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LED Chicken Lights

Discussion in 'Lighting' started by 65tacodude, Feb 9, 2010.

  1. Feb 9, 2010 at 7:22 AM
    #1
    65tacodude

    65tacodude [OP] Well-Known Member

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    Im going to be getting a Grillcraft grill and was going to put some amber led lights behind it. What im wondering is do i need to put a load resistor in with them? I know you have to for turn signals so they flash properly, but if they are just going to be a steady light, do i need to add it? Any help would be great
     
  2. Feb 9, 2010 at 7:35 AM
    #2
    colinb17

    colinb17 If at first you don't succeed, don't try skydiving

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    the need for a resistor depends on how you wire them. i'm asuming they will be 3 volt leds. that means that if you sire them in parallel, you will need a resistor. and i believe the more you have, that larger wattage resistor you will need.

    you can however wire sets of 4 in series. that will effectively devide the 12 volt car output into 3 volts per led. and you can wire as many sets of 4 as you want.

    hope this helps
     
  3. Feb 9, 2010 at 7:41 AM
    #3
    65tacodude

    65tacodude [OP] Well-Known Member

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    Ok, so im going to be doing 3 behind there and was going to wire them together in series, then use the parking lamp as my 12v source. Have a feeling your going to tell me to use a resistor. I am actually using marker lights for a school bus(have tons at my work) if that makes a difference
     
  4. Feb 9, 2010 at 7:50 AM
    #4
    colinb17

    colinb17 If at first you don't succeed, don't try skydiving

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    with three you will need a resistor, as you will have 4 volts per led instead of 3. they will probably light up the first few times without a resistor, but will burn up pretty fast. i don't know if it will mess with the design you have in mind, but if you add one more LED, you will eliminate the need for a resistor.
     
  5. Feb 9, 2010 at 9:00 AM
    #5
    65tacodude

    65tacodude [OP] Well-Known Member

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    guess i could add a 4th in and just hide it away or paint it black so it wont shine. +1 for the help...thanks
     
  6. Feb 9, 2010 at 9:21 AM
    #6
    colinb17

    colinb17 If at first you don't succeed, don't try skydiving

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    that would work. if you're using a blank cuircut board, to wire/mount the leds, you could just put the 4th led on the back side of the board. a resistor would be as simple as putting in the 4th led, i'm just rusty on my math, and don't want to give you the wrong resistance number... there are some really good electrical guys on here though, maybe one will chime in.

    and btw, pics when you're done, i've been wondering how somehting like this would work for a long time.
     
  7. Feb 9, 2010 at 9:29 AM
    #7
    b0ules

    b0ules Fresh frame!

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    Sounds like you're using standard 12v LED light assemblies. No need to wire them in any special way, and no need for resistors if that's the case. Just wire them up like you'd wire up any old light.

    Colin, you're probably thinking of the raw LEDs.

    As for the turn signal relay, it'll be fine with *extra* load (think about what it sees when you hook up a trailer), but it doesn't want to see *less* than the standard 2 or 3 bulbs it sees flashing like in stock form.

    Cheers.
     
  8. Feb 9, 2010 at 9:59 AM
    #8
    colinb17

    colinb17 If at first you don't succeed, don't try skydiving

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    good call, 99% of my LED wiring experience has been with standard 3V led. thanks for catching that
     
  9. Feb 9, 2010 at 10:17 AM
    #9
    b0ules

    b0ules Fresh frame!

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    No worries!
     
  10. Feb 9, 2010 at 10:55 AM
    #10
    65tacodude

    65tacodude [OP] Well-Known Member

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    Cool thanks for the help guys. Im still on the fence about whether or not im going to. Just wanted some ideas on if i would need to add a load resistor. Thanks again
     

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