I just started my LED Lights project for my 700Li. I did order my LED lights from http://www.superbrightleds.com/
They seemed to have the brightest LED lights I could find. I got one of each of dual intensity 3 Watt Luxeon 1157 bulb and 5 Watt Luxeon 1157 bulb. They seemed to be the brightest available. They have different Degree Viewing Angle that is why I only bought one of each. I will experiment to find out which one fits best on the scooter light fixture. I also bough a standard automotive 12 volt light sockets. The ones that came with the bike are too big for the 12 volt lights.
Can someone tell me what is a good place to buy resistors for this kind of application? I still have to find our the resistance of each of the lights in order to calculate what kind of resistor I need to get to convert 48 volts to 12 volts. I would think that will need a 4k ohms and 5 watt resistor. I am not by any means an electronics expert. Buy I not afraid to experiment with electricity.
whitslack and Oshawaebiker posted in this thread: http://visforvoltage.org/forum/3808-details-xb700li
Very interesting information on resistance and how LED voltage works. That information helped me decide to start this project.
Does any one know where is a good place to buy resistors?
Any help will be appreciated.
I will post my findings as soon as I finish them.
This is one of the sockets I got.
One of the LED lights. They look a bit different than the regular LEDs because they are a much brighter than regulars.
Here is the other kind. Will see which one works best.
I finally got my high output LED Lights. I was amazed at how much light they put out. Here is a picture of one of them:
This is the one with the highest light out put. This is the one we recommend. This has four low power LEDs around one powerful Luxeon LED. WE also bough a single Luxeon LED bulb. The output is not as high as you can see in the picture below.
The one on the left is the high powered one.
I am undecided whether to install a DC to DC converter to replace all the lights or to only connect resistors in series to the headlights to convert the 48 to 12 volts.
All the light bulbs in the bike use standard sockets except for the headlight bulbs. Those sockets are bigger and do not fit the regular 12 volt light bulb.
The yellow bulb is from the front turn signal That is why I bought regular sockets to see how they fit in the Headlights housing. I did not like the results. The sockets clearly were not designed for this bike. One kind of socket fits ok. The other one did not fit at all. It was too small for the opening. Most likely I will use the original socket. I will have to modify it a bit so it fits the 12 volt LED bulb firmly.
This is what I did to test the light out put with out having to change any of the bike's original wiring.
I just use a 12 volt battery and some wires to connect the lights. Here are my results:
These are the LEDs
These are the regular incandescent lights. Notice the different color of light.
This is how regular lighting looks like
This is how LED lighting looks like. Please note that actual light output might be exaggerated. I used the low light setting in my camera and it exaggerated the intensity of the light output.
Now I have to decide whether to use resistors or a DC To DC converter for the light system. I can see the advantages of using the DC to DC converters.
What do you think?
Here is the 700Li electric diagram. Someone asked me for it.
Please keep in mind that I am not responsible for any damages to your bike's light system or electrical system. I am not an expert by any means. You can seriously damage your light or electric system if you are not careful. I broke a wire while experimenting with the lights. The turn signal lights stopped working for a while. Follow this information at your own risk.
Al
Energy Independence For A Bright Future.
www.solutionsgem.com
Hey, I'm trying to identify what bulb you have. Is it rated at 134 lumens and 220 degree viewing angle?
Hi, The item number is 1157-WLX5 White LED that is the one with several LEDs, brightest and widest degree viewing angle. This is the one I recommend if you are spending the money. If you are ordering, make sure you order the White LEDs. By default they will ship you the RED LEDs. These are designed for 12 volts applications. Here is direct link where you can order them:
http://www.superbrightleds.com/cgi-bin/store/commerce.cgi?product=CAR
I hope this info helps.
Al
Energy Independence For A Bright Future.
www.solutionsgem.com
Hi Al. I was just wondering if it all has come together finally. Your results look good so far and have inspired me to take on mine as well, but I was unsure what you decided to use as a power source.
Thanks, Scott.
The XB-700i uses regular automotive bulbs in 1156 (turn signal) and 1157 (headlamp) sizes and the gauge cluster is likely lit using bayonet style bulbs.
http://autorepair.about.com/od/electricalrelateddiyjobs/l/aa010502b.htm
As far as I'm aware, just like the XB-600 the XB-700i should already includes a DC-DC converter (small box with a three-prong connector and specifications listing input and output ratings). Automotive bulbs generally only come in 12 or 24 volts. Just disconnect the female plug from one of your turn signals, flip on the turn signal switch, and read the peak voltage. Or simply remove one of the bulbs and try to power it with your extra 12v battery to see if it lights up. Either will answer your question.
HI Captain.
The 700Li unfortunately does not have a DC to DC convertor. All lighting is for the 48V system. Lamps are actually stamped witha rating of 56V. Kind of a pain which is why this topic is of interest to me.
Getting 56v lamps will be tough. Installing 12V LEDs with a series dropping resistor is where I am headed.
Regards.
Thom
Solutionsgem - how did this project work out for you? Did you end with a resistor or DC - DC convertor?
Let us know how it turned out.
Thanks.
Thom
You can get a good DC-DC 33V-75V converter to 12V from cruisin [at] live.com. He has 9Amp and 18Amp versions. The nice thing about these is they dont require fuses and when you increase your Battery voltage to 72V these will still work.
That's not really true. A fully charged 72V pack will output up to 79 volts nominal.
Hey Captainslug, it is true. You should not disagree with posting unless you are sure of what you are saying. The DC-DC converter that I am talking about is very forgiving on overvoltage and is protected against serious overvoltage. I use it on my 80V system and have never had a problem even during charging.