And other daytime running lights are of good quality. But, as for so-called “no name” goods, the quality leaves much to be desired. Therefore, when working with such daytime lights, they often cause problems and inconveniences, for example, they break down, or problems arise with the operation of the diodes.
The appearance of all Chinese ones is quite stylish. They have durable transparent plastic glass, coated with a special protective film, which must be removed before installation. The body of all DRLs is strong and shock-resistant, and the mounting brackets are metal and are universal, allowing you to install the device on any car. There are bolts that allow you to adjust the tilt of the devices. The kit comes with 4 self-tapping screws or screws, with wide and dimensional washers for fixation. This design and mounting is often ideal for cars from the Japanese automobile industry.
What do we see on our roads?
The result of purchasing low-quality ones is visible on our roads. That is, when purchasing nameless Chinese-made DRLs, you can notice how some of the LEDs that make up the module do not light up or flicker, the modules do not light up, or processes such as turning off the DRLs when turning on the headlights and low beams, and so on, do not function. Sometimes, if the assembly is of very poor quality, LEDs can even flash due to current breakdown.
The main malfunctions of low-quality DRLs
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Flicker. One or more LEDs blink rapidly, which reduces the quality of the glow and affects the efficiency of the device. |
Flashing. Intermediate activation and deactivation of diode light, which also negatively affects the efficiency of daytime running lights. |
Combined blink. This is the most unpleasant thing about daytime lights, since individual diodes or an entire row begin to deactivate alternately in one or another row. |
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What to do, because it is strictly forbidden to use such running lights outside the city and in the city, since they do not meet the safety requirements for movement on the road. In order to change the position, modifications must be made or tuning done to such running lights. By examining different running lights made in China, you can see that the design is almost identical.
The first thing you can see is that the manufacturers of such low-quality materials have completely forgotten about what a sealant is. Despite the fact that the two parts of the module are fastened with screws, there is a gap between them, and this absolutely should not happen. In rainy weather, it is through this gap that moisture and debris will get inside, which instantly disables the diodes - they simply burn out.
The second thing that is poorly made in the Chinese daytime lights without a name is the board itself with LEDs. You can notice the following - the board is assembled by itself simple principle, low-quality LEDs are taken as a basis, that is, emitters and a simple current-limiting resistor.
It is worth noting that most LEDs in such products are of the super-bright type, and accordingly, they operate from direct current and a slight deviation from this norm leads to their rapid failure. Chinese manufacturers take 3 diodes connected in series and connect them to one resistor, which entails problems with the operation of the device.
To approach the issue of modification correctly and transform low-quality DRLs, you need to stock up on the following details:
- Several 12V DC voltage stabilizers. You can take any stabilizer with these parameters - it will be ideal.
- Electrolytic capacitor that will fit under the daytime running light housing.
- High quality silicone sealant.
- Electrical tape, a soldering iron and the entire accompanying kit, as well as patience, perseverance and attentiveness.
How to fix DRL defects?
To begin with, to stabilize further work The LED device needs to equalize the current. That is, it is necessary to resort to installing a special voltage stabilizer. If you have a voltage of 12V on the box with diodes, then you need to purchase a miniature stabilizer with the corresponding indicator. It is worth noting that in cars the voltage is not constant and even, and fluctuates from several units, which is typical during startup and can rise to 14V, which is typical when charging the battery. If you install a stabilizer, it will control the supply of only 12V current to the device. Also, it is very important to eliminate voltage fluctuations in order to bring the DRL operation to a stable mode. To eliminate this, experts recommend installing an electrolytic polar capacitor with a high-capacity characteristic. It must be installed to the common diode buses on the board itself, connecting it to the output of the stabilizer. It is worth noting that it is necessary to strictly adhere to polarity during installation.
Firstly, if you carry out the manipulations described above, the diodes will be ignited gradually and smoothly, which may not be noticed, but it is so. Secondly, thanks to the installation of a stabilizer, there is no reverse current flow, and the module is deactivated gradually, which can be seen with the naked eye. Such events provide LEDs Better conditions work, and also allow you to increase the service life several times, which is important for you as the buyer of this product. And the last thing to do in this case is to use silicone sealant. They need to process the edges of all parts of the case that are in contact with each other in order to remove gaps and prevent moisture and dust from getting inside the case.
For several years now, daytime running lights have become mandatory for installation on cars in the Russian Federation. The market is overflowing with Chinese crafts that do not meet technical requirements and GOST standards. Car enthusiasts were not at a loss and began to actively make DRLs with their own hands.
