LEDs burning out

Nji911

New Member
Feb 19, 2021
4
New York
I have a few light bars on my snow plowing trucks that are wired into the reverse light circuit. I am getting individual LEDs that are burning out on me. I have basic knowledge of LEDs, but don’t know what exactly is the issue. Would it be moisture getting inside? Thanks!76EA10B8-CBD2-44AF-A018-0A222A8D71B0.jpeg6AA29E57-B4EA-44B1-B024-41CC840ABB10.jpeg
 

Nji911

New Member
Feb 19, 2021
4
New York
Not expensive. Just off of Amazon. I’ve had good luck in the past with them. Just wondering if theres a reason they are burning out one by one. If it’s possibly moisture I will see if I can seal them better.
 

Jarred J.

Lifetime VIP Donor
May 21, 2010
11,580
Shelbyville, TN
Could be overheating, moisture, frequent cycling, hard to tell.
 

Nji911

New Member
Feb 19, 2021
4
New York
Hmm, frequent cycling could be an issue? They are tied into the reverse lights so they do turn on and off frequently.
 
Jun 18, 2013
3,709
PA
all of the above are valid points.. heat is a huge killer of LED. If they cant dissipate it, they self destruct.
 

Nji911

New Member
Feb 19, 2021
4
New York
all of the above are valid points.. heat is a huge killer of LED. If they cant dissipate it, they self destruct.
I would guess that heat isn’t the biggest issue since they are being used at below freezing temps for the most part. The one thing that strikes me as a possibility is the constant cycling on and off. Is that a legitimate concern?
 
May 21, 2010
1,256
Minnesota
I cant see how cycling on and off would be any issue with an LED (how many thousands of times do leds in a lightbar turn on and off in a matter of minutes).

Cheaper prices come with cheaper build and QC. Even though it is below freezing, the diodes still need to desipate a lot of heat (even at -30f, my engine would overheat if the coolant stopped circulating). If they do not have a good heatsink or attached to it properly they could overheat. Could also be the solder/electrical connections inside failing (from heat, corrosion, poor manufacturing or vibration).
 

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