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| ZeDefender Member Since: 15 Sep 2011 Location: Munich Posts: 4731   
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Just to prove a point, my LED headlights just up and died... because the 12V to 24V stepper that I so cleverly installed to give them a bit more juice, failed. It lasted precisely one month.
Fortunately I was able to switch them back to 12V quickly (thanks Brendan for suggesting the connectors) but I have learned my lesson 
To paraphrase Brainiac: "I do these stupid things so you don't have to"  Tell someone you love them today because life is short.
But shout it at them in German because life is also terrifying and confusing... |
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9th Apr 2014 2:37pm |
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| ericvv Member Since: 02 Jun 2011 Location: Near the Jet d'Eau Posts: 5816  
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With LED headlamps which function either on 12V or 24V,...
Either of those two input Voltages does not mean any difference to light output, no? Eric You never actually own a Defender. You merely look after it for the next generation. http://youtu.be/yVRlSsJwD0o https://youtu.be/vmPr3oTHndg https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_GtzTT9Pdl0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ABqKPz28e6A https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rLZ49Jce_n0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XvAsz_ilQYU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K8tMHiX9lSw https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=dxwjPuHIV7I https://vimeo.com/201482507 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZSixqL0iyHw |
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9th Apr 2014 5:12pm |
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| Grey110 Member Since: 20 Jun 2012 Location: Delft Posts: 35 
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Yes, I recently had a similar problem. Lights didn't work, had to check all modifications....
 Did you actually get a benefit with the stepper? I imagine that the LED lights contain a similar stepup/down circuit to give constant voltage to the LEDs. If not you would have killed the LEDs because a LED on its own can be damaged by high voltage. Martin
Previous 2003 Defender 110 Hardtop TD5 2004 Defender 110 Station Wagon TD5 - Libyan Sand 2005 Discovery 3 - V8 - Black |
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9th Apr 2014 5:14pm |
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| ZeDefender Member Since: 15 Sep 2011 Location: Munich Posts: 4731
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Even with the new headlight harness I got a bit of flickering sometimes (nothing like as much as before) due to undervoltage (think all my wiring is crap), so I thought I'd step up the voltage to eradicate it completely. Worked brilliantly... until it didn't
*Edit* the LEDs (Speaker 8700s) are rated 12V/24V and the stepper had a solid 24V output (until it died). Light output was the same with either voltage, it was just the flickering I was trying to fix. Tell someone you love them today because life is short. But shout it at them in German because life is also terrifying and confusing... |
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9th Apr 2014 5:32pm |
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| ZeDefender Member Since: 15 Sep 2011 Location: Munich Posts: 4731
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Nah - they flicker when the car is standing still and the battery isn't completely topped up. It's completely voltage-dependent - gets worse when the glowplugs come on and goes away once the alternator is doing its job. My 110 just seems a bit over-sensitive to this problem
Bless our Defenders, they all have their quirks  Tell someone you love them today because life is short.
But shout it at them in German because life is also terrifying and confusing... |
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9th Apr 2014 9:09pm |
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| dgardel Member Since: 30 Nov 2008 Location: Veneto (Heart & Head) Posts: 3586 
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I switched to Nolden for solve the problem
Discovery 5 td6 HSE Stornoway Gray Outback Engineering Limited Edition
IID Pro MV License |
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10th Apr 2014 6:50am |
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| leeds Member Since: 28 Dec 2009 Location: West Yorkshire Posts: 8578 
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dgardel might have suggested the solution
Speaker 8700's can flicker for several reasons
I think we can rule out Pulse Width Modulation on Defenders ZeDefender seems to think it voltage dependent now lets look at the specifications JW Speaker 8700's Input voltage 11.4- 32V DC Nolden 7" Input voltage 9 - 32 volts DC Speakers will be more sensitive to a low voltage then Noldens Brendan |
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10th Apr 2014 2:35pm |
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| dgardel Member Since: 30 Nov 2008 Location: Veneto (Heart & Head) Posts: 3586
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I know, I discovered that the problem of flickering of the JWS depended on the voltage of the battery, especially if the car was stopped for a bit 'of days.
The first type of JWS did not do it, it is a problem of 8700 Evolution Discovery 5 td6 HSE Stornoway Gray Outback Engineering Limited Edition
IID Pro MV License |
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10th Apr 2014 3:29pm |
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| ericvv Member Since: 02 Jun 2011 Location: Near the Jet d'Eau Posts: 5816
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^^ As long as your battery is ok, the Landreiziger loom should solve any Voltage losses which we all have with the standard set-up of all juice running via the switch. I believe this can reduce the Voltage arriving to the headlights easily by 1V, so you can arrive under the treshold for the Speakers to function correctly.
In my case the Speakers would flicker if I would turn them on with the contact on, but with engine not running yet, so when no power is generated by the alternator. Now after the Landreiziger loom has been installed, the flickering is all history as my now 5.5 year old original battery still holds a charge at rest of well above 12V. I guess a battery which at rest is not able to hold a charge of 12V or more is up for changing anyway. The loom works and does what it is supposed to do, including avoiding the switch to melt, that is for sure.
