Not sure as caravan/trailer place has done it due to other work needing to be done.
Resistors as suggested by the local LR service ctr) were done in parallel, when they didn't work another set were tried.
If it was in daily use i'd go for the plug in unit suggested by Character, however it seems the D3 unit is different to the D4 one so i'd need 2 - not cost effective for me.
Relay bypass as suggested could throw up issues if i towed something different so that isn't viable as well.
Workshop have been great & are changing FOC with a refund as well.Paul.
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22nd Oct 2013 3:26 pm
Nasher
Member Since: 07 Mar 2009
Location: Clanfield, North of Pompey - UK
Posts: 2686
Anymore info on this from anyone?
looks like I'll need to go with a bypass relay, so do I wire it in before or after the additional fusebox in the boot area of the D3?
Is there a useful +12V feed in there to power it?
I don't think it will give me any grief when I tow something without LEDs.
Nasher.Heaven doesn't want me, and hell is afraid I'll take over.
26th Oct 2013 2:39 pm
Fogga
Member Since: 20 Jul 2009
Location: Tromsoe
Posts: 89
1967jester wrote:
Relay bypass as suggested could throw up issues if i towed something different so that isn't viable as well.
Not really. As the relays should go on the trailer, and not in the car.
28th Oct 2013 10:36 am
Nasher
Member Since: 07 Mar 2009
Location: Clanfield, North of Pompey - UK
Posts: 2686
So how do you supply the relays with a constant +12v and ground if they are on the trailer?
Nasher.Heaven doesn't want me, and hell is afraid I'll take over.
28th Oct 2013 7:35 pm
Fogga
Member Since: 20 Jul 2009
Location: Tromsoe
Posts: 89
You give both relays main and switch power from each blinker wire. Ground also comes from the car to all lights on trailer so its easy to connect that too. Then the LED blinker gets + from relay and ground from any ground wire on the trailer. And the pulsing on the blinker is not enough to close the relay. It will not close relay and light the blinker until you actually use it in the car.
28th Oct 2013 10:26 pm
Tufty
Member Since: 13 Jul 2010
Location: UK
Posts: 480
Hi
Your looking at 2 seperate issues.
1. due to the low power required to light an LED you see the CAN BUS pulses (which aren't powerfull enough to light the filiment in a standard bulb). Therefore as Fogga (and possibly Randy Lover although he didn't put how he'd wired it) say's they put a relay in to 'block' the power untill it is the full 14V as the low power pulse isn't enough to pull in the relay. Using the indicator live to power the relay coil AND the swith then onto the LED.
2. You want to 'fool' the Disco that a bulb of around 21w is running from the indicator wire in the trailer socket so it knows the trailer is there. That is why you put a resistor in parrellel to reduce the resistance (LED's are very high resistance therefore low current). 6 ohm is fine and would roughly give the same reslut as a 32w bulb at 14V.
Depending on the relays used you might still need a resistor if the relay and LED doesn't take enough current to 'fool' the Disco.
Clear as mud?
29th Oct 2013 1:20 pm
Randylover
Member Since: 31 Jan 2011
Location: Staffordshire
Posts: 1172
As far as I can remember, all I did was buy a standard 7 way by pass relay and wired it at per instructions , but instead of wiring brake lights, side lights etc I only wired the indicators in.
Problem sorted
Andy
When back from Hols I will check and let you know if it was different, but it was a really easy solution and cheap05 TDV6,"S" in all colourcoded Zermatt silver,7 seats winter pack HK 6cd stereo,Dual climate,Xenons,
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29th Oct 2013 5:35 pm
Sloss
Member Since: 18 Aug 2013
Location: Aberdeenish
Posts: 1691
I got an LED style trailer board and use it with my old 98 Disco TDi no problem.
My son's MB ML threw up all sorts of errors with it as did a friends D3.
However another son's X5 is fine with it all.
I was wondering how my D4 would cope - absolutely fine, trailer indicator warning and all is fine.
Different electronics give different results.
Stew,Stew,
2010 D4 gone but I really loved it
Went back to Merc - C350 AMG
29th Oct 2013 6:46 pm
Nasher
Member Since: 07 Mar 2009
Location: Clanfield, North of Pompey - UK
Posts: 2686
Haven't had a chance to do any more with this for a couple of weeks due to work and other things, but have been looking at bypass relays etc.
