A8 Parts Forum  

Go Back   A8 Parts Forum > A8 D3 > D3 - Lights

D3 - Lights Headlights, xenons, foglights. Everything outside the car that glows

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
  #21  
Old 28th December 2015, 09:31 PM
snapdragon snapdragon is offline
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2011
Posts: 1,669
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by tc4332 View Post
And there would be four strips of three LEDs each left over to play with.
Are these the ones you can cut short if need by with no problems? The reason I ask is it looks like one could be cut in half.
Reply With Quote
  #22  
Old 28th December 2015, 10:36 PM
tc4332's Avatar
tc4332 tc4332 is offline
Senior Member
 
Join Date: May 2014
Location: Wigan, Greater Manchester, UK
Posts: 2,323
Default

I tried to explain it earlier in this thread.

Each strip has fifteen LEDs
Each block of three with a resistor are across the two bus bars.
This means that they can be cut in multiples of three and still work.

Electrically, each block is three LEDs and a resistor in series across the 12 volts, then each block is connected in parallel to the others.

Hope that makes sense.
__________________
Ray at Wigan Pier

2014 A8L D4 4.0TFSI Gold (Sticker says "Beige") Can't leave you in a black smoke cloud anymore..
In progress, Nothing left to do.



Gone 2004 A8 D3 3.0 TDI. Ebony Pearl Black (with little bits of other colours and glitter)
Reply With Quote
  #23  
Old 30th December 2015, 02:59 PM
ainarssems ainarssems is offline
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: Rushden, Northants
Posts: 3,799
Default

I think you are wasting your time with LEDs from strips. I have several of those strips but LED's are not very powerful, ranging 300 LED's on a 5m long strip for 24W total to 72 LED's for 39W on 1.8m light. On high power chips you can get the same power on single chip. If you are prepared to do some DIY get one of high power COB LED chips. They will need heatsink and do check voltages as many require more than 12V http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_fr...ob+20w&_sop=15

Or CREE MC-E or MK-R chips which will also need heatsinks.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/5pcs-Cree-...v5N6ofVE1S-Dgw

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/5x-5W-10W-...qiEXYkXImEPlOw
__________________
Currently 8less
2011 Q7 S Line 3.0TDI, 2016 Tesla Model S 90D

8 history:
2006 A8 Sport 4.2TDI quattro SOLD,
1997 S8, reached end of life with gearbox failure

Last edited by ainarssems; 30th December 2015 at 03:06 PM.
Reply With Quote
  #24  
Old 30th December 2015, 06:03 PM
tc4332's Avatar
tc4332 tc4332 is offline
Senior Member
 
Join Date: May 2014
Location: Wigan, Greater Manchester, UK
Posts: 2,323
Default

Thanks Ainar,
I have been playing with these strips but really want to use some CREE LEDs that I have. I just do not want to cause lamp errors. I plan on waiting for better weather to try and find at what current flow level the fault system kicks in and then go from there.
I have the problem of two garages, neither of which are large enough to put the 8 in.
__________________
Ray at Wigan Pier

2014 A8L D4 4.0TFSI Gold (Sticker says "Beige") Can't leave you in a black smoke cloud anymore..
In progress, Nothing left to do.



Gone 2004 A8 D3 3.0 TDI. Ebony Pearl Black (with little bits of other colours and glitter)
Reply With Quote
  #25  
Old 23rd February 2016, 06:23 PM
snapdragon snapdragon is offline
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2011
Posts: 1,669
Default

I finally got around to fitting some T20 LEDs to mine. I already updated to facelift lights but it might be similar for the original style.
The ones I got are perfect brightness and colour quality....

http://www.aliexpress.com/item/1pc-T...370629531.html

First off, they didn't fit in the aperture by about 1mm, so I used a red hot scalpel to remove a bit around the edge of the hole.

Then I put the bulb in, but it stuck out too much for the cover, so have to remove the white wedge base plastic with the hot scalpel and snips.
I put red heat-shrink on the wires sticking out the bulb. I tested and found that the legs with the diodes inline are positive + and these need to go to the connector with yellow single wire rather than the -ve one with a pair of white wires. I held the LED bulb in with a couple of small blobs of white hot glue - I hope it is high enough melting point - maybe sugru would have been better as I do have some.

I was just going to put male lucar ends with solder and shove them into the female lucars but I didn't have the smaller size ones needed.
I took off the white plastic lucar covers and soldered the wires onto the lucars and covered in larger red heatshrink tubing.

Put back in the car tested - everything great and no errors, so put all the nuts and screws and trim back.
Job's a good'n. Hope it's useful. Cost £6ish.
***EDIT*** today I get broken bulb errors on the DIS about a minute after starting off, even when not using the reversing lamps, so will have to put a resistor in


***EDIT*** Today I see that after the broken bulb warning comes on the reversing lights are disabled until next restart - will have to fit a resistor

Last edited by snapdragon; 23rd April 2020 at 09:19 AM.
Reply With Quote
  #26  
Old 29th October 2016, 08:38 AM
Turbo Tony's Avatar
Turbo Tony Turbo Tony is offline
Senior Member
 
Join Date: May 2015
Location: West London
Posts: 717
Red face

Ever the King of the zombie thread, I thought I'd resurrect another one.

