LED load equalizers

[Snowman]

I could use a transformer but that is solving a problem that shouldn't exist.

[xr4man]

a transformer doesn't pass DC current either though.

[mDust]

no. if you do that the capacitor will stop all DC voltage from getting to the leds and nothing will work at all. capacitors only pass AC voltages.

Almost everything electronic in a car is DC. AC is changed to DC by a rectifier before it even leaves the alternator. Components such as the radio, inverters, amps, navigation systems, and the various computer systems all contain capacitors.
Your computer doesn't have any AC running through it beyond the PSU...it has capacitors and transformers.

A capacitor eliminates electrical noise and/or stores power for later use like a battery. The LEDs will never pull 'too much' power so that is a non-issue. It also will not reduce the current headed for the LEDs enough to make any difference, so it doesn't help there either.

I would think that a resistor that brought the circuit resistance back to spec would solve the problem...or resistance through additional LEDs, which is why adding more strips solved the glow problem.

yeah, iirc all the load leveler does is add resistance to equal the power draw of the incandescent bulb you replaced. I am sure you can use a LED calculator to see what resistor to use.

This.

[Snowman]

a transformer doesn't pass DC current either though.

i meant a relay i wasnt awake yet.

[xr4man]

oh yeah, that makes much more sense now. a relay would probably work. i'd check to make sure it wasn't already going through a relay though.

[Konrad]

If you still have the old bulbs you replaced then just splice one back into each LED circuit. Just think of them as "fuses" instead of "bulbs".

[Twigsoffury]

no. if you do that the capacitor will stop all DC voltage from getting to the leds and nothing will work at all. capacitors only pass AC voltages.

wut?

my HDD LEDS shouldn't be working then.

[mDust]

wut?

my HDD LEDS shouldn't be working then.

I had to do some digging with google, but I found that a fully charged capacitor will not allow any power to pass through. DC will eventually charge a capacitor to 100% if there isn't sufficient load. AC will never allow a capacitor to fully charge so the power continues to flow.

Now we know...and knowing is half the battle.
G.I. Jooooeee!

[xr4man]

there's a whole lot more to it than that, but on a basic level, yes that's absolutely correct.

in the navy's electronics technician school, we spent a full two weeks for 6 to 8 hours a day just on capacitor theory. which was much much easier than transistor theory (which literally gave me nightmares).

[mDust]

there's a whole lot more to it than that, but on a basic level, yes that's absolutely correct.

Yeah, basic understandings are what I specialize in. I skipped over reading a lot of advanced stuff because I don't have a strong physics background.