Light-emitting diode (LED) – it's the latest and greatest light source, or so they say. The local electricity company has a model set up in the foyer that demonstrates the power-saving aspect of the LED bulbs for household use. Turn on the attached incandescent light bulb, and the display meter spins at a lively clip. Turn on the attached LED bulb, and the meter turns much more slowly, demonstrating that the LED bulb is much more efficient.
LED bulbs for home and office use are a screw-it-in-and-it-works upgrade, the end twisted into the power socket on the light fixture being the same as the standard size for incandescent bulbs since electrification reached most communities circa 100 years ago. Cost has come down appreciably but is still above what a similar incandescent bulb sold for when the LED bulbs first came available. Incandescent bulbs are now hard or impossible to find.
The early LED bulbs had longevity issues but those of current manufacture are better, with longevity of service being the secondary talking point after using less power.
Most flashlights are now LED. The early units had an array of many LED units in tiny glass bubbles. These gave a stronger beam of light than the incandescent flashlights they started to replace. Technology improved the LED flashlight over just a few years, and the current top offering is a flashlight with a single square of lime-yellow color that seem exposed deep behind the lens. Most adjust the shape of the light beam from flood to spot by moving the lens closer to or farther from the LED.
Also available are units with a flat panel of the LED material to illuminate a broad area, such as a worksite, replacing the old standby corded trouble light. Battery-powered and rechargeable lights are common. As this new style of pocket and handheld lights sought for type and market share, certain flashlight “junkies” have faced the comment, when returning home with a new flashlight: “So did you find something that wasn’t 100 percent identical to the two dozen flashlights you already have?”
On the equipment and vehicle side, most new machinery and highway vehicles have had LED lights for a decade or better now. The upgrade to LED lights on older vehicles is usually just plug and play. But sometimes the electronics of the vehicle throw a curve. Automotive LED lights take less power than their incandescent or halogen predecessors. Depending on the vehicle and how sophisticated its electronics are, there may be issues.
Turn signals have a built-in tattletale that tips off the driver if there’s a bulb burned out. The vehicle senses the amount of current it takes to light the appropriate bulbs for turn signals. If a bulb is burned out, it takes less current to make the loop, and the system responds by increasing the speed of the flashes of the remaining bulbs. The sudden onset of rapid flashing on one side usually indicates a bulb on the circuit has burned out.
I have vehicles with one brake light/turn signal light on each side of the rig and some with two of each per side. Any bulb being burned out will trigger the rapid flashing signal.
Since LED lights take less electricity to run, that could trigger an older vehicle to signal that there is a burned-out bulb. Some brands of LED lights include a part that fools the system. The instructions with the LED lights should give some direction if there are specific vehicles that need more than just plug and play.
Solutions are either an additional part that plugs between the new LED lights and the vehicle, to only upgrade to half LED and half standard lights, or to wire in an additional light bulb socket and run a conventional bulb in it. This increases the electrical current needed by the system, so the flashing speed is normal.
Highway vehicle headlights take a bit more care. My 2004 and 2006 Lincoln Town Cars were plug and play. My 2006 Dodge pickup required the resistor between the new lights and the vehicle wiring.
The other issue with headlight LED lights is the proper positioning of the elements in the headlamp unit. LED lights are not bulbs but a piece similar in shape to a very short popsicle stick, with spots of LED goo on both sides. This piece needs to sit straight up and down for the headlight beam pattern to be correct. The H13 bulbs needed for my pickup needed to be “clocked” slightly to stand vertical and not at a slant. There were set screws on the body of the light unit and instructions on how to do this. It seems that all the vehicles using the H13 bulbs are not the same.
It is imperative that you check the aim of the headlights after installing LED units. Properly aimed, LED lights should shine on the roadway and not be offensive to other drivers.
LED units properly canted in the headlamp unit should throw the same light pattern as conventional bulbs. Conventional bulbs out of adjustment won’t be as offensive to oncoming traffic as the brighter LED parts.
A light fog and darkness will show you exactly where your lights are aimed. On a level road or parking lot, the low beams should be shining on your feet and ankles 40 feet ahead of the vehicle.
Some farm equipment may operate the lighting system at 24 volts instead of 12 volts. Read the small print on the LED units you order to be sure they're compatible with what you’re working on. If an LED light is compatible with either 12 or 24 volts, be aware it will be twice as bright with 24 volts.
