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Universal turn signal relay. How to convert the turn relay to LED Turn relay VAZ 2109 for LEDs

People write a lot about the introduction of LEDs, whether purchased or homemade, into turn signals, and then wonder why they blink very often. I also asked myself this question, especially since I wanted and needed to redo the front optics, but the issue of frequent blinking was holding me back.

Having read about alterations and relays, among other things, I purchased a turn relay for alteration, but upon opening it it was discovered that it was not the same as what people alter for LEDs, that is, independent of the load. It's been lying around for a long time and now it's time to experiment.

The main thing.
And so, here is the relay purchased in the vast kiosks and auto parts stores

Using the method of “scientific experiments” it was determined that this relay does not depend on the load! BUT TO START IT, YOU NEED AT LEAST A 1W BULB (CONTROL ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL)!

Underwater rocks.
During the experiments I tested two relays, a Fiat one and a purchased one, both had the same connection, that is, plus minus and load. And without a second thought I decided to put what I bought instead of my own. But here she was waiting for me. She installed the relay and turned it on without even having time to say meow. It turns out that the “Japanese” native relay had its plus and ground switched places, and I simply burned the new one by reversing the polarity, instantly one of the transistors burned out.

Interesting.
I didn’t manage to buy and resolder a transistor on the fly, I rushed to look for the same one, but alas, I couldn’t find one with the same markings, but I came across almost the same one, at least the “3777” matches

In my opinion, the main thing is that the numbers match
Having carefully opened it at the stall, I saw that its circuit was the same as that of the burnt one.

The circuits are very similar, slight differences in denominations




And in truth, this relay also does not depend on the load.
But the first one (burned out) has a blinking frequency (by the way, already restored) a little less frequently than the second one, although both of them fit the “standard”. Well, if anyone is interested, you can choose the frequency yourself by selecting and changing the capacitance of the capacitor.

Conclusion.
For those who are interested and want to introduce LED turns into their car, look for these turn relays. But do not forget to check the polarity, because on foreigners the polarity may change.

Good luck to everyone in your inventions, no nails, no wands! And I hope my information is useful to someone!


As you know, all modern cars are equipped with direction indicators, which are a flashing light bulb or LED on the left or right side of the body. Sometimes a standard electromechanical relay fails, and getting a powerful automotive relay is not always so easy. Semiconductor devices come to the rescue - after all, building such a relay is powerful with just a couple of transistors.

Relay circuit


The circuit is an asymmetrical multivibrator; it is connected in an open circuit in series with the light bulb and the power source. When voltage is applied, the light immediately begins to blink. VT2 in the diagram is a field-effect transistor; it is through it that the entire light bulb current flows. It is preferable to use a transistor with the lowest possible open junction resistance. IRFZ44N, IRF740, IRF630 are suitable here. If a low-power LED is used instead of a light bulb, you can also use a bipolar transistor, for example, TIP122. Transistor VT1 of medium power p-n-p structure, BD140, KT814 are suitable. Diode D1 can be installed 1N4007 or 1N4148. The blinking frequency directly depends on the capacitance of the capacitors and the resistance of the resistors. To increase the frequency, you need to reduce the capacitance of capacitor C2, and to decrease the frequency, on the contrary, increase its capacitance. You can also experiment with the values ​​of other circuit elements and observe how the duty cycle of the pulses changes.

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Circuit assembly

The entire circuit is assembled on a miniature printed circuit board measuring 35 x 20 mm; it can be manufactured using the LUT method. The tracks must be tinned after etching, then the copper will not oxidize.


First of all, resistors and a diode are soldered onto the board. After them, everything else is a pair of transistors, electrolytic capacitors and a terminal block. It is important not to confuse the pinout of the transistors and the polarity of the capacitors, otherwise the circuit will not work. When all the parts are soldered onto the board, be sure to wash off the remaining flux and check the correct installation.


Setting up and testing turn signal relays

For testing, you can connect several powerful LEDs as a load. We connect the negative of the load directly to the negative of the power supply, and connect the positive to the board. If a light bulb is used for testing, it can be connected with any polarity. We apply voltage and the light immediately begins to blink. The blinking frequency can be changed within a wide range, which is why this circuit can be found in many other applications besides being used as a turn signal relay. For example, you can use it to make a rear flashing light for a bicycle; you just need to increase the flash frequency by decreasing the capacitor capacity. The circuit can switch high power - up to several hundred watts, if you use a field-effect transistor designed for the appropriate current. With a power of more than 100 watts, it is advisable to install the transistor on a small radiator, otherwise it may heat up during long-term operation. This circuit, unlike a traditional electromechanical relay, has no moving parts, so it is much more durable if used with parts of the proper quality. If necessary, a fuse, indicated in the diagram as FU1, is also connected in series with the load. Happy assembly.

