I notice when setting the map lights to come on when the doors are open that the LED's are still slightly on when the doors are closed. Not enough to produce light but if you look at them you can see there on pretty ez. Is there anything that can be done b/c I like having the lights come on when I hit the unlock button.

 

Dude get rid of these stupid 6 led lights, someone (maybe you) have been posting once in a while the problems with these thing, ****ing ditch the damn things. Do you really need a spot light in your interior?

 

6 LED map lights from where? did you make them or did you have them made.

and If you want a spotlight in your interior I say go for it.

As long as they are not draining your batt, I wouldnt worry about it.

 

The other day I installed a pair of the 6led festoon bulbs in my map/dome light and mine glow slightly also.

LED's draw so little current I doubt it'd be a problem. More than likely a small amount of current is always going to the map/dome lights and since led's are so efficient they glow a little from that small amount of current. Where the standard incandescent bulbs were not efficient enough to light.

Heck the bright blinking led for the security system would likely draw as much or more current than the 12 leds when barely lit.

 

Problem draining the battery or not, mine were annoying at night, with the slight glow just in my peripheral vision, so I am back to stock.

Chris

 

i don't understand the problem you guys are having. where did you guys order these bulbs from? before i did my led conversion for the dome light, i bought the 9LED 39.5mm bulb from www.autolumination.com and they worked perfectly. they were completely off when they were supposed to be, no light emitted what so ever. it sounds like a flaw in the bulb, or the bulbs you guys are buying arent rated for 12v.

 

I bought the 6 LED from that same site Acree. I didnt know there were 9 LED bulbs that fit! Are they bright???

Also I am not worried about the power factor, like someone said above it just bugs the sh*t out of me at night!

 

That's where I got mine also. When I said my glow too...it's possible it's just the whiteness of the led housing reflecting in the the bulbs I'm seeing as I just put mine in Monday. I've yet to drive my Z at night. I'll go out tonight and check when it's totally dark to make sure.

Another thing...these led's are built on circuit boards...could they just be "burning off" stored energy left in some of the components of the circuit? In other words...they won't glow but for a minute or two till the stored energy is used up.?.? Just a guess.

 

Mine only glow when set to come on when the doors are open, when I change to the setting where it only comes on when clicked there is no light comming from them at all.

 

Hockey - yes the 39mm 9led bulbs fit. they are not MADE to fit there, but they fit just fine. they make and maintain a great connection with the metal tabs. and yes, they are just about as bright as stock.

Ken - i don't believe there is anything on the board to store energy. there is no capacitor. trust me, i have torn a good number of these bulbs out of the housing. the only thing on the board except for the leds is a piece that makes sure the current always flows one way, no matter which orientation the bulb has. i'm not sure what its called but i don't believe it to be able to store energy.

 

The 9led seems to have alot smaller LED's are they brighter than the 6LED? The 6LED seem to be as bright if not slightly brighter than stock to me.

 

i couldnt answer that question for you man. i've never seen the 6led in person.

 

Ok here's what I found out...my car sat about an hour, when I looked through the window at the dome light there was NO glow. After opening and closing the door it had a slight glow. So something in the circuit has a cap that's storing residual energy which the led's are burning off.

I can see how this could be distracting now...but the green light on the auto-dimming mirror is a similar brightness and it doens't bother me so I can live with the glow. Plus with the dash all lit up it's kinda bright in cabin anyway.

Maybe the 9-led ones Acree has just burn this energy off faster than the 6led ones. Cause by looking at them they are pretty much built the same.

 

I was also wondering...could you solder two of these together on each side
of the dome light which would increase the brightness? Maybe solder thin rigid metal strips point to point where one of the bulbs can still just snap in like usual but the other is basically suspended by the rigid metal strips.

 

theoretically, yes you could do that, but i won't recommend it. you risk putting too much heat to one of the boards or damaging in some way. i don't see why anyone would want any brighter than what the leds produce, but if it still isn't bright enough goto autozone and buy the "xenon" bulbs. they are coated blue so it will be almost the same color but they are high wattage and burn hot as hell, but bright as hell too.

 

I was just curious more than anything. The 6-led ones I have are plenty bright for me. If I wanted to go brighter...I'd try the 9-led bulbs.

 

BINGO - I think the circuit has a cap that discharges fairly rapidly through the stock bulbs which cause the slow dim effect. With the LED's once there's enough voltage they illuminate, and once they're isn't then they shut nearly all the way off - just a tiny bit of illumination is left. A resistor in parallel with the LED circuit ought to drain the cap faster.

Personally I haven't noticed the light but now probably won't be able to keep my eyes off it in now.

 

I have the 6LEDs & I notice it is faintly lit as well. Not that bad though. As someone pointed out, with all the gauges & auto-dimming mirror, it's not at all intrusive to me.

 

Sounds like you hit the nail on the head.

I knew if we got enough smart people looking into the matter we'd figure it out.

edit:
I went out again last night after it was sitting about 30min. and there was no glow. So it's burnin' the residual fairly quickly.

 

I had the same lights, worked great when I first got them. They did emit a little light even when the door was closed but I didn't worry about it. Eventually, they 2 LEDS would be flickering, and I would have to tap the light for it to stay on, then later they eventually didn't work. I just took em out. The stock lights are much brighter anyways.