Re: [DML] LED Center Console Burnout

["Robert Lingo" <rlingo@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

> It is always the four top bulbs, never the three on the bottom. >
>

I'm no electrical engineer but I have wired LEDs before. I just installed 
four, 3.5V white LEDs for my licsense plate ilummination and it looks 
awesome. It sounds like the four bulbs that keep burning out are doing so 
because of a slight over voltage to those lights.  LEDs are pretty sensitive 
to power spikes as well. Their life-span will be cut drastically if the 
voltage is constantly a couple of volts over wht the LED is rated for. Heat 
will also cut into their lifetime.  What voltage are the white LEDs you're 
using? Compare them to the red LEDs you have.  What's the difference in 
voltage requirments? I use super whites that are rated at 3.5 volts each. I 
can run four lights in 'series' conntected to a 12volt power source.  That 
way I have a built in buffer of 2 volts for the four lights, running the 
lights in an underpowered condition (they will practically last forever that 
way).  I haven't installed any LEDs in my instrument cluster yet so I don't 
know how they're wired.  You might need to install some resistors to cut 
back the voltage going to those LEDs a little. Better break out the 
multimeter.

Lingo #2034





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