The areas of tuning a modern car are varied: the list includes the use of xenon lamps, installation of covers for headlights, and aerodynamic body kit...

We will focus on the practice of using LEDs in direction indicators of domestically produced cars.

Expected installation difficulties

The fashion for integrating LED lamps into cars came quickly, and significant pitfalls were immediately discovered when converting them. Regarding the turns of cars of the VAZ family (in particular the VAZ-2110), they manifest themselves in the fact that the frequency of blinking of the turn signal headlights increases.

The reasons for this phenomenon are as follows: LEDs operate at higher resistance values ​​compared to conventional lamps. Therefore, when turned on in this way, they heat up more intensely. As a result, the plate simply heats up, as a result of which the electrical circuit opens.

When the light bulb burns out, the resistance drops sharply, causing the warning light to blink faster. You can replace a regular lamp with an LED, but this does not fundamentally change anything, so you will have to modify the turn relay for LEDs with your own hands.

Solution options

The solution to the problem is described in great detail and high quality in the video, and below we will look at all the options in more detail:

  • In parallel with the LEDs, you can include a ballast resistor in the relay circuit (the choice depends on the make of the car, for a VAZ-2110, for example, it is 2.2 kOhm);
  • Instead of a resistor, simply add a regular lamp in parallel;
  • In the circuit, replace the capacitor with a more capacitive one;
  • In parallel to the existing one, you can solder another capacitor with the same capacity.

Each option has its pros and cons. For example, if there is a ballast resistor, the electrical circuit of the turn signal relay will simply increase its power consumption, which will affect the battery life. The resistors will heat up and this will lead to a decrease in the light output of conventional lamps.

Parallel connection of another lamp is associated with difficulties in its safe installation in the same housing. By adding an additional capacitor to the circuit, you will have to come to terms with the fact that the blinking frequency of the direction indicator will significantly decrease (however, in the current rules there are no restrictions on the blinking frequency of LEDs).

Reworking the relay circuit

The number of LEDs installed in series can be determined experimentally, but in practice 5 pieces are enough: such a load is quite enough to trigger the circuit. At the same time, the circuit on the board opens, which allows it to work with both conventional and LED lamps. However, in this case, the device will not be able to signal that the turn signal bulb has burned out.

The refinement algorithm is considered using the example of a relay that operates using a U643B controller manufactured by the Chinese company Atmel. Such controllers are often used in electronic equipment circuits of modern passenger cars.

One of the functions of such a controller is to warn of a malfunction of the turn signal bulbs. The criterion for malfunction is a critical decrease in the current in the circuit, as a result of which the blinking frequency increases sharply.


Electronic turn signal relay circuit for LEDs

The operating value of the LED current is set at the output of the “Lamp failure detection” controller circuit. The nuance is that the efficiency of LED lamps is much greater than that of conventional lamps. The inconvenience is that the current consumption is reduced, and increased flickering of the LEDs is perceived by the controller as a malfunction of the turn relay.

In order to get rid of this drawback, you simply need to replace resistor R3 of the circuit with a more powerful one. This will lead to an increase in the total load, and a corresponding increase in the current strength - to values ​​at which the turn signals will no longer blink.

An alternative solution for some car enthusiasts is to cut out the section of the circuit in the circuit that is responsible for measuring the current. However, this action also reveals a serious problem.

Since the U643B controller works with its initial parameters already set by the manufacturer, with such “tuning” of the turn signal, you can accidentally change the so-called Device Code - the controller identification code by external devices. It is impossible to reflash it. In addition, by cutting out one of the contacts in the turn signal relay circuit, you can get frequent blinking of the turn signals, which does not always satisfy the car user.

Reverse restoration will most likely not yield anything, since the relay controller has already “remembered” its new parameters and changed the Device Code.

The difficulty in adjusting the parameters of resistor R3 lies in the fact that the part works with initially small resistance values, so precise instruments will be required for adjustment, but from a technical point of view, this approach is more correct.

