1984 FJ1100; LED turn signals; Where to put the resistor?

[Pat Conlon]

Hello good folks,

I've had a set of LED turn signals (hereafter referred to as "flashers") kicking around the shop for awhile and I thought I would try them out. I know with LED flashers you need to also get the resistor unit and add it to the wiring, so the flasher relay can sense the lower current draw from the LEDs. If you don't, you will get a quick flash like you get when one flasher bulb is burned out.

I also have the resistor unit to install but there are no directions on the package.

I have the fairing off the bike now and I see 9 wires going into the flasher relay with the black (ground) wire in the middle between 2 plugs, each with 4 wires (i.e for a total of nine wires going into the relay)

I see that I have only 2 wires on the resistor unit, so I'm assuming that cut and splice the resistor unit on the ground wire.

Sounds logical to me that the resistor unit would add the correct amount of resistance to the ground circuit thus fooling the relay. If it does not get installed on the ground wire I have no idea where....

Am I correct?  TIA

[ren-dog]

I would have thought you needed a higher current draw to simulate conventional bulbs?
To do this I would connect the resistor in parallel with the LED's,
i.e. between the flasher can/relay output and earth.
Better stop thinking now ...  it hurts 

[rktmanfj]

Just use a solid state flasher.  No resistor should be needed.     

http://www.bikerhiway.com/universal-turn-signal-flasher-relay-p-294.html

Randy T
Indy

[FeralJuggernaut]

Would the faster flash rate be a bad thing?    I would think the LEDs could handle the increased rate better than an incandescent in a longevity sense.   Better get an LED for the dash too however!     

[the fan]

I replaced the factory flasher on my YZF with one similar to this:
http://www.cyclegear.com/spgm.cfm?L1=&L2=&L3=&L4=&item=MRX_FRH1_G

I don't remember where I purchased it but it was a direct plug in for the stock item in my wiring harness. I see that Cycle gear only carries the universal one, mine was Yamaha specific.

Looks like it is marked as a Rumble Concepts part. Part number RU35958.

[Pat Conlon]

Thanks Randy but no thanks. There's alot of things going on with the '84's flasher relay, like interface with the odometer for distance cut off.

Just use a solid state flasher.  No resistor should be needed.     

http://www.bikerhiway.com/universal-turn-signal-flasher-relay-p-294.html

Randy T
Indy

[Pat Conlon]

Yea, that's the idea, fooling the oem flasher relay to think conventional incandescent bulbs are installed.
That's why (I think) adding the resistor unit to ground would work. There's only one ground for the flasher relay and it serves both left and right side flashers. If this resistor unit does not go on the ground then perhaps I need 2 resistor units, one for the left and one for the right side flashers.

I would have thought you needed a higher current draw to simulate conventional bulbs?
To do this I would connect the resistor in parallel with the LED's,
i.e. between the flasher can/relay output and earth.
Better stop thinking now ...  it hurts  

<Edit> Yea, upon further investigation, it appears that I will need 2 resistor units, one for each side.
http://www.customled.com/products/load_equalizer/load_equalizer.htm

[Pat Conlon]

That's like the unit I have. I see that the plug is not compatable with anything on the FJ, so I have to cut and splice, I just wonder where it goes in the circuit....?

I replaced the factory flasher on my YZF with one similar to this:
http://www.cyclegear.com/spgm.cfm?L1=&L2=&L3=&L4=&item=MRX_FRH1_G

I don't remember where I purchased it but it was a direct plug in for the stock item in my wiring harness. I see that Cycle gear only carries the universal one, mine was Yamaha specific.

Looks like it is marked as a Rumble Concepts part. Part number RU35958.

[Mark Olson]

Pat ,

sounds like you  got it figured out , 2 resistors required , 1 for each light wired in parallel with the bulb.

there are led bulbs available that drop into the existing turn signal fixture and have built in resistors so you don't have to rewire anything.

[Pat Conlon]

Yea, I already have the Shock Racing Minni's, so I wanted to try them out. They blink fast.
I did not want to use led's in the oem shoe boxes. Talk about fugly.
It's raining today in the desert and I'm bored....Oh well, this experiment will have to wait for another day.

How many day's until the WCR?

Pat ,

sounds like you  got it figured out , 2 resistors required , 1 for each light wired in parallel with the bulb.

there are led bulbs available that drop into the existing turn signal fixture and have built in resistors so you don't have to rewire anything.

[Marsh White]

How many day's until the WCR?

82 Days!

[LA Mike]

How many day's until the WCR?

82 Days!

NO... that's not soon enough!

[SlowOldGuy]

I would think you would wire them in serially to make the resistor pack work.  Am I remembering parallel/serial  resistors backwards?  In parallel you get less resistance than the smallest resistor?

(R1*R2)/R1+R2)  Or is that upside-down? Two 4-ohm resistors in parallel only give you 2 ohms? 

DavidR.

[rktmanfj]

I would think you would wire them in serially to make the resistor pack work.  Am I remembering parallel/serial  resistors backwards?  In parallel you get less resistance than the smallest resistor?

(R1*R2)/R1+R2)  Or is that upside-down? Two 4-ohm resistors in parallel only give you 2 ohms? 

DavidR.

Yes.

Handy calculator here:

http://www.sengpielaudio.com/calculator-paralresist.htm

Randy T
Indy

[ren-dog]

I would think you would wire them in serially to make the resistor pack work.  Am I remembering parallel/serial  resistors backwards?  In parallel you get less resistance than the smallest resistor?

(R1*R2)/R1+R2)  Or is that upside-down? Two 4-ohm resistors in parallel only give you 2 ohms? 

Yes resistors wired in parallel have to be bigger, both in resistance (ohms) and power (watts).
If the resistors are placed in series the LED's will not get full battery voltage, thereby reducing their brightness.
Cheers