LED indicator advice
 

Hi all i have bought some LED indicators for my new tail tidy, i have also bought the resister thing to go with them but i have not got a clue where it wires into the indicators.

i obviously have 2 indicators and both have two wires coming off ready to wire to the existing but the resister thing is a little black box with only two wires coming out of !!!!!

I have not got a clue :smt089

Re: LED indicator advice
 

when i had this problem northwind did me a lil diagram of how to do it.

Re: LED indicator advice
 

In parrallel across each indicator.

Re: LED indicator advice
 

http://img355.imageshack.us/img355/9...llelra8.th.png

like so.





excuse the rubbish drawing :rolleyes:

Re: LED indicator advice
 

sorry it wasnt northwind it was dirtydog ^^ same diagram :)

Re: LED indicator advice
 

Only problem with the advice so far is that what he has sounds more like a Flasher Relay then a resistor - which is im my opinion a better solution to flash rate issues.

Post a pic of the unit so we can see what it is and advise accordingly

Re: LED indicator advice
 

a new variable flasher relay will do the same job.

Re: LED indicator advice
 

You can add the resistors at any point in the circuit, it doesn't have to be anywhere near the actual indicator. Althought you do have to make sure your using the correct wires!

Re: LED indicator advice
 

ive just put some led's on mine and there flashing to fast i just want to know where on the bike is the flasher relay? as im buying the one for leds in the morning.

Re: LED indicator advice
 

pointy or curvey?

Re: LED indicator advice
 

sorry its a curvey (2000)

Re: LED indicator advice
 

on the pointy (well k3) its next to the fuse box, black box about inch and a half square.

Re: LED indicator advice
 

People looking to sort out LED indicators, please do a search.

There is a VERY good post that tells you how to do it.

Resistors will cost as much as a flasher relay, will require soldering skills an generate heat in use (ok not much but needs to be considered)

Controling the flash rate is only part of the job the SV Relay does - it also looks after the side-stand switch, so you cant just swap it over. You need to wire an aftermarket flasher relay into the wires going to the SV one.

As said, full instructions are on the site - I know because I followed them

David

Re: LED indicator advice
 

Note: I haven't read the thread that SoulKiss suggested people search for. In the context of that thread my next comments may make me look like a numpty. That said...

Crumbs what resistors are those then? I've no idea how much a flasher relay is but I'd have thought it was more than the few pence a resistor costs.

All adding a resistor into the circuit does is alter the time constant of the circuit. A variable speed flasher unit is going to contain a variable resistor.

I assume that the reason aftermarket LED units flash wrongly (ie not within MOT spec) is that they have a different (lower) resistance than the bulbs they replace. Not a terribly supprising situation as a bulb wouldn't work very well if it didn't have a resistance and an LED wouldn't work very well if it did.

So my very basic assumption of things (and I accept there may well be more to it but I'll read that when I'm not halfway through posting in my break on a training course :-)) is that measuring the resistance of the bulbs being removed and adding a resistor in series to the LED replacement would be all that was needed.

Ok. Now you can start kicking me.

Re: LED indicator advice
 

Regular 0.5W or 1W resistors, are, as you say pennies each.

However with the application we are looking at you need 10W + resistors.

These, when I looked into it, came in at about £3-£4 each - and you need one on each LED unit.

A flasher relay is about £15-£20, and only involves the soldering of 2 wires, so easier and less messy, and produces less heat.

Both methods work, you just choose the one that works best for you.

David

Re: LED indicator advice
 

Another Pre-Note: I don't have LED indicators and am not looking at fitting them. I'm just interested in the electronics side of things.

I think I know the resistors you're talking about. And now I understand the cost.

What I don't understand (seriously) is why so much power needs to be dissipated by the resistor?

Re: LED indicator advice
 

i sorted my bike out by flogging the aftermarket indys on ebay and putting my OE one back on :)

Re: LED indicator advice
 

I bought mini indicators with bulbs in, almost as easy but not quite :D

Re: LED indicator advice
 

In very simple terms, normal indicator lamps are around 21W nominal rating, which on (again nominal) 12V means a current draw of 21/12= 1.75Amps per lamp, so 3.5A total when two lamps are lit.

