Not joined yet? Register for free and enjoy features such as alerts, private messaging and viewing latest posts and topics.

Interior led light flashing

Discuss the problems with your X5 (E53).
Post Reply
Themoog2
Member
Member
Posts: 553
Joined: Sun Nov 25, 2018 10:29 pm
Location: Cambridge

Interior led light flashing

Post by Themoog2 » Wed Jan 20, 2021 10:02 am

A while back I put some led lights in to replace the old dull interior bulbs.
Just recently the front centre led has started flashing when the door is opened - none of the others flash. It's giving me a headache (or is that the wife).
Someone explain..
Ta.

Online
User avatar
X5Sport
Global Moderator
Global Moderator
Posts: 18783
Joined: Fri Sep 03, 2010 4:09 pm
Location: Planet X6......

Re: Interior led light flashing

Post by X5Sport » Wed Jan 20, 2021 10:40 am

Has anyone played with the dimmer setting? It could also be that the car’s lighting dimmer uses PWM (Pulse Width Modulation, or pulsed power) to dim the lamp rather than turning the volts down. LEDs switch far faster than a filament lamp because the filament warms up and cools down whereas an LED is just on or off) so you will see the pulses. Try adjusting the dimmer setting and see what happens.
:ant: Never anthropomorphise computers. They hate that.

Themoog2
Member
Member
Posts: 553
Joined: Sun Nov 25, 2018 10:29 pm
Location: Cambridge

Re: Interior led light flashing

Post by Themoog2 » Wed Jan 20, 2021 4:10 pm

How is the dimmer adjusted? Mine do fade off when the doors are shut etc.

Online
User avatar
X5Sport
Global Moderator
Global Moderator
Posts: 18783
Joined: Fri Sep 03, 2010 4:09 pm
Location: Planet X6......

Re: Interior led light flashing

Post by X5Sport » Wed Jan 20, 2021 8:30 pm

Doh!! It’s the interior lights and they aren’t on a dimmer. Sorry wasn’t very awake when I responded. :cry: :oops: :oops:

It could be a faulty circuit in the LED itself. Do they all flash, or just one? I know some LEDs have something other than a resistor to drop the volts (no idea why as a resistor is all that’s needed!).

If it’s all then I’m puzzled because that means the supply is pulsing. I think they get power from the LCM but I’d have to dig into the circuit diagrams to be sure.
:ant: Never anthropomorphise computers. They hate that.

User avatar
Alan Gunn
Snr Member
Snr Member
Posts: 1427
Joined: Thu Dec 08, 2016 10:32 pm
Location: Anglesey North Wales

Re: Interior led light flashing

Post by Alan Gunn » Thu Jan 21, 2021 5:12 am

As said it is faulty i had one fail after around 9 or 10 months did exactly the same.

User avatar
henrym3
Snr Member
Snr Member
Posts: 1888
Joined: Wed May 25, 2016 11:07 pm
Location: Bournemouth

Re: Interior led light flashing

Post by henrym3 » Thu Jan 21, 2021 1:37 pm

I have one a year (roughly) fail on the number plate lights. I just put it down to slamming the rear hatch. The symptom is always that the light starts flashing and triggers the on dash warning for plate lights. I just replace the LED.

Post Reply