To make the right LED DRLs, you need to know what requirements apply to them:
- Luminous intensity – from 400 to 800 candelas;
- luminous angle vertically 25 degrees and 55 horizontally;
- The area that emits light must be at least 40 cm2.
LED strip running lights
To implement such technical requirements in practice, we will assemble DRLs from LEDs with our own hands, using a 5050 type tape with a density of 60 pieces/meter. To get this brightness, you need to cut about 24 LEDs, that's 8 sections.
You can glue the tape around the perimeter of the headlight onto the existing adhesive coating. A more reliable option is to use a cable channel and secure it with epoxy glue, this will be more reliable. As a result, you will get a structure like this:
Do-it-yourself flexible DRLs are made using the same principle.
To ensure that the tape lasts as long as possible, stabilize the voltage at 12 volts. When the engine is running, the voltage in the on-board network can reach values of more than 14 volts. The easiest way is to use a linear stabilizer ROLL or L7812.
Separate 5050 or 5730 LEDs for DRLs
To make homemade running lights from LEDs non-standard shape or use a fog light housing for this purpose, the tape may be inconvenient, so you need to make a printed circuit board.
You can use a ready-made breadboard, but this may not be such a convenient solution, although it is simpler. The development board is not as reliable.
To make a drawing of a printed circuit board, use a program like spring layout, then you need to transfer it to the textolite. To do this, you need to print a MIRROR image of the printed circuit board on thin glossy paper. This is used in magazines for pages, the cover is too thick.
You need to print on a laser printer, then take an iron and iron it glossy paper on foil PCB. When it cools down, we soak the paper under running water; a pattern of future paths will remain on the PCB.
Now all that’s left to do is etch the board in ferric chloride or any other suitable reagent. You can find detailed information about laser-iron technology for manufacturing printed circuit boards.
After making the printed circuit board, you need to make the base for the DRL. To do this, we place the LEDs on printed circuit board in accordance with its wiring. To limit the current flowing through the LEDs you need to add 1 50 ohm resistor. Next, assemble a 12-volt stabilizer using the L7812 chip or its analogues.
To provide the required brightness, you need about 24 LEDs, which need to be arranged in single design and place it in the housing. We printed narrow boards with 9 LEDs each.
If you take an acrylic tube and place the resulting boards in it, then you will get the following LED DRLs (see below). They can be shaped by heating. construction hairdryer and bending it around the bumper.
If you want to make wide DRLs, you need to connect the boards on top of each other, or separate and etch the board like this.
By the way, more powerful 5730 LEDs are used here. You can use old fog lights as a housing or use a furniture profile for lighting with a plastic cover.
Use of high-power LEDs 1-3 W
When making navigation lights with your own hands, in addition to LED strip You can use high-power LEDs.
The previous solutions have one significant drawback– inability to adjust the direction and angle of the light flux. For high-power LEDs of 1-3W, there are many optical solutions on the market from 10 to 120 degrees.
To make LED DRLs with your own hands on powerful crystals you will need:
- LEDs 1W from 3 to 5 pcs (to provide the required light intensity);
- lenses collecting at an angle of 30 degrees;
- driver for LEDs with characteristics: input voltage 12V, output current 300mA, up to 5W;
- substrate for attaching to the radiator;
- radiator with an area of about 100 cm2.
The driver is needed to provide stabilized current to the LEDs. You can also use a circuit with a quenching resistor as in previous homemade products, but the power of the resistor in this case will be too large and such a solution is not reliable.
To mount LEDs on a radiator, you need either heat-conducting glue or a special substrate for mounting and thermal paste. The LED is soldered to this substrate, and it is screwed onto the radiator.
You can also find ready-made sites for installation, in some cases this is more convenient option. Some stores have such substrates with LEDs mounted on them.
Thermal paste or thermal pad is needed to ensure better heat transfer, as well as fill the unevenness of the substrate and radiator to improve heat transfer.
When making DRLs with your own hands from LEDs using such a kit, you will need a housing; you can make it yourself from scrap materials, or use old fog lights or something similar.
The main mistakes when making DRLs with your own hands
First of all, you need to figure out what kind of device it is. Daytime running lights are not dimensions! They need to be tested not at night, but during the day.
The lights must be visible from long distance. Contrary to popular belief, when assembling DRLs from an LED strip with your own hands, you need to use the most powerful strip available. With such dimensions as the average running lights, it is quite difficult to exceed the permissible brightness using an LED strip.
