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Thread Starter
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May our Moderator Rest in Peace
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 11,386
Likes: 35
From: Rochester, NY
Good thing I get to work from home and my boss is in a different state.
Tourer
Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 448
Likes: 0
From: Illinois
I hadn't seen those, but they are dual brightness LED's, so they are probably not the same as yours.
Now that I have the idea, I'm going to have to look around to see just what's available. Redoing a license plate frame should work as a nice add-on to the Tri-Bar LED taillight I already have.
One thing it his ad peaked my interest. He noted that in some applications the LED's might flash faster than normal. This is not unusual and happens quite frequently on Harley's if you don't add an equalizer or load resistor to the circuit.
The part that interested me most was his mentioning that you can use a common automotive electronic flasher relay available in auto parts stores to fix it. The equalizers for bikes can run as high as $70, but a simple relay from a parts store is a lot cheaper and easier to get.
I may have to do a little research on one to see if it really will function as an effective alternative to the pricier Harley setups.
Now that I have the idea, I'm going to have to look around to see just what's available. Redoing a license plate frame should work as a nice add-on to the Tri-Bar LED taillight I already have.
One thing it his ad peaked my interest. He noted that in some applications the LED's might flash faster than normal. This is not unusual and happens quite frequently on Harley's if you don't add an equalizer or load resistor to the circuit.
The part that interested me most was his mentioning that you can use a common automotive electronic flasher relay available in auto parts stores to fix it. The equalizers for bikes can run as high as $70, but a simple relay from a parts store is a lot cheaper and easier to get.
I may have to do a little research on one to see if it really will function as an effective alternative to the pricier Harley setups.
I laid them side by side twisted the wires together the encased them in heavy shrink tube left over from another project total cost was under $20 if I remember right. Be careful where you mount them they do generate heat.
Cruiser
Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 166
Likes: 1
I got two pairs of resisters at Autozone and made my own equalizers, I had to use two per side because one was not enough (left & right signal circut) I wired them parallel to each other.
I laid them side by side twisted the wires together the encased them in heavy shrink tube left over from another project total cost was under $20 if I remember right. Be careful where you mount them they do generate heat.
I laid them side by side twisted the wires together the encased them in heavy shrink tube left over from another project total cost was under $20 if I remember right. Be careful where you mount them they do generate heat.
I got around this because I was adding LEDs to my Stock Signals.
I dont think you get the fast flash unless you use LEDs instead of Stocks.
Thread Starter
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May our Moderator Rest in Peace
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 11,386
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From: Rochester, NY
Dagerzod, your right in that adding them by tapping the signal line like you did 'shouldn't' change the flash rate. It does change the circuit loading, nearly halving the total resistance. But there's still enough resistance left to make the flasher circuit work properly.
Coop57, you say you used a pair of resistors wired in parallel, that halves the total resistance value but doubles its wattage capacity, in the circuit. But how did you wire them to the LEDS? Are they in series with the LED's or are they wired in parallel with them? And what size (ohms and wattage) resistors did you use?
Coop57, you say you used a pair of resistors wired in parallel, that halves the total resistance value but doubles its wattage capacity, in the circuit. But how did you wire them to the LEDS? Are they in series with the LED's or are they wired in parallel with them? And what size (ohms and wattage) resistors did you use?
Tourer
Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 448
Likes: 0
From: Illinois
Dagerzod, your right in that adding them by tapping the signal line like you did 'shouldn't' change the flash rate. It does change the circuit loading, nearly halving the total resistance. But there's still enough resistance left to make the flasher circuit work properly.
Coop57, you say you used a pair of resistors wired in parallel, that halves the total resistance value but doubles its wattage capacity, in the circuit. But how did you wire them to the LEDS? Are they in series with the LED's or are they wired in parallel with them? And what size (ohms and wattage) resistors did you use?
Coop57, you say you used a pair of resistors wired in parallel, that halves the total resistance value but doubles its wattage capacity, in the circuit. But how did you wire them to the LEDS? Are they in series with the LED's or are they wired in parallel with them? And what size (ohms and wattage) resistors did you use?
Last edited by coop57; Jan 8, 2009 at 10:55 AM. Reason: added diagram
Thread Starter
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May our Moderator Rest in Peace
Joined: Sep 2006
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From: Rochester, NY
When you put resistors in parrellel (like you did) you get the average of the two. If you put one behind the other you get the total of the two.
I 'think' if you had wired the resistor from the power line to ground you might only need one. But I would have to know the resistor values and the type of LED's and how they are wired, along with a little research to be sure.
Tourer
Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 448
Likes: 0
From: Illinois
By adding a second a resistor that way you didn't increase the resistance loading, you halved it.
When you put resistors in parrellel (like you did) you get the average of the two. If you put one behind the other you get the total of the two.
I 'think' if you had wired the resistor from the power line to ground you might only need one. But I would have to know the resistor values and the type of LED's and how they are wired, along with a little research to be sure.
When you put resistors in parrellel (like you did) you get the average of the two. If you put one behind the other you get the total of the two.
I 'think' if you had wired the resistor from the power line to ground you might only need one. But I would have to know the resistor values and the type of LED's and how they are wired, along with a little research to be sure.
I went out and checked it is like this.
Thread Starter
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May our Moderator Rest in Peace
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 11,386
Likes: 35
From: Rochester, NY
No problem, I have those more and more frequently as I approach senility.
Setting them up that way the total circuit resistance would be the total resistance of both resistors plus the LED divided by three.
When you only had one resistor in there the resistance was probably too low and made the flasher act like there was a short in the line.
Putting the second one in brought the total resistance value or circuit loading up closer to what a standard 1157 bulb has.
So the flasher unit now thinks it has an odd but useable bulb at the end of the line and happily goes about its business turning the power on and off to make the LED blink.
You could probably have done the same thing by adding a small 100 or so ohm 1/4W resistor in series with the led instead of the big assed one in parrellel.
Doing it that way you get the average of the LED plus the resistors divided by only 2.
Again bringing it up to be closer to a standard 1157 bulb.
Setting them up that way the total circuit resistance would be the total resistance of both resistors plus the LED divided by three.
When you only had one resistor in there the resistance was probably too low and made the flasher act like there was a short in the line.
Putting the second one in brought the total resistance value or circuit loading up closer to what a standard 1157 bulb has.
So the flasher unit now thinks it has an odd but useable bulb at the end of the line and happily goes about its business turning the power on and off to make the LED blink.
You could probably have done the same thing by adding a small 100 or so ohm 1/4W resistor in series with the led instead of the big assed one in parrellel.
Doing it that way you get the average of the LED plus the resistors divided by only 2.
Again bringing it up to be closer to a standard 1157 bulb.
Last edited by In Memoriam Citoriplus; Jan 8, 2009 at 11:31 AM.
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i have never seen a resister ran like that, weird. usually they are used inline wiht the power line to help control the amount of power to the LED, that is weird how it is set up.