LED DRLs - latest improvements

[rjkflyer]

Hi All,

For those of you interested in having LED DRL bulbs, here are my latest - they finally do look exceptionally bright and very distinctive. One of these pix was also on a very bright day.

Also a couple of pix of the wiring and ballast resistors, neatly (imho!) housed in the headlight cap.

Shout if anyone's interested in more details...

[rjkflyer]

dunno why, wouldn't accept 4th pic...

[TopBear]

dunno why, wouldn't accept 4th pic...

I believe there's a limit on the number of attachments you can add per message

[ARSEY4]

Im not really a fan of these poncey leds. I cant see the point, its like chavs having their fogs on all the time. The r8 and s5 look particularly homo sexual and the new a4 look just cheap ad horrible. Saying that if you really do feel that you are not being seen properly during the day and you cant be bothered to switch your side lights on then these look far better than oem and far less gay than r8,s5 and a4. Just a word of warning, if you here something knocking in the back just pull over, it will be a can of pompadour not secured properly. Seriously though it does look loads better than oem.

[rAudiguy]

only thing I would worry about is the heat off the resitors inside the cluster. they get very hot!!! have you had any melting issues??

Jim

[else]

I am very interested in those, could you let me have more details please.

Thanks

Andy

[rjkflyer]

There is NO issue with heat from resistors if you size them correctly.

The mistake people make is assuming that the resistors need to take the full equivalent current of the existing 21W bulb (which in fact runs derated anyway). I conducted extensive experiments to see how high a value i could use which still kept the bulb failure detector happy.

I used 50W 24R for the DRL and 25W 68R for the sidelight bulb. It was testing them that showed they don't give off so much heat that it would be a problem, hence installing inside the headlight on the cap thus avoiding sealing and untidyness issues. The heat dissipation for the DRL resistor is hence ca. 8 watts, and for the sidelight ca. 3 watts (at worst case 14V). Not exactly high, and more importantly, in each case less than HALF the recommended dissipation for the resistor without any heatsink.


Also, remember that for the most part there is airflow albeit limited when you are moving.

The DRL LED bulbs are from www.v-leds.com , their 60M-SMT bulb.

Wiring not scotch locked - cos if ARSEY thinks LEDs are chav, then even worse is using SLs on a car like this - wires soldered to connectors on lamp holder, and colour matched.

[ARSEY4]

There is NO issue with heat from resistors if you size them correctly.

The mistake people make is assuming that the resistors need to take the full equivalent current of the existing 21W bulb (which in fact runs derated anyway). I conducted extensive experiments to see how high a value i could use which still kept the bulb failure detector happy.

I used 50W 24R for the DRL and 25W 68R for the sidelight bulb. It was testing them that showed they don't give off so much heat that it would be a problem, hence installing inside the headlight on the cap thus avoiding sealing and untidyness issues. The heat dissipation for the DRL resistor is hence ca. 8 watts, and for the sidelight ca. 3 watts (at worst case 14V). Not exactly high, and more importantly, in each case less than HALF the recommended dissipation for the resistor without any heatsink.


Also, remember that for the most part there is airflow albeit limited when you are moving.

The DRL LED bulbs are from www.v-leds.com , their 60M-SMT bulb.

Wiring not scotch locked - cos if ARSEY thinks LEDs are chav, then even worse is using SLs on a car like this - wires soldered to connectors on lamp holder, and colour matched.

Sorry, didnt mean to offend, as i said its more the r8 and s5 leds that scream look at me. Yours look loads better than oem, I just never use mine as if the lights bad i put er .... well my lights on.
Could someone tell me and this is being serious, when you are supposed to use drls? Is it mainly some eu thing?

[rjkflyer]

None taken mate. Having had A5s and and R8 in the protracted period my RS4 was off of the road having DRC repair, i do tend to agree that the 'string' LEDs may be a bit of a 'fashion'. The DRLs are much better.

Re your Q: "On the advice of the UNECE forum for technical vehicle regulation harmonization, the European Commission is reported to have decided in favour of legislating for permanent daylight running lights on cars, switched on with the ignition, from 2010".

Do you NEED them now - no, but they do by all accounts increase vehicle visibility, despite their modest power. All i can add is that the bright white ones seem to be even more so. Perhaps they look slightly blue at a glance...

Also, with auto lights, the switch from DRLs to headlights happens for you anyway according to ambient light level.

[drcarrera]

Ever since I had some t****r remodel the side of my car with his Nissan I tend to leave my DRLs on now, just for that bit of extra visibility.

[rs4v8]

B*£&ard!!! Just changed the DRLs and one of the sides to LED. Dropped the other side inside the headlamp housing though!

Gonna have to remove the headlamp tomorrow to shake it out as I've just spent the last hour trying to get the wee devil out but only succeeded in driving it deeper inside!

Looks so much better than dim yellow though.

[Andyuk911]

LOL ... read this

http://www.tyresmoke.net/forum/audi-rs/ ... ost1226024

[rs4v8]

Ha Ha! No way!

At least your's went behind the glass, mine's right down inside the guts of the black plastic rear. Completely blind (as well as stupid!).

Might borrow your patent for the sticky pokey device though!

[sandymat101]

What LED's did you get for the side lights?

[rs4v8]

You should have pm with the details.