Limitations and procedure for modifying the turn relay

Installation of LEDs is possible only if the relays are digital. For cars of the VAZ or GAZ family, these are devices marked with the designation 494.3747 (for comparison: the designation for analog ones is 231.3747). When there is no marking, the relay class is quite simply determined by its dimensions, which are noticeably larger for the analog version. If the car only operates analog, you will have to purchase a digital one.


Appearance of digital and analog turn relays

The direction indicator is modified in the following sequence:

  1. The case is opened;
  2. The location of the chip responsible for the operation of the turn signals is determined: it is usually located to the right of the external board.
  3. The capacitor is replaced, which determines the frequency of the turn signal lamp blinking generator. The subtlety is that the capacitor capacity should be within 4.7 µF at 50 V operating voltage. Alternatively, you can install another capacitor; in most cases, the space inside the relay case allows this operation.
  4. Output parameters are monitored using measuring instruments. If the LEDs are functioning properly, the housing is installed in its original place.

As additional items you should purchase:

  • P-channel transistor;
  • A resistor from the above resistance range (if it will be soldered into the circuit and not a capacitor);
  • LEDs (preferably red or orange).

Soldering of such a modernized version of the relay can be done using the usual hinged method, on top of the main circuit.

The decision to replace standard light bulbs with modern LEDs has recently become of particular relevance. Thus, the presence of LEDs allows you to expand the range of color effects, as well as save on current consumption. But, despite the advantages of LEDs, there are still certain difficulties when installing them on VAZ 2110 turn signals - difficulties appear with blinking (the frequency of the signals increases sharply).

What is the reason needs to be figured out...

First of all, you need to understand the principle of operation of the VAZ 2110 turn signal relay (relay No. 3 in the fuse block), as well as other car models:
During operation of the standard light bulb in the turn signals, the plate in the relay itself heats up due to the resistance of the light bulb, therefore, the circuit opens. If the light bulb burns out, the relay does not receive enough resistance, there is no heating, there is no opening of the circuit and, as a result, frequent blinking.

Conclusion: Rapid blinking of the direction indicators indicates the need to replace the bulb.
An identical problem appears with frequent blinking when installing LEDs in turn signals instead of bulbs, since the relay senses a lack of the necessary resistance - emergency mode is activated.

The same thing happens when replacing side lamps with diodes (the reason is still the same - relays).
Options for solving this problem:

Equipping the turn relay with an additional resistor:

- you can use the following technique - solder a resistor (approximately 2.2 kOhm) in parallel with the LEDs, which will simulate the lamp load.
– or the easiest way is to connect standard (ordinary) light bulbs in parallel with the LEDs. But this has its drawbacks: the resistors heat up and the light from the incandescent lamp deteriorates.

Increasing capacity.

In order to eliminate frequent blinking of turns with already installed LEDs, it is recommended to replace the capacitor in the turn relay. To do this, you should unsolder the old capacitor and, accordingly, solder a new one in its place (pay attention to the polarity so as not to mix it up if something happens).

Conclusion: By doubling the capacitor capacity, the number of blinks is correspondingly reduced by 2 times.

If you don’t have a larger capacitor available, you don’t need to worry: you can take a similar capacitor and solder it in parallel as an additional capacitance. Disadvantage: emergency blinking in slow motion.


LEDs for serial connection (soldering).

There is a statement that 5 LEDs soldered in a series arrangement in a turn signal create a sufficient load to open the circuit.

Open circuit in the turn relay.

One of the common methods is to open the circuit itself on the turn relay board, as a result of which the relay will operate with both standard lamps and LEDs.



The disadvantage of this option is the absence of a signal about a burnt-out turn signal.

A turn signal repeater can often prevent an accident that is imminent due to miscommunication between two drivers on the road. This lighting device must work in a certain way, and we will consider exactly what is needed for this.

What is a turn signal switch used for?

Traffic regulations indicate that each driver, planning to perform a particular maneuver, is obliged to notify other drivers of his intentions. Once upon a time, when cars were still a curiosity, such notifications were given with the left hand (when driving on the right). If the arm was extended, this meant the driver wanted to turn left when it was bent and the fingers were pointing up - to the right.

With the increase in the number of cars, traffic rules and regulations were improved, not only making it easier to move in the dark or in conditions of reduced visibility, but also signaling to other participants about a change or suspension of movement.

Cars began to be equipped with light direction indicators, which were supposed to pulsate to attract attention. To prevent the devices from constantly shining, but from blinking periodically, a small device was invented, which later became known as a pointer breaker or rotary relay. Despite the fairly large number of varieties of the mentioned device, their functions are similar: supplying a pulsating impulse to the turn signal lamps and signaling with clicks that they are on.

