RichardCranium Posted August 29, 2006 Share Posted August 29, 2006 I put some LED blinkers on the rear of my bike. Still have the regular bulbs in the front. Now due to the reducted resistance (I think thats right) my blinkers blink fast. I think I can just solder a resistor inline on the rear blinkers to fix it but I have no idea how to figure what I need. Is there a simple way to do that or should I just go with one of the electronic blinker boxes? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dunedain Posted August 29, 2006 Share Posted August 29, 2006 I put some LED blinkers on the rear of my bike. Still have the regular bulbs in the front. Now due to the reducted resistance (I think thats right) my blinkers blink fast. I think I can just solder a resistor inline on the rear blinkers to fix it but I have no idea how to figure what I need. Is there a simple way to do that or should I just go with one of the electronic blinker boxes? Come over to Heman's Women Haters Club House and Garage in Sand Springs and well figa it out! Or (maybe) Put your volt meter in ohms mode and check the resistance on your new bulbs versus your old ones and even up the resistance that way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
airborneXX Posted August 29, 2006 Share Posted August 29, 2006 Get a hold of John about one of these... electronic flasher Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bartonmd Posted August 29, 2006 Share Posted August 29, 2006 I put some LED blinkers on the rear of my bike. Still have the regular bulbs in the front. Now due to the reducted resistance (I think thats right) my blinkers blink fast. I think I can just solder a resistor inline on the rear blinkers to fix it but I have no idea how to figure what I need. Is there a simple way to do that or should I just go with one of the electronic blinker boxes? Come over to Heman's Women Haters Club House and Garage in Sand Springs and well figa it out! Or (maybe) Put your volt meter in ohms mode and check the resistance on your new bulbs versus your old ones and even up the resistance that way. That won't work... his new bulbs are LED's, which don't really read correctly with an ohm meter, unless your meter has enough voltage to trip on the LED's... It also won't work to measure the old bulb's resistance, because a light bulb is pretty much a dead short until it's heated up, so it could go from ~1-2ohms when it's cold to several thousand ohms when it's "on." Best thing to do is turn the tail lights on and get an amperage measurement, and do this formula (R = 12V/(current)), so if your current is 100ma, the formula looks like (R = 12V/0.100 = 120ohms)... Be sure you know how to use a multi-meter before doing this, because if you try to measure amperage like you measure voltage, you'll blow the $7.00 fuse in your meter, and you have to mail order them (can you tell I've forgotten to put the leads back in the v/ohm plugs before switching readings?? :icon_wall: )... Put the amp-meter BETWEEN the power source and the bulb, so the amp-meter is acting like part of the circuit with all of the current going through it. Next, you can measure the current of the LED unit when it's turned on the same way, and do the same calculation to get the "effective resistance" of the LED unit when it's "on." You can then put a high wattage resistor in <<<< PARALLEL >>>> (like NOT in line with) with the LED unit, to get the same overall resistance. You'll need one of those big, ceramic, resistors you can buy at Radio Shack, and it'll have to be a ~5 watt resistor, I'd immagine... You can figure out the resistance you need in parallel by the following: Rtotal = 1/(1/R1 + 1/Rledlight), so if you're looking for a total of 120ohms, but your LED's are acting like ~1000ohms, it would look like this: 120 = 1/(1/R1 + 1/1000) 1/120 = 1/R1 + 1/1000 (1/120) - (1/1000) = 1/R1 .00733 = 1/R1 R1 = 1/.00733 R1 = 136.4ohms To get wattage, you use this formula: (P = I-squared * R), so if your resistance is 136 ohms, and your voltage is 12V, that gives you .088Amps (I=V/R), so you take P = .088 * .088 * 136 ==> P = 1.06watts. Or you can just post up your amperage measurements, along with the exact voltage you were using to test, and we'll get you hooked up with a resistance size and wattage level... Right now though, I need to get back to the complicated stuff (work)... Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cabinfever Posted August 29, 2006 Share Posted August 29, 2006 That won't work... his new bulbs are LED's, which don't really read correctly with an ohm meter, unless your meter has enough voltage to trip on the LED's... It also won't work to measure the old bulb's resistance, because a light bulb is pretty much a dead short until it's heated up, so it could go from ~1-2ohms when it's cold to several thousand ohms when it's "on." Best thing to do is turn the tail lights on and get an amperage measurement, and do this formula (R = 12V/(current)), so if your current is 100ma, the formula looks like (R = 12V/0.100 = 120ohms)... Be sure you know how to use a multi-meter before doing this, because if you try to measure amperage like you measure voltage, you'll blow the $7.00 fuse in your meter, and you have to mail order them (can you tell I've forgotten