Quote:
Originally Posted by ripcuda
Do the modern LED lights used for turn signal lamps cause fast blinking anymore? I remember having to put resistors in the circuit to normalize the flashing rate.
Cheers!
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I've never seen LEDs cause a faster flash rate, but I don't drive snazzy new vehicles with automatic butt wipers and such and accelerated flash rate can be a signal to tell clueless morons who don't pretrip that they have a turn light not working. Such idiot-proofing feature could easily use current flow anomalies to determine if all the lights are working, LEDs lower the current, and the accelerated flash feature activates because the stooped-proofing device thinks a bulb isn't working.
Usually, LEDs prevent flashing. LEDs use less electricity than incandescents and usually do not draw enough juice to make enough heat to activate the thermal device in a conventional (cheap) flasher. LED sellers made a LOT more money selling and installing resistors wired parallel to the LED lamps to cancel out the energy saving benefits of LEDs (they didn't tell you that, did they?) so the original flashers would get hot enough to flash. This is a sorry, complicated, expensive solution to a very simple problem.
A better solution is to pull the flasher from the vehicle, walk into any auto parts store, hand the counterperson the flasher, and ask for an electronic version of the same flasher because your LEDs messed up the flash rate. The electronic flashers are not load sensitive and just about always work perfectly no matter what combination of bulbs you have. $12, 5 minute fix, without chopping up your OEM wires.
If your bubble-baby turn signal out indicator is still causing a high flash rate, a single resistor in the wire between the flasher and electronic module that contains the indicator out sensor wizardry will cure the problem. A careful look at a schematic will reveal which wire needs the resistor.
I'll leave the calculations of the necessary amperage capacity and resistance value up to you as the concept is too advanced for this medium of communication.