LED Bulbs

[thescreensavers]

So I have had a few LED bulbs go dim on me in a few months to a year.

I thought LED's were 60k hours in life?

 

[punjabiplaya]

they're not ALL 60k

 

[rstrohkirch]

To go along with the above, the estimated life span is also derived with a very small amount of current. There is also a HUGE difference in the quality level of different LED. With end of life considered around 70% original output, you can have a cheap Chinese 5mm last 3-4 days compared to something like a Cree. Which could easily last 4500 hours at 20ma.

 

[PottedMeat]

my guess is shitty circuit design. maybe they used a maximum voltage of 12V, when vehicle systems are ~13-14 when the engine is running. depending on the series resistor they used, when the car is running the LED may be overdriven (i'm assuming the cheapest and easiest way to wire up the LED).

 

[thescreensavers]

This is what I had in my corner light to match my 6k's

http://www.v-leds.com/Exterior-LED-...te-LED/2-HID-6K-WHITE-SMT-5-p4481039-1-2.html

meh I guess for 8 bucks you get what you pay for, but all the LED automotive stuff is the same, if I pay 20-30 bucks it does not prove I am getting better shit.

 

[PottedMeat]

This is what I had in my corner light to match my 6k's

http://www.v-leds.com/Exterior-LED-...te-LED/2-HID-6K-WHITE-SMT-5-p4481039-1-2.html

meh I guess for 8 bucks you get what you pay for, but all the LED automotive stuff is the same, if I pay 20-30 bucks it does not prove I am getting better shit.

i built a strip light using LEDs like those driven at 150mA each and they get nearly too hot to touch when using plain old double sided copper PCBs. it looks like they compressed all that into <1/2 cubic inch. my guess is heat is killing them. maybe if they used metal core pcbs and extended them into the base that would help with the dissipation, but that's more $.

 

[thescreensavers]

so oven baking might work to fix it if something with the solder? meh

They are dim right now, not totally dead.

 

[PottedMeat]

so oven baking might work to fix it if something with the solder? meh

They are dim right now, not totally dead.

nope. changing the resistor in the assembly to make them dimmer would make them last longer, but they're still poorly cooled.

edit: oven baking may fix a cracked connection where one LED is dim/off, though it would be easier to just use a soldering iron.