LED Driving Lights

[ahoutzer]

It's not the HID bulbs that we're having problems with. It's the LED driving lamps.

 

I did have radio interference from my HID headlight when I first installed it. I told the people at HID Country and they sent me a different ballast that eliminated the problem. I wish the problem with these LEDs would be that simple to solve.

[Guest]

I had a conversation with Tgeery from the delphi forums yesterday and he explained about the RF interference with the LED lights. Since these lights are in such close proximity to the radio, the chances of developing radio interference are there. The shielding from the light housing should be enough to shield but apparantely its not. Hes looking over the specs on the filter I bought and will let me know if it can be hooked up somewhere in line.

 

LEDS, at least the more expensive ones usually have some type of filtering system incorporated into the light itself. Guess thats why the Custom Dynamics LEDS are 120 each and these are only 39 each. He also thinks the stations signal strength might be a factor in Rlyons static issues. Try hooking up an Ipod or MP-3 player to the aux port and see if you get interference from that.

[ahoutzer]

Devices connected through the Aux are not affected. The music from my Zumo 660 through the Aux port and the sound from my cell phone (connected by Bluetooth to the Zumo which is connected through Aux) work fine.

 

Certainly weaker/more distant FM radio stations are more affected than stronger/closer ones, but that is irrelevant to fixing the problem, since we are not going to get the radio stations to double their signal strengths.

 

These lights would be so great to have and use if only the did not ruin the radio!

[Guest]

These lights would be so great to have and use if only the did not ruin the radio!

 

I can live with the one station giving me some static. The lights are that good and I do most of my riding at night going to and coming from work. And if I really want to hear talk radio, ill just switch off the lights. With the HID headlight I barely need the driving lights as it is.

 

Hmmmm, wonder if I drill a small hole in the fairing and inject expanding spray foam in there will it shield the radio??

 

 

 

 

 

 

:smile5:

[Santa Hal]

I have radio interference and CB

[Sleeperhawk]

Got the lights installed, took all of 15 mins.

They are bright, now I will have to check out the static later. :cool10:

[rlyons]

This for sure noise radiating from the lights into the air because I can hook them up to a regulated power supply on the bench and they wipe out the radio on the wall of my garage.

[Sleeperhawk]

Pics of the lights, sure are bright, will have to wait and see how many cagers flash their lights at me

 

No more yellow sickly bulb to go with the HID bulb.

[Guest]

Pics of the lights, sure are bright, will have to wait and see how many cagers flash their lights at me

 

No more yellow sickly bulb to go with the HID bulb.

 

George, surprisingly I have had no one flash their lights at me yet. When ran the stock bulbs I had flashers at least once a night. Maybe its the color of the light itself. I dunno.....

[Riderduke]

Pics of the lights, sure are bright, will have to wait and see how many cagers flash their lights at me

 

No more yellow sickly bulb to go with the HID bulb.

Promise not to leave you honey at a gas station during the coming year.

there you go again:whistling:

[ahoutzer]

I put my dingy yellow, high-power-guzzling H7616 lamps back in. The LED lights are bright, white and low power consuming, but they make the radio useless.

[Guest]

Talked to an ET friend of mine who suggested as a test to wrap the whole light in tin foil to see if its radiating from the light housing itself or wrap the wiring in foil to see if its coming from the wiring. I tried wrapping the lights tonight with hardly any difference. Ill try the wiring once I get the time to split the fairing. There is a company that sells shielding products but the rep there wanted me to single out the source first so he can sell me the proper product. But, its something I can live with since its only 1 station. And I should be going with XM radio in the near future so.........

[LilBeaver]

one of the big problems with HID lamps is the RF energy they put out.

 

A spark gap will put out noise from DC to Daylight..... and you have those gaps within inches of your radio and feet of the antenna.

 

Also the wires that hook up the lamps can act as antennas also.

 

SO you may have to shield or double shield the wires and the backs of the lamp assemblies, but it might not work as you cannot shield the front of the lamps as you want the light to escape........

 

 

BTW I work in Electromagnet Environmental Effects for a living..........

 

 

Good luck.

 

 

BTW I will NOT retrofit HID bulbs into any of my vehicles.

 

Good info here but It sounds like it is the LEDs that are causing the interference (ie some folks have no issues with the LEDs off, but they have problems with them ON - If I am interpreting the comments correctly).

Thanks for your expertise