Superflux LED DRL burning out

Hey folks I need some help with this. I've got a 2008 Accord Coupe that I have mimicked the Audi DRL on but have had some issues with the LEDs. First I used the 4 chip superflux prewired and they lasted about a month before some of the LED's started burning out.




Then I completely rewired them using the non-prewired variety and a bit of sodering. I set them up in series of 3 with a 22ohm resister based off of 12 Volts. Problem is they lasted less than a week and burned out quick on the drivers side....I'm thinking the 12V setup was not good cause the battery is feeding 14.3 volts on my car when the alternator is cranking. So, I'm in the middle of a new build identical to the last but with a 12V home grown voltage regulator. I've been testing it and the LED's are still getting very hot....150 degrees F. I think that this might be too much for them for long term use like Day Time Running lights and was wondering if you guys had any ideas in terms of heat sinking, etc.

The new setup is utlizing 15 LED, in 5 sets of 3 in series with 22ohm 1W resisters. I am also using a small diode to control any negative voltage fluctuations at the lead of my power source to the LED circuit. Once I get the Voltage Regulator in I'm confident it will resolve most of my problems as the prewired did last longer but even with the 150ohm resister they came with it was slightly overwhelmed by my battery putting out 14.3 volts when charging. So, with the voltage regulated now I just face heat issues and 15 in each headlight. Anyone else face this issue or have any ideas on a solution for me. it's been a pain taking off the bumper and baking the lights over and over again.

http://www.oznium.com/side-emitting-led-strip

ALWAYS use the highest voltage for calculating resistors ... Since I don't have the exact specs on the ones you used I can't say for sure , but burning out is likely caused by excessive current by not a large enough resistor in the line

The Oznium 4 chip superflux are rated at 3.5 V and 80mA. So, with three in series that's a 22ohm resister if i regulate at 12v.

Sorry I don't have any useful info but wheels that sexy deserve their own post.

What are you using/going to use for a voltage regulator?

Yes you state the 14.3 volts ... I'm assuming that the car running ect use THAT voltage ...
I'd try 4 in series with the same resistor , might not be as bright , but will last longer ...
The RESISTOR does not regulate voltage they control current , since they are rated 80ma I'm betting you are exceeding that burning them out

Wow, I've been sporting the same 20 Superflux prewired led's for almost...2 years now. Started under my doorpanels and now in my rear bumper and not a single one has burnt out.

Sorry folks, been a while since I've been on here. Thanks for the comments.

So, I'm not giving up just yet and think the culprit might be my soldering abilities and heat inside the headlight housing.

I created my own voltage regulators similar to this guys:
http://www.reuk.co.uk/buy-12-VOLT-REGULATOR.htm

My most recent attempt is fitted with the same 4 chip superflux from this sight, 15 as before with 5 sets of 3 in series with 33ohm resisters instead of 22, effectively dropping the 3.5volts to 3.2v. I also attached copper heatpipes to the back of the prongs and same problem as before. So, if the resistor doesn't actually regulate voltage (that's why I'm using a voltage regulator I built for 12v) then how do I drop the rated 80mA down to say 50-60 which still output pretty good lumens?

Ultra frustrating and not sure what to do.

The side emitting led strip, or any led strip in general are weak at best and too blue even with the "white" leds.

Try putting the lights to a relay thats hooked to 12v. Or hook the LED's power to something thats ACTUALLY 12v. Are they hooked straight to the battery?

I think the headlight heat is the hard part to solve.

I'm thinking I might have damaged them during soldering....might have been getting too hot since I am soldering both positive leads to the same wire and then both negative leads to the other wire. i think it might be too hot all at once. I also think that with the heat in the headlight that is the killing combo. Gonna try some other superflux (sorry oznium) like the Nichia single chips that are rated at 50-60mA and a lower Kelvin (closer to pure white). Any other suggestions are welcome. Since soldering might be the culprit gonna solder just one lead this time and see how it goes. Any recomendations on whether I should wire them in series again or just indivual with their own resistor?

Oh, and for the 5th time...I made a 12volt regulator so it is recieving a perfect 11.94 volts without fluctuation...not direct connect to the battery anymore.

I'd use a heatsink on the legs when soldering to keep heat away from the led

When soldering use an alligator clip between the solder point and the LED to dissipate the heat before it gets to the LED itself. Wait a second or two after soldering before removing your roach (Oops! I mean alligator) clip.

If you can't find your roach clips, Radio Shack carries heat sinks...

http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2103242

*shrug* My white PREWIRED 4 chip superflux led's are pretty damn near clear white. No blue tint.

Thanks Everyone, in the process of trying out some new stuff today. So far reducing the intensity to 50mA has greatly reduced the heat to around 95 degrees as opposed to the 120 I was getting at spec.

As I've heard most likely your problem is the heat from inside the headlight itself. If you could find a way to isolate the LEDs from the heat through a heat sink or use the side Emitting LED strip, that should take care of your heat issue.

Heat is a big killer with LEDs. I don't think your problem is the heat itself.
The one bad thing about LEDs is thermal runaway. That is were the LEDs start heating up and start drawing in more and more power until it ultimately burns out.
If I want to do the same thing I would use a Current Regulator to control the milliamps the LEDs get. No matter what is going on with the LED, the current regulator will only give out a certain current. No need to control the voltage of an LED cause the LED will control itself as long as we control the current. ICELED uses the same control method on their LEDs.