LED Headlights randomly going out

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rmel
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Re: LED Headlights randomly going out

Post by rmel »

Interesting! The spec says operating range is 9V to 33V.

One thing to try is get a Multi-meter on the 24V and see
what that output is at higher RPM, should be in the ballpark
of 28V. You could also try knocking the voltage down with
a diode or two in series with the 24V feed on one light and
see if that light then holds up longer than the other. Each diode
will take you down about .8V or so, pick a ~4A diode. This might
be enough to prove it's a voltage sensitivity. You may have a
defective pair of lights -- not impossible they got a run with one
or more incorrect parts stuffed on the converter board :(

Maybe scream foul anyway and get two replacements, maybe
they fess up and admit there was an issue :wink:

ron
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Jimm391730
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Re: LED Headlights randomly going out

Post by Jimm391730 »

You really need to measure the voltage to know! Do you have a meter, and have you made the measurement? You do not have to measure the voltage at the LEDs themselves; I would suggest that you:

1) check the voltage at the batteries with ~2,000 rpm, or
2) monitor the voltage at the connector behind the passenger seat or any other location you feel is more convenient while driving.

Harbor Freight has digital multimeters for as little as $6, almost a throw-away. Set it to Volts DC, at a scale above 30 volts (probably will be the 200V scale) and report what you get. I have seen a Pinz that had the voltage regulator go bad, the batteries were almost boiled dry and were pushed to 34-36 volts IIRC. Funny thing was that the hot battery acid smelt GOOD, like good food (many aromas are due to acidic compounds!) and at first we thought someone had played a joke and had stuffed food from dinner the night before somewhere that it would get hot until we opened the battery compartment and realized the true reason for the smell. While the regulator is fairly cheap (~$30-40), both batteries needed to be replaced as they were cooked beyond trusting any further. Another good example of how a dash mounted voltmeter would have saved hundreds of dollars if the problem had been caught sooner.
Jim M.
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EmbarkChief
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Re: LED Headlights randomly going out

Post by EmbarkChief »

These are really good suggestions. I will not get to this until the Christmas Holiday but I will post what I find when I find it.
-1972 710M
bikmakr
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Re: LED Headlights randomly going out

Post by bikmakr »

I had one of the older style LED fail intermittently. Since they are sealed enclosures, I couldn't open them up and find out.

I eventually replaced it and it works fine. I'm inclined to believe there were some manufacturing issues that lead to premature failure.
EmbarkChief
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Re: LED Headlights randomly going out

Post by EmbarkChief »

Posting to update this old thread with the solution. It was the voltage regulator. It was replaced last winter and I have not had an issue since.
-1972 710M
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