On this nominal basis each lamp works like a resistor of R=V/I or about 6.8 Ohms. Note that if you measure the resistance of a lamp filament when cold it will be a lot less than 6.8 Ohms, the resistance increases as the filament heats up.

An LED takes minimal current (and therefore power).

Flasher relays are designed intentionally so that if the current draw isn't what it should be, then it will flash at a fast rate to let you know something is wrong (a lamp has failed).

With LEDs on a standard relay you need to provide the extra load, so an extra 6.8 Ohm resistor (which happens to be a standard value, often termed 6_R_8 at each lamp position will do it.

Remember that each lamp was rated at 21Watts, so you're looking at that sort of heat dissipation when they are powered. But of course the lamps are only on about half the time, so the average power is around 10W. This will load 10W rated resistors pretty heavily but they'll probably survive. 25W might be a better choice if the oncost isn't too much.

The alternative is a relay intended for LEDs without the 3.5Amp expected current feature.

Re: LED indicator advice
 

Call me old fashioned ;), but incandescant indicator blubs generate light other road users can see! From a 'be seen' POV, I don't go a bundle on LED indies. And another thing:p , VAG seem to be fitting rear light clusters where the indicator is toally surrounded by stop/tail lights! The red light swamps the indicator light. Maybe it's my eyes...

Re: LED indicator advice
 

You're old-fashioned!! :rolleyes:

Sure-bright LEDs give out more light (higher Lux) rating, and use less energy than conventional bulbs.

They cost a fair amount though.

Re: LED indicator advice
 

Do they? When you've stuck a bloody great resistor in the circuit do make it consume as much current as the blub it replaces?:p

Re: LED indicator advice
 

I wouldn't stick a resistor in though, I'd use a flasher relay. :p :smt117

Re: LED indicator advice
 

Right all sorted.

I ditched the crappy motrax led indicators and got some better qualitly ones with the resisters already in line on eash indicator

Alot easier and took nearly no time at all to do.


The result is a smart brighter rear end :p

The ill fitting tail tidy i bought is another subject all together though :smt011

Re: LED indicator advice
 

I see your point. However I think the comparitive result depends greatly on the LED and original units in question though. IMHO and limited experiance LED units can be more directional and this is a negative thing, however within their 'viewable' range they can often be a lot better than the bulbs they replace.

I belive this is one of the reasons that emergency vehicles are fitted with LED units on (at least) the front of the vehicle. Viewing angle is intentionally poor so as not to distract people unnecessarily however within the intended viewable range F! me are they bright. Was messing around with a new St. Johns Ambulance a few years ago and in bright sunlight the result was very impressive.

Totally with you on the VAG thing. I think the Golf is the biggest offender I've noted, but I'm sure there are others.

Re: LED indicator advice
 

I might be with you on that one.

But I love the cars that get LED lights right like 3 series BMW, Aston Martin DB9. Range Rovers are like VAG, but I think it works on them :scratch:
It's so crisp & clean how they are either on or off, no fading off & heating up.

Oh, and the front LEDs on Audis & Porches, bring it on they're so cool! 8)

Re: LED indicator advice
 

i like the angle eye's lights on the beemers. led's are great but i'm not one for enjoying having problems, i always looks for the easy way out.

Re: LED indicator advice
 

LED's generate visible light as well. "Light Emitting Diode" and mine are as bright as bulbs and work a treat. If they weren't bright enough, they wouldn't be legal.

They're just very low impedance so they require a resistor in parallel to mimic a bulbs resistance to lower the flash rate that's what this whole thread is about.

Re: LED indicator advice
 

It seems that most people have had a problem with fitting Motrax LEDs with motrax universal relay... err me to. I have search thew forum and done as instructed.... http://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k2...Flasher201.jpg

Re: LED indicator advice
 

However the lights remain lit solid... what do I need to do next?????

Please help