current draw on Halo LEDs
Thread Starter
Melting Slicks
Joined: Aug 2003
Posts: 2,786
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From: Iowa
current draw on Halo LEDs
does anyone know what the current draw is on a halo LED's brake lights circuit? I know its less than the stock taillights as evidenced by the fact that many find hyperflash even with the load resistors on the back of them. I'll figure this out myself sometime this weekend, but if anyone knows...please say!
Le Mans Master
Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 9,420
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From: Southern New Jersey, The wet part at the bottom
St. Jude Donor '08-'09-'10
does anyone know what the current draw is on a halo LED's brake lights circuit? I know its less than the stock taillights as evidenced by the fact that many find hyperflash even with the load resistors on the back of them. I'll figure this out myself sometime this weekend, but if anyone knows...please say!
Drifting
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 1,650
Likes: 2
From: Bakersfield Ca
For LEDs to work with turn blinker and flasher relays, most of them have a load resister built into them, otherwise the lights would flash real fast and not work properly. Also, 12 volt DC would burn them out. So the total current draw is still about the same as that of a regular light bulb. With very little current draw, the flasher relay blinks real fast just like it does when one of the bulbs is burned out. So to fix that, a load resister equal to the load of a light bulb is inserted into the circuit to properly load the flasher relay. Bottom line, turn off the lights. 
Melting Slicks
Joined: Jun 2008
Posts: 2,500
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From: Lower, Slower Delaware, formerly from Mobtown, MD (Baltimore)
does anyone know what the current draw is on a halo LED's brake lights circuit? I know its less than the stock taillights as evidenced by the fact that many find hyperflash even with the load resistors on the back of them. I'll figure this out myself sometime this weekend, but if anyone knows...please say!
there would be the hyper flashing.
Drifting
Joined: Nov 2001
Posts: 1,319
Likes: 1
From: Lincoln Nebraska
Is the load resister in parralell or series with the Halo? Normally if it is to limit the current draw it will be in series and the total current draw would be the combination of all of the LEDs drawing power (it also would be small power wise ie wattage). It could be wired in many configuration though. Some of the LEDs could be in parralel with some of the other LEDs or they all could be in parralel, could be a multitude of configurations which makes it hard to calculate. Hard to say, you really need to ask the vendor if they have those specs or go straight to the manufacturer.
If the load resister is in parralell with the entire Halo assembly then it is being used not as a current limiter but as a load to the blinker circuitry. So it would draw X amount of current and the LEDs would draw some other amount based on the configuration of the circuit, in this case there would still be a current limitting resistor in the LEDs circuit to drop the voltage to a value that the LEDs would tolerate.
If the load resister is in parralell with the entire Halo assembly then it is being used not as a current limiter but as a load to the blinker circuitry. So it would draw X amount of current and the LEDs would draw some other amount based on the configuration of the circuit, in this case there would still be a current limitting resistor in the LEDs circuit to drop the voltage to a value that the LEDs would tolerate.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 9,420
Likes: 8
From: Southern New Jersey, The wet part at the bottom
St. Jude Donor '08-'09-'10
For LEDs to work with turn blinker and flasher relays, most of them have a load resister built into them, otherwise the lights would flash real fast and not work properly. Also, 12 volt DC would burn them out. So the total current draw is still about the same as that of a regular light bulb. With very little current draw, the flasher relay blinks real fast just like it does when one of the bulbs is burned out. So to fix that, a load resister equal to the load of a light bulb is inserted into the circuit to properly load the flasher relay. Bottom line, turn off the lights.
Drifting
Joined: Nov 2001
Posts: 1,319
Likes: 1
From: Lincoln Nebraska
I hear what you're saying, and when I installed the front corner switchbacks and the rear LEDs they did (as I expected them to) hyperflash. That's because, as you mentioned the LEDs don't draw enough resistance to activate the OEM flasher's value. For just this reason I had installed Richard's "Flasher Bypass Harness" that not only gives a mechanical open/close to the turn signals, but also bypasses the troublesome OEM 4 way flasher that our turn signals run through, eliminating that problem forever. With all this said the only thing I see in the system other than the LEDs themselves are that the rear cluster lamps has a voltage regulator, but that still doesn't account for current draw. Granted there are many LEDs in my system now opposed to incandescent bulbs before the LED mod, but I had read that LEDs draw a very small amount of current. Which is the value that the OP is looking for.
about 20-40 ma per LED is common.....but depending upon configuration....total draw ?????
Thread Starter
Melting Slicks
Joined: Aug 2003
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From: Iowa
I think someone else tried to remove the load resistors on the halos once. the big resistors are just load resistors. there are additional resistors on the halo's board which adjusts the voltage for LED operation. the load resistor is in parallel with the circuit, so you just cut one or both of the wires to remove it. he said that it appeared to work at first (with an LED flasher) but then noticed some abnormal problems with the switchbacks, so he reconnected them. I really want to reduce the load on the brake lights circuit for a few reasons. I have an LED flasher but I noticed that even that will hyperflash if I had both halos from one side removed. looks like they do need some resistance. maybe what I need to do is just disconnect the resistor from one halo on each side...depeneds on how much current they end up drawing.
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