Discovery 3 LED trailer lights

I need to revise what I had previously determined for a D4 to recognise a trailer with LED lights as I have now determined that only the blinkers need a dummy load, the same situation as a D3.

The D4 rear parking sensors need the brake light dummy load only whilst the driver's door is not closed after the blinker dummy load is switched-in. Once the driver's door is closed, the brake light dummy load is not required even if the door is re-opened. I had been testing with the driver's door open and think I have uncovered a little software discrepancy as its not safety logic to my reckoning. I have now removed the brake light feed from my load resistor box, which is quite necessary as the box got too hot to safely store in the side cubby-box after only a couple of minutes with the brakes applied.

You'll probably find you only need one blinker with a dummy load too.

Cheers,

Gordon

I can soon test the 1 blinker load.
I noticed that on the 1st blink after the load was connected the trailer indicator had a delayed start but subsequent blinks it was in time with the main indicator. Likewise when the load was disconnected the trailer indicator started to blink the 1st time but stopped short. Its a shame the reverse parking sensors don't re-enable immediately the trailer is disconnected rather than when the ignition is next cycled.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by gghaggis

You'll probably find you only need one blinker with a dummy load too.

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Yes, it only takes 1 blinker dummy load to disable the reversing sensors on my D4.

Please bear with me on this one. While I have a reasonable practical ability with most things mechanical, electronics just completely escapes me.

Could a simpler alternative to the LED trailer/caravan lights issue be to instal non-LED side marker lights? I will soon be having a 21" caravan built and am considering having side indicator lights installed in addition to the rear LED lights, to improve safety. If these side lights were to be standard globes, would this solve the problem of the D3 not recognising a trailer is attached? If so, would I also need side brake lights or would the side indicators suffice?

Cheers
Peter

If side indicator lights means the bulbs that flash on and off when you are going to turn, then I would say that as long as you have a tungsten filament somewhere in both the left and right trailer signal light circuits, then the computer monitoring the trailer signal light circuit will be happy.

Having a side indicator that flashes is I think good design so if your rear lights are LED, then wire in a normal tungsten filament bulb light assembly as the side indicator. I suggest that you then use genuine LR signal light bulbs, probably the ones used in the rear of the vehicle tail light assembly rather than in the front as you are more likely to have some spares of that type with you.

As to side, or otherwise brake lights, I think not. To my knowledge, the trailer monitoring circuit only monitors the signal light filaments and not the brake light filaments. Also given the problems the brake light switch and bulbs can cause, the fewer brake lights the better.

Are relay's essential when making your own pulse buster? I have the 50w 6ohm resistors already.
I'm going to mount mine permanently on the trailer. Will that cause other users of the trailer any grief?
Thanks
Scott.

See the link below for details of my homemade led trailer solution.
The design requires relays to defeat the indicators pulsing. The resistors will only solve the trailer sensing issues

Been using this for over a year without problems. Use a metal box and mount resistors to the casting for heat sinking



http://www.aulro.com/afvb/d3-d4-rrs/...ml#post1576665

Based on the drawings and pictures I got off AULRO, below is what I made up. It works well and could be permanently mounted on a trailer and not negatively affect anything when other vehicles hook directly thru it.

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/im...012/12/914.jpg

Someone suggested that if you put a simple filament globe in the line, that will solve your problems too. Hence I assumed that a resistor alone will be suffice. Obviously not. Off to Jaycar again today then.
Thanks