LED Interior Lights

[PaulGOz]

Hi All,

Has anyone tried LED interior lights in the D4? On a recent camping trip i left the car open whilst setting up camp which became a few hours as I got distracted and almost ended up with a long walk. Next morning it was a cold morning and she cranked very slowly after the initial warm up. I was thinking if i swapped all the bulbs out for LED units i woudl cut power consumption by 80-90% and hopefully avoid running the batteru down all together.

[CSBrisie]

I added this light and its been brilliant - has separate switch at the back;

[Graeme]

It wont be the couple of globes that caused the battery drain, but the electrical systems that were still active because the door was open.

[CaverD3]

As long as you do not have the keys in the ignition the battery should not drain much as th lights go out after a while if you leave th door open.
If it was cold in the morning maybe your battery is showing it's age?

[ADMIRAL]

You should be able to replicate the circumstances back in civilization. I agree with the others. Hard to see a few globes running the battery down to that degree, particularly when the vehicle does an auto shutdown. Unless you are hard wiring leds into a second battery for extended use, I doubt the effort/cost will be worth the result.

[Celtoid]

As long as you do not have the keys in the ignition the battery should not drain much as th lights go out after a while if you leave th door open.
If it was cold in the morning maybe your battery is showing it's age?

Hey CaverD3,

I'm not sue if all D4s are the same in this regard....

I have an early build 2009 model (AUG I think....have to check the label again). Mine has no ignition key....is that standard across the range?

Do D4s have power saving capabilty? The reason I ask is:

As stated by CaverD3, the interior lights do turn off after a while, even with the doors open. The side cargo area lights do not respond to the doors being closed and remain on. However I have inadvertantly left the rear cargo area lights on, only to find in the morning that they have 'switched off' overnight, with my Disco starting normally.

Once I was showing a mate around the car with the stereo playing at a high level and I'm certain it's volume decreased a short time after engine shut-down and was not as high as when the engine was running.

Often when camping, the power points switch off (including the rear) when I'm in the process of filling air-beds.....hit the ignition and all is good again.

Not sure what's normal but it appears that my D4 is trying to preserve the battery.

Regards,

Kev.

D4 SE 3.0L TD

[Brick]

Celtoid,

I picked up my D4 last weekend. During the handover process I asked the Sales Mgr about how it was possible to have the radio on when it used the stop/start button (eg like the Acc position on older vehicles). Was told to push start button without foot on brake, although I think just hitting the radio button on the dash will work. Was also told that instead of an alternator the D4s have a generator, and that running any accessories may quickly drain the battery and cause the system to start shutting down various items in a set order. Was told if wanted to sit in vehicle using any accessories that it was best to have the engine running.

Not sure what the difference between an alternator and a generator would make to the storage capabilities of a battery.

PS Extremely happy with the D4. So much quicker on acceleration and so quiet when cruising down the highway/freeway.

Cheers,

[Celtoid]

Celtoid,

I picked up my D4 last weekend. During the handover process I asked the Sales Mgr about how it was possible to have the radio on when it used the stop/start button (eg like the Acc position on older vehicles). Was told to push start button without foot on brake, although I think just hitting the radio button on the dash will work. Was also told that instead of an alternator the D4s have a generator, and that running any accessories may quickly drain the battery and cause the system to start shutting down various items in a set order. Was told if wanted to sit in vehicle using any accessories that it was best to have the engine running.

Not sure what the difference between an alternator and a generator would make to the storage capabilities of a battery.

PS Extremely happy with the D4. So much quicker on acceleration and so quiet when cruising down the highway/freeway.

Cheers,

Hey Brick,

That sounds right....I never got the explanation in regards to power saving but 'foot off brake start' does turn the electrical system on.

And yeah I've found that there are multiple ways of accessing systems in the car, whether by touch-screen or physical buttons either with ignition on or off.

On the alternator/generator thing.....about a million years ago :D I was an aircraft maintenance engineer of the avionics persuasion......In aircraft I'm certain generator was a DC for DC power system and the likes of a Blackhawk helicopter has AC alternators that powered the majority of AC systems but needed convertors to drive some DC circuits. However cars and their terminology.......I have no idea....

A battery should be a battery.....but I suppose it depends on if it's getting charged to capacity or not and how long that takes.....due to systems that connect to it.

Either way, I think the staged shut-down is a great idea...better than being stuck in the middle of nowhere with a flat battery.

....and the car...........LOVE IT!!!

