Aron Tigchelaar Posted April 20, 2016 Report Share Posted April 20, 2016 Hey guys, After scouring the forums I found lots of material related to my question, but still slightly confused, so I was hoping someone could clear it up. I bought led switchbacks for my 2013 edge, I'm pretty sure there type two as they go amber off amber off. I have a Canadian edge so I got the drls switched over from the headlights to the parking/turn signal bulbs. Problem I have is that they don't run white during the day, they run amber, which means the resisters I installed are being used, and man do they get hot. I'm wondering if there's a way to make them run white during the day when the drls are on. Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheWizard Posted April 20, 2016 Report Share Posted April 20, 2016 (edited) Not without some serious rewiring. Switchback LEDs are designed to replace standard incandescent bulbs that have dual filaments (like 3157) with sets of different colored LEDs. The original bulbs had a dim filament for the parking/running lights and a separate bright filament for the turn signals (and DRLs if configured). They are two completely separate circuits except for sharing a common ground. The switchbacks provide a white LED circuit for the dim parking/running light circuit and an amber LED circuit for the bright turn signal and DRL circuit. They don't do anything to determine which set to light - if power is applied to the parking light circuit they light white and if power is applied to the turn signal circuit (whether by turn signals or by DRL) they light amber. Edited April 20, 2016 by TheWizard Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aron Tigchelaar Posted April 21, 2016 Author Report Share Posted April 21, 2016 Thanks for clarifying, I don't mind the amber running all the time just concerned On the amount of heat the resistors put off as they are always being used. I have them stuck to the side of headlight housing with double sided tape. They were not long enough to get to any metal frame peice. Should that be alright? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick Halstead Posted April 21, 2016 Report Share Posted April 21, 2016 In time it will slowly melt the plastic. Resistors always run really hot Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aron Tigchelaar Posted April 21, 2016 Author Report Share Posted April 21, 2016 Hmm not very comforting there nick haha Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aron Tigchelaar Posted April 21, 2016 Author Report Share Posted April 21, 2016 Any suggestions for making those run cooler? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheWizard Posted April 21, 2016 Report Share Posted April 21, 2016 (edited) Any suggestions for making those run cooler? Other than reducing the amount of current flow, no not really... they will get about as hot as the incandescent bulb they are compensating for. However, there are ways to mitigate that heat: - Make sure the resistors you installed are the automotive type encased in a heat sink rather than using plain resistors like you would get from Radio Shack. - Try to locate them so that they get as much airflow as possible. That may involve adding wire to both leads so that you can move them to a more remote mounting location. - When you relocate them, try to find a metal surface rather than a plastic one so that the heat won't be damaging. - Use thicker insulating 2-sided tape for mounting. Better yet, get some of that waffle board that they use for yard signs and put it between sections of 2-sided tape to provide some separation. The hollow areas in the waffle board will act as a heat sink under the resistor. - You could leave the resistors unmounted so that they just hang in a way that keeps them away from other wires and plastic pieces. Of those options, the best is to use resistors in heat sinks and extend the leads so that you can mount them to a metal surface. But I have used the other options in various vehicles depending on the situation and how much space was available. Edited April 21, 2016 by TheWizard 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
enigma-2 Posted April 22, 2016 Report Share Posted April 22, 2016 (edited) Deleted Edited April 22, 2016 by enigma-2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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