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Old 02-22-2011, 12:27 AM   #41
Kerry_129
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Those 'load resistors' in addition to whatever is in there already might drop voltage TOO much & dim the ones you do want flashing.

Edit: Those are fairly low resistance/high-wattage & intended to be wired in parallel (between the hot & ground), vs. in series (inline, like the resistor(s) already in the LED circuit which I'm suggesting to increase). They're generally used to slow down the fast-flash, but will also maybe be the simplest way to correct your issue without monkeying much with the existing wiring or trying to figure out resistance values.

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Old 02-22-2011, 12:59 AM   #42
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Yea im not to confident in messing with electrical stuff. I have no problem splicing a resistor in but i dont want to do much more than something that simple.

I did install a 12v under the back seat and a switch under my seat to turn it on and off with. that was rather simple though. just hooked it right up to the battery then the switch then to the outlet and finally grounded it to the frame.
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Old 02-22-2011, 07:15 AM   #43
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Originally Posted by Full Throttle View Post
Yea im not to confident in messing with electrical stuff. I have no problem splicing a resistor in but i dont want to do much more than something that simple.

I did install a 12v under the back seat and a switch under my seat to turn it on and off with. that was rather simple though. just hooked it right up to the battery then the switch then to the outlet and finally grounded it to the frame.
From the way it's behaving, I'm guessing that the LEDs you installed in the rear don't already have an inline resistor. If you have LED signals in the front, were they commercial bulb replacements?

If you didn't put an inline fuse on the line to that power outlet, I would highly recommend doing so. You can pick one up, pretty easily, at any auto parts store. You can get them with a rubber boot, to prevent corrosion.

Also, if you put in those inline resistors, make sure that they don't contact any plastic. They can get pretty hot, depending upon how much current those LEDs are drawing.
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Old 02-22-2011, 02:19 PM   #44
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So i should get something like this instead?



And yea the Front ones are commercial. The ones you always see in the parts section of the Motorcycle shop.

Something like this
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Old 02-22-2011, 02:32 PM   #45
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You should get something like the item pictured, in order to add a fuse between the battery and your 12V power outlet, that you stated you had added under the seat with a switch. Make sure that the positive 12V is the side with the fuse. If you've never seen an automotive batter discharge directly to ground then trust me, it isn't something that you want going on directly under your ass, while riding.

Commercial lights are generally already balanced, with resistors etc., to work properly in a pre-existing circuit. If you hacked the LED light strip together yourself, then you are definitely missing the appropriate in-line resistor. Add the ones that you linked and you should be good to go.
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Old 02-22-2011, 02:49 PM   #46
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I believe LEDs must have a resistor wired in series to operate in a 12V system, because full system voltage (~14V) will simply fry them otherwise. The commercial ones typically have the LEDs & resistors mounted together on a little circuit board. The 'prewired' singles have a little one soldered directly to the led leads & usually covered w/ shrink-tubing. The way those are nestled into the peg bracket, I'm gonna guess that they're not the 'prewired' variety, but instead have a single one somewhere in the wire running to the bracket.

I do think the best way to fix it would be to add a little resistor in series (in-line on each + wire), not those big resistors in parallel (branching from the + wire to ground). They're like sticking little heaters in your wiring harness - gotta worry about what they're near, and it's just an 'ugly' solution, IMO.

I know all this babbling is making it sound more complicated than it really is - hell, if you were closer to Nashville I'd say just bring it on over & I'd help you square it away.


Edit: Oh - and a BIG plus-one on adding an inline fuse to the power outlet. Attach one lead to the batt, and the outlet to the other, so the circuit is protected closest to the source.

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Old 02-22-2011, 03:24 PM   #47
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Actually that big-assed resistor is meant to be in series with the LEDs, not parallel.
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Old 02-22-2011, 04:16 PM   #48
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I must respectfully disagree. If it were in series, it wouldn't need to be nearly the size (power/wattage capacity), since it would only be passing a few milliamps. 'Load' resistors are way lower resistance (3~6 ohm) than a series resistor would need to be, and intended to wire 'across' (in parallel with) the LED to basically simulate the high current-draw of a normal bulb.

This one is 3-ohm, 50 watt:

http://www.v-leds.com/BlinkerWarning...79822-1-3.html


Here's a cool little calculator I found: http://www.hebeiltd.com.cn/?p=zz.led...lator#parallel

Plug in 14V, 2V drop across led (lower than I thought), and 20ma for a single LED = 600-ohm, 1/2-watt (with safety-factor) required. For 6 similar LED's in parallel: 100-ohm, 3-watt


Shit - I really need to get back to this mess I'm procrastinating on fixing @ the day-job!

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Old 02-22-2011, 04:30 PM   #49
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Sounds right. The term is "Leakage Current."
Hey, what'd you call me??

Oh... CURRENT...

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Are you saying Full Throttle is Bi-curious?

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Old 02-22-2011, 11:07 PM   #50
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Papa_Complex View Post
You should get something like the item pictured, in order to add a fuse between the battery and your 12V power outlet, that you stated you had added under the seat with a switch. Make sure that the positive 12V is the side with the fuse. If you've never seen an automotive batter discharge directly to ground then trust me, it isn't something that you want going on directly under your ass, while riding
Quote:
Originally Posted by Kerry_129 View Post
I know all this babbling is making it sound more complicated than it really is - hell, if you were closer to Nashville I'd say just bring it on over & I'd help you square it away.

Edit: Oh - and a BIG plus-one on adding an inline fuse to the power outlet. Attach one lead to the batt, and the outlet to the other, so the circuit is protected closest to the source.
The switch and 12v outlet under the seat already has a fuse in line. That whole set up was rather easy. It goes bat-fuse-switch-outlet-ground. the only reason i have the switch there is so i wouldn't have to link everything into the existing electrical system. so i made my own. The switch is there to keep the battery from dying.

I would of liked it if someone on here lived a bit closer so i could just swing by one after noon and fix it up.
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