Lights wired without a voltage reducer?

[UncleJerm76]

Originally Posted by Sergio

I think a reducer will give you more flexibility and it will be cheaper in the long run.

He said lights were all he wanted to run so he doesn't need flexibility. How will spending money on a reducer be cheaper than FREE?

[Sergio]

Well, lets keep it in the context of the original post.

Free:

He does not own LED lights, he was talking about buying them in the hopes of causing less damage to individual batteries.

Flexibility:

You can only string "filament" type lights of the same wattage in series, otherwise the voltage distribution is not equal.
Filament lights like halogen have about 1/10 of the resistance when cold, so at the instant that you turn them own, there will be an inrush of current both at the switch and at the individual bulbs, likely causing shorter life to both.
You cannot string filament and LED lights in series due to the fact that LED lights will only allow a small amount of current to flow thru the circuit.
Having 12v available makes it easier to add other cool things like "under lights", rear spot light, etc

Cheaper in the Long run:

The only way to avoid the cost of the reducer is by taping less than full pack which could cost later as You prematurely replace the pack.

It also creates an unconventional wiring that could be harder for someone to understand later.

I am not saying You are wrong as You are obviously running the setup you suggested, but this is the long version for my original suggestion.

[Volt_Ampere]

Sergio is absolutely correct here. Series wiring of lights is not a good idea at all. (Unless they are xmas lights)

[UncleJerm76]

So hang ornaments and put a star on top of the cart 😜

Sry until you guys can provide documentation that it will harm the bulbs, lights have been wired in series like this for decades.

Keeping context if the "original" post, my FREE suggestion was using his existing halogen bulbs, NOT purchased LEDs.

...Wayfun, what type of bulbs do you currently have? H3? If you don't know it will be stamped or printed on the bulb housing.

[mrgolf]

You guys crack me up.

One guy at my course has a 4 D cell flashlight mounted on his windshield post. Works great.

[mike_dmt]

Sorry to hijack but.... Im gonna..


I DO have two small LED DRL lights for the front of my cart. More of an accent than a headlight. Can I run them in series from a pair of my 36v pack without much harm to the batteries? Usage will be really, really low.

And I want to say they pull less than 15amps..

[Revolution]

Originally Posted by mike_dmt

Sorry to hijack but.... Im gonna..


I DO have two small LED DRL lights for the front of my cart. More of an accent than a headlight. Can I run them in series from a pair of my 36v pack without much harm to the batteries? Usage will be really, really low.

And I want to say they pull less than 15amps..

I have had terrible results doing this. Most LED fixtures have their own current control circuits. They expect to see a plain dc battery voltage within the range they are rated for. Placing two in series can cause problems for both since the internal regulator is chopping up the dc current to feed the LED. Therefore both will see chopped up dc not a nice clean battery voltage.

[mike_dmt]

Solution is?

[jakesnake27]

Originally Posted by mike_dmt

Solution is?

What are your lights rated for voltage wise?

[mike_dmt]

12v.. 3w total for both lights.

Not going to be bright I know. I'm thinking another LED light bar later.