View Full Version : LED indicators unbelieveably poor - advice please.
JohnStMartin
31-07-13, 07:27 PM
Hi,
fitted my flush indicators today, but started to pour with rain so Ive not really got them dialed in.
They are just unbelievably rubbish, so so faint. I wonder if the in-line resistors i am using are too strong?
Maybe they are just too cheap, i don't think i've ever seen wiring that is not copper, it looks like tinfoil?!
Any advice? or should i just bin them ?
Id be interetesed to see a response as i have a similar problem, leds very dim. not sure how well they will pass the mot..
rictus01
01-08-13, 08:20 AM
there's a huge range of both quality and design in aftermarket LED indicators, I've no idea which you may have (generally the cheaper are the worse, made with standard LED's and not ultra bright ones), if you haven't changed the flasher relay for a suitable one, then the resistor should be aimed at the original bulb wattage, LED's draw so little these resistors effect flash speed and not brightness, try them direct to a 12v battery, but you'll probably find they are no brighter.
Jayneflakes
01-08-13, 08:46 AM
Cheap Chinese ones are next to useless, I have some fitted and found them utterly useless in anything other than complete darkness. My next step was to fit small front facing indicators into the air intake in the front of my fairing. OK, I now have six indicators fitted to my bike, but you can see me from the front and side now.
For future information, when buying LED lights, you really want ultra-brights, but even these struggle in bright light. There is a reason why incandescent light bulbs for the indicators are so bright in the first place. I used a set of Oxford LED indicators for a while and they turned out to be rubbish too.
yorkie_chris
01-08-13, 10:17 AM
See if you can find some of those LED hazard things they use on wagon tail lifts, they are blinding, and they sometimes even survive being run over daily by a gorilla with a pallet truck
nikon70
01-08-13, 10:34 AM
i ended up going for a small indy with a 12v bulb, same size of the small led ones but it has the bulb so great brightness and no faffing with led resistors!
i know that doesn't help you, but like it's been said, there are difference in led brightness, normal ones in phone for example or ultra birght ones... it also helps if these have directional reflectors too.... depends which ones you bought
Captain Nemo
01-08-13, 08:40 PM
I had some flush mounts, they were 5hite
Replaced them with some Oxford eye shots £54 a pair or something but they're really good
I managed to get a couple of pairs of Oxford Nano led indi's. they are brilliant. For a single led I've not seen anything as bright, easily visible in the day. Not cheap but definitely worth it. I'd had several pairs of cheap mini indicators before, but they were never waterproof so any time you needed to change. Bulb the holder would be rusty and the bulb would smash.
Never again!
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