Thanks guys, I've spent quite some time looking at resistors online and a lot of the sellers say the 6 ohm resistors are OK for the tail light function and the brake light function. However I will double check before buying.

 

So this is my plan...

 

This would be my method tbh

 

That looks spot on Silver1011. Fubar.....you're a funny guy! 

Apologies ,gents . I didn't realise the LEDS were 12v and took it that the idea was to add a dropper

correct, they need to be in parallel however you will find that they will be 6.8 ohm as this is a normal value doubt you will find any 6 ohm ones. You only need them on the LED bulbs but bare in mind that 6.8 ohms is for an original bulb wattage of 21W so if this is for a side light then you need to get a different value based on the original bulb wattage.

 

John

 

Hi John,

 

This worries me slightly and is my only remaining concern.

 

Will using a blanket 50W 6 Ohm resistor for both functions (0.6W tail & 4.5W brake) cause me issues in terms of too much / too little resistence?

 

6 Ohm's is the lowest I can find, is this overkill for the 0.6W tail light function?

Edited 9 September, 201312 yr by silver1011

6 Ohm's is the lowest I can find, is this overkill for the 0.6W tail light function?

 

6 ohm will be fine for brake light function. 

 

I see your concerns about the tail light function.....after all a standard tail light bulb is 4 or 5 Watts.......you'd actually need a 29 ohm resistor to simulate the draw from a 5W bulb.

 

However.......how many 4/5W bulbs does a standard Superb cluster have? It'll be more than 1 for sure, and these will be connected in parallel. If there are, say, 4 tail light bulbs in the standard cluster, that will be drawing 20W of power.....almost identical to the 21W standard brake light.

 

In this case the 6 ohm resistor would be ideal.  

Just been looking at the photo you posted of the original cluster on the Byte 18 thread.

 

There is 3 bulbs as far as I can see connected in parallel. Assuming they are 5W bulbs, that makes 15W. So in actual fact you'd need a 9.6 ohm resistor to mimic that draw. 

 

It may or may not be an issue, but there is some extra wiring on the original cluster for these tail lights. I can't quite see how they are all wired up at the plug.....there seems to be 6 wires going into the bung and 4 coming out of the bung and into the multiplug. If they are canbus monitored you might still get a bulb out warning even after fitting the resistor arrangement in post #26.  

On the original non-LED cluster there are four bulbs (excluding the indicator), 3x W5W tail lights and 1x 21W/5W brake/tail.

 

Quite a few of the online sellers of the 50W 6 Ohm resistors claim that they are suitable for brake, tail, indicator and number plates lights so fingers crossed they do the job.

 

They are on order and will be fitted this weekend. I'll be sure to add a follow-up, with hopefully good news!

 

Thanks to everyone for their help...

 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/310224122302?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1438.l2649#ht_1287wt_1255

Just to finish off this thread, I fitted the resistors today, they work perfectly, very happy!

 

Thanks to everyone for their help and advice...

 

 

Used some sticky-backed velcro strips to keep the resistors away from the plastic bumper and tail light. I was ready for them to get hot but they really do get very hot!

 

 

All LED's working as expected and no more blown-bulb warning on the dash!

 

 

Excellent. Glad you got them fitted ok and that everything works as expected. It looks like you did a very good job with the connections and positioning of the resistors.

 

With all your photos, this thread will be a great guide to anyone fitting LED clusters on a Superb in future, although perhaps someday the elusive byte 18 coding for LED clusters will be discovered!  

Edited 14 September, 201312 yr by booke23

Good Job.

Edited 15 September, 201312 yr by nickguzzi