to put the leads back in the v/ohm plugs before switching readings?? :icon_wall: )... Put the amp-meter BETWEEN the power source and the bulb, so the amp-meter is acting like part of the circuit with all of the current going through it. Next, you can measure the current of the LED unit when it's turned on the same way, and do the same calculation to get the "effective resistance" of the LED unit when it's "on." You can then put a high wattage resistor in <<<< PARALLEL >>>> (like NOT in line with) with the LED unit, to get the same overall resistance. You'll need one of those big, ceramic, resistors you can buy at Radio Shack, and it'll have to be a ~5 watt resistor, I'd immagine... You can figure out the resistance you need in parallel by the following: Rtotal = 1/(1/R1 + 1/Rledlight), so if you're looking for a total of 120ohms, but your LED's are acting like ~1000ohms, it would look like this: 120 = 1/(1/R1 + 1/1000) 1/120 = 1/R1 + 1/1000 (1/120) - (1/1000) = 1/R1 .00733 = 1/R1 R1 = 1/.00733 R1 = 136.4ohms To get wattage, you use this formula: (P = I-squared * R), so if your resistance is 136 ohms, and your voltage is 12V, that gives you .088Amps (I=V/R), so you take P = .088 * .088 * 136 ==> P = 1.06watts. Or you can just post up your amperage measurements, along with the exact voltage you were using to test, and we'll get you hooked up with a resistance size and wattage level... Right now though, I need to get back to the complicated stuff (work)... Mike Damn Mike, that was a flashback of epic proportions! I haven't used any of that shit since college! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bartonmd Posted August 29, 2006 Share Posted August 29, 2006 That won't work... his new bulbs are LED's, which don't really read correctly with an ohm meter, unless your meter has enough voltage to trip on the LED's... It also won't work to measure the old bulb's resistance, because a light bulb is pretty much a dead short until it's heated up, so it could go from ~1-2ohms when it's cold to several thousand ohms when it's "on." Best thing to do is turn the tail lights on and get an amperage measurement, and do this formula (R = 12V/(current)), so if your current is 100ma, the formula looks like (R = 12V/0.100 = 120ohms)... Be sure you know how to use a multi-meter before doing this, because if you try to measure amperage like you measure voltage, you'll blow the $7.00 fuse in your meter, and you have to mail order them (can you tell I've forgotten to put the leads back in the v/ohm plugs before switching readings?? :icon_wall: )... Put the amp-meter BETWEEN the power source and the bulb, so the amp-meter is acting like part of the circuit with all of the current going through it. Next, you can measure the current of the LED unit when it's turned on the same way, and do the same calculation to get the "effective resistance" of the LED unit when it's "on." You can then put a high wattage resistor in <<<< PARALLEL >>>> (like NOT in line with) with the LED unit, to get the same overall resistance. You'll need one of those big, ceramic, resistors you can buy at Radio Shack, and it'll have to be a ~5 watt resistor, I'd immagine... You can figure out the resistance you need in parallel by the following: Rtotal = 1/(1/R1 + 1/Rledlight), so if you're looking for a total of 120ohms, but your LED's are acting like ~1000ohms, it would look like this: 120 = 1/(1/R1 + 1/1000) 1/120 = 1/R1 + 1/1000 (1/120) - (1/1000) = 1/R1 .00733 = 1/R1 R1 = 1/.00733 R1 = 136.4ohms To get wattage, you use this formula: (P = I-squared * R), so if your resistance is 136 ohms, and your voltage is 12V, that gives you .088Amps (I=V/R), so you take P = .088 * .088 * 136 ==> P = 1.06watts. Or you can just post up your amperage measurements, along with the exact voltage you were using to test, and we'll get you hooked up with a resistance size and wattage level... Right now though, I need to get back to the complicated stuff (work)... Mike Damn Mike, that was a flashback of epic proportions! I haven't used any of that shit since college! NO SHIT! I started typing and must have blacked out, because when I woke up, my fingers had no skin on the ends of them and all that shit was typed in there... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hobicus Posted August 29, 2006 Share Posted August 29, 2006 120 = 1/(1/R1 + 1/1000) 1/120 = 1/R1 + 1/1000 (1/120) - (1/1000) = 1/R1 .00733 = 1/R1 R1 = 1/.00733 R1 = 136.4ohms Mike I am SO FUCKING HARD RIGHT NOW!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dion Posted August 29, 2006 Share Posted August 29, 2006 Stick a rehostat in it and make it variable. or, jump the terminals on the front bulbs and block off the running light conection.(a little solder and some electrical tape. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bartonmd Posted August 29, 2006 Share Posted August 29, 2006 Stick a rehostat in it and make it variable. or, jump the terminals on the front bulbs and block off the running light conection.(a little solder and some electrical tape. As far as I know, Rheostats that big, IF you can find them, are pretty pricey, and wouldn't be very good as far as corrosion from the moisture of sitting or riding in the rain... then you've got a turn signal that's hit-or-miss, which can become a safety issue, IMO... Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bpg Posted August 29, 2006 Share Posted August 29, 2006 I put some LED blinkers on the rear of my bike. Still have the regular bulbs in the front. Now due to the reducted resistance (I think thats right) my blinkers blink fast. I think I can just solder a resistor inline on the rear blinkers to fix it but I have no idea how to figure what I need. Is there a simple way to do that or should I just go with one of the electronic blinker boxes? I just left mine alone - the added visual cue is one more advantage against being rear-ended by a cell-phone yakking idiot at a light... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bajjer9 Posted August 29, 2006 Share Posted August 29, 2006 umm i ended up with an 8ohm resistor Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beondwacko Posted August 30, 2006 Share Posted August 30, 2006 From my own personal experience with this one ( I have LED 3157 replacement lamps in my truck ) you would be better off with an electronic flasher instead of adding a resistor into the circuit. The resistor will get quite hot to the touch. Here's the Resistor that you would use for this application. ebay link Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bartonmd Posted August 30, 2006 Share Posted August 30, 2006 wacko is correct... mostly... you'd be better off on a bike running an electronic flasher, because you're just burning away prescious juice that your stator and R/R are having to produce, but then again, I don't know how much those flashers are either... The 3ohm resistor shown is to take the load of both front and rear bulbs, so you'll need a 6ohm resistor, all things being the same, if you just replaced the front... even 6ohms is going to be burning 24-28Watts, but it's not a constant load, so it may be OK with just a 10watt ceramic resistor, because heat wattage on resistors is an average rating and is based on duty cycle... Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John01XX Posted August 30, 2006 Share Posted August 30, 2006 Get a hold of John about one of these... electronic flasher Don't even bother John!! Just call 1-866-CLR-LENS and get a $15.00 Flasher in a couple days, plug it in and be done with it... Plug and Play - Lickity Split - No Muss, No Fuss........Done !!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dunedain Posted August 30, 2006 Share Posted August 30, 2006 awesome disscussion points! Good job Mike. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bartonmd Posted August 30, 2006 Share Posted August 30, 2006 Get a hold of John about one of these... electronic flasher Don't even bother John!! Just call 1-866-CLR-LENS and get a $15.00 Flasher in a couple days, plug it in and be done with it... Plug and Play - Lickity Split - No Muss, No Fuss........Done !!!!! Dude, for $15, I wouldn't even worry about dicking with making the resistor thing work... I'd just buy the flasher... Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichardCranium Posted August 30, 2006 Author Share Posted August 30, 2006 Get a hold of John about one of these... electronic flasher Don't even bother John!! Just call 1-866-CLR-LENS and get a $15.00 Flasher in a couple days, plug it in and be done with it... Plug and Play - Lickity Split - No Muss, No Fuss........Done !!!!! Dude, for $15, I wouldn't even worry about dicking with making the resistor thing work... I'd just buy the flasher... Mike I'm with you on that. I think thats the route to go. Thanks for the responses. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Byrdman Posted August 30, 2006 Share Posted August 30, 2006 I'm with you on that. I think thats the route to go. Thanks for the responses. Ordered mine yesteday. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichardCranium Posted August 30, 2006 Author Share Posted August 30, 2006 I'm with you on that. I think thats the route to go. Thanks for the responses. Ordered mine yesteday. Order placed. If I'm lucky all this shit will be here before the 6th. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John01XX Posted August 30, 2006 Share Posted August 30, 2006 I'm with you on that. I think thats the route to go. Thanks for the responses. Ordered mine yesteday. Order placed. If I'm lucky all this shit will be here before the 6th. If you had gone through me then you would have saves about $2.10 !! Not even worth the trouble. Then again we could have done a group buy and brought them all to NEXXT and had a big FLASHER party !!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Byrdman Posted August 31, 2006 Share Posted August 31, 2006 Then again we could have done a group buy and brought them all to NEXXT and had a big FLASHER party !!! Sounds like every other year at NEXXT! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichardCranium Posted September 5, 2006 Author Share Posted September 5, 2006 My flasher from clear alternatives came in today. It has to be the easiest thing I've done to the bike. You just remove the OEM blinker module and plug the electronic one right in to the plug. Gravy. Now you can actually see my lights blink. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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