Don't forget about cooling, but don't install too large radiators. Do not forget that the flow of incoming air when the car is moving practically replaces active cooling. Therefore, the radiator area can be half that of normal conditions for passive cooling of luminaires.
How to properly connect DRL to a car?
In addition to installing and assembling the structure itself, you need to correctly connect everything to electrical diagram car. The picture shows the simplest and reliable circuit DRL connections. Let's take a closer look at it.
K1 is a relay with five contacts, one of the power contacts is normally closed, that is, it is closed when no current flows through the relay winding, and the other is normally open, it closes when current flows through the relay winding. This is one of the standard relays and is sold at any auto store.
When you turn on the ignition, power is supplied to the DRL through the normally closed contacts, and when you turn on the low beam, the DRL relay is turned on from the power positive that goes to the lamps and the contacts open.
Making high-quality LED running lights for cars with your own hands is quite simple. They will surpass cheap Chinese crafts in quality and performance, and will work much longer.
Homemade DRLs will be cheaper than branded ones, and the experience gained is priceless.
You must turn on low beam headlights or daytime running lights. The standard headlights of most cars mainly contain incandescent lamps, plus tail lights - as a result, we get energy consumption from the battery and generator of about 150-300W. But nothing comes for free - this leads to unnecessary expense gasoline, to premature failure of the car's incandescent lamps, that is, to additional costs and loss of time for repairs.
Daytime running lights make a car stand out well on the road and are a good addition to any vehicle. However, the price of branded DRLs in our stores is usually quite high. Let's try to make them ourselves, especially since the prices for materials will be minimal.
I tried different variants DRL. But there was always something that didn’t suit me: the LEDs often burned out, the light-diffusing fittings quickly lost their transparency from dirt and sand, etc. But then I came across a headlamp from the Fix Price store for the ridiculous price of 50 rubles. It turned out to have a good mirror reflector and small dimensions. For the sake of experimentation, it was decided to modernize it. The converted flashlight can be used both in DRL mode and as a powerful flashlight in the garage, outdoor recreation, etc.
You can watch the process of making homemade products in the video:
List of tools and materials
- headlight;
-screwdriver;
- soldering iron;
-tester;
-power supply 12V;
-white LED 1W-7 pieces;
- rectifier diodes 1A-4pcs;
- foil double-sided textolite;
-thermal paste;
- silicone sealant;
- sheet brass or copper metal 0.3mm thick.
Step one. Disassembling the lantern.
Let's disassemble the lantern into its component parts. Disconnect the board with LEDs from the battery housing. By the way from this battery compartment You can make a power bank by adding a battery charging board. But now we only need the flashlight body itself with a reflector and glass.
Step two. Manufacturing of printed circuit boards, heat sinks, flashlight assembly.
We make a printed circuit board from foil double-sided PCB with a size of 45x45mm. Using a cutter we make tracks for two groups of LEDs. The first group has four LEDs, the second group has three.
Then we install the LEDs on the printed circuit board using thermal paste and solder them according to the diagram below.
Additional diodes serve to equalize the voltage in a group of three LEDs. They are soldered to the board and protected by heat shrink. I removed these diodes from a faulty electronic board of an energy-saving lamp.
On the back side of the printed circuit board we solder brass strips, which are designed to remove the heat generated by the LEDs. We put the glass of the lantern on silicone sealant. We screw the reflector to the printed circuit board and assemble the flashlight. Brass strips are removed from the lantern body through slots and folded into an accordion on outside. Threaded connection We also treat it with sealant. The power wires are routed into the hole in the flashlight body through a sealing rubber tube. We screw a homemade metal bracket to the rotary clamp for attaching to the car.
Step three. Testing the converted lantern.
We connect the converted flashlight to the power source.
Comparative photo before alteration.
As you can see in the photographs, the result turned out quite good. When the supply voltage changes, the current through the LEDs changes sharply. At 12 volts - 0.25 amperes, 13 volts - 0.48 amperes, 13.4 volts - 0.62 amperes. The maximum current for these 1W LEDs is 0.3 amperes. The flashlight has two groups of LEDs, so I decided to increase the life of the LEDs, the total current should be within 0.5 amperes. In the car's electrical network, the voltage can fluctuate from 12 volts to 15 volts, which means that when connecting in DRL mode, it is advisable to add a current stabilizer on the LM317 chip.
