Good LEDs?

[UberXY]

Over the winter I was looking for something to do to the bikes, and I replaced the small front parking light bulbs on my ST and my RR with some LEDs that I bought from various sources. I used circuit board-type bulbs that do not cause faults with the computer. The LEDs on my RR lasted one ride; the LEDs on the ST about 3. I'm going back to the OEM incandescent, but I was wondering if anyone has a source of fault-free LED bulbs that work more than a few hours.

[Firefight911]

LEDs need to be understood a bit. Driving them at 100% will kill them off pretty quickly due to heat.

 

Also, their rating and output can be very different. Their rating may be shown for 100% drive but is that really what they are putting out when run nominally. Additionally, optics and spread play a role in what you get from them.

 

Here's a very good set of lights -

 

LINKY

 

Excellent technical info -

 

LINKY1

[randy]

i am not very smart about LED, so I must be lucky. I just went to local pep boys. they had 1157 LED amber bulbs right next to the amber incadesent bulbs. Picked up two and they have been working for about a year, maybe just over a year now.

[EddyQ]

I used circuit board-type bulbs that do not cause faults with the computer.

 

I know quite a bit about LEDs and circuits needed to drive them. But I have no idea what "circuit board-type bulbs" are. Can you explain a bit more?

 

LEDs live a short life if over powered. They are current devices as opposed to voltage devices.

In other words, if you have a 12V source of power, you will need a circuit to hold the current constant.

If efficiency isn't a requirement, a resistor is used in series with the supply of voltage. The voltage across a LED at a constant drive power is not at all constant with changes of temperature. Constant current is the only solution if you want to get anywhere close to the rated light output.

 

The other way to kill the LED is to run the temperature up. They are not bulbs with a burning hot tungsten that is insensitive to heat. If you touch a LED and it is too hot to touch, chances are it will die rather quickly.

Deep inside the lamp housing is the LED. How does the heat get out? A LED is a silicon semiconductor, so just like transistors, it needs to be kept cool.

 

Donno how long your ride was, but a thermal type failure often takes a long time (several hours) if the temp is hot (and I don't mean smoking hot).

 

 

 

[Dundee387]

I would leave the stock lights alone, and get aux LED's, Clearwaters.

 

That's what I use, and completely satisfied. I don't know if they make a kit for your bikes or not. Wouldn't really want to ruin the lines of a RR....

 

[ESokoloff]

I used circuit board-type bulbs that do not cause faults with the computer.

 

....... I have no idea what "circuit board-type bulbs" are. Can you explain a bit more?.......

 

Something like this perhaps?

[EddyQ]

Those sure look like cheap LEDs. Contacts are solder. Not a best choice for a contact. Although there seems to be a circuit there and it very well could work fine without failure for years.

 

But, you are at the mercy of the circuit designer and the quality of the assembly. I think you are better off with the tungsten bulb.

[ESokoloff]

...........Contacts are solder. Not a best choice for a contact..........

I think you are better off with the tungsten bulb.

 

Are not the contact(s) on many incandescent bulbs also solder?

 

As you know the advantige to LED's is that they never burn out(when properly engineered).

 

Edit: From my experience superbrightleds.com sells quality product.

[Jerry Johnston]

They do burn out. It's that they're longer life and much more shock resistant that incandescent lamps.

[ESokoloff]

Sure your technically correct but with a lifespan of up to 100k hours are you every going to see one burn out?(not talking about burn up/over driven).

What LED's do do is to dim as they age but even then it's a loooong time out.

[EddyQ]

As you know the advantige to LED's is that they never burn out(when properly engineered).

 

True, the life of LEDs is huge. But everything around it might not be. True, lead contacts are used on tungsten bulbs, but the contact doesn't support the assembly. It is real simple/cheap to plate the board with a flash of gold which is done on even the cheapest computer boards.

 

I have a general rule. When a product shows something under designed or over designed, then the designer wasn't thinking and the design is likely bad. Not always true, but often is.