value which is greater).

i hope this helps

Bazza · « **Reply #2 on:** May 05, 2006, 04:16:05 AM »

It's true and I will garentee it will happen to you.

You will have to put load equlizers on the lines to fool your flaser into thinking it has the correct voltage of bulbs in place.

I will warn you that I have not found an LED bulb which is brighter than stock.

You can read about em here.

http://www.customled.com/PRODUCTS/THE_EQUALIZER/the_equalizer.htm

Red01 · « **Reply #3 on:** May 05, 2006, 02:45:56 PM »

I haven't seen the MoTrax LED Arrows in person, but from the looks of the pic on their site (below), they seem to be pretty bright. Can't be any worse than the minis that use bulbs, they don't show up well at all - and is the #1 reason I want to ditch mine. (#2 reason is their bulb life is short and they're a PIA to find replacements for on the road.)

Nacho2059 · « **Reply #4 on:** May 07, 2006, 12:42:14 AM »

thanks for the help. Now all I have to do is get the signals hooked up and figure out which of the problems I have.

Maniac · « **Reply #5 on:** May 07, 2006, 01:07:57 AM »

I did a taillight integration and LED conversion on the 919 last weekend, this weekend I finally got it blinking at the right speed. I just went to Autozone and picked up an EL-12 blinker relay and wired it in place of the old one, problem solved for about $8.

Nacho2059 · « **Reply #6 on:** May 15, 2006, 02:01:15 PM »

Hey Maniac is this the relay you used?
http://www.napaonline.com/MasterPages/NOLMaster.aspx?PageId=470&LineCode=NF&PartNumber=EL12&Description=Flasher+-+Turn+Signal
Did your signals come on steady with no flash? Thats the problem I am having.

Maniac · « **Reply #7 on:** May 15, 2006, 02:03:55 PM »

Yep, signals are working fine. Sounds like you may have the wire backwards, try switching the leads around.

Nacho2059 · « **Reply #8 on:** May 16, 2006, 02:21:54 AM »

Leads were just fine. New relay installed as well as new, working, rear signals. Now all I need to do is the fronts, which will hopefully be in tomorrow afternoon. thanks

B6mick · « **Reply #9 on:** May 17, 2006, 01:59:43 AM »

Quote from: Bazza

I will warn you that I have not found an LED bulb which is brighter than stock.

Hey Bazza where the hell are you from again?
Cause I thought we down here, are the ones, out the back of butt F*#* Idaho.( sorry guys) Man we got heaps of aftermarket led indicators that absolutely kill stock indicators for brightness, and style, and they come with the resistor kit.

Just check out the difference between, a standard 2 element Brake/Tail globe and the new led type, chalk and cheese mate, and the led wins hands down for brightness and difference between tail and brake. Sure the led is pricey but in theory should never blow out. We even get led replacements to the standard globes for standard indicators.
The only 1 I’m having problems sourcing is the small stubby standard number plate globe.

I was talking to a supplier last year about the led revolution, he was telling me how in Europe, they are now producing led reversing lights for semi’, trucks, they have to be pretty bright, and are hoping soon to have the first led headlights, now that’s really really bright.

I'll have to start up that import/export business, I'll import them to here, then export them to you. So good are they the word on the street is we will some time down the road, be unable to buy element type replacement globes, Ie brake/tail, signal and aux as the led replacements are already available, and better.

Come down here man, I think you would be hard pushed to even find a single interstate truck still running element type brake/tail, and signal, all led bloke. Now I can tell you that if they were not brighter and better than element globes, the road transport authorities, would have outlawed there use, and big time transport companies would not spend the extra bucks to change over to them.

Maniac · « **Reply #10 on:** May 17, 2006, 12:21:58 PM »

The majority of LEDs you can buy easily aren't made for this type of application, like the one's from Radio Shack. They are just for panel lights or replacement stereo indicators, or something like that.

The LEDs in my ClearAlternatives tail light are -wicked- bright. Brighter than stock, at least. It came with resistors, but one resisted a little to well (no current passed through) and the other didn't resist very well at all (fast flash), so I put the EL-12 in.

I want to do LED tails on my Mazda3 as well, but the bulb is in on an angle. Thats the thing with LEDs, you have to view them dead-on to get them to be very bright, they aren't ment to be viewed side-on.

If you want some bright LEDs, check out the Luxon LEDs (I think that the name), those things can cause retina damage!

Farre · « **Reply #11 on:** May 17, 2006, 04:05:40 PM »

sorry to nit-pick but it's Luxeon, i was playing with the idea of putting 2 of those in the Taillight, but never gotten to it, the heatsink-situation made me think it was going to be too much trouble.
Got a NovaLED here, thought it would be differently, but it also needs a heatsink attached

Not so expensive, though, bought it via internet from Conrad, for the Europe ppl, if anyone's interested, tons of electronic tidbits there

Maniac · « **Reply #12 on:** May 17, 2006, 07:07:46 PM »

Quote from: Farre

sorry to nit-pick but it's Luxeon

Thats the one!

Yeah, the heatsink situation is a scary prospect. I've considered trying to retrofit them into my car, but the more I think about it, the more the thought of having a heatsink on the light just seems wierd. Plus since it's in an enclosed space, I'd need to have some form of active cooling (fan), and that just seems a little much.

I need to pick up a set of tail lights from Ebay to butcher. Same thing with the 919, I need a junk instrument cluster to place with. There is a spot for another indicator light, and I want to try and squeeze a radar detector into it.

Always nice to know when your about to be pulled over!

Desolation Angel · « **Reply #13 on:** May 17, 2006, 08:01:03 PM »

I haven't found LEDs to fill the lens with light as well as a bulb. Like when seen from the side. Real pretty from the rear, so to speak, though.

Nacho2059 · « **Reply #14 on:** May 18, 2006, 01:24:35 AM »

I have come to the conclusion that turn signals, LED turn signals to be more specific, are a pain in the rear. Like I stated in my previous post, I got the rears hooked up and working just fine. Tonight I got the fronts, also LED signals, hooked the right side up and they worked awesome, little slower than normal but were working fine. Get the left side hooked up and I get a flash on all four when I click the left side and the same when I hit the right. Just to add to this, when the original signal was connected to the left side and I hit the left all four lights turned on.
Why is it doing this?
I hate electrical anything.

almost forgot.. when I say flash I mean they turn on but are very very dim almost unnoticeable.