hatch back led light kit

[Preloader]

I still find it weird that yours worked without resistors. I confirmed that the wiring is correct. I used jumpers to the modified brake light assembly and connected right to an aux 12v car battery.

Red wire- lights up running light
Blue wire- lights up brake
Black- shared ground for both

I haven't driven it yet to see if it throws a code. I'll find out in the morning.

I know you say 25w resistor will run too hot, but do you think if that's all I can find that it will be safe for testing. We're talking no more than a second, just to confirm. Or would I be running a risk of damaging all my hard work?

 

[AndrewGS]

You'll be fine for testing. People actually run 25W on signals, but I don't like 'em, especially if they're needed on the brake.

 

[Preloader]

I'll see what I can find locally tomorrow. Forgive my electrical ignorance, I'm def more of a mechanic, but lets say I can t find 25w but instead find 5w 1ohm resistors. Can I series 5 or 6 of them together just for testing? Does running five 5w resistors in series create a 25w reisistance?

 

[AndrewGS]

I'll see what I can find locally tomorrow. Forgive my electrical ignorance, I'm def more of a mechanic, but lets say I can t find 25w but instead find 5w 1ohm resistors. Can I series 5 or 6 of them together just for testing? Does running five 5w resistors in series create a 25w reisistance?

Nope, they'll self destruct. I'm not too keen on components either, but I know enough to get in trouble.

 

[Preloader]

Well I'm glad I asked. Thanks Andrew...... and Phoenix, I'd be so lost if I was doing this solo. I'll let y'all know what happens as soon as I figure it out.

 

[sbpphoenix]

Try switching the circuits. If your taillights are lighting up with the brake pressed, something is not wired correctly. Tails and brake sharing the same circuit is common in newer cars. I actually have to order a special converter box that has both on the same line when wiring vehicles up for trailer lights

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[Beastlick]

I feel like an idiot. 6 ohm is ideal, 3 ohm is fine.

ahh poop, I ordered the 3 OHM ones yesterday. What will the difference in Ohm's do? Sorry for my ignorance on LED/electrical wiring.

 

[Preloader]

Try switching the circuits. If your taillights are lighting up with the brake pressed, something is not wired correctly.
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I thought the same thing at first, but I tested my wiring all the way from the harness to the LEDs. When the red wire is powered, the tracers (running lights) light up. When the blue wire is powered the brake LEDs light up. When both the red and blue wire are powered up, both the tracers and brake LEDs light up.

Then when plugged into the car's wiring, turning the lights on turns the tracers on. Press brake pedal, nothing changes. Turn lights off, tracers go off. Then I press the brake pedal and the tracers come on.

So the car's lighting control is overriding the wire signal.

 

[Preloader]

I threw my ohmeter across the stock bulb filaments. And I found that one filament shows less than 1ohm, while the other shows about 2.9ohms.

So it would appear that a 3ohm resistor should trick the system into seeing a stock circuit.

 

[AndrewGS]

ahh poop, I ordered the 3 OHM ones yesterday. What will the difference in Ohm's do? Sorry for my ignorance on LED/electrical wiring.

It'll be fine. It'll be like having two bulbs on each circuit, similar to adding trailer lighting.

 

[Preloader]

Well I ordered the 3ohm resistors. RShack didn't have anything higher than 1w.

Scheduled to arrive on Monday.

 

[Preloader]

I need an electrical circuit engineer.

The 3ohm resistors showed up today and I quickly learned that they will not solve the problem.

Then I realized why.

Even though the brake bulb has two wires in, one ground out. The car's harness only has a prong for one wire to the bulb, one ground out.

Then I pulled out my voltmeter and dug deeper.

The single red wire supplies 10v to the bulb with the runnng lights on.

That same wire sends 12v with the brake pressed. Both running and brake light come from the same filament, but the two different voltages create the two wattage brightnesses.

This indicates to me that the unused blue wire serves a purpose for the non-US models that this kit was prolly intended for.



So, I need to build a circuit that will allow one wire to feed 10v to the running light, and then when 12v is sent, energize a second wire to the brake light.


Anyone?

 

[sbpphoenix]

You'll need a diode kit that does one in, two out

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[Beastlick]

I installed the resistor this weekend and it solved all my issues. The turn also has 2 positive leads(DRL/Turns) going in and 1 ground. Mine was fine when it didnt need to blink so I tapped into the blinker lead and problem solved.

I'd suspect the tails work similar.

 

[calmb4dastorm]

I need an electrical circuit engineer.

The 3ohm resistors showed up today and I quickly learned that they will not solve the problem.

Then I realized why.

Even though the brake bulb has two wires in, one ground out. The car's harness only has a prong for one wire to the bulb, one ground out.

Then I pulled out my voltmeter and dug deeper.

The single red wire supplies 10v to the bulb with the runnng lights on.

That same wire sends 12v with the brake pressed. Both running and brake light come from the same filament, but the two different voltages create the two wattage brightnesses.

This indicates to me that the unused blue wire serves a purpose for the non-US models that this kit was prolly intended for.



So, I need to build a circuit that will allow one wire to feed 10v to the running light, and then when 12v is sent, energize a second wire to the brake light.


Anyone?

I'm no expert by any means but as I was reading this thread I started wondering exactly what you discovered here. So instead of rewiring anything, what about restricting wattage to the tail light portion? If I'm understand your post correctly, 12v is the max power being sent, correct? if so, then why not have that 12v go to the brake light and then restrict the tail light to the 10v that you saw going to the tail light in your test?

Again I am no expert.

Good luck to you though. The finished (near finished) project looks awesome!

 

[Preloader]

That is basically what I must do.

I've ordered some voltage sensitive relays that will only energize when they see 12v, not 10v. Then I'll have the output from the relay out go to the brake LEDs

 

[calmb4dastorm]

cool cool. Fingers crossed that it works. Beyond that, your set up is pretty cool. Def gonna hope that that or something is similar when I get home.

 

[Preloader]

I DID IT!!!!

 

[rcmn0022]

I want turn signals that are led and sequentially operated.

I'm thinking I'll have to design something that will run four sections and they will appear as though the signal swings into place.

Could even do the side brake lights and make them start out as smaller half circles and make them grow to full shape.

Now only to try and design my plan...

 

[sbpphoenix]

Sweet.... now build me a set!

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