LED headlights

[OldWorkHorse 3,045]

So I installed LED head lights on a couple of my Horses and I've read that you might run into flickering. On 1st 1 no issue at all on the next 1 I do see flickering. Not strobe but close to it. So my question is. Is there something I can add to the system to reduce or stop the flickering? Sorry if already been asked I couldn't hunt down anything to help solve my issue. Thank you. 

[19richie66 17,508]

Try running the lights directly off the battery and see if it stops. I believe the light power source on a lot of these tractors are A/C powered from the stator. LEDS need DC power from what I have read. I’ll be following along. 👍

[seuadr 488]

what tractors? i wonder if there is a generational difference that might help pinpoint the issue

 

[ebinmaine 67,545]

3 hours ago, 19richie66 said:

Try running the lights directly off the battery and see if it stops. I believe the light power source on a lot of these tractors are A/C powered from the stator. LEDS need DC power from what I have read. I’ll be following along. 👍

 

That was my thought as well. 

[pfrederi 17,741]

45 minutes ago, ebinmaine said:

 

That was my thought as well. 

 

 

The only older WHs that used the AC stator to feed the lights were those with the 3 amp unregulated system.  (No regulator)  if you have a regulator lights are on DC.

 

So I have some LED bulbs (1056 replacements) on an Electro they flicker..a lot.  Just went out and wired them direct to batter positive,.. no improvement.  My winter horses have add on LEDs with multiple LEDs in each unit, there is a very slight flicker on them but not bothersome. 

[ebinmaine 67,545]

48 minutes ago, pfrederi said:

So I have some LED bulbs (1056 replacements) on an Electro they flicker..a lot.  Just went out and wired them direct to batter positive,.. no improvement

With the engine OFF I assume they do not flicker?

 

Is there a way to isolate the circuits?

 

[pfrederi 17,741]

 I am pretty sure the issue is the regulator.  These are not real sophisticated devices.  The current fluctuates a lot.  Many people have issues trying to get voltage readings with some digital multimeters (analog type seem to smooth out the fluctuations).  .  Don't know what you mean to isolate the circuits.  The voltage at the battery is fluctuating and also everything down stream from it....Maybe some type of capacitor (like a condenser) would help???

[ebinmaine 67,545]

19 minutes ago, pfrederi said:

  Don't know what you mean to isolate the circuits

To be honest I'M not sure either. 

 

I was wondering if there's a way to make the voltage consistent somehow. 

 

[pfrederi 17,741]

I just fired up another electro this one has an M-16.  very barely noticeable flicker on  her 1056 LED bulbs.  (I don't know if they are the same brand bulbs.)  The Magnum has a different more modern regulator. 

[pfrederi 17,741]

One more experiment.  I temp wired a light bar like the one used on a snow horse to the flicker tractor.  The was a slight flicker but not bad.  pic of unit here.  Bottom line in 20 years i have moved snow at night 3-4 times.  The last two with LED light bars.  They work great.  I never really use lights other wise.  so the flicker doesn't bother me.  I would guess it is part cheap LED bulbs and part fluctuation in current on the older regulators.

[pfrederi 17,741]

One last thought on this topic.  Make sure your headlight bucket is well grounded. The two pop rivets that hold it can loosen a bit over time.  Vibration while running can make for an intermittent ground.  Wouldn't be enough to bother an incandescent (filament says hot during the brief interruptions) but LEDs are on or off no after glow....

[JPWH 6,034]

You can install a resistor in your light circuit. If you want to try it on me your address and I'll sent you one to try. 

This is what I use.

Jay

[ebinmaine 67,545]

28 minutes ago, pfrederi said:

Make sure your headlight bucket is well grounded

Seems to me I've read somewhere about adding a ground wire to one of the rivets by drilling it out and replacing with a small screw/bolt. 

[Handy Don 12,232]

7 hours ago, 19richie66 said:

Try running the lights directly off the battery and see if it stops. I believe the light power source on a lot of these tractors are A/C powered from the stator. LEDS need DC power from what I have read. I’ll be following along. 👍

This is exactly right. Check the wiring diagram for your tractor. If it has one lead from the stator for lights and a second one for charging the battery, then your lighting power is A/C.

Even connecting directly to the battery doesn't guarantee smooth power. If you have a regulator, then your lighting is already set for DC and the cause of the flicker is something else!

 

Be aware that the DC charging circuit for many WHs without regulators from the engine to the battery yields usually only 3 amps (36 watts). And remember that LEDs direct to the battery mean you are sharing the available power between the lights and charging the battery. The draw of the LEDs matters. For example, a pair of these would use 36 watts by themselves!

 

The other approach is to put a diode bridge in your A/C circuit to convert the A/C to DC. @Tractorhead posted a digram for making one some time back. I'd probably buy one like this.

 

Wire it up like this:

1. Move the stator wire from the engine that goes to the light switch to one of the "AC~" terminals on the bridge.

2. Connect the other "AC~" and the "-- Negative" terminals on the bridge to good solid grounds.

3. Connect the "Positive +" terminal on the bridge to the light switch.

4. MAKE SURE that the LEDs' RED wire is connected to the wire coming from the switch and that (as noted above) they are well grounded.