LED Flashers what you need to know

[GS(X)400]

Some of this will be old infoso i will keep that part brief. I'm including it just so its all in one place.

If you want to use either aftermarket LED turn signals or just LED bulbs. They are not plug and play. You will need either a load independent flasher or an electronic one. I have used the model below with on my 2001 kat with great success and will installing it on the GS as well

http://www.superbrightleds.com/moreinfo/car-install-supplies/lf1-s-flat-universal-motorcycle-electronic-flasher/787/842/

A quick note for LED bulbs choose a bulb that is designed to provide the maximum spreads into your light cover. This will stop you from just having points of light showing from a single direction. You will also want to match your LED color to the color of the housing.

Secondly as per Steves note on the Bike cliff website If your gauge cluster has a single turn signal indicator bulb you will need further modifications. (If you have two cluster lights,one for right signal one for left skip this part it does not apply)

If you have a single [turn signal indicator] bulb in the instrument panel, it is fed by two hot wires from the turn signals. The indicator bulb acts as a current limiter and uses the turn signals on the other side as a ground wire. When the left turn signals are on, the indicator will also light, but won't pass enough current to light the right-side signals, so it uses them as a ground. Same thing for the other side.

If you want to use a single LED for your indicator, there is no problem, as long as you use a couple other LEDs to feed it.

So to translate for people, like myself who read that 1000 times before they understood it, when you install LED signals the they use less power and as a result the remaining power that would normally be eaten by the bulb in the cluster gets passed into the opposite side flashers and causes them to flash like 4-ways.

The solution as per Steves diagram, is to include two diodes onto the ends of the two wires going to the gauge signal bulb pig tail the two together into the positive of the bulb housing and they ground the negative of the frame. this makes the wires to the bulb 1 way isolating it. Simple!

You can get your own diodes and wire them in between the wires with solder and shrink rap (i have been suggested 3 amp will do) but to be seems a bit flimsy to me so i would go with a pre-made kit. For $2.29 who can say no

http://www.superbrightleds.com/moreinfo/car-install-supplies/motorcycle-diode-kit/1190/2805/

and its wired like so

Unlike filament Bulbs LED's are pole sensitive this means they only work when installed one way. That means that normal you will have to know what wire on the bulb housing will connect to the positive and what will connect to the negative.

On the diagram for my bike (CONSULT YOUR OWN) we can see the green goes into metal contact at the base of the bulb (Normally negative) and the black goes into the the bottom contact (Normally pos). Since these are isolated you can make either wire positive and the remaining one your negative.

So for mine i would connect the Black wire to the pig tailed diode and the green would become the ground. Just for consistency

After you have done this you can swap out your gauge cluster bulbs with LED's to without worrying!

So in theory that should all work....yea in theory I haven't done it yet. But i will be doing and will keep you all informed. (Test before making anything permanent)

 

[Steve]

You are pretty close, except for this part:

... on the diagram for my bike (CONSULT YOUR OWN) we can see the green goes into the positive(that's the entire metal contact ad the base of the bulb) and the black goes into the negative (the bottom contact of the bulb).IMPORTANT I AM ASSUMING THIS I HAVE NOT FOUND DEFINITE ANSWER TO WHAT PART IS POS AND NEG. IF ANYONE CAN CONFIRM OR CORRECT PLEASE DO. ...

In the stock configuration, the turn signal indicator does not have any set positive or negative. "Positive" will be whichever side's turn signal is on, "negative" will be the other side. If you use the other turn signal, your "positive" and "negative" will swap positions.

Normally-speaking, the main part of a socket is connected to a ground and the tip is connected to a positive source. In the case of a single-bulb indicator like yours, the whole socket is isolated so it can switch polarity with the turn signals.

.

 

[GS(X)400]

You are pretty close, except for this part:

In the stock configuration, the turn signal indicator does not have any set positive or negative. "Positivie" will be whichever side's turn signal is on, "negative" will be the other side. If you use the other turn signal, your "positive" and "negative" will swap positions.

Normally-speaking, the main part of a socket is connected to a ground and the tip is connected to a positive source. In the case of a single-bulb indicator like yours, the whole socket is isolated so it can switch polarity with the turn signals.

.

So the Black wire would have to become the positive and be connected to the pig tail and the green would have to become the ground?

 

[Steve]

So the Black wire would have to become the positive and be connected to the pig tail and the green would have to become the ground?

Or the other way around, it doesn't really matter.

The socket is isolated, it won't matter which one you make the "ground" terminal.

.

 

[GS(X)400]

Or the other way around, it doesn't really matter.

