Thread: LED Back-UP Lights Find
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Old 02-11-2013, 08:20 PM
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waldig
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Talking Re: LED Back-UP Lights Find
Here is some more info on adding resistors on the wiring to keep the lamp out indicator from getting in your face.



The resistor (s) are connected - wired across the light bulb. One wire goes to the ground wire, the other lead is connected to the filament wire. For the brake light, there two resistors , one for the tail light, the other resistor for the brake part of the light. It has two filaments.

Here is a photo of the resistor and a few of its friends.

The resistors are rated at 2 watts and have 100 ohms resistance. That draws about 0.12 amps and consumes or loses about 1.4 watts. I have plugged these resistors on 12 volts for 2 hours to see that they can survive without issue. Now they do dissipate heat and are hot to the touch so dont wrap them in tape, or insulation. Free air. The wire leads should be covered with insulation or sleeving so as to prevent shorts .... I have tested these and without any bulb in the socket, the resistor draws enough power to keep the lamp indicator off , yeah.

The red leds are the best for the brake lights, the blue lamps are great for the backup, the white ones are not as focused and seem about 1/3 dimmer than the blue ones. Again, I did not choose to spend more for the amber lamps, they were too rich for my taste - now.



These are the lamps I played with, the multiple led stacks are neet, but not too good - avoid all of them - please.

I made two short videos showing the operation of the leds in and out of the tail light. It was going wrong and I could not figure what was happening.....backup light was blinking, the turn signal was flickering?????????? Well the battery voltage was about 9.9 volts due to all the testing and my trickle charger was not working........... Read on.

The trickle charger has a two pin connector and I leave the leads on the battery connected.When I park the car I plug the trickle charger in and keep it happy. GOT SKUNKED>>>>>>>>WHHHAAATTTTT. The connector has a dust cover that is a dummy connector to use when the charger is not connected, well being in one of my tizzies, I plugged the charger into the dust cover......not smart and the battery was depleted. The dust connector is no more, I cant remember to get one out of two. Too many choices.

Enjoy the videos, the leds were on only 9.9 volts, brighter on 13 volts to be sure.

Party on Woody Ebay links follow..



EBAY LIGHTS

2X Bright Red CREE Q5 7W SMD LED Auto Tail Brake Park 1157 BAY15D 12V DC New | eBay RED

2pcs 1156 BA15S 3W CREE Q5 High Power Auto Signal Stop Tail LED Light Bulb White | eBay WHITE

2 Pcs High Power S25 LED Q5 7W Car Bulb 1156 BA15S CREE LED Taillight | eBay BLUE
 
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