Eric You never actually own a Defender. You merely look after it for the next generation. http://youtu.be/yVRlSsJwD0o https://youtu.be/vmPr3oTHndg https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_GtzTT9Pdl0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ABqKPz28e6A https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rLZ49Jce_n0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XvAsz_ilQYU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K8tMHiX9lSw https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=dxwjPuHIV7I https://vimeo.com/201482507 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZSixqL0iyHw |
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10th Apr 2014 3:43pm |
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| K9F Member Since: 12 Nov 2009 Location: Bournemouth Posts: 9610 
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Brendan, I am also possibly interested in swapping out my JWS for a set of Noldens IP6K9K it doesn't get any better. Looking at the Nolden newsletter for the 7th generation of their 7" LED headlights it states voltage figures of 12-24V. May I ask where you are getting the voltage input figures from please as this would be yet another reason to swap perhaps? Here is my link.....Thank you. http://www.noldengmbh.de/en/company/news/45-7-led-headlight If you go through life with your head in the sand....all people will see is an ar5e!! Treat every day as if it is your last....one day you will be right!! |
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10th Apr 2014 3:43pm |
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| ericvv Member Since: 02 Jun 2011 Location: Near the Jet d'Eau Posts: 5816
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According the Nakatanenga website they work between 9-32V
Technische Daten: •Abmessungen in mm: 177 x 152 •Anzahl LEDs: 5 x Osram Automotive •Leistung (Abblend-/Fernlicht): 32W / 39W •Spannung: 9-32V •Lumen berechnet: 1880lm / 2400lm •Lumen gemessen: 1550lm / 1700lm •Referenzzahl (pro Scheinwerfer): 12.5 •Befestigungsschema: PAR56 •Zulassung: ECE, SAE •Frontscheibe: UV-resistentes, hartbeschichtetes Polycarbonat •Gehäuse: in Alumium-Druckgußtechnik gefertigt, leicht, korrosionsfrei •Wasserdicht: nach IP6K9K Norm, dokumentiert durch 480 Stunden Salzsprühnebeltest You never actually own a Defender. You merely look after it for the next generation. http://youtu.be/yVRlSsJwD0o https://youtu.be/vmPr3oTHndg https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_GtzTT9Pdl0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ABqKPz28e6A https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rLZ49Jce_n0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XvAsz_ilQYU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K8tMHiX9lSw https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=dxwjPuHIV7I https://vimeo.com/201482507 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZSixqL0iyHw |
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10th Apr 2014 3:56pm |
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| ZeDefender Member Since: 15 Sep 2011 Location: Munich Posts: 4731
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I think if my Speakers ever die or corrode badly (hopefully not for a few years yet!) I will go for Noldens or something similar. I don't like the way the alternatives look c.f. the Speakers but in the end the Nolden specs win
Mind you, as far as customer service goes, I think Mobilecentre/Speaker will be tough to beat Tell someone you love them today because life is short.
But shout it at them in German because life is also terrifying and confusing... |
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10th Apr 2014 5:57pm |
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| ericvv Member Since: 02 Jun 2011 Location: Near the Jet d'Eau Posts: 5816
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I think the specs as they are given are really an apples and pears comparison. No common denominator in that, and until today nobody on here really has been able to give any convincing evidence of which is better based on the numbers. So I still think the best is a side by side comparison, so maybe you remember the below... Result is pretty close I would say...
Eric http://www.defender2.net/forum/topic21619....ker+nolden You never actually own a Defender. You merely look after it for the next generation. http://youtu.be/yVRlSsJwD0o https://youtu.be/vmPr3oTHndg https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_GtzTT9Pdl0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ABqKPz28e6A https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rLZ49Jce_n0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XvAsz_ilQYU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K8tMHiX9lSw https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=dxwjPuHIV7I https://vimeo.com/201482507 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZSixqL0iyHw |
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10th Apr 2014 6:07pm |
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| ZeDefender Member Since: 15 Sep 2011 Location: Munich Posts: 4731
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From the specs, I mean:
1) Water ingress 2) Corrosion 3) Flickering 4) Beam pattern, e.g. high beam I love my Speakers but the lenses were wet inside within a year and corroding soon after (due to contact with the bezel and water inside). They still flicker, even with the new harness and even though the voltage at the terminals is well above 11 volts. I find this short-sighted of a manufacturer that should understand car batteries and wiring. The low beam has a strange pattern nearer the vehicle and the high beam only lights the road far ahead. In particular there are some "groovy" (and I find distracting) rainbow effects at the fringes. I haven't owned Noldens so I can only go on other info, but one comparison I saw showed a much more even beam pattern for the Noldens. They also claim to go down to 9 volts and are supposed to be more waterproof (has anyone had condensation inside them?) and I assume less likely to corrode. HOWEVER as has been pointed out before, the 5-year guarantee and service for the Speakers is second to none and I am addicted to the way the Speakers look  So, I'll bide my time and wait for all the problems with the Noldens to surface - until then, I'll drive around at night with my Speakers shining, and feeling like a king  Tell someone you love them today because life is short.
But shout it at them in German because life is also terrifying and confusing... |
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10th Apr 2014 6:32pm |
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