LED bulbs

[kulluminati777]

i bought led buls for my tail lights and my front and reear blinkers....the only leds i can get t owork are my reverse lights....how can i get my other leds to work

[kulluminati777]

bump

[ninjajim4]

try to flip em around..? probability would suggest you would see some of them working if you haven't tried that already so it's probably something else.

they will work, assuming you got the right kind. turn signals are dual filament bulbs, while reverse are single filament. i'm guessing you need led bulbs that are wired for a dual filament setup. FYI you will get a fast blink unless you get a different turn signal relay or load resistors

[garren1138]

I have some led stop lights and those are the dual filament. the turn signals aren't and the reverse ones aren't. the dual filament ones have two little spots of metal on the bottom if you were wondering.

[ninjajim4]

the turn signals aren't

they are on the front..

[kulluminati777]

i have the dual ones i and i cant turn them around because the way the bulb is...i dont know i guess ill try to order from a diffrent company anybody have any suggestions?

[Inodoro Pereyra]

Can you provide a little more information?

Did you just buy LEDs, or you bought the LED replacement for your tailight bulbs?

Can you post a pic of what you bought?

[kulluminati777]

i will try and post pics asap but i did just by replacement bulbs and i dont know they work but only when i put them in at certian angles so i know they are not duds its just when i put them in the way i put a normal bulb in....nothing

[Inodoro Pereyra]

Most LEDs (and especially the cheap garbage you buy on Ebay) emit light straight ahead, in a fairly narrow angle.
That angle can be as narrow as 8° (+4°/-4°, from center line), to as wide as 90° (+45/-45), being +23°/-23° pretty much the standard. As a general rule of thumb, the narrower the angle (for a given power range) the brighter the light.
You will find LEDs with a 180°, and even 360° viewing angle. Those LEDs are not suitable for automotive applications, as they emit very little light, barely enough to be noticed. Those are the LEDs you find in electronic equipment (to let you know your TV is on stand by, for example).

Anyway, the LEDs shining at a given angle is not a malfunction. They are designed to work that way. You just have to aim them appropriately.

Besides that, if you just replace a bulb with an LED, you will burn the LED almost immediately. You need to understand that, other than the viewing angle difference, there are 2 main differences between LEDs and bulbs:

1. LEDs are polarized. Meaning, if you connect the LED in one position and it doesn't work, turn it around, and it will.

2. You need to restrict the current through the LED, or it's toast.

• Ask the seller what the max. current is for them.
  Then, factor in a safety margin (I use 70.7% because I've been trained on DIN, but you can use that or the 80% common between NEC followers).
  Then, use the formula R=V/I, in which R= resistance (in Ohm), V= voltage (in Volts), and I= current (in Amps).

The seller will give you the current in milliAmps. 1mA=0.001A

Once you got the value of R, go get 1 resistor for each LED you plan to use.

Resistors don't come in all values, so you have to get the closest one available.

The most common scale for resistor values is: 1.0, 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 1.5, 1.6, 1.8, 2.0, 2.2, 2.4, 2.7, 3.0, 3.3, 3.6, 3.9, 4.3, 4.7, 5.1, 5.6, 6.2, 6.8, 7.5, 8.2, and 9.1.
That means, for example, that if your value for R is 2950Ω, you will need to buy 3000Ω resistors.

Once you get the resistors, connect one in series with each LED. LEDs have a marking on them (can be a pin longer than the other, a notch on the body, etc. Look for it). Be consistent on which pin you solder the resistor on.
Now, you can connect the resistor/LED assembly to the car, safely.

Sorry if I've been too long. I don't know how much you know on the subject, so better safe than sorry...