The socket is isolated, it won't matter which one you make the "ground" terminal.

.

Corrected!

 

[zachdexter]

I know that this post is aimed at replacement LED bulbs in existing sockets. I'm looking at adding a couple small LED banks to my GS1100 for added light and safety (we live in a heavily wooded area with lots of deer). My theory would be I can install these automotive ones in line with a fuse and switch without any sort of electrical load adjustments.

Am I totally out of bounds here? I'll post the link.

Thanks!
http://www.ebay.com/itm/2X-8-LED-Ru...Parts_Accessories&hash=item3cc958b889&vxp=mtr

 

[Steve]

I know that this post is aimed at replacement LED bulbs in existing sockets. I'm looking at adding a couple small LED banks to my GS1100 for added light and safety (we live in a heavily wooded area with lots of deer). My theory would be I can install these automotive ones in line with a fuse and switch without any sort of electrical load adjustments.

Am I totally out of bounds here? I'll post the link.

Thanks!
http://www.ebay.com/itm/2X-8-LED-Ru...Parts_Accessories&hash=item3cc958b889&vxp=mtr

This thread was not aimed at "replacement LED bulbs in existing sockets" in general, it is very specifically aimed at the bikes that use a single indicator on the instrument panel to show that your turn signals are flashing. Some bikes have separate bulbs for each side, others have a single bulb. This modification is for those with the single bulb.


Now to your question: You will need to modify NOTHING to add those lights. Just find a solid place to mount them, then wire them up. It will be more convenient if you wire them to a switched input so you don't have to remember to turn them off separately. Look inside your headlight bucket to see if you have a brown wire that is not connected to anything. That is a good place to power your LED lights.

.

 

[PMacDaNoob]

It seems the diodes are sold out. I found "LED Load Stabalizers" at my local parts store. Would those also remedy the problem?

 

[Who Dat?]

That would depend on your goal. Since we know NOTHING about you or your bike, (we are only assuming that you even have a bike), suggestions will be hard to make.

Those diodes are NEVER sold out, they are a very universal diode. K-Mart and Winn-Dixie don't sell them, you have to look at an electronics parts store. Radio Shack has been closing down all over the country, I don't know if you might still have one in your area, but they will carry the diodes.

Now, as to whether the load stabilizers will "remedy the problem", you will have to state what you "problem" is. And tell us what bike you have. And tell us why you went with LED signals.

And congratulations for bringing up a 4-year-old thread on your very first post.

 

[Guest]

I guess we are going to have to spell it out. :-k

1. You are using this on a bike?
2. What bike?
3. What signals have you installed?
4. Does your bike have one or two lights on the instrument panel for your signals?
5. Does your bike have auto-cancel turn signals?
6. If it does, are you concerned about them working as auto-cancel?
7. Why did you install the signals that you did? Presumably they are LED.
7a. Did you install them because the stock ones were broken, missing, too dim or just "ugly"?

To answer your question, and assuming a lot of stuff here, yes, LED load stabilizers will get the flashers working correctly. However, if your goal was to save power, it's a losing battle. The stabilizers will draw just as much power as the stock bulbs. In fact, be careful where you mount them, they will get hot when in use.

If your goal was to save power, you will need to do some other wiring and component changes, but we will need to know what bike (we assume you are working on a bike) you are working on. THEN, and only then, can we make some somewhat intelligent suggestions.

 

[PMacDaNoob]

Hey guys, sorry for the limited post. I was trying to do this on my phone. It didn't show my first reply posted, nor did it show the responses.
I am working on a 1982 GS1100GLZ. Single light on instrument panel for indicators. I have no idea about the auto cancel. When I bought the bike a few weeks ago the indicators came on but did not blink. The left front indicator did nothing. All the indicators that were on it were aftermarket incandescent bulbs. All the bulbs were good. When I got into the headlight bucket the left front was a three wire light with only two wire connections from the harness. So I ordered a set of LED two wire indicators as replacements. When I installed the new LED from indicators I still get no blink and the front left does not come on. I pig tailed an older type indicator I had laying about into the connection for the front left and all indicators seemed to work properly. It appears the LED's may not puling enough power to make it all function properly. A problem that, if I understand it correctly, is solved by using the diode kit linked in the original post. Which appears to be the point of this thread and why I didn't go into all the details of my specific challenge. Would an LED Load Stabilizer work in place of a diode kit?

Thanks for noticing I took the time to look through the threads to find a four year old thread to ask a question on instead creating yet another thread about a topic that has been extensively discussed.