Types of breakers and their features

Modern rotary relays are mainly divided into two types: thermoelectromagnetic and electronic. Each device has its own advantages and disadvantages, and this will be discussed. Thermal electromagnetic relays contain a core with two contact groups and side armatures. In addition, they have a copper wire winding. The contacts leading to the light bulbs are connected to a thin nichrome wire, which, in turn, is connected to a plate that is connected to the core.

In the normal state, when no current flows into the circuit, the plate is not adjacent to its base. When the electrons begin to move, the nichrome wire heats up, elongates, and shorts the core plate. The lights come on. Afterwards, the nichrome cools down, the plate comes off again, the current changes direction, and the light bulbs burn at full intensity. Since the cooling-heating process occurs quite quickly, 1-2 times per second, the turn signals blink. Since the light bulb located on the instrument panel is also connected to the circuit, it also begins to pulsate. The specific clicking of the breaker is a consequence of the cyclic impacts of the armatures on the contacts.

A relay of this type was installed on all cars for quite a long time, but it had (and has) a significant drawback. Over time, the nichrome wire stretches and the turn signals no longer work. Besides this, there is another point. If one of the light bulbs burns out, the load on the others increases significantly. In recent years, thermoelectromagnetic relays are practically no longer installed on cars. They have been replaced by more reliable electronic breakers.

Electronic turn signal relays are built on the same principle as thermal ones, but instead of a nichrome wire, there is an electronic circuit made of transistors. The control chip contains an algorithm that produces automatic pulses that, at certain moments, supply current to the core winding. The operation of the device itself is as follows: after voltage is applied to the transistors, frequency pulses are sent from them, having the oscillations that are set by the program in the microcircuit. As the current passes through the circuit, it attracts the armature, closing the contacts leading to the lighting fixtures, causing the bulbs to light up. Since the cycle consists of signals of different frequencies, they either work at full intensity or dim.

The advantage of electronic breakers is that they are more reliable than thermal ones. In addition, if one of the light bulbs in the circuit burns out, the others continue to work without unnecessary load. True, in some cars the circuit is designed in such a way that in this case the warning lamp on the instrument panel stops blinking. This is done specifically to additionally signal a malfunction. True, there are some disadvantages here too. First of all, such a relay creates radio interference and can affect the operation of many devices. The second negative factor is that the short circuit protection here is very weak, and at the slightest drop in electrical voltage the breaker can easily burn out.

If the turn signal repeaters do not work...

No matter how reliable the devices responsible for controlling lighting devices are, they are not perfect. Failures still happen, and in some circumstances the consequences will be disappointing. Therefore, you need to be very careful about the slightest breakdown, especially related to external alarm devices.

You can find out about a failure by characteristic signs: as already mentioned, this is a constantly burning indicator lamp on the instrument panel, the absence of characteristic clicking sounds when the turn signals are turned on. The algorithm of actions is known to any driver: first the fuses are checked, then the presence of current in the circuit, and finally the relay itself is checked. The latest trend in the automotive industry is turn signals integrated into the side mirrors.

Although they perform a duplicate role, serving as a complement to other direction indicators, their “silence” is also quite unpleasant. In rare cases when the lights do not light, it is also worth checking the electrical circuit, making sure that the wires leading to the mirrors are not frayed. Even car enthusiasts familiar with electronics do not undertake to repair this device. A breaker is not such an expensive pleasure, and therefore replacing it will be the most acceptable action in case of failure.

Breaker relays, LEDs and buzzer

Recently, many cars have begun to use turn signals as lighting elements. Attempts by our “craftsmen” to simply replace them with light bulbs lead nowhere. Many people have absolutely no idea how the relay itself functions, and have absolutely no idea that it needs a little additional work.

Anyone who is familiar with radio electronics and has experience assembling radio devices knows what to do - you need to solder a small electronic board into the breaker, the circuit diagram of which is available on the World Wide Web. If you don’t have the skills to communicate with semiconductors, then if you want to use LEDs instead of ordinary light bulbs, it’s best to contact a car service specialist.

Another interesting solution today is the sound module for the direction indicator. In this case, instead of measured clicks there will be other signals. Some craftsmen build a sound alarm themselves; the circuit is quite simple, and the components are not difficult to find. The main thing is to connect it correctly into the circuit. There are, of course, commercial versions; with this purchase you can also configure the type of backup turn signal signaling. Most new cars come with a sound breaker as standard.