General LED bulb, will it need a resistor or not?

[ZXS]

hi there, im in the process of changing all my bulbs on my grande. i know that i need resistors to change my sidelights to LED's and a few others, but will it be ok to go and change my interior ceiling light to an LED bulb without a resistor? i also wanted LED number plate bulbs and wondered if i needed a resistor for that also. sorry for asking a noob quistion, im fairly new to this :S

 

[Matt Boulton]

hi there, im in the process of changing all my bulbs on my grande. i know that i need resistors to change my sidelights to LED's and a few others, but will it be ok to go and change my interior ceiling light to an LED bulb without a resistor? i also wanted LED number plate bulbs and wondered if i needed a resistor for that also. sorry for asking a noob quistion, im fairly new to this :S

yes as they draw less power than a normal bulb
y not just get mtec sidelights as they look good http://www.hids-direct.co.uk/mtec-m...per-white-501-w5w-bulbs-sidelights-p-369.html

they will all need resistors and just for a note they are all the same fitment

 

[ZXS]

thank you for the help, but according to the manual the interior ceiling light is a C10W bulb, which is different to the sidelights. has anybody tried fitting LED interior lights without a resistor? sorry for being noobish again lol

 

[Matt Boulton]

thank you for the help, but according to the manual the interior ceiling light is a C10W bulb, which is different to the sidelights. has anybody tried fitting LED interior lights without a resistor? sorry for being noobish again lol

maybe im wrong, no ones perfect
i think if it is not a LED in the first place then yes you woud have to
but im not entirely sure what a C10W bulb is like
dw about asking these questions mate
everyone has to learn at some point

 

[ZXS]

okie dokie, thanx for the help anyway. apparently its a festoon bulb that fits, but i heard its either 39mm or 42mm. any help on this would be appreciated

 

[a_shippen]

Coming from an electronic stand point, if you are replacing any filament bulb with an LED you will have to use a resistor FULL STOP.

the only caveat to this is if the LED bulb has a small resistor somewhere in front (or behind) the diode. This resistor does limit current, not only because of the extra power required for the filament but because it stops what is called the forward break down current from occurring within the diode itself. if you like the diode can not regulate its own current and tries to take too much and therefore burns itself out; the resistor stops this from happening.

Obviously the resistor limits current (and power) so the smaller the resistor size the brighter the LED, but this must not go over the total current (or power again, as P = I^2*R) specified by the manufacturer of the LED.

 

[ZXS]

WOAAAAAAH!! need a translator now , not a resistor lol. i think i understand what you mean. However im not sure how this relates to the interior bulb, ...and whether i can use one or not. i just want to buy an LED festoon bulb, and fit it to work,...is this possible...has anybody done this? i really appreciate all the help by the way.

 

[a_shippen]

WOAAAAAAH!! need a translator now , not a resistor lol. i think i understand what you mean. However im not sure how this relates to the interior bulb, ...and whether i can use one or not. i just want to buy an LED festoon bulb, and fit it to work,...is this possible...has anybody done this? i really appreciate all the help by the way.

Basically, if you replace a filament bulb add a resistor no matter where it is. If you replace an LED SMD (surface mount device, search on google images and is most likely to be the ones used) or any other LED then do not put in another resistor as they should be already in place in the dash 'wiring'.

However, if all you are doing is replacing a filament bulb with a direct (i.e. same fitting) replacement LED version like you would if you replaced your front room main light with an led bulb then no you wouldn as this is an 'all-in-one' solution and has the resistors already fitted.

but obviously make sure that the 'wattage' of the festoon bulb corresponds to that taken out

 

[ZXS]

ahhhh i understand now, thank you for dumming it down for me lol. i can understand what you mean now. i would just like to ask one more question, seeing as you understand electronics. it says in the handbook that the side indicators are WY5W bulbs......is there a difference between W5W and WY5W? thank you again.

 

[a_shippen]

ahhhh i understand now, thank you for dumming it down for me lol. i can understand what you mean now. i would just like to ask one more question, seeing as you understand electronics. it says in the handbook that the side indicators are WY5W bulbs......is there a difference between W5W and WY5W? thank you again.

Its not really an electronics question to be honest, its a matter of branding and serial standards.

However, I think that the only difference between the two is that the Y is halogen. I could be wrong though.

 

[ZXS]

Thanx for the help. now i can go ahead and fit all my bulbs with confidence. anybody reading this thread must be thinking....nooob lol

 

[Mayatt]

i got LED sidelights will find an ebay link in a mo, but working fine, have a dash warning light so not completely error free however look awesome, also had LED interior ceiling light for about 2 yrs no problem.

link: http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=160528897108&ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT

no problems with staying on when lights turned off or flickering, but does have a warning. i'll also get a pic when able to

 

[ZXS]

sweeet,...those LED's look alright actually. so you fitted an LED to interior and no resistor was needed. pics would be much appreciated thanx!

 

[Ffoxy]

sweeet,...those LED's look alright actually. so you fitted an LED to interior and no resistor was needed. pics would be much appreciated thanx!

As the resistors are fitted to fool the ECU into thinking the correct bulb is fitted (check of resistance) and only the external bulbs (excluding headlamps) are linked into the bulb failure system, you may get away with the interior lamp replacement with no resistor.
Either way just measure the resistance of the standard bulb you are replacing and add a suitable similar resistance resistor... be sure of the Wattage requirement though to prevent the resistor burning up....

 

[Mayatt]

interior,

sorry didnt get one of the actual bulbs was cleaning car all day and was too dark by the time remembered,

front sidelights,

 

[ZXS]

Wow, thanx alot for taking pics for me. Those bulbs look amazing in your GP!! i wish i bought LED'S now lol,...i bought some super bright white ones, and also some green 501's lol. your bulbs look awsome tho, makes me want some lol. lovely car too m8

 

[ZXS]

just an update , ive changed all my bulbs on my grande, none of them are LED's but i think they work quite well. any feedback would be great, thanx to those guys that helped!...sorry again for the terrible photoshop job on the number plate,...privacy and all that lol. normally good at photoshop, just cba lol. bulbs changed, include green/white number plate, green interior boot, green interior reading lamp, Osram nightbreaker plus headlight, green sidelights, philips silver vision indicators.

 

[ZXS]

argh, the pics didnt upload ...dunno what went wrong...here u go lol...

 

[ZXS]

getting bored of the green already lol, plus its abit chavy, might change to pure white all round...

 

[Alkis7]

can someone tell me the dashboard error goes off only with a 5 watt load?
if i put 4 watt load does anyone knows if goes off?
grande punto 07''