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Thread: Save 25 Watts (or more) LED lights mod (brake, tail, side markers, plate, etc.)

  1. #31
    Senior Member 3dplane's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by tortus View Post
    The factory bulbs draw 388ma. I replaced them with two LED's at the front parking light position. The LED's draw only a small fraction of the current and they "flicker" when the lights are on. I am thinking that I need to install a 40 ohm shunting resistor across each LED.
    so that the circuit will "see" 388 ma. Do you think this will stop the flickering?
    They flicker because they are from walmart Seriously if it is that multi chip (4 LEDs on the sides and one on the front) 194 replacement,they are garbage. I now replaced my homemade 194 LEDs first with the walmart multi chip and they both were flickering.

    Later I bought some from advanced auto parts store.They were about $7 each and they work great sofar. They have a milky dome diffuser on the front. Under the diffuser there are two tiny LED chips. I removed one of the diffusers to see the difference and the dedomed one is brighter.(not surprising).


        __________________________________________

        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2014 Mirage DE 1.2 manual: 66.3 mpg (US) ... 28.2 km/L ... 3.5 L/100 km ... 79.7 mpg (Imp)


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    So with all these bulbs replace, how much mpg did you actually gain?

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    Thank you for confirming what I suspected. The six LED's that I bought on line for $3 each are junk. I replaced them with $8 bulbs from auto-zone parts store. They have a Sylvania brand and run cooler without flickering

  4. #34
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    Quote Originally Posted by 3dplane View Post
    1157 red "spider" LEDs that I ordered came in the mail.

    This has five spring loaded arms. Each arm has six LEDs facing the rear (lens) and two LEDs facing to the front toward the tail lamp housing/mirror.

    This is how it arrives:
    Attachment 413

    When the tie wire is removed it springs open:
    Attachment 414
    Attachment 415

    I removed both tail lamps from the Mirage to try the LEDs.

    First I replace the left factory bulb with the LED, (leaving incandescent in right side)parking lights on....bummer. LED does not come on and within a second I smell "Amps" and see the magic smoke leaving the LED. Remove ASAP!

    WTF? I go test the LED by hooking it to a 12V battery and it works fine! Both tabs running lights (reduced intensity) and brake lights mode ok.

    Back to the car and try again,same thing. Does not work installed in the car. Check car's socket with a fluke meter everything corresponds to the contacts on the LED! Try other LED...same thing.Stink,smoke,no go!

    At this point letting out tarzan sounds and getting a beer...

    Got the idea to try both LEDs installed in the tail lamps at the same time.(why not smoke both of them simultaniously?)...TADAA running lights and brake lights working fine...except PROBLEM!

    Now the factory LED high mounted (3rd) brake lamp comes on with the running lamps! (some more tarzan sounds emitted).

    Been through this with my old car when converted to LEDs...need diodes installed but can't remember where exactly.

    Next beer and logic says put diode in each bake lamp circuit (2) to prevent backfeed up to the 3rd brake lamp!

    I hate to do it to the new car but here it goes:
    Silver band toward tail lamps!!!
    Attachment 416

    Heat shrink:
    Attachment 417

    That fixed it. 3rd brake lamp stays off with running lights and comes on with brake lamps.Tail lamps work fine too!

    However....now every time the brakes are applied the FRONT parking lamps come on with it(which had been converted to LEDs previously)...forget tarzan,I'm laughing now.

    Dig up two more diodes,go back to the tail lamps,cut the running light circuit (green with white stripe wire)and install diodes inline the same way as to the brake lamp circuits(green wire)!

    Freaking tadaa all systems good,no weird stuff going on with the lights.

    So if you decide to DIY your LEDtail lamps,be prepared with 4 diodes,soldering equipment,heatshrink tubing and willpower to cut wires on a new car.

    DO NOT try the LED bulb one at a time! Install both at the same time! I have no clue why the car wants to smoke a single LED bulb in the tail!

    Now that it works,here is how it inserts in the bulb hole:

    Attachment 418

    Sitting in the tail lamp turned off:
    Attachment 419

    Oh the glory:
    Attachment 420

    Brakes on:
    Attachment 421

    That factory 3rd brake lamp is nuts!

    In all this excitement I forgot to measure current draw and I am not pulling the LED through the hole again to do the test. The little spring loaded arms are very fragile.

    The closest specs I found on the page I bought them from was that the power consumption is about 30% of the incandescent that it replaces. Which sounds about right but darn I would like milliamp numbers.

    Hi, can I ask the rating or value of the diode you put in? I'm having the same problem also when I changed the bulb to LED's. Are also able to elaborate a little, on what wires you cut to put in does diodes? PLEASE!



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