I was looking at LEDs for the reverse lamps too and, having seen different bulbs recommended by different websites, decided to remove the bulbs from my old tail lights to see what they are.

Here's my picture and, although there are now some LED versions showing online, the light output doesn't look great. The best reverse lamps are around 1000 lumens and the only ones I could find were about 600 lumens. Not only that, but they didn't seem to have the connectors in the right place.

Here's a picture of the standard bulb in case anyone's interested.



Here's one of the bulbs I found: http://www.ebay.com/itm/25W-CREE-PH1...-/130968808051

Hope this helps someone. I'll post if I do manage to find any direct replacements, but I'm not holding my breath.
Attached Thumbnails
Click image for larger version

Name:	IMG_2103.JPG
Views:	517
Size:	123.4 KB
ID:	14843  
__________________
Storytellers Villa Orlando

2008 Audi S8
Reply With Quote
  #27  
Old 29th October 2016, 08:52 AM
Turbo Tony's Avatar
Turbo Tony Turbo Tony is offline
Senior Member
 
Join Date: May 2015
Location: West London
Posts: 717
Default

Actually, this one looks promising:

It's got the right connections and it uses CREE LEDs. Hmm...
__________________
Storytellers Villa Orlando

2008 Audi S8
Reply With Quote
  #28  
Old 29th October 2016, 09:34 AM
Architex_mA8tey's Avatar
Architex_mA8tey Architex_mA8tey is offline
Moderator
 
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: London/Oxford/Swindon
Posts: 7,648
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Turbo Tony View Post
Actually, this one looks promising:

It's got the right connections and it uses CREE LEDs. Hmm...
Crees seem to be much more reliable than other LED bulbs, so that's probably a good way to go
__________________

Confidence is the feeling you have before you know better . . . .
Audi A8 D2 3.7 Quattro Sport 1999 FL - Melange
2nd Place Winner - A8-Freunde Annual German Meet 2012 at Edersee
20" x 9" Bentley GTC Wheels with 385mm W12 Front Discs & Bentley Caliper Covers, Front Lowered on Coilovers, Xenons, Combined DRLs and LED Foglights to modified OEM front fog lamp position, Alcantara/Leather, Full Black Alcantara headlining + pillars and blind shelf, Bespoke Flat Bottomed Sports Steering Wheel, Dark Myrtle Wood, Autodim Mirrors, Bose, Blinds, Digital TV, Ski Hatch, Modified rear exhaust section for extra V8 Burble
Audi S8 D2 Final Edition 2002, Avus Silver with Red Leather Interior
Tiptronic with Sport mode button, Sony rear entertainment package, Bose sound system, Audi Navigation Plus, 20 inch Final Edition alloys, Full Cat Back Stainless Milltek exhaust, giving a great V8 burble
Audi A8L D2 4.2 Petrol with LPG - Ebony Black
Audi A8L D4 FL 4.0T Petrol twin turbo - Havana Black
Audi A2 1.6 FSi Sport - Dolphin Grey with Votex body kit and Red Leather Interior
and some other A8's A8L's and Mercs
Reply With Quote
  #29  
Old 29th October 2016, 10:22 AM
tc4332's Avatar
tc4332 tc4332 is offline
Senior Member
 
Join Date: May 2014
Location: Wigan, Greater Manchester, UK
Posts: 2,323
Default

Hey Tony,
Don't worry about zombie posts, that is what keeps us going.
You've reawakened my incentive to do this.
__________________
Ray at Wigan Pier

2014 A8L D4 4.0TFSI Gold (Sticker says "Beige") Can't leave you in a black smoke cloud anymore..
In progress, Nothing left to do.



Gone 2004 A8 D3 3.0 TDI. Ebony Pearl Black (with little bits of other colours and glitter)
Reply With Quote
  #30  
Old 29th October 2016, 11:35 AM
Turbo Tony's Avatar
Turbo Tony Turbo Tony is offline
Senior Member
 
Join Date: May 2015
Location: West London
Posts: 717
Default

Thanks Ray, I appreciate you saying that.

I'm getting really tempted to pick up a set while I'm in the States and try them out. Even if they don't work, they're not exactly expensive.

I still can't believe what an effort it is to change a bulb in these cars! Remove the bootlid trim, unscrew the three torx screws holding the cover on and then there's still two more to remove the bulb itself! Holy moly, that's a lot of work for something that used to be squeeze clips together to remove the cover, twist off bulb and replace!

Hopefully, it'll be worth the effort. I wish I found these bulbs before I fitted my new lights, would have been much easier on a table.

I'll post my results.
__________________
Storytellers Villa Orlando

2008 Audi S8
Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT. The time now is 07:30 PM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.0
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.