LED Indicator Bulb - just one

hh93 · 11-09-2018, 06:59 AM

Hi,

I seem to live in a place where cars are increasingly bike blind !

I decided to fit LED Bulbs all round to increase the visibility a bit: Indicators, rear/brake and City Light.

All goes well apart from one front indicator which wont accept a LED Bulb. I tried swapping over and the same bulb work in the other three indicators but no LED Bulb will work in this particular one. All the other working bulbs wont work in this one either - very strange.

Anyone come across this before ???

Monster 620ie Dark.

regards
H

wie

Darkness · 11-09-2018, 08:42 AM

So that would seem to establish that it isn’t a problem with the bulb itself.

What is different with the indicator unit? Is the neutral/ earth the same shape?

11-09-2018, 08:42 AM

That indicator is wired the wrong way round, + and - are mixed up. Will not affect a normal bulb, but an LED is polarity dependant.

buzzbomb · 11-09-2018, 08:55 AM

As BobT above states, it's quite common.

utopia · 11-09-2018, 01:14 PM

Yep, I would agree.
And so, since your question is answered, perhaps you'll forgive a slight digression ....

I'm wondering which type of led bulb you fitted and whether or not you found an improvement in brightness.
The reason I ask is that I fitted some led bulbs to some monster indicators but I found the result to be less bright than the std, incandescent bulbs.
The ones I fitted were the older type with a cluster of 9 leds which look like little glass blobs mounted on a flat surface.
Like this ...https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/X-2-1156-...item1eae096998
These leds all face forward and my theory is that because of this they don't direct any of their light onto the original reflector but instead shoot it straight out of the lens.
This results in a small spot of light in the centre of the lens but very little else, such that the lens is no longer full of light across its whole surface area.
Thus the indicator appears less obvious when it flashes than it did with the original bulbs.

I also have an led rear light unit but, although this also uses the old style "blob" leds, it uses a massive array of 60 or 70 of them mounted on a flat plate which covers the full area of the rear light lens.
They still face forward (ie rearward in this case) rather than bouncing their light off the reflector but as they cover the full area of the lens. this set-up is super-bright and is a significant improvement over the std rear light.

My next move on the indicators will possibly be to try some of the newer type led bulbs which have their diodes mounted on a projection from the base such that some face forward but most face sideways, thus projecting their light onto the reflector, from whence it can fill the full area of the indicator lens.
For example, like this.....https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2x-1156-B...item25f7b97588
My only concern here would be that the bulbs need to be squat enough to fit behind the lens.

I would be interested in your findings and also those of other members who have experimented in this area.

And finally, just in case you didn't already know, the flash rate will be faster with leds and you'll need to add resistors to slow them down or fit an led-dedicated replacement flasher unit.

Mossleymonster · 11-09-2018, 01:40 PM

Just out of interest on the indicator front... https://www.aliexpress.com/item/Flow...ceBeautifyAB=0

https://cloud.video.taobao.com/play/...0161332622.mp4

4 indicators £10.28 inc delivery.

11-09-2018, 02:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mossleymonster

Just out of interest on the indicator front... https://www.aliexpress.com/item/Flow...ceBeautifyAB=0

https://cloud.video.taobao.com/play/...0161332622.mp4

4 indicators £10.28 inc delivery.

I have a pair of those on the rear of my Supersport, they are great fun. Have a look at my blog and there is a video of them working. https://wp.me/p5xJlR-91

utopia · 15-09-2018, 05:29 PM

Well, I've answered my own question by fitting some of the leds bulbs which project their light sideways as well as forwards.
And the answer is ... yes, these work much better in illuminating the whole of the lens.
The new bulbs I tried were the amber ones that I listed earlier, namely these .....
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2x-1156-B...item25f7b97588
They have 13, SMD type, leds per bulb, with 6 of them facing forwards and 7 facing sideways.

While I was at it, I also ordered a couple of higher power bulbs with 50 SMD type leds per bulb.
These are only available in white (as far as I can tell) and I'd prefer amber ideally but the extra brightness might more than compensate for that.
At only £1.56 per pair its worth a shot anyway .. I just need to wait for delivery from China.
These ones ...
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1156-BA15...72.m2749.l2649
These have 22 leds facing forwards and 28 facing sideways.
When they arrive I'll report on their comparative performance too.
At that point I might as well start a new thread on the subject, but I'll update here also.

Note that the indicators in question are the older, squarer type of early monster indicators, not the more rounded ones .. though I imagine both would function in a similar fashion.

hh93 · 27-09-2018, 09:01 PM

Hello and apologies for not replying sooner, I was out on the monster enjoying the last of the good weather and avoided the www entirely.

I'm told the LED Indicator was brighter than the incandescent one still fitted when my partner was watching in his mirrors.

I bought the LEDs from http://www.vehicle-wiring-products.eu/

I did slave in a 916 indicator internals and the LED worked fine - so going to have another check when i get the time.

regards
H

hh93 · 29-09-2018, 01:05 PM

Hi again,
yes indeed, wrong polarity - swapped over the Bullet connectors to that indicator and an LED Bulb works now.
Just need to find the fourth LED Bulb !!!

