LED question for all XJ Xpertz!

[MAXIMAN]

Okay all you XJ gurus...I just installed LED bulbs in my tail/brake light for power savings. They work perfectly...XSept!!

I am getting a "tail light" warning in my pilot box.

The way we solve this with the battery sensor is via 2K ohm resistor in the sensor line to fool the alert.

Does anyone know how to "fool" the tail light alert? I assume we'd use a in line resistor like on the battery level alert...no? ANy guesses on what resistance to use?

Thanks

Cg

[DiverRay]

Cody, If you put in a resistor, you will be pulling more amps through the line. The easy way is remove the bulb from the idiot light! JMHO

[MAXIMAN]

Ray

There is no "bulb" per se on the Maxim. There is an LCD that says "tail" on the pilot box.

[red bandit]

Smash it with a hammer!

[xschop]

solution.....

Ignore it!.....Seriously, there is probably an IC circuit that reads a resistance value or voltage when a bulb goes out. Since there is no bulb/resistance (minutely detectable) with the new L.E.D.s the idiot light will always be on. If you are that ate up about it, get inside the box and desolder the lcd....I like the first soln. myself

[MAXIMAN]

Hehehe...Chop I think I like Red's solution better.

In my shop there is a roll around tool chest. All the drawers are labeled...metric...sae...screw drivers/chisels...etc. The bottom drawer is labeled "LAST RESORT".


.....................It's full of HAMMERS!

I'll figure out how to trick it some how. One of the things I love about the Maxim is the slick pilot box and LCD fuel gauge.

Thanks

Cg

[Just In Case]

If the warning is on all the time, the circuit is looking for an earth through the bulb. A resistor across the tail light fitting to earth (a 100 ohm one will result in a current of 0.12A when the brakes are on) could fool it. Or find where the sensor circuit taps into the brake light circuit, disconnect it and earth it using a resistor that matches the bulbs cold resistance.

Dave

[jms]

or just use a regular bulb and accept the fact that it won't work. Although if you do figure it out let us know

[MAXIMAN]

Just in

Thanks I'll try to find where the sensor taps in. I've already put several combinations of resistors in the line to earth. The cold R of the filament bulbs on the tail light are 2.8 ohms. The brake light is .9 ohms. I tried putting a 3 ohm resistor in the taillight leg of the wiring to no avail. I also tried 2, 5 10 30 and 40 ohm res...with no luck

It's strange when two LED bulbs are installed I get a tail light alert but no brake light alert...and there IS a brake light sensor.

For the time being I have found this out...the tail/brake light has two (2) bulbs. I only get the alert when both bulbs have been replaced with LED bulbs. But if I leave one filament and one LED in the sockets there is no subsequent alert light.

So I guess halfing the energy requirement is better than no savings at all.

[DiverRay]

Maximan,
Just a thought, as I'm at work and don't have a book handy....
If you wire the "tail light" side of the sense line to the brown ignition/battery on the harness, will that work? I know the wire diagram does NOT tell you anything about the "boxes" it connects to, but it might tell you if the signal should be "hot" or ground. I'll try and look it up later tonight, once I'm back home, and let you know what I find.

[Hammerhead1st]

Threw some LED Markers up front on either side of the headlight thinking they'd be nifty turn signals. TIll they didnt draw enough amperage to run the flasher unit!

Installed the old marker/turn lights down on the engine protection bars and wired em up. BINGO...had to draw more aps through the flasher to make it work. BUt it works great and looks very nice now...

More amps=no idiot lights...draw amperage through the sensor circuit, however you have to do that

[84xj1100]

I had looked at putting LED's in my tail light a while ago and didn't get any "feedback" from the box - don't know why you would be.

What I would caution you on however is that I found that the licence plate won't be illuminated very well and the effectiveness/brightness of the LED's is less than a that of a standard bulb because the bikes reflector doesn't recieve as much light. Something you may want to consider if you want to be seen from the rear.

[MAXIMAN]

Ed

Thanks for the tip. But the back side of Zilla looks like a Christmas tree so being seen isn't a problem.

Last year I installed a Vetter trunk and performed minor surgery on it with Ray's cool LED mod. So in addition to the stock brake light I have two large LEDS tail/brake lights mounted in the Vetter trunk. Then add two LED running lights (amber) on the back of the bags and I am easily seen for a couple miles from the rear...the angle Ultra-Glides usually have of Zilla.