Finally: an LED compatible Combination Flasher
#1
Finally: an LED compatible Combination Flasher
I have had this idea in my head for a long time. So i finally said F'it and went junkyard hunting all morning. A whole lot of 00- trucks in the yard, but finally found an 01+ that had the combination flasher.
So I brought it to the shop, cracked it open, and did some studying.
$5 and some wire later, I have a combination flahser that happily accepts LED's.
Right now I have the 4 switchbacks up front and incandescents in the back. I'm going to get some red LED tails and stab them in, but my math says I should still be good.
I'm going to modify the CF out of my truck and put it in a friend's truck to verify that everything is kosher, then I may start offering these out to the public.
It basically takes a $5 resistor, a couple inches of wire, and about 15 minutes.
So I brought it to the shop, cracked it open, and did some studying.
$5 and some wire later, I have a combination flahser that happily accepts LED's.
Right now I have the 4 switchbacks up front and incandescents in the back. I'm going to get some red LED tails and stab them in, but my math says I should still be good.
I'm going to modify the CF out of my truck and put it in a friend's truck to verify that everything is kosher, then I may start offering these out to the public.
It basically takes a $5 resistor, a couple inches of wire, and about 15 minutes.
#3
So i put the LED tails in tonight.
With the 4 front LED's in and nothing in the rear sockets, the unit did NOT go into Hyperflash for either left or right turn. So I have plenty of overhead here. I'm showing 106 milliVolts with the Threshold at 87, which means there is just over 1 amp flowing through the circuit.
With the hazards flashing for over 5 minutes, the resistor never so much as got lukewarm.
I also knocked out a second one today, the original from my truck. It will be going to a friend down in College Station.
With the 4 front LED's in and nothing in the rear sockets, the unit did NOT go into Hyperflash for either left or right turn. So I have plenty of overhead here. I'm showing 106 milliVolts with the Threshold at 87, which means there is just over 1 amp flowing through the circuit.
With the hazards flashing for over 5 minutes, the resistor never so much as got lukewarm.
I also knocked out a second one today, the original from my truck. It will be going to a friend down in College Station.
#4
Yes, I know the wiring under my dash is hideous. You don't have to point it out.
Yes, I know that the hyperflash cancels with hazards on. Yes, I know it's not a great video. But everything does work - even with the rear tails unplugged, it does not Hyperflash for either side. The resistor doesn't get so much as lukewarm, even after 5 minutes of hazards.
I did mis-speak. The voltage is at 0.106 volts, above the threshold of 0.087 volts.
I'll make a better video in the near future.
Yes, I know that the hyperflash cancels with hazards on. Yes, I know it's not a great video. But everything does work - even with the rear tails unplugged, it does not Hyperflash for either side. The resistor doesn't get so much as lukewarm, even after 5 minutes of hazards.
I did mis-speak. The voltage is at 0.106 volts, above the threshold of 0.087 volts.
I'll make a better video in the near future.
#5
Good work, Magnet. My LED tails came with flasher boxes, but they stopped working shortly after I got them. Replacements lasted about two days, so I've been hyperflashing for years now. Maybe this will cure it. Seems much better to control it at the source, than to put a bunch of resistors on each light.
Do you know if the Durango combo flasher is the same as the Dak?
Do you know if the Durango combo flasher is the same as the Dak?
Last edited by Dodgevity; 09-03-2019 at 10:24 AM.
#6
Good work, Magnet. My LED tails came with flasher boxes, but they stopped working shortly after I got them. Replacements lasted about two days, so I've been hyperflashing for years now. Maybe this will cure it. Seems much better to control it at the source, than to put a bunch of resistors on each light.
Do you know if the Durango combo flasher is the same as the Dak?
Do you know if the Durango combo flasher is the same as the Dak?
Yes, CF is same for 01-04 Dak, 93-97 B250, and I think 01-04 Ram Van or something like that
#7
Looks like quite a few folks have been doing this. May not need a high power resistor. One guy even used a longer length of wire to replace the shunt. Heck, if you remove that resistor and twisted the end of your wires together that might work by itself
https://www.ridgelineownersclub.com/...-coffee.37691/
https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...flash-fix.html
https://www.ridgelineownersclub.com/...-coffee.37691/
https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...flash-fix.html
Last edited by Dodgevity; 09-03-2019 at 04:28 PM.
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#8
#9
So tonight I tried this with a junkyard combo relay and it worked great. I glued the resistor to the bottom of the casing. When the glue dried, I plugged it up and when I went to mount it on that little metal tab under the dash, I stupidly forgot to tape the exposed wires and it shorted & sparked for a quick sec. Now the flashers don't work at all. Plugged back in the original unmolested flasher relay and still nothing. Checked turn signal fuse and it's not blown. Flasher and hazards I get nothing. Brake lights and everything else works. So basically, I shorted out that shunt resistor to ground.
I'm gonna have to figure this out in the morning. Hopefully this is not an expensive mistake.
I'm gonna have to figure this out in the morning. Hopefully this is not an expensive mistake.
Last edited by Dodgevity; 10-04-2019 at 10:49 PM.
#10
So tonight I tried this with a junkyard combo relay and it worked great. I glued the resistor to the bottom of the casing. When the glue dried, I plugged it up and when I went to mount it on that little metal tab under the dash, I stupidly forgot to tape the exposed wires and it shorted & sparked for a quick sec. Now the flashers don't work at all. Plugged back in the original unmolested flasher relay and still nothing. Checked turn signal fuse and it's not blown. Flasher and hazards I get nothing. Brake lights and everything else works. So basically, I shorted out that shunt resistor to ground.
I'm gonna have to figure this out in the morning. Hopefully this is not an expensive mistake.
I'm gonna have to figure this out in the morning. Hopefully this is not an expensive mistake.
Last edited by magnethead; 10-05-2019 at 10:51 AM.