| Author | Message | ||
     Phelan |
Okay, so I have a bunch of LEDs I plan on hiding on my bike for shitz and giggles. What's the best way to power these? Do I need some sort of load equalizer? I'm not doing any fancy light shows, just an on/off switch in the dash. | ||
| Firebolt32 |
No load equalizer. Just run an inline fuse in line and hook those suckers up. They don't pull enough power to worry about draining your battery. | ||
| Sifo |
You need to know the voltage drop across each LED. Just hooking one up to a battery will burn it out. 5 in a series will probably be OK. Hook too many in a series and they will be dim. Resistors are usually used to get the voltage right for the array. There are nice calculators on the web that can help out a lot... http://led.linear1.org/led.wiz | ||
| Phelan |
I have 150 to use, if I can find space for them. | ||
| Phelan |
The ad doesn't list any info on them other than 12v, 48 bulbs each strip. I'll have to wait until they get here to find out the rest. | ||
| Firebolt32 |
You'll be fine. I've installed these only many bikes! Never once have I had an issue. Any where from two 2 bulb pods to 15 10 bulb strips. I run an inline fuse and put in a switch. Nobody has ever come back to me with a problem. | ||
| Sifo |
You could do that, but... He did ask the best way. I provided info on the right way. While I can say that I've never blown a fuse on an LED installation, therefore a fuse in not needed, I don't think that would be the best way. Too few with no resistor and they WILL have a shortened life. Too many in series and they WILL be dim, but no other harm. Doing it right is pretty easy once you know the specs on your LED's. Looks like the OP has 48 bulb strips already set up for 12v though so they should be plug and pray. | ||
| Greg_e |
The real right way would be to use an LED controller chip, the next best way would be to check the load and put in resistors. | ||
| Sifo |
What does an LED controller chip do for you? | ||
| Phelan |
Thanks for the heads up all. I got these cheap, so for now I think I'll just put an inline fuse in and call it good, unless I find an issue. (Message edited by phelan on May 09, 2010) | ||
| Greg_e |
If they draw too much current the only real issue will be that that get really hot and stop working and you throw them away. The controller chip allows you to set the amount of current available for the LEDs so that you don't burn them out or waste power with a resistor. It can also give you a low current mode (think running light) and a high current mode (think brake light) on the same chip. Also used to power large panels of LEDs off of AC (110/220 volts) for things like fire exit signs. | ||
| Phelan |
Where can I find the controller chips? | ||
| Sifo |
Phelan, You won't need a chip for what you are doing. The strips you describe are all set up for plugging right into a 12v power source. Sounds like they are just a higher tech replacement for the resistor, more efficient because they don't generate as much heat. |
