The Ultimate Cree Q5 PROJECTOR LED for DRL 1157 bulb replacement

Sunday, Sept 11th., 2011

I had tested/used six sets of 1157 LED clusters for the 308 DRL's. All of them ended up as electronic garbage. Click HERE for more info.

The only reason for the failure is that those 1157 LED clusters do not have current limiting circuit hence not suitable for extended use as DRL's.

Finally I found 1157 5W Cree Q5 LED on eBay. The design makes it stand out from the rest.

The 'Projector bulb' comes with double lens for optimum optics.

... and make it 'ngam' with the retrofit HID projector headlight.

The 5W Cree Q5 LED brightness is comparable with the stock 21W tungsten-filament bulb even under bright sunlight .

Picture : comparison amongst the stock 1157 Tungsten-filament DRL, the new 5W Cree Q5 Projector LED and the 'Merc W212-like' LED strips.

Picture : comparison between 'super bright' LED and the new 5W Cree Q5 Projector LED

1157 LED for DRL?

If any of you guys want to replace existing Day Running Lights (DRL) 1157 tungsten-filamen bulbs on your Peugeot 308 turbo with anything similar to THESE LEDs ... forget it. Don't waste your time and money. Do not buy!

1157 LED conversion light bulbs similar to THESE are not durable to be used as DRL on your Peugeot 308 Turbos.

So far I had tested SIX different sets of 1157 LEDs... ... and ALL of them kaput with at least one LED burned within one week of usage! I even assembled 'em by myself. Click HERE to see how I did. Probably those LEDs can be used at full brightness for 'short duration' such as turn-indicator and brake lights only - not for extended use like the DRLs. Special LEDs and electronic circuitry are required for extended use at full brightness. It was very difficult and expensive to buy aftermarket 'Audi-like' LED DRL before y2010.

Fortunately, as a result of European Union Directive coming into force on the Feb 7th 2011 all new passenger cars and small delivery vans throughout the EU will have to come equipped with daytime running lights. Since then, the right LED arrays for DRLs could be found easily at reasonable price.

Click HERE to find which one is suitable for you. I prefer 'W212-like' LED arrays. By installing them upside down, the LED arrays match and 'flow' with the curves on the front part of the 308...


These new DRL LED arrays are a lot brighter than the 'super bright' 1157 LEDs.

At the moment I use both - to compare their durability.

uncleDIY LED conversion bulb

1. Get the tools and materials required...
... wire cutter, long-nose plier, soldering iron, soldering lead, super bright white LEDs, 1157 base, etc

2. Solder four_LEDs in series for DRL circuit like this...
[observe where are the cathodes and the anodes], and for the sidelight solder four LEDs like this...
All together u need six sets for the DRL and one set for side light for each 1157 conversion bulb.

3. Solder each LED cathode to the 1157 base

4. Solder all the anodes together and reinforce the cathodes

5. Test....

6. Connect the anode to the base terminal using an insulated wire.

7. Solder the LED set for the side-light around the lower part of the DRL LED cluster to finish the 'assembly'.

8. Install the DIY LED conversion bulb and test run....


Related Topic on LEDs


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LED Conversion Bulbs

Peugeot 308 DRL/side_marker uses BAY15D P21/5W light bulb type 1157.

The 1157 is a dual filament bulb while the 1156 is a single filament bulb. They look very similar . A common mistake is to put an 1156 into a socket for an 1157 bulb.
When u get the LED conversion bulbs make sure they have TWO LED circuits to emulate 21W and 5W filamens. Some [cheaper] LED conversion for BAY15D bulbs have only ONE LED circuit even though they have two terminals . In such case u have to remove the YELLOW wire from the bulb holder, otherwise the DRL LED conversion kit will not light up - the ECU will cut off the power supply because internally, the two terminals are SHORT-CIRCUITED.

The picture below shows a pair of 'entry level' or low cost LED conversion bulb for DRL. Sold at leading auto accessories shops for RM19.90 only - these LED bulbs are type 1156.
Type 1156 LED conversion bulb can also be fitted on Peugeot 308 T by removing the yellow wire [do not cut!] from the bulb holder- without removing this wire the ECU will cut off power supply to the bulb because it senses a short-circuit at the bulb terminals.
Don't forget to insulate the exposed 'live' wire.

After inserting the LED conversion bulb into the headlamp housing. Start the engine to see whether the DRL turns on...

LEDs have many advantages over standard incandescent light bulbs - lower energy consumption hence much cooler, longer lifetime, improved robustness, smaller size, faster switching, and greater durability and reliability. For instance, total Ampere for both bulbs only 70mA or 0.07A, conventional 2 x 21W bulbs take almost 4A], However, they are relatively expensive than conventional tungsten filament bulbs.

updated on March 16th, 2010
Today, I found type 1157 bulbs. Bought them at a small accessories shop at RM50/pair [after discount]

... cheaper than buying online .


the new eye of Daylight Roaming Lion [DRL]....


updated on Apr 7th 2010 - Improved DRL [Day Roaming Lion] LEDs
The first LED conversion light bulbs bought for DRL were bright enough but the light beams didn't make full use of the reflector and the beam angle was too low. The second set of LED had made full use of the reflector but the direct beams were not bright enough.

I have an idea to combine both LED conversion bulbs like this... in all there are 30 LEDs now.
The front cluster of 12 LEDs can also be adjusted L-R and Up-Down...
Now when the 30 LEDs are turned on for the Daylight Roaming Lion ...
....probably light intensity per steradians is as intense as HID!


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