Quote:
Originally Posted by Deezler
Oh yeah, they need a voltage regulator. Doh. Incandescent bulbs it is then.
Seems like basically every car would have standard coolant fan relays and thus an 87 terminal to grab a bulb source from. I'm doing this asap! Good luck with yours.
|
The regulator is just a simple resistor to limit the current flow to the LED. Most "regular" LEDs (not super brights or things with clear lenses) requires only 5 mA to 10 mA. Typical resistor value of 1.5 Kohm to 3 Kohm gets you 5 to 10 mA when connected to 13.5 V. You can play with the resistor value to see how bright you want it. Just test it on any +12V source with the engine running. Being careful not to short out anything goes without saying. Having a switch to select 2 different brightness would not be a bad idea.
When using an LED, you don't really need a fuse. I usually tap into the circuit using one end of the resistor and run a wire from the other end of the resistor to where I need. If the wire ever gets shorted, the resistor will restrict the current to a safe small number. For those who don't know, an LED has a + and - terminal.