11-09-2018, 06:59 AM	#1
hh93 Member Join Date: Jul 2018 Location: Lincoln Bike: M620ie Posts: 116	LED Indicator Bulb - just one Hi, I seem to live in a place where cars are increasingly bike blind ! I decided to fit LED Bulbs all round to increase the visibility a bit: Indicators, rear/brake and City Light. All goes well apart from one front indicator which wont accept a LED Bulb. I tried swapping over and the same bulb work in the other three indicators but no LED Bulb will work in this particular one. All the other working bulbs wont work in this one either - very strange. Anyone come across this before ??? Monster 620ie Dark. regards Hwie

11-09-2018, 08:42 AM	#2
Darkness . Join Date: May 2007 Location: Stockbridge Bike: M900 Posts: 1,984	So that would seem to establish that it isn’t a problem with the bulb itself. What is different with the indicator unit? Is the neutral/ earth the same shape? __________________ Original and Best since 1993

11-09-2018, 01:40 PM	#6
Mossleymonster Registered User Join Date: Nov 2017 Location: Barnsley Bike: M1100s Posts: 238	Just out of interest on the indicator front... https://www.aliexpress.com/item/Flow...ceBeautifyAB=0 https://cloud.video.taobao.com/play/...0161332622.mp4 4 indicators £10.28 inc delivery. __________________ Always remember. Your home is at risk if you set fire to it. Last edited by Mossleymonster; 11-09-2018 at 02:20 PM..

11-09-2018, 08:42 AM	#3
BobT Guest Posts: n/a	That indicator is wired the wrong way round, + and - are mixed up. Will not affect a normal bulb, but an LED is polarity dependant.

11-09-2018, 08:55 AM	#4
buzzbomb Gold Member Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: widnes Bike: M1100s Posts: 780	As BobT above states, it's quite common.

11-09-2018, 01:14 PM	#5
utopia No turn left unstoned Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: leicester Bike: M750 Posts: 4,545	Yep, I would agree. And so, since your question is answered, perhaps you'll forgive a slight digression .... I'm wondering which type of led bulb you fitted and whether or not you found an improvement in brightness. The reason I ask is that I fitted some led bulbs to some monster indicators but I found the result to be less bright than the std, incandescent bulbs. The ones I fitted were the older type with a cluster of 9 leds which look like little glass blobs mounted on a flat surface. Like this ...https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/X-2-1156-...item1eae096998 These leds all face forward and my theory is that because of this they don't direct any of their light onto the original reflector but instead shoot it straight out of the lens. This results in a small spot of light in the centre of the lens but very little else, such that the lens is no longer full of light across its whole surface area. Thus the indicator appears less obvious when it flashes than it did with the original bulbs. I also have an led rear light unit but, although this also uses the old style "blob" leds, it uses a massive array of 60 or 70 of them mounted on a flat plate which covers the full area of the rear light lens. They still face forward (ie rearward in this case) rather than bouncing their light off the reflector but as they cover the full area of the lens. this set-up is super-bright and is a significant improvement over the std rear light. My next move on the indicators will possibly be to try some of the newer type led bulbs which have their diodes mounted on a projection from the base such that some face forward but most face sideways, thus projecting their light onto the reflector, from whence it can fill the full area of the indicator lens. For example, like this.....https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2x-1156-B...item25f7b97588 My only concern here would be that the bulbs need to be squat enough to fit behind the lens. I would be interested in your findings and also those of other members who have experimented in this area. And finally, just in case you didn't already know, the flash rate will be faster with leds and you'll need to add resistors to slow them down or fit an led-dedicated replacement flasher unit.

15-09-2018, 05:29 PM	#8
utopia No turn left unstoned Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: leicester Bike: M750 Posts: 4,545	Well, I've answered my own question by fitting some of the leds bulbs which project their light sideways as well as forwards. And the answer is ... yes, these work much better in illuminating the whole of the lens. The new bulbs I tried were the amber ones that I listed earlier, namely these ..... https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2x-1156-B...item25f7b97588 They have 13, SMD type, leds per bulb, with 6 of them facing forwards and 7 facing sideways. While I was at it, I also ordered a couple of higher power bulbs with 50 SMD type leds per bulb. These are only available in white (as far as I can tell) and I'd prefer amber ideally but the extra brightness might more than compensate for that. At only £1.56 per pair its worth a shot anyway .. I just need to wait for delivery from China. These ones ... https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1156-BA15...72.m2749.l2649 These have 22 leds facing forwards and 28 facing sideways. When they arrive I'll report on their comparative performance too. At that point I might as well start a new thread on the subject, but I'll update here also. Note that the indicators in question are the older, squarer type of early monster indicators, not the more rounded ones .. though I imagine both would function in a similar fashion.

27-09-2018, 09:01 PM	#9
hh93 Member Join Date: Jul 2018 Location: Lincoln Bike: M620ie Posts: 116	Hello and apologies for not replying sooner, I was out on the monster enjoying the last of the good weather and avoided the www entirely. I'm told the LED Indicator was brighter than the incandescent one still fitted when my partner was watching in his mirrors. I bought the LEDs from http://www.vehicle-wiring-products.eu/ I did slave in a 916 indicator internals and the LED worked fine - so going to have another check when i get the time. regards H

29-09-2018, 01:05 PM	#10
hh93 Member Join Date: Jul 2018 Location: Lincoln Bike: M620ie Posts: 116	Hi again, yes indeed, wrong polarity - swapped over the Bullet connectors to that indicator and an LED Bulb works now. Just need to find the fourth LED Bulb !!!