Quote:
Originally Posted by f508
I replaced the engine room halogen bulbs and fixtures with some of those led light strips . The halogens don't respond to the voltage fluctuations but the LEDs do. Is this an alternator problem, or just one of those things one learns to ignore. I figured the house batteries would sort of buffer out the alternator cycles.
Anyway, should I care about this?
Thanks,
Frank
|
The before reference paper is a good one; but, if my LED's were unstable with the engine on and stable with engine off, I would have some concern.
Engine alternators have 3 phase ac then recified outputs. This should be a fairly clean waveform into a healthy battery system. LED's are optically, very fast devices, and don't have the thermal inertia that an incandescant lamp has.
One engine or two? LED issue only when a particular alternator is running? I'm thinking an alternator or regulator instability, that becomes visible with the LEDs. A good instrument for inspecting your alternator/regulator power quality is an oscilloscope.
I'll get into the LED driver technology if necessary, since I design linear and PWM type power supplies; but, in the end, the battery buss should not have short term instabilities (noise).