For those running LED sidelights & resistors

Jon TDI

Eat My Soot!!
Apr 28, 2003
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I've have the LED sightlights & resistor kit in my spare set of headlamps.
However, when I trialled the resistor, it became very hot.
Too hot to mount it in the headlamp itself - it would almost certainly burn through the cable insulation & probably burn through the plastic housing.

Where-abouts have you guys mounted the resistor?
 

dannychapman10

K04 Time ;)
Mar 30, 2009
1,268
1
Grimsby, UK
Jon, I just left mine behind the rubber cover and didnt mount to anything, although my resistors have a large heatsink on them, they only get warm

Danny.
 

Jon TDI

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Apr 28, 2003
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The ones I have are from hids4u & are in a ceramic block.
When I put 12V across the LED bulb the resistor got extremely hot. You couldn't even touch it.
The current was about 1.2amps. Dunno if that's right or not???
 
Jon, My resistors have a flat bottom to them so i mounted them to the metal shell and then zip tied the cable either side of the resistor through those holes that are on the metal either side of the engine bay... hard to explain without pointing to where exactly.

I'd just put the series into the circuit using 15cm extension cable then have a look on the edges for anything emtal that it won't melt through. Mines been good for years try get a snap later to show you
 

Jon TDI

Eat My Soot!!
Apr 28, 2003
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Jon, My resistors have a flat bottom to them so i mounted them to the metal shell and then zip tied the cable either side of the resistor through those holes that are on the metal either side of the engine bay... hard to explain without pointing to where exactly.

I'd just put the series into the circuit using 15cm extension cable then have a look on the edges for anything emtal that it won't melt through. Mines been good for years try get a snap later to show you

I think I know what you mean - you mounted them on the inner wing.

I have soldered some wires either end of the resistor as well. Probably not long enough to reach the inner wing though.
 
Well you can always cut them again and then use block connectors? I did this so it's removaable in the case of any problems. It's well worth mounting them to the metalwork because like you state they get very hot! This is why I didn't bother putting resisitors and leds in the tail lights.
 

bqd

need some chocolate
Apr 19, 2008
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Belgrade, Serbia
i use these and they're just bit warm (could hold them whole day without burns)...
10W-2.jpg
 

OLDOILER

Full Member
Jul 28, 2005
1,292
1
Wiltshire, UK
I've have the LED sightlights & resistor kit in my spare set of headlamps.
However, when I trialled the resistor, it became very hot.
Too hot to mount it in the headlamp itself - it would almost certainly burn through the cable insulation & probably burn through the plastic housing.

Where-abouts have you guys mounted the resistor?
If you did a search it has been covered many times and the best place is on any part of the METAL body inner wing, this will disipate the heat generated or you could fit another T5 bulb in line [which is what I have done to give a "load"]
 

Jon TDI

Eat My Soot!!
Apr 28, 2003
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To be honest, I'd already bought the LEDs for my other halfs Mini about a year ago, but they were too big to fit the sidelight aperture.
Rather than waste them, I wanted to use them on my Bi-xenon build.
 

ross27

Mazda 3 MPS
Mar 22, 2009
363
0
Glasgow
I did the same as OLDOILER, wire up standard bulbs into the circuit.This is an old post of mine, made a guide to go with it.

Ok so i done what OLDOILER suggested, linked up to my old sidelights inside the engine bay to "load" the circuit.

It may be a poor mans job, but it works fine, and OLDOILER has had it working like this for over a year.

So thanks to him for the idea, info and the help!

Here a diagram i just drew up, incase people dont understand:
LEDSolution.png



And here is the result!!

DSC03506.jpg
 
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