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Any interest in a how-to for making LED turn signals?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Sparkster
  • Start date Start date
Disclaimer:
Everything mentioned here is pretty much specific to my 1980 GS 850g. Do a reality check on your own wiring before doing anything rash. And don't violate any federal lighting regs. Not that there's any federal police driving around with photometers and ticket books...

Kcwiro said:
... I'm just trying to visualize how I would get the power to the plexie lights...
Click to expand...
Your signals will contain 1, 2, or 3 wires running to them:
If 1 then this is your 12v+ lead and your negative terminals from the LEDs will need grounded to the ground screw inside the flasher housing. The flasher housing then grounds to the chassis when its all hooked up.
If 2 then EITHER one should be ground and one should be 12v+ OR both are 12v+; one for turn signal and one for running lights. Mine was like that; red for turn signal, blue for running light but I don't know if it was factory or an aftermarker addition by a previous owner.
If 3 then one will be ground and TWO will be 12v+ (one of those will be a running light and one will be the flasher lead. Use a volt meter to find out by turning the turn signal on and off.

that relay to get the LED to flash...common places those are placed?.. I'm sure I don't want it too exposed...
Click to expand...
The relay replaces the existing one. You will find it under the right side cover and it is a black rectangular box mounted to the battery box. Lift up to slide it off its mount. It is a three prong but replace it with the two prong pictured. It will then not be exposed.

Idealy I would try and keep the units swapable to easily switch back to standard bulbs if I so chose to.
Click to expand...
Not sure if this will be excessively easy. Soldering is the most reliable method of wiring everything and the only way to make it "easily switchable" is to use something like a twist on splicer. I wouldn't trust those for bike lighting.

I cut the plexi into a square small enough that, once the corners were ground off, it would fit inside the signal... (On the flasher housing the bigger screw hole is the ground screw)
step1.jpg


I then drilled pairs of tiny holes about a centimeter apart for each LED to be mounted:
step2.jpg


Just make sure that when you feed them power you do so in parallell, NOT series. You want them all sharing the same common hot and ground connections as opposed to the neg from one wiring to the pos from the previous in a chain. If you get these from the "Light of Victory" guy on ebay they will always come with resistors rated for use with 12v. Heat has never been a problem for me using his resistors.
 
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I will have to check the existing wires on my bike for if I have the two or one, replaced my turn signal bulbs once and never had to look at them since I bought the bike... I have a 750 and my turn signal relay is located under my gas tank between my upper fram rails on a simular clip to your description. Since I do not have existing running lights I am betting I have two wires...

The switchable was only an idea, if it is too much trouble or will raise too many flags I'll just go one way or the other...no worries

Looks like you just cut the plexi to size so it did not move around in the fixture, since yours had a metal backing for mirror I might have to Macgyver something up since i have black plastic backing and some small reflective sheet behind my bulb which is mounted sideways... won't know until I try. I will have to see how many of those LED I can wire in, I'd think if I can get 10 in there they would be very bright =) but I'll have to see how much space I have to work with. figure if I insulate the tails away from each other the only limit is my surface area to work with..

The 50 unit kit looks fine I doubt I will need that many to do this but we will see.

For wiring... in paralell I assuming you mean a power wire +12v to each bulb all meeting off the mainline into the signal fixture since even I know series involves the ol dazy chain approach.... I would buy 100 but hell I think that is way too much.. though my friend may want to try these on his 550 after he see's them on mine =) ... I'll do the extra stuff later.

Thanks for the info =)

question.. what did you use for testing to power the unit on... since I live away from my bike location I would not mind being able to wire it up to something or maybe I can just pull my battery out and drop the wire contacts to my bike battery (needs replacing anyway since the negative terminal broke on me) but I should be able to just touch wires to it to get my 12V test I can't wait to get started... will have to dust off the sodering iron. stupid questin maybe but I am terrible at guestimation of wire guage thinking 14-16 guage should surfice for this. Correct me if I am wrong
 
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Awesome

Awesome

Well I got mystuff and a fellow gs buddy worked with me this weekend to build my LED turn signals...we took pictures of the process so others interested can copy our method. I was able to get 11 LED's to fit into the signal and they are definately bright though tight.

I am happy with the project and once I wire in the electornic relay they will be good. I do think that are a tad dimmer than my stock bulbs but the power they take to run if measured correctly at either end of the circuit was 2V instead of 12V =) ... 10V savings per signal... and don't stand direclty behind these puppies... you'll see spots =P

way to configure the LED's to be runnign lights?... just a thought no worries... but dam they look sweet =)

will post them in the next week or so stay tuned
 
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