Fitting a bypass relay to the car in the indicator circuit effectively isolates the trailer indicator circuit from the car, stopping the LED indicator lights from flashing with the Canbus test signal which sees if a trailer is fitted.
Stupid question.
How does the car then recognise a trailer is plugged in?
Nasher.Heaven doesn't want me, and hell is afraid I'll take over.
9th Nov 2013 11:50 pm
Tufty
Member Since: 13 Jul 2010
Location: UK
Posts: 480
Put the relay on the trailer....
9th Nov 2013 11:54 pm
Nasher
Member Since: 07 Mar 2009
Location: Clanfield, North of Pompey - UK
Posts: 2686
Tufty wrote:
Put the relay on the trailer.... Rolling Eyes
Yep, I'm going to, and resistors, but am interested that others have put it in the car and I can't see how they can say it works.
Nasher.Heaven doesn't want me, and hell is afraid I'll take over.
9th Nov 2013 11:58 pm
Richardradioman8
Member Since: 22 Nov 2013
Location: Surbiton Surrey
Posts: 2
Reference the flashing indicator problem on a trailer with LED lights. I have tried all sorts of resistors plus called Land Rover main dealer, totally useless. I also asked a friend who is an electronics expert - he couldn't understand it. There is a box which supposedly fixes the poroblem low cost and I am trying to locate one (waiting for a call back). Seems ridiculous to me though, that on an expensive car there is not a simple "add-on" which could be plugged in to eliminate this problem.
Another one of those "They can put a man on the moon but try to stopindicator lights flashing....." moments I guess!
28th Nov 2013 7:39 pm
Nasher
Member Since: 07 Mar 2009
Location: Clanfield, North of Pompey - UK
Posts: 2686
Mine work when mocked up on the bench, not got around to stuffing it all in a box on the trailer yet though.
The more I thought about it Fogga was right - see below - but I went one step further and also added rectifier diodes across the coil terminals of the relays to protect them against building up a charge, and the main Resisters to each wire before the relays.
Fogga wrote:
You give both relays main and switch power from each blinker wire.
It does feel like a bit of a bodge using a relay in such a way, but it does add a resistance circuit to notify the car a trailer board is plugged in, but isolates the indicator LEDs until you need them.
The relay doesn't receive enough power from the signal to close the main contacts.
Nasher.Heaven doesn't want me, and hell is afraid I'll take over.
28th Nov 2013 11:01 pm
Nasher
Member Since: 07 Mar 2009
Location: Clanfield, North of Pompey - UK
Posts: 2686
Did a bit more to my trailer lights yesterday afternoon.
I can confirm that using the resistors plus relays means the car recognises a trailer is plugged in and stops the indicators flashing with the canbus test pulse.
It all still needs to be actually final fitted to the trailer, but that can wait a couple of months now I know it all works OK.
I've built individual light clusters for each side of the trailer, the brackets I've fabricated out of stainless steel and I’ve used waterproof LED light units so I can leave them on the trailer and reverse it into the water.
I’ve taken the added precaution of Conformal coating the backs of the LED clusters and used extra sealant.
The electrics box will be fitted to the upright of the winch post using a large Jubilee clip through a bracket on the back.
Click image to enlarge
I decided to play safe and mount the resisters outside the main box on a stainless plate, despite not believing they will get that hot as they are not used all the time. The plate will fit nicely under the upside-down ‘U’ section the winch is bolted to where the resistors will be protected and reasonably dry. Again I’ve gone OTT with sealant and Conformal coating despite the resistors being supposedly OK outside.
In this image I have a short lead connected up with a 7 pin plug just to test the system. When fitted to the trailer this will be a lot longer. The two cables entering the other end of the box will run up either side of the trailer from the light clusters.
Click image to enlarge
With the lid off the box the connections can be seen.
Click image to enlarge
Then with the external cables removed
Click image to enlarge
The PCB I made using a small piece of Strip board with through hole relays and rectifier diodes soldered on.
Click image to enlarge
This is how the light clusters will look.
Click image to enlarge
Click image to enlarge
Click image to enlarge
NasherHeaven doesn't want me, and hell is afraid I'll take over.
14th Dec 2013 6:22 pm
jaws_172
Member Since: 05 Aug 2013
Location: Fareham
Posts: 135
That looks excellent, don't suppose you have a part list of exactly which relays and resistors you are using? If I can make this up I maybe allowed to fit it to the work trailer so I can use it
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