LED Bulb Puzzle

[Ron H]

Anyone ever have an interior courtesy light go out and upon replacing the bulb it doesn’t work and trying another bulb in case that new one might be bad and still doesn’t work? Ok, no kiddin. Bad socket or wiring connections to it right? It is one of those teeny bulbs inset into a molded plastic socket cove – in my case an idiot light bar on a console I installed from another car. Longer story, but was going to rewire it to another unused socket in the light bar, but got the idea to put in an LED version of the bulbs as they are enclosed guessing subject to getting hot – overheated, being the cause of it going bad to begin with.

Here's my mystery, put the LED bulb in that socket where the OEM bulb would no longer work and the sucker works! Find nothing to explain this on the web, only all the occasions when an LED bulb won’t work. This bulb happens to be the left bank indicating brake lights and turn signals. There’s one wire feeding power to both left & right brake and blinkers on the bar. Separate feed wire for the other bulb indicating when headlights are on.

Anyone have ideas why this would work? I didn’t get to the point using a meter to check the voltage here upon getting success.

 

[pnora]

LED requires less voltage to operate or a weaker ground. The LED is a band aid on the problem.

 

[gkent]

Put 12 volts on an LED it'l glow really bright but won't last. That's why most automitve LEDs have weird bases or housings and some have small transformers inline. These are all to drop the voltage. The downside is that its done with resistors and the excess voltage is converted to heat. I don't know for sure but I would suspect that on modern cars wherever LEDS are used the voltage is dropped at the source - close to the battery - to minimize a whole bunch of hotspots around the vehicle.

 

[Ron H]

Yeah had given thought an LED might work on lower voltage. But, they don't emit the heat an incandescent has which I thought may have caused damage. Was on a car cruise last summer when had to keep the brakes on due to slow driving frequent stops for 45-minutes when it went out.

 

[RJRENTON]

LED requires less voltage to operate or a weaker ground. The LED is a band aid on the problem.

LED's are polarity sensitive. They will only illuminate if installed with the positive (+) connrcted to the supply....if installed in reverse, nothing happens. LED is a diode and will pass current in one direction only.
BOB RENTON

 

[WileERobby]

LED is a diode and will pass current in one direction only.

I pass gas in one direction only

 

[RJRENTON]

I pass gas in one direction only View attachment 1631636

True......a lot depends on the "gas" supply.....somethings produce more gas than other sources.....baked beans combined with hard boiled eggs and beer is a deadly combination......"no smoking, fires or open lights".....a purplish green cloud that follows you all day.....
BOB RENTON

 

[Ron H]

I pass gas in one direction only View attachment 1631636

Looks like your *** could be overdue for a tune up