About a year ago I got confused about buying daytime running lights. There was an idea to install DRLs on the “classic” (VAZ 2107) in order to relieve a little of the car’s electrical network, eliminating the need to turn on low beam headlights during the day. As you know, LEDs consume significantly less electricity than bulbs in car headlights, and on a fuel-injected “classic” with a standard generator, every watt counts (but that’s a slightly different story), so this decision was quite natural.
Having pretty much scoured the Internet for GOST laws and personal experience operation of DRLs, I chose this model.
The main legal requirements for running lights are:
1) Luminous flux - 400-800 cd.
2) The area of the light-emitting surface of the headlight is at least 40 cm2
3) Requirements for installation on a vehicle.
4) Automatic switching on with the ignition.
5) Automatic shutdown when turning on the “dimensions” or low/high beam headlights.
In principle, these lights satisfy all requirements and have the following characteristics:
1) Luminous flux - approximately 230 cd.
2)Area - 57 cm2
3) They have a convenient bracket for attaching the headlight to the bumper.
4) Automatic switching is realized by connecting the power wire after the ignition switch.
5) For automatic shutdown, there is an additional output, when power is applied to which, the DRLs are turned off.
I installed it slowly in the garage in one evening. The bumper of the “seven” is just at the right height; all that remains is to place them in width.
I took the plus power from the ignition switch (I had to tighten one wire into the passenger compartment), the minus directly from the battery terminal, and the shutdown “relay” output from the wire going to the positive terminal of the “dimensions” (next to the headlight).
The DRLs worked flawlessly for about a year, until a friend had a minor accident. Nothing serious, but the blow hit the running lights.
Both had their fastenings torn off, but the lights themselves were intact, not a single crack.
I cut out new fasteners from thick galvanized steel.
And everything would have been fine, but I noticed that after that incident the DRLs began to sweat from the inside. The seal has broken. And then, after about a month of use, they stopped working altogether.
After which the lights were dismantled and thoroughly studied. I couldn't find the cause of the leak. Apparently, over time, the factory sealant lost its elasticity, and upon impact, the adhesive layer cracked somewhere.
Moisture that got into the case damaged almost all the LEDs.
I went to my favorite Aliexpress :) A quick study of the range of LEDs convinced me that replacing the LEDs would probably be more cost-effective than buying new DRLs. And it’s a pity for the old lights, because their condition is a solid four.
Soooo, stop! If we’re going to redo the lights, then why not modify them a little by ordering not one-watt diodes, but three-watt ones :)
It turns out that the lights will be a little more powerful.
LED manufacturers usually indicate the luminous flux (total or per 1 W) in the dadsheet, but we need to know the luminous intensity of the headlight, because in GOST this is exactly the value.
Given:
1) Flat angle LED glow (degrees) - 120
2) Luminous flux of the diode (Lm) - 220
1) Luminous intensity (Cd) - ?
Calculation:
1) Determine the solid angle:
2) Find the intensity of light:
Anything not more than 800 means it fits into GOST. We will modernize it :)
Current limiting resistors in parallel arm:
It turns out you need 4 pieces of 24 ohms. The trouble is, I don’t have any of these on my farm. The closest one is 36 ohms (36/4 = 9 ohms). I'll have to install them, I hope there won't be a huge difference in the glow.
I soldered the diodes to the board and resistors.
Resistors are soldered as follows. Since there is one seat for R1, and a double seat for R2, we solder it accordingly, in the case of R1 all three pieces are on top of each other, and in the case of R2, two pieces for each seat. It's a perversion, of course, but you have to save space.
I serve food. At first glance, everything works! The diodes glow, the resistors, although they heat up, are quite tolerable. Really did it (yeah, shazz!)?! All that remains is to check whether it will turn off. I apply +12 V to the control pin and... Bummer! As they glowed, they still glow...
Apparently, by changing the resistor values, I upset the delicate balance of that part of the circuit that is responsible for switching.
So, sir, let's see what the gloomy Chinese genius has done there :)
I drew a diagram and it looked something like this.
Hmm... Which one interesting way get rid of excess parts in the warehouse :)
The circuit, damn it, should be at the level of a radio circle.
I spat and decided to redo everything. Work for two evenings, but everything will be according to Feng Shui :)
Of course, ideally it would be to do everything on one p-channel mosfit, but, as luck would have it, it could not be found on any donor board. Okay, I'll use what I have.
I decided to install more powerful transistors. And the position of the power pins is more convenient for soldering.