Anyone here done this? Cant seem to fund much info on this. Any specific place that sells bulbs for 6v stuff? Sent from my LGLS775 using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
Buy "loose" powerLEDs on metal backing (for cooling), mount them where you need them and add your own current control - a simple resistor works okay, a more advanced regulator is better with efficiency and varying voltage. Done correctly with quality components it should outlast the car, no need to keep using a socket for easy replacements.
Probably not what you're looking for but I used the guts of an led light from Harbor Freight, fitted it to a 52 Chevy pickup tail light and now its the 3rd breaklight in my back window. I'm running a 6V system and I think this light is 4V with the batteries.
Depends on what you are doing with the LED's. If you are replacing existing bulbs, the LED replacement plug-ins will be configured for negative earth. If you are , say, trying to light up an instrument panel, you can wire in an LED with a resistor in series with one of the legs. It doesn't matter which one has the resistor, but you have to connect the ANODE (long lead) to ground. A standard LED will need roughly 300 ohms series resistance.
At what voltage? (6V). For a 12V system I usually strung 4 bulbs in series, as they were +/- 3.5V each.
I've experimented with them and the ones I've tried seem to work fine as is I'm planning on using them on my 29 with positive ground Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Just make sure the + on the LED is connected to the + on the car. They will not light if hooked up backwards.
The problem with that is that you get no control over the current running through the LEDs. Unlike lightbulbs, electric motors etc. LEDs require more or less precise control of the current, while the voltage simply is allowed to become what it has to be. If we use water flow and pressure to demonstrate current and voltage, a regular lightbulb is like a bucket with a small hole in the bottom. The more water we put in, the higher the level, the more pressure at the bottom where the hole is, and we get more water flowing through the hole. The LED on the other hand, works more like the bucket w/o a hole. No matter how high the water level (voltage) is, nothing happens - until it reaches the edge, and then just a small increase causes a huge flood coming over the buckets edge. LEDs do have a "working voltage", but it is not stable - it varies a little with temperature, manufacturing tolerances and so on, so LEDs should never be fed from a source without current control. Small changes in voltage causes huge variations in current, going from an almost empty 12V battery at 11V to a full battery getting charged at normal 14.4V is MORE than enough to go from almost no light to overloading and cooking uncontrolled LEDs. Always, always, always use something to control current through LEDs. If you use the very simple method of putting a resistor in series and the voltage in the system can vary quite a bit as in a car, put around half the total voltage on the resistor to reduce the effect of varying voltage. With more advanced current control or a more stable voltage less safety margin is needed.
I would think that a 12 volt light running on 6 volts is enough of a resistor you won't need to worry about it Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I'm afraid you're missing the point of how LEDs work if you think that. Bare LEDs always need current control - although "12V" LED bulbs already has built in current control - sometimes they work on 6V, somtimes that's just not enough voltage. Depends on how they're constructed.
I try not to think or over think things such as this I'm more of a trail and error type of person Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I would try a 12V alternator or generator, a ground polarity switch, and avoid the error of 6V negative ground LED's.
Trial & error is good. But the error bit is best to avoid with safety equipment such as automotive lights. Do it right, or don't do it at all.
If you use these- Basic wiring diagram- The LED has 2 legs- Anode (+) and Cathode (- ). The Cathode is the shorter lead ( you can't see from the picture, but one is slightly shorter), and has a flat area on the housing (have a look at the fourth red LED in the pic, on the RHS, you can just make it out. Wire them up just like in the lousy sketch- if they are supplied backwards they wont light up. If you run 12 volts, use a 470 ohm resistor (1/4Watt), for 6 volts you can use 330 ohms. (R) This will give you a forward current of about 20mA. If you happen to put 12v straight across the LED, make sure you have your safety glasses on, as it will instantly overheat, and may physically explode. As mentioned above, some already have a limiting resistor inside. These things are cheap, grab a handful, and some resistors, and have a fiddle around with them. There are many colours available and they can be used in lots of places in a car. The bigger wattage LED's like this- Need a heatsink, are very bright, and are used for headlights, home lighting etc. ("CREE" LED's).
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