LED install trouble
LED install trouble Two Questions.
1. I installed LED's in place of my lightbulbs in my 2 map light sockets. I have the right LED's for this socket, just so you know. When I installed them they were working, then I go to the back of the car to change the dome light and none of the map or dome lights will come on. So the dome light is out and the map lights. I checked the brown "5" fuse and it was still good. I can hear a clicking sound whenever I try to turn on these lights. I havent checked any other fuses.
2. Ive taken apart my ASR and Fog Light switches, to replace the LED's in them with different ones. I know I need to add resistors to these new LED's but i know nothing about resistors. The new leds have a 2500mcd and 45degree angle of light distribution. What resistors do I need?
1. I installed LED's in place of my lightbulbs in my 2 map light sockets. I have the right LED's for this socket, just so you know. When I installed them they were working, then I go to the back of the car to change the dome light and none of the map or dome lights will come on. So the dome light is out and the map lights. I checked the brown "5" fuse and it was still good. I can hear a clicking sound whenever I try to turn on these lights. I havent checked any other fuses.
2. Ive taken apart my ASR and Fog Light switches, to replace the LED's in them with different ones. I know I need to add resistors to these new LED's but i know nothing about resistors. The new leds have a 2500mcd and 45degree angle of light distribution. What resistors do I need?
Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 11,328
Likes: 346
From: Jacksonville, FL (originally from Toronto Canada)
1. If you leave the ignition off for more than ten minutes and you don't close and then re-open any doors, the BCM shuts off power to the courtesy/map lights as part of its battery rundown protection. Try closing a door and then re-opening it or switch the ignition on and off to wake up the BCM again. If that doesn't solve the problem then check the fuse again. Never trust a visual inspection, always test or replace with a known good fuse - they can be blown but still look fine.
2. The brightness and angle have nothing to do with which resistor to use. What you need to know is the voltage and current handling capacity of the LED. Most LEDs will run 10mA current without any problem. The voltage will be different depending on the design as well as the color (e.g. red LEDs are generally lower voltage than blue). When you have that information about your LEDs, use one of the online calculators (such as this one) to calculate the required resistance and the nearest available resistor size.
2. The brightness and angle have nothing to do with which resistor to use. What you need to know is the voltage and current handling capacity of the LED. Most LEDs will run 10mA current without any problem. The voltage will be different depending on the design as well as the color (e.g. red LEDs are generally lower voltage than blue). When you have that information about your LEDs, use one of the online calculators (such as this one) to calculate the required resistance and the nearest available resistor size.
Typically:
LEDs do 10mA to 20mA. 20mA will be brighter of course. Don't go above 20mA though, so 15mA is a happy medium.
Red LEDs are usually around 2.5V and blue 3.5-4V. Green is 3V. Now these are the standard values, some LEDs are different so check the specs of your specific LED.
For your input voltage, use 13 or 14V.
Then just use the calculator that Whitebird linked to get the resistor values you need.
LEDs do 10mA to 20mA. 20mA will be brighter of course. Don't go above 20mA though, so 15mA is a happy medium.
Red LEDs are usually around 2.5V and blue 3.5-4V. Green is 3V. Now these are the standard values, some LEDs are different so check the specs of your specific LED.
For your input voltage, use 13 or 14V.
Then just use the calculator that Whitebird linked to get the resistor values you need.
Alright I tryed giving it a go but im not sure if I got the right awnser. There is nothing worse then going to the store and picking up the wrong part and having to go back.
Heres the specs of the "Cool White" LED I got.
Also im not sure if these ASR and Foglight switches have both LED's inside of them on the same circuit. So thats another reason im having troubles calculating. Im thinking of leaving the stock Orange LED in the switches, will that make things even more complicated? Or is it easier to just have two of the same LED's in each switch?
Here is a helpful Foglight and ASR switch guide.
EDIT: On a side note after looking at the stock Orange "LED" it appears to be just a small light bulb that looks like an LED.
Heres the specs of the "Cool White" LED I got.
Also im not sure if these ASR and Foglight switches have both LED's inside of them on the same circuit. So thats another reason im having troubles calculating. Im thinking of leaving the stock Orange LED in the switches, will that make things even more complicated? Or is it easier to just have two of the same LED's in each switch?
Here is a helpful Foglight and ASR switch guide.
EDIT: On a side note after looking at the stock Orange "LED" it appears to be just a small light bulb that looks like an LED.
Last edited by blackops22; Sep 26, 2007 at 07:52 PM.
Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 11,328
Likes: 346
From: Jacksonville, FL (originally from Toronto Canada)
Use a 1/4 watt, 560 ohm, 10% resistor if it is the only one in the line or it is wired in parallel to another LED or bulb. You would have to know the specs of the other LED (or use reasonable assumptions) to calculate when wired in series. If it's actually a bulb (which I think it is) then measure the resistance across the bulb and add a resistor that brings the total up to around 560 ohms if necessary.
This link came in handy when doing the ASR and foglight switches. Go with the resistor that was mentioned. That is what I went with. I also added an orange LED for the switches. Good luck.
http://www.keliente.com/LED.htm
http://www.keliente.com/LED.htm
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Alright I picked up the resistors that Whitebird metioned, soldered them in and the LED works awesome. I decided on switching the stock orange light bulbs to Orange LED's since one broke when I was sauldering. My question is will the same resistors as I picked up for the white LED's work with these Orange LED's (specs) ?
Back to my first question when I created this thread. But I tested and replaced the IP Dimmer fuse (brown fuse). And the dome light and map lights will still not come on. I even took out the LED bulbs to see if they were the cause, and put the stock light bulbs back in, however they wont even light up. Im completely lost here.
Back to my first question when I created this thread. But I tested and replaced the IP Dimmer fuse (brown fuse). And the dome light and map lights will still not come on. I even took out the LED bulbs to see if they were the cause, and put the stock light bulbs back in, however they wont even light up. Im completely lost here.
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