Lektrickary problems

[boomer]

I've gone back to havin the tail tidy on the bike which has the aftermarket leds for indictors. i've wired it all up, again, and they work fine; just back from a 10 minute trip on the waterfront and the whatthemacallit device that stops the indicators flashing too fast is smouldering. Hot Hot Hot as the little old lady at the chinese food mall likes to say.

The plastic on this 'device' has got so hot its melting... ANY IDEAS guys?

please.. no one ask me what voltage or to try an amp meter or any other teknimological stuff... cos i only just know my ass from my elbow .. i need answers


churr churr..

[Karma]

Well I'm not that hot on electrics eh... umm...

Anything changed since the last time you used the tail tidy? New battery or anything? Sounds like it's probably getting more voltage than it can handle so is bleeding some of it off as heat.

[boomer]

Well I'm not that hot on electrics eh... umm...

Anything changed since the last time you used the tail tidy? New battery or anything? Sounds like it's probably getting more voltage than it can handle so is bleeding some of it off as heat.

When i put it on again now, i saw that the 'slowtheflashingdown' unit looked like it had been remorphed .. so it was obviously gettin a tad hot last time too.

ps.. i added some wire to join the main wiring to the wiring on the aftermarket unit, this 'new' wire if 5amps in size if that matters? maybe theres some congestion in the wiring.. so to speak

[Grahameeboy]

You got a new exhaust since so maybe it runs hotter and affects something.......mmmmm I fee fy fo fum I smell the red cheeks of an Englishman....

[Karma]

When i put it on again now, i saw that the 'slowtheflashingdown' unit looked like it had been remorphed .. so it was obviously gettin a tad hot last time too.

ps.. i added some wire to join the main wiring to the wiring on the aftermarket unit, this 'new' wire if 5amps in size if that matters? maybe theres some congestion in the wiring.. so to speak

My guess is that it's trying to step down too much power, so you might wanna look at getting a different (i.e. bigger) one to handle the job.

That's just my laymans opinion mind.

[boomer]

You got a new exhaust since so maybe it runs hotter and affects something.......mmmmm I fee fy fo fum I smell the red cheeks of an Englishman....

i'm daft not stoopid the exhaust was on there last time and the wiring specialunitslowtheflashingdown jobby is no where near the exhaust.. and i definately haven't plugged the yoshi into the mains

[R6_kid:Me]

send sAsLEX a PM and he should be able to help. Putting a resistor in the circuit may help cool it down and take some heat away, but it'll probably also slow the light flashing down again... like i said ask sAsLEX

[Ixion]

OK. Some questions.

1. Do the flashers actually work? All of them? And at the correct flashing speed.
2. Do the other lights all work properly
3. You say it gets hot. Try starting the motor, and run for a while NOT using the flashers at all. Does it get hot ? If not, then turn the flashers on for a bit. Does it get hot now? Do both sides make it get hot? Or just one.
4. Have you double checked you connected all the wires. To the correct other wires. That's good, now check again.

[boomer]

send sAsLEX a PM and he should be able to help. Putting a resistor in the circuit may help cool it down and take some heat away, but it'll probably also slow the light flashing down again... like i said ask sAsLEX

Churr

OK. Some questions.

1. Do the flashers actually work? All of them? And at the correct flashing speed.
Yes sir

2. Do the other lights all work properly
Yes Sir

3. You say it gets hot. Try starting the motor, and run for a while NOT using the flashers at all. Does it get hot ? If not, then turn the flashers on for a bit. Does it get hot now? Do both sides make it get hot? Or just one.
not tried that.. will do

4. Have you double checked you connected all the wires. To the correct other wires. That's good, now check again.
no..to both.. will do

be back soon!!!

[boomer]

OK. Some questions.
part deux;

3. You say it gets hot. Try starting the motor, and run for a while NOT using the flashers at all. Does it get hot ? If not, then turn the flashers on for a bit. Does it get hot now? Do both sides make it get hot? Or just one.
only gets hot when the flashers are turned on and only that flashers wire gets hot.. not both

4. Have you double checked you connected all the wires. To the correct other wires. That's good, now check again.
umm.. now surely, and i may well be wrong here, but they will only connect one way if they're working??

will go check number 4...

[Gremlin]

The resistors are to slow down the flash rate, as LED's draw less current than conventional indicators.

My resistors gets hot when the indicator is used, just figured it was it doing its job, and adding load to the circuit... meh

Just try not having your indicators on permanently... and the coating on my resistors isn't plastic, more ceramic...

sAsLEX might be able to tell you more

[boomer]

The resistors are to slow down the flash rate, as LED's draw less current than conventional indicators.
No shit Sherlock!...Thanks


My resistors gets hot when the indicator is used, just figured it was it doing its job, and adding load to the circuit... meh
You must be the brains of the operation

Just try not having your indicators on permanently... and the coating on my resistors isn't plastic, more ceramic...
i turn 'em of when i've completed the manouver, funnily enough

sAsLEX might be able to tell you more

There MUSt be someone who can help me;

[Ixion]

OK.

So, we've established that it's not justa straight forward short (cos then nothing would work). I gather the flashers flash at the "correct" speed, so the slowemdown box is connected and working.

I also assume that at one time it did all work correctly? The resistors are presumably connected to earth, to increase current draw across the flasher unit. So they will get quite hot. But not so hot as to melt one would imagine. I'm still opining to something plugged in wrong. Or, a faulty earth The flashers themselves will have a very low current draw so they will probably work even if there is a near short.

Some of those slowemdowns are supposed to also have a connection to the taillamp (I think when that is LED too) Does yours?

You mention at one point that the WIRES are getting hot? Do you mean just the wires, or is it the box itself. If it is JUST the wires, it maybe that you need either heavier guage wire, or heat resistant wire.

[boomer]

OK.

So, we've established that it's not justa straight forward short (cos then nothing would work). I gather the flashers flash at the "correct" speed, so the slowemdown box is connected and working.

I also assume that at one time it did all work correctly? The resistors are presumably connected to earth, to increase current draw across the flasher unit. So they will get quite hot. But not so hot as to melt one would imagine. I'm still opining to something plugged in wrong. Or, a faulty earth The flashers themselves will have a very low current draw so they will probably work even if there is a near short.

Some of those slowemdowns are supposed to also have a connection to the taillamp (I think when that is LED too) Does yours?

You mention at one point that the WIRES are getting hot? Do you mean just the wires, or is it the box itself. If it is JUST the wires, it maybe that you need either heavier guage wire, or heat resistant wire.

oooh.. now your talking;

The resistors are wired straight through on the existing wiring, colour coded and matched as per OEM
The wires arent gettin hot, just the resistor..jobby
My tail light is LED but i haven't hooked it up to the tail light as thats ok..standard OEM
As for working correctly once.. the standard lighting did, the tail tidy and attached leds ive just refitted had gotten too hot before as the electicians tape i'd put around it had melted too.

[Ixion]

Hm. So maybe it's ALWAYS gotten hot?

And maybe its not actually a fault per se

Each signal lampp will need about 20 watts of load to simulate a bulb. so they are going to get pretty hot. Are the mounted to something that will allow them to shed heat? A good solid metal thing , with airflow over it.

And try putting some heat sink paste on the mountings.