agrees with the above, also most of the "replacements" have deficiencies of some sort. they dont work like the original incadescents, which have LOTS of light going all around.
but to continue with your other questions, despite the fact that getting them certified, will take a letter from god.
you probably would want to use as much of the voltage as possible through the actual leds, not through resistance.
---->|---->|---->|---->|----==/===---
(repeat as nessisary)
so start with about 4-5 red (2.2v gate) type of leds on each "bank" then put a adjustable potentiometer in there, and connect it up to a bench supply.
hit it with about 14.4 -14.6V and set the amperage to spec with the adjutable pot. then replace the pot with resistance, and test by fluxuating the current from 11V to 16V to see if it works without going to high in current or going to low in output.
nice test, now you have an idea of what is going on.
then check your cars actual voltage when off, and when running, and when running with the battery charged. and check this voltage on the actual light socket, not the battery, as the regulator might be keeping your system voltage better regulated than you think. check also for wild spikes during starting, reving, and so forth.
now throw out them stupid 5mm leds , and realize that to compare to a 24W bulb, your going to need some major leds
get 4-5 new wizz bang 3W leds , and stick them in there underdriven, each one can point in a different direction giving you the same protection that you had before with the power sucking incadescent. heat sync them well , so they will work at 110*F temps.
otherwize your going to need about 50 of the better red leds to do the same thing.
then dont forget to have a resister in there, to WASTE all the power that you did before with the incadescent, so your blinker curcuit works without going faster or slower, or throwing up a error on any high tech computerized car that knows a bulb is out.
then drive down the road, and see that the new LED stoplight that the goverment paid 750,000$ for is burnt out, then stop, get out of your car and look back there and see if your suffering the same fate /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif
that is why i say use HIGH powered leds, they are more stable, and underdriven they could have a much better life.
then say you use a regulator, in the case of many small leds, i would prefer that the regulator be a voltage regulation. with a voltage regulation and many parellel banks that are seriesed, one bank could fail and you would still have the other banks operating as you originally set them.
with current regulation as any bank went out, the current might (depending on why the bank failed) be increased to the leftover leds, which would keep the light output about the same, but overdrive the leftovers, possibly killing more banks in the process.
if your voltage input is (again) very close to the led series voltage, then the regulator (again) would not have to dissapate as much heat. so mabey 5 leds per bank, and a adjustable voltage regulation (heat sinked) on the whole set.
then again with the small leds, if you could Block the whole thing into a clear plastic pour, the legs woudnt die from corrosion, there would be some better heat synking of them, and they wont rattle themselves to death.
gee there are days when i am SOO much help /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif
