Installing LED Kit...fried wires. What am I doing wrong???

[Detman101]

Hello everyone,

I recently built a triple-led wire harness by getting led kits and soldering the leds to the resistors. I created my led harness and tested it. It works fine.

The problem I'm having is choosing where to run the power from that is a constantly on source when the bike is off. I made the mistake of wiring the positive and negative (for the leads coming off the switch) directly to the battery. Needless to say, I burnt through 2 sets of wires. The leds are fine and still work though.

Is there a source I can tap into on the bike that is ON when the bike is off but won't fry my wiring like when I tap into the battery?

I realize now that I should have run the negative to the frame instead of to the battery. I believe I created a closed loop on the battery and could have shorted it out had not the wiring melted.

Any wiring help is appreciated. I can draw up a diagram if needed.

Thank you,
Dm of mD

[Detman101]

Well, the switch wasn't even mounted on the bike when the wires fried themselves.

I, for some reason can't figure out how the hell this all is supposed to work.
Even though I've installed a frickin 7 speaker w/subwoofer stereo system in my car and installed the voltage monitors on my bikes.

For some reason I'm stumped to all hell. So strange...
I really don't need a fuse block because the bike already has one. The led's only pull 10 millivolts or something. Like 10% of an watt/amp or something so I can't see why they would burn up the wires?

I figured I had something wired wrong. Please inspect my letter to the manufacturer or the LED kits I bought. Maybe you can figure it out. If worse comes to worse I'll just ditch the switch and wire em directly to the bike like I have the voltage monitor wired.
But then I can't turn em on/off when the bike is off.

Letter below....
Hello, I recently purchased 3 of these kits and wired them in-line to use under my tank to shine on my engine.
I want to put them on a switch (Picture of my switch included) but where do I run the negative lead of the LEDs?


LED Negative lead
Should I run the negative lead for the LED's to the frame or the battery or does it go to the switch?

LED Positive Lead
For the power line, should I put the switch on the power lead for the LEDs in between the battery and the LED kits?
Also, should I hook up the power directly to the battery or to some other constantly on source on the bike?

Switch
Does the switch need to be grounded also? There are two leads coming off of the switch. One allows the power to be connected. I do not know what the other one does. IS that where the ground lead goes? Perhaps I need to buy a better more defined switch instead of this radio-shack crap.
But since I have already installed the switch I would like to use it to keep things simpler please.

:/
Dm of mD

[Anonymous]

LED Negative lead
Should I run the negative lead for the LED's to the frame or the battery or does it go to the switch?

Doesn't matter - as long as they are good grounds. The frame is ok if it has a nice return path to the negative side of the battery.

LED Positive Lead
For the power line, should I put the switch on the power lead for the LEDs in between the battery and the LED kits?
Also, should I hook up the power directly to the battery or to some other constantly on source on the bike?

Yes and doesn't matter.

Switch
Does the switch need to be grounded also? There are two leads coming off of the switch. One allows the power to be connected. I do not know what the other one does. IS that where the ground lead goes? Perhaps I need to buy a better more defined switch instead of this radio-shack crap.
But since I have already installed the switch I would like to use it to keep things simpler please.

Do not wire the switch to ground unless you have it on the low side of the led. Note: the switch can be either on the high or low side. The switch may have 2 postions - normally open and normally closed. If you wire it to ground (on the high side) you may shorth the circuit out. (Maybe this is how you fried those wires.

Note that leds are diodes. If you wire them backwards the will conduct quite a bit of current.

[Anonymous]

If the switch has 3 wires it could be configured like this. I had to add dots because spaces didn't work - hope you can read it.

............................o normally closed
.........................../
......input o-------/


.............................o normally open

Note that if normally open is wired to ground, when the switch is toggled then you have a short to ground. If you ahve a multimeter, check the switch out.

[Detman101]

Thank you swanny. I hapened to wire the switch to ground. That is why the second (erroneous) circuit that I created burned up but the wiring harness for the LEDs didn't.

I now have a functioning diagram of how to wire the lights with an inline fuse on the power lead between the battery and the switch.
I'll throw up a picture of it once I finish it in MSPaint.

Thank you,

Dm of mD

[Anonymous]

Your switch may very well be toast too.

Did you take care to not get the LEDs too hot while soldering?

Michael

[Detman101]

Well, my LEDs worked great....for about 4 hours.

I got a little anxious and tried to reposition them for maximum light on specific parts of the engine and then SNAP!!!

http://www.signaldynamics.com/products/Microstar/microinstall.asp

The leads on the resistors broke....one...at...a...time.

They are "wire thin" and break with the slightest bending inside the heat-shrink tubing. *DOH*


So as it stands I have only one LED that still works. I'm too tired of soldering to even bother repairing the snapped resistor leads. I'm going to buy some pre-fab automotive LED kits from Pep-boys this week and wire those in like I did in my car. Much easier, much more durable and you get better/wider light dispersion.



Ah well, at least I got the wiring right....lol. :roll:

Dm of mD

[Anonymous]

Note that leds are diodes. If you wire them backwards the will conduct quite a bit of current.

Sorry, but I have to dispute that. An LED wired backwards draws almost no current. It also doesn't light.

Now, if you apply too much voltage to a backwards LED it'll give off light (and maybe sound) for a fraction of a second.

Dave

[Anonymous]

Swanny wrote:

Note that leds are diodes. If you wire them backwards the will conduct quite a bit of current.


Sorry, but I have to dispute that. An LED wired backwards draws almost no current. It also doesn't light.

I got to thinking about that and - you are right. The led IS a diode, but you forward bias them to make them emit light. Thanks for the correction. 8)

[Detman101]

Man, you guys are geniuses.


Dm of mD

[Anonymous]

i saw the finished product over at ratbike.org nice effect.

[Detman101]

Kewl, thanks! I put the same thread up on here.
"Ratbike Chronicles"


Dm of mD

[earlfor]

Congratulations Swanny! You have just invented the child safe firecracker. :-) :-) No more dangerous matches or messy explosives. :-) :-)

Earl


quote="Swanny"]

Now, if you apply too much voltage to a backwards LED it'll give off light (and maybe sound) for a fraction of a second.

Dave[/quote]

[Anonymous]

wiring

Radio Shack used to sell a small booklet that showed basic wiring in laymans terms. I'd suggest getting one! The switch you refer to is of the SPST style (single pole single throw) it is a "make - break" unit that is open when switched one way and closed the other. The best bet is to run your 12volt Bat+ to the switch and then continue it on to the LED strip + connection. after that run your LED - connection to either a fram ground or back to the battery - pole.


Cheers,

Dave