The ever-popular LED add on lighting...

[Ishkabibble]

Something I saw in a recent PM got me to thinking.

Recently, I was given four little strips of amber LED lights (they each have three LEDs in them, and are only about an inch and a half long).

Like these:

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Along with a bunch of other people, I've often thought of swapping bulbs out to make the incandescents into LEDs, but I can't get a straight answer from either of the local Honda dealers about which relay I'm supposed to use, and nobody at the Advance Auto or O'Reilly's parts places has any idea which relay I should use to stop hyperflash. In fact, one of the Honda dealers kept trying to tell me that they'd never heard of such a thing as hyperflash, and that I should just get another stock relay that's just like the one I already have. I know that won't fly.

Anyway, I had the idea of possibly adding in these little strips onto the body panels as additional turn signal lights. If I just add LEDs to the existing circuit, as in tapping into the existing signal wires, that shouldn't cause the existing lights to go into hyperflash, should it? I'm not replacing the stock incandescents with LEDs, so the resistance won't change in those bulbs. I'm just adding in extra low-power lights. That shouldn't change much in the circuit, should it?

I'm thinking of encasing them in transparent shrink tubing, and using double-sided tape to just stick them onto a body panel.

Anyone have any comments or suggestions?

I don't really want to have to take everything apart just to find out that it won't work the way I think it will, so has anyone done this or anything like this?

[homie]

I haven't had the need to do this on my 15 but if you know where the flasher is located and you can get to it you will have a couple choices. Maybe someone knows how much trouble it is to find the flasher on your 2012 PCX model.

One option is to open a sealed flasher and clip a prong off the chip inside, reseal the unit and you are good to go with LED's. That second prong you see in orientation to the stamp on the unit. This is silly but people are thrifty and clever and it works with standard flashers and LED's. It will slow the rate of flash to normal every time.

I just went to a local auto parts store and bought the Ep36 flasher (it must say 3-6 led lamps on it). Then I swapped out incandescent turn signals to LED's on a (street bike) again no experience with this on a PCX sorry.

I recommend you buy the Ep36 (maybe 3 bucks) find your flasher (should be accessible) but wait for more opinions.

[Mel46]

I have LED lights all over my bike, including the turn signals. These are added lights, not replacements. The ones I have on the back turn signals blink opposite of the normal turn signal bulbs, so when the normal bulbs are on, they are off. When the normal bulbs go to off, the LED lights go to on. Since I use the LED lights as side turn signal lights (because there is no way for drivers on your left or right to see your turn signal.)
I also have a lot of red LED lights on the tail area, some stay on all the time, and so etching just come on when the brake is pressed.
It should not be difficult to add LED lights to either the normal lighting or the turn signals.

[homie]

Mel you must look like an emergency vehicle at every intersection

[honkerman]

The turn signal relay is designed to handle a certain number of loads (bulbs). This is why if you remove a load, like when one of the bulbs blows, the other two lights on the circuit blink faster. If you add another load, they will blink more slowly. Changing your blink rate may impact the scoot's ability to pass inspection when the time comes (I know it will here in PA).

A new relay, tuned to handle more lights, or a second relay for the new lights, would be your best option.

[Ishkabibble]

Hmmm.... We don't do inspections down here in Georgia, and fiddling with a relay is not going to happen in the lair. I simply am too ignorant of those things to even bother to try to open one, knowing that the end result would be the destruction of a perfectly good relay. ....

That's why I was hoping to know exactly which one to get to replace the stock one, that would be appropriate for four led signals to replace the stock incandescent ones, two sets of add-on signals for the backs of the mirrors, and those four little strips on the bodywork. I suppose I'll have to look up what the voltage, amperage, current draw, operating temperature, color temperature, hair color, eye prescription, and other specifications are, and add them up, divide by 78 (the total number of LED chips used - 12 in each signal, 9 in each mirror, and 3 in each strip, for a total of 78) so that I can have some number that doesn't mean anything to me, but sounds really good.

Seriously, I've been trying to read up on electrical things, but there's so much information that doesn't mean anything to me, so it's difficult to be sure if I am understanding what I'm reading.

I still haven't found anyone local to me who is an electronics-type, who can talk me through what I am wanting to do. I feel like if I have someone who gets it, they'll be able to explain to me what I don't know, and keep me from ^%#!&-ing something up...

So far, my plan to add lights doesn't seem to be a plan that will create more problems than it solves.

Oh, and I also won an auction for two sets of LED running lights that I'm going to replace the stock reflectors with. Talked to a motorcycle cop today, and he said that as long as they didn't strobe, and weren't blue, I could put anything on it I wanted, and it would be fine. Even the blinking brake light. The four blinks and then steady is just fine. Yay.