Learn Me: Eliminate Hyperblink

Just put LED tail light bulbs in the ZX2 and am experiencing hyperblink.

Hyperblink is there too tell you a blinker bulb is malfunctioning and makes the lights blink quicker. The vehicle detects the malfunction by determining whether or not the returning resistance is correct. By swapping regular bulbs for LED bulbs, you are drastically dropping the resistance. This can be overcome by inserting a resistor.

Does know the exact specs for fixing a 98 escort's hyperblink? If not, I'll find out and post a how-to here.

http://www.ledlight.com/electronic-led-flasher-ep29.aspx

Twenty bucks? No offence, but berkeley that. Id rather modify my harness, and thats the goal. Spend as little as possib Thanks though. That may help someone else out.

That was what I thought of when I read the thread, I have heard of adding resistors but have no experience with it.

Ohm out a regular bulb, insert resistor of similar rating
???,
profit!

Strizzo wrote: Ohm out a regular bulb, insert resistor of similar rating ???, profit!

Thats what I'm thinking, but I've seen contradicting diagrams. Probably just an in line harness mood, but I'll find a good source before I berkeley it up.

you might want to double check this is the correct one for your car

http://shop.advanceautoparts.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_electronic-turn-signal-flasher-tridon-(novita-tech-inc)_5060003-p

search Google for advance auto coupon codes

I should preface this with I'm not an electrical engineer and this probably wont work:

If you know how many watts the previous bulb was and how many the new LED ones consume, use P=V^2/R.

Autozone says the replacement bulb is 28.5 watts at 12.8 volts

How many watts are the LED assemblies? 2 watts? 3 watts?

I would say a ~6 ohm 25 watt resistor in parallel with the LED light would do it. Something like this

Just so you know this is no smart feature. The load of the bulbs determines how fast the thermal flasher will cycle. That LED flasher above replaces the thermal flasher with an electronic one, eliminating the "feature."

Most cars have electronic flashers now, but they have kept the feature because it'll alert the driver to a blown bulb.

My MG still has the original thermal flasher. It's just a little bit inconsistent on when it clicks over, lending a very organic feel to the blinkenlights as it goes on..off......on....off.on.off.on....off. I had to laugh when we were at the Le Mans Classic and one of the old high-dollar race cars was doing the exact same thing.

If you use resistors, keep in mind they're going to get a little on the warm side.

GameboyRMH wrote: Just so you know this is no smart feature. The load of the bulbs determines how fast the thermal flasher will cycle. That LED flasher above replaces the thermal flasher with an electronic one, eliminating the "feature."

I'm aware of that. I'm always making sure all my lights are working. I'm in no hurry. I'll study a little and post here when I go thorough with it. Thanks.

A "load balancer" is simply a resistor that you wire across the two terminals of a bulb that blink.

However, it must be a low enough impedance to fool the flasher into thinking there is a filament there. Based on ohm's law, low impedance equals high current and thus high power draw. High power draw directly equates to heat.

What I'm getting at is that you need to make sure you get a resistor that is physically large enough to be rated to handle the wattage. Most auto parts stores sell load balancers that are resistors of the correct wattage.

Any comments on my suggestion above? I've convinced myself that the 6 ohm 25 watt resistor in series would do it. I suppose it could be a 30 watt resistor to be sure but... the 25 watt one is $1.09.

If I recall correctly:

Watts = volts * amps

Therefore if your led is lower wattage it has higher resistance.

So Sky and Ross ( in his first post) had the right area about putting it in parallel with the bulb to lower the resistance. That makes the calculation a little more complicated, but readily available online ( iPhone doesn't do well with math formulas).

But is your time to modify the harness really worth less that the $20 for the flasher? Especially after buying the bulbs?

Some bad info in this thread; LED's operate in breakdown, like all normal diodes. Very low effective resistance once operating breakdown voltage is reached. Putting a resistor in parallel with an LED isn't going to do very much, it needs to be in series, or you'll have no normal current limiting.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LED_circuit

You know what I'd do? Buy a finished package blinker made to deal with this and move on to a more fun project.

I'll admit my ignorance on LED lights. and take my punishment for bad info...

I would rip open the blinker module, find the bi metal contact and solder it.

In reply to Giant Purple Snorklewacker:

Not saying you're wrong, but what's that do exactly?

I would imagine that by the time the ZX2 was built, blinker cams were probably solid state, yes?

In reply to pres589:

So you'd expect that the product doesn't have the current limited resistor built into it? I'd figure that since the LEDs work (I assume), you wouldn't need anything else in terms of the LED circuit, more about the flasher module and its needs. (I'm really trying to understand and not trying to be argumentative. )

In reply to RossD:

I think the operating resistance of these new LED bulbs is different from the operating resistance the current blinker cam is designed for and this is the result. I would try a product like what Evan B already linked to and go from there.

If it was just an LED out of a bulk package, that would be different, this isn't like that.

berkeley it. I'll just buy the kit. Hydroplaned into a wall this morning and berkeleyed up the front plastics. I've got more to worry about now.

jstand wrote: If I recall correctly: Watts = volts * amps Therefore if your led is lower wattage it has higher resistance. So Sky and Ross ( in his first post) had the right area about putting it in parallel with the bulb to lower the resistance. That makes the calculation a little more complicated, but readily available online ( iPhone doesn't do well with math formulas). But is your time to modify the harness really worth less that the $20 for the flasher? Especially after buying the bulbs?

No. Resistors are rated in ohms (the resistance) and a wattage they can safely handle.

So, a 5 ohm resistor rated at 5 watts can safely handle 5 watts of heat dissipation. A 5 ohm resistor rated at 25 watts can safely handle 25 watts of heat dissipation.

You must select a resistor of the correct resistance and a high enough wattage to handle the current you're putting through it.

As for wiring the resistor in series, this is correct in some applications, but not this one. The LED bulbs are designed for use in 12-Volt systems. You're not trying to limit the current going to the LED, which is what you're doing if wiring in series. Instead, you're trying to match the impedance that the blinker circuit "sees." That's why you wire the resistor in parallel--to make the blinker circuit "think" there's still a bulb there.

N Sperlo wrote: berkeley it. I'll just buy the kit. Hydroplaned into a wall this morning and berkeleyed up the front plastics. I've got more to worry about now.

I hope that you are ok. Car can be fixed....

In reply to noddaz:

Merely shaken up. Car doesn't appear to have much damage at all. Front bumper cover busted in a few places and the bumper may be bent slightly.

Good to hear... back to the blinker problem...