Electronic/solid-state/LED flasher swap

[merrill77]

I want to upgrade all my lighting on the wagon to LED. Knowing of the turn signal / hazard flasher issues, it seemed like I should start with that first. So after researching a bit, I picked up a CEC Industries EF32RL Electronic Turn Signal Flasher Relay, LED Compatible, 2 + Ground Wire Prongs, 12 Volts from Amazon ($10). It is advertised to work under no load (for LEDs) and is rated heavy duty to support large trailer lighting loads. Popped it in, connected the ground wire, turned on the ignition and then a turn signal. Then.....nothing. No blinking. No fast blink, no slow blink...just nothing. I tried a few different ground points until I was satisfied that was not the problem.

The flasher I bought had pretty good reviews...it seemed unlikely to be defective. So, given what we know about AMC, I wondered if they wired the socket backwards from the standard. The mistake would go unnoticed with thermo-mechanical flashers...they don't care which way the current flows. But solid-state electronics do. So I made some patch wires with male and female terminals so I could test it with the wires reversed...without pulling and rewiring the fuse panel.

Success!!!!



At some point I may rewire...so I don't have that flasher hanging around. But for now, it'll do.

[dodgerammit]

Good info! The joys of AMC's quirks.

[fulsizjeep]

Interesting. When we put the LEDs on the fog lamp circuit in my 88 GW in January, we found one side was red to ground and the other side was black to ground. It made for at least an hour distraction on the bumper project Tad and I were doing . Then there was the fog light switch that fell apart.

[jsinajeep]

Interesting. When we put the LEDs on the fog lamp circuit in my 88 GW in January, we found one side was red to ground and the other side was black to ground. It made for at least an hour distraction on the bumper project Tad and I were doing . Then there was the fog light switch that fell apart.

Don't blame it on the fog light switch. LOL

[az chip]

Nice project and write up. Any pics of finished product?

[Phils67]

I work with LEDs ona daily basis at work (trailer mechanic) and alot of them will only work one way. If you plug a bulb in and it does nothing like a 194 or whatever, flip it over and most likely itll work.

[tgreese]

LEDs are, at their base, diodes. A diode will only conduct with forward polarity, not reversed. That some semiconductors emit light (electroluminescence) came after semiconductor diodes were invented as electronic components that ... only conduct with a forward polarity. They were invented to duplicate the vacuum diode, which was in wide use as a rectifier, converting AC electricity into DC in radios and many other electronic applications. First used to detect radio waves when connected to an antenna.

Reversing the polarity of the flasher is the downside of the mechanical nature of the original flasher, which would work regardless of the polarity. The electronic replacement will be polar, like the diode.

[merrill77]

Nice project and write up. Any pics of finished product?

Not at the moment. I'm waiting for delivery of all the replacement LEDs.

[fulsizjeep]

Don't blame it on the fog light switch. LOL

Don't worry, I Jerry rigged it.

[sonoraed]

There is a good article on this very subject in the June edition of Street Rodder, X terminal is "power in" L terminal is "load out"