Flickering lights

[samTummo]

I put in led lights in my Cherokee 274RK. When I turn them on they flicker and when turn on other lights. I disconnected the battery for a few days prepping to put in my new duel 6v golf cart batteries. It happened on both battery’s and just on the converter. Owners manual says don’t need a battery if connected to shore power, which I currently am.

Any ideas?

Thanks SamTummo

[toslow]

if you google that there's a lot of good information on it

[samTummo]

Originally Posted by toslow

if you google that there's a lot of good information on it

Created another concern.

Google search revealed several ideas;

Low voltage LED lamps require a stable and clean input voltage. The old halogen lamps did not have such high demands on the quality of transformer output. An unclean and fluctuating output voltage on the transformer can cause the LED lights to flicker.

And

Addressing a power-connection issue or loose wire to the driver circuit will often easily resolve the flickering or no-power issue. Ensure the lamp is screwed correctly in place and the connection point hasn't become loose over its lifetime. Check for loose wires. Tighten and securely screw lamp correctly in place.

So the question changes to the condition of my converter doing damage to my system? The condition of the converter itself? And damage to my brand new 6v golf cart batteries? And loose wires at the fuse box, because it is all the light effected?

[mjbenedict]

Your batteries act as filters for the converter, it will not damage them unless there is something terribly wrong with the converter. Most RV converters have a horrible output voltage and rely on the battery(s) to filter the signal. If you disconnect the battery(s) you remove the filter from the circuit. If you are running the LEDs with the battery disconnected that is most-likely why they are flickering. If they flicker with the battery connected then your electrical system is not designed well. A good system is to have the charger directly connected to the battery and the rest of the RV connected at the battery also. (not using the same cable) We rarely see this on trailers though.

[5picker]

Have you considered you simply bought inexpensive LED lights that have issues? (as many Chinese imports do)

Good LED lights don't flicker no matter the voltage as long as the voltage is within their spec rating.

[pgandw]

I routinely have LEDs in my house flicker after a year or two because of the cheap junk and poor design of the LED driver circuits. Replace the LED "bulb" and the problem goes away.

I had a flickering problem with ONE of my interior LED lights on my 2014 A-frame. Ended up having to replace the entire fixture because everything was soldered in. Again, it was a driver circuit problem.

In your case, do all flicker together, or do they flicker independently (and only some of them). If all flicker together, that's a wiring problem. If all LEDs on a particular circuit flicker together, but no others do, that's a wiring problem on that circuit. With LEDs, it only takes a small leak to ground, or a grounding issue for them not to operate correctly.

If multiple LED bulbs flicker independently, I suspect you have a batch that are rated for computer use, not automotive or RV use. Even though both are nominally 12V, the driver circuits are very different. Automotive/RV/marine LED driver circuits have to be able to function from 10 or 11 volts up to 15 volts. Computers, OTOH, have very stable power supplies that are 12V+/-0.2V or less. It's not always easy to tell which you are getting when you order from E-bay or Amazon.

hope this helps
Fred W
2019 Flagstaff T21TBHW A-frame
2008 Hyundai Entourage minivan
camping Colorado and adjacent states one weekend at a time

[samTummo]

I replaced my 12v interstate deep cycle battery with two Duracell 6v golf cart batteries. The led flickering was mostly after the 12v was removed a couple of days before I installed the 2 6v. All is well, thanks for your thoughts.

SamTummo

[pgandw]

You have covered over the problem by installing a bigger and more stable battery bank - which acts as a buffer to your converter.

You still have an issue, which could be one (or both) of 2 things:

• your converter output voltage is not what it should be - either too low, too high, or insufficiently filtered. In the not so long term, this will sap the life of your new batteries.
• your LED lights do not tolerate wide enough voltage swings because of poor driver circuits.

To determine what is really going on, you need to measure voltages and observe the lights running on battery alone (camper unplugged, you should see 12.1 to 12.7V depending on state of battery charge) and running on converter alone (plugged in, batteries disconnected. If it's a WFCO converter you should see 13.7 +/- 0.1V). Finally, plugged in with batteries connected you should see 13.7V, dropping to 13.2V after 2-3 days.

Improper voltages when plugged in are a bad converter. Flickering with good voltages are weak LED driver circuits.

hope this helps
Fred W
2019 Flagstaff T21TBHW A-frame
2008 Hyundai Entourage minivan
camping Colorado and adjacent states one weekend at a time