Cheers,

Kev.

[JDNSW]

The use of the words "generator" and "alternator" are not hard and fast. Strictly speaking in this context a generator is any device that changes mechanical (or even chemical) energy into electrical energy, and an alternator is a device for producing alternating electric current.

But in automotive terminology the word "generator" (also called a "dynamo", particularly in the UK) is reserved for the type of generator that produces direct current by using a commutator to rectify alternating current produced in an armature rotating inside a stationary field, where the term "alternator" is used for the type of generator which uses a solid state rectifier to produce direct current from alternating current generated in stationary windings by a rotating field.

Alternators replaced generators in automotive use as the cost of solid state rectifiers dropped and their reliability increased. Their advantages are mainly that the rotating field coil can be designed with the wire running circumferential to the armature, so that it can be rotated at a much higher speed than can a generator armature. This means it can be geared higher so it starts generating at a lower speed. As well, because the high current windings are on the outside, it is easier to cool, and hence the same current output can come from a smaller and cheaper device. Further, since the field current is carried by slip rings not a commutator, and is much lower than the output current, they are far more trouble free. About the only drawback of an alternator is that they cannot start generating without a power supply, where generators can. But I can't think of any modern engine that can start without power, even push starting.

In view of this I am absolutely certain that no modern car has a generator in the usual automotive use of the word. However, as pointed out, the term is strictly correct for any device producing electrical current - and the term alternator is, strictly speaking, incorrect for the device invariably called an alternator in automotive parlance, as it produces direct current not alternating current (the argument that it produces alternating current internally is not valid, since a generator does as well).

John

[trobbo]

Do you have keyless entry? I have heard a couple of reports of people having problems with flat battery when the key is stored close to the vehicle.

[Graeme]

the term alternator is, strictly speaking, incorrect for the device invariably called an alternator in automotive parlance, as it produces direct current not alternating current (the argument that it produces alternating current internally is not valid, since a generator does as well).

John
That's a pretty fine line considering the rectifier was mounted externally but these days is now mounted in the same housing.

AC can be obtained from a modern day alternator by tapping into one of the phases (as used by my 84 RRC's tacho tap) but I can't see how AC can be obtained from the old generators as there is no conversion.

The term generator has been used for many years in the US for what we have called an alternator.

[CaverD3]

Sorry missed the D4 bit. Being a newish vehicle less likely to be the battery. Sounds like with the key close by it will start shutting down bits to save th battery charge.
Looks like it did it's job and it had enough to start. So it may be with the D4 it is better to lock to shut it all down or put the key in a metal box?

[JDNSW]

That's a pretty fine line considering the rectifier was mounted externally but these days is now mounted in the same housing.

AC can be obtained from a modern day alternator by tapping into one of the phases (as used by my 84 RRC's tacho tap) but I can't see how AC can be obtained from the old generators as there is no conversion.

The term generator has been used for many years in the US for what we have called an alternator.

This happens to be Australia not the US, and here the term generator is always used to distinguish the older type from the newer type denoted an alternator, although as I explained, strictly the term generator applies to either device, and the term alternator as a distinguishing term is not strictly correct either. The rectifier was originally externally mounted as you say, but I cannot think of a single motor vehicle so equipped as standard. They were not fitted to vehicles in preference to generators until the rectifiers were incorporated into the unit, although they were fitted to special purpose installations - I first came across them in the late fifties, supplying power to charge a bank of batteries to run electronic gear.

Generators generate AC and it is converted to DC by the commutator. And, in fact, I have seen a design for a tachometer which uses the AC ripple on the output of a generator - simply connect direct to the generator output via a suitable capacitor.

John

[Bushwanderer]

Hi JD,
Once again, I value your thoughtful contributions. :BigThumb:

Best Wishes,
Peter

[Graeme]

Sorry, my mistake regarding the external mounting. I was thinking of the regulator rather than the rectifier.

I suspect that LR have changed to using the US term world-wide in their literature rather than have changed the device.

[JDNSW]

.....
I suspect that LR have changed to using the US term world-wide in their literature rather than have changed the device.

I suspect you may well be right!

John

[PaulGOz]

Wow that is a lot of response very quickly. From the discussion it appears that either the battery is suspect or that the car is smart enough to not allow the battery to drain to the point of no longer being able to start the car which would be really cool. Maybe I need to experiment a little more closer to a power point and with a volmeter to see if it really can't flatten itself.

Thank You.