Can-bus stands for Controller Area Network and is a specialized communication network that allows devices inside the vehicle to communicate with the car’s computer or ECU. With this complex system in place, the driver will be notified of any part of the vehicle that is not operating within the manufacturer’s limitations, such as lights not working, low tire pressure, parts not working properly and more. Many modern European vehicles such as Audi, BMW, Porsche, Mercedes-Benz, and more are the most common candidates for can-bus systems; although some of the newer American automobiles are also beginning to develop this technology. With aftermarket LED lights, vehicles with can-bus systems are not optimized for these lights, so special or “bug-free” LED bulbs were created to solve this problem. Can-bus LED bulbs solve the problem using three common ways: increase the wattage using built-in resistors, using higher wattage LEDs, or increase the wattage using computer circuitry inside the LED, making the bulbs nonpolar and have a constant and stable power source. While there is no one-size-fits-all solution for all vehicles and error messages, there are several innovative ways to fix it.
The most common way to correct can bus error messages is to increase the power consumption of the LED using resistors. With the resistors in place, the current slows down at certain points in the circuit, creating more load on the lighting system that mimics the consumption of the factory incandescent bulb and thus prevents the error message from appearing . This is also the least expensive method of the three, but it has a setback: heat issues. Since resistors slow down the circuit, the resistor also creates more heat, which is the number one enemy of LEDs. While higher quality LED lights with built-in resistors are available, heat issues still plague them.
Can-bus LEDs can also be created using higher power LEDs instead of regular 1210 or 5050 LEDs. High power LEDs typically have more wattage draw due to increased output and can easily fool certain vehicles with a forgiving can-bus system. These lights are brighter than a series of LEDs and the risks of overheating are not as much as can-bus LED lights that have built-in resistors. Unfortunately, since LED lights consume less car power than conventional filament bulb, high-power LEDs still don’t create the same kind of attraction thanks to their ultra-efficient light-producing design.
The third and final most common can-bus LED light in this article is the use of electronic circuit chips that computers use (themselves) to regulate wattage consumption. As well as being able to control the amount of resistance that is created to suit the needs of various systems, it also makes the LED bulb non-polar (it can be installed in any direction and still lights up) and provides you with a constant source of power. stable. These types of CAN bus LED lights are generally more successful in preventing error messages than the other two alternatives. However, due to these updates, these bulbs tend to be more expensive as well.
In general, with all of these ways to avoid error messages, some may or may not work. Unfortunately, due to the way certain vehicles are designed to regulate the light system and the parameters that are measured to determine a fault, Can-Bus LED bulbs may not work for all vehicles. As technology becomes more advanced, future LED can-bus lights will become more sophisticated to allow them to be compatible with all makes and models. Until that time comes, we have three common ways of trying to get rid of the error messages associated with LED lights and can-bus systems.