Wiring Additional Driving Lights

[Joel SHOEMARK]

So the yellow wire on the left is a postive wire one side of the coil in the relay and the positive to the switch in the relay.

 

The 2nd yellow wire goes off to the driving lights.

 

The bigger of the 2 white wires goes to ground (Negative) and the smaller of the white wires goes to the wire that operates the shutter in my Bi-Xenon lights.

 

I am no expert by any means and while I know what a transistor does and I have only used one once before, this is how I beleive they work. They can be used as both an amplifier or a switch. I've only used them as a switch because you dont need to be too specific about the values, as long as it's close it will work. 

 

A transistor has 3 legs, Base, Emitter and Collector. The one I have used in a NPN (Negative, Positive, Negative) transistor. So the collector leg goes to the negative side of the power source, the base need a positive feed from the switching source and the emitter leg goes to the negative of what ever you are switching. Now god and other smart people know what goes on inside them but in their normal state there is no connectivity between the emitter and the collector. When power is applied to the base leg, power flows from the base leg to the collector leg then something special happens inside them and what ever power is flowing between the base and collector, a bucket load more will flow between the emitter and the collect it called current gain or something. The measurement of "a bucket load" is specific to different models of transistors and thats why I have never used them as amplifiers but I thinks it something like 100 times the current between the base and collector will be allowed to flow between the emitter and collector.

 

I have my circuirt hooked up to a battery now and I'll leave it there until the morning just to make sure it's all good. I'd hate to get it all in and wired up and then have a resister fail or somwthing stupid.

 

Happy Days.

Happy Days

Edited 11 September, 2013 by Joel SHOEMARK

[Llanigraham]

Joel,

could you link your wires and colours to the numbered contacts on the relay, please?

[Joel SHOEMARK]

Joel,

could you link your wires and colours to the numbered contacts on the relay, please?

Yep. No worries. I'm away from the office at the moment but when I get back, I'll get straight onto it. I think it's 8? and 8? Are the 2 coil wires and 3? and 3? are the 2 switched wires. Neither are polarity dependent normally but this circuit means they need to be.

Happy days.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Happy days

[Joel SHOEMARK]

A quick google. 85 and 86 are either side of the coil. 30 and 87 are either side of the switch. Powering the coil generates a magnetic field which pulls the switch on.

Happy days.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Happy days

[Llanigraham]

I know, which is why I was trying to work out which contact each of your wires goes to.

Some relays don't have the contacts in quite the same order.

[Joel SHOEMARK]

I know, which is why I was trying to work out which contact each of your wires goes to.

Some relays don't have the contacts in quite the same order.

One side of each the coil and the switch are joined together and go to positive. So lets say 30 and 86. The other side of the switch (87) goes the the auxiliary driving lights. That leaves 85. 85 is the other side of the coil. Now if 86 is the positive side then 85 has to be negative. If you work through the pictures you'll see this is the leg that most of the components are built on. The transistor basically becomes a switch for this leg.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Happy days

Edited 11 September, 2013 by Joel SHOEMARK

[Joel SHOEMARK]

Ok the last 2 days have been rubbish to say the least. Well until about mid day today anyway.

I have done a bucket load of searching, posted questions on several forums and sent a few Private Messages to people who had posted pictures of Skodas with driving lights. I was hoping that other Skodas might just use the same colour code with the head light wiring. Still no idea what wire was the high beam wire so I could use it to activate the relay.

All the wiring is sealed so I cant just test from the back of the plug. If I unplug connector, the Contorl Unit detects a break in the system, throws a code and turns off the light so I cont test from the end of the unpluged connector.

I managed to find the relay inside the head light and check the wires on the back. Power was all over the place and never anymore than 2.5v.

I was pulling my hair out and starting to think it wasn't going to be possible. A mate had suggested that I run a kick switch to the floor and operate the driving lights seperatly but that would annoy me to no end.

So late last night I found a site that had a downloadabe copy of the workshop manual and sold the key to operate it for 9.99 pound. I down loaded it over night and it turned out to be the best money I have ever spent on the Yeti.

I spent a couple of hours studying the circuit diagrams and by mid morning I was convinced that it couldn't be done. Turns out the Bi-Xenons have there own Control Unit. It monitors individual wheel speeds, steering angle, rear axle heigh to name a few. Turns out its a very cleaver unit. It receives Data from the main ECU and power then does it's own thing so there is no power wire as such going to the unit to open the shutter. It has it's own power and opens the shutter when it's told to via CANBUS data.

Then I considered that some people sell change over headlights from Halogens to Bi-Xenons. I checked the circuit diagrams for NON Bi-Xenons and found there is a wire from the power control unit that supplies power for high beam. Low and Behold it still workes even though everthing else is settup for Bi-Xenons.

So I now have a high beam power wire to activate my relay for the driving lights. It's Yellow with a grey line on the left side head light. I beleive ut's differnt on the right.

Happy Days.

[Llanigraham]

 I checked the circuit diagrams for NON Bi-Xenons and found there is a wire from the power control unit that supplies power for high beam. Low and Behold it still workes even though everthing else is settup for Bi-Xenons. So I now have a high beam power wire to activate my relay for the driving lights. It's Yellow with a grey line on the left side head light. I beleive ut's differnt on the right. Happy Days.

 

Thank you, you've just saved me an afternoon with a mulitmeter!

Thankfully I'm non HID equipped!!

[Joel SHOEMARK]

Well this has to go down in history as the longest driving light install ever.

 

I have enough pics for others that want to try their own install but I'm leaving for a 2 week trip tomorrow, 10,000km to drive. I'll get them uploaded when I get back.

 

I have to say I'm pretty bloody happy with the result. These are all wired up but I'm waiting on a HID kit. If it doesn't arrive I'll put the 100w Halogens in.

 

 

Edited 19 September, 2013 by Joel SHOEMARK

[Llanigraham]

Looks neat.

I presume you didn't use the bar thing then?

That looks like you have mounted them on a alloy plate with the top bent at right angles, using the number plate mounting screws. Is that correct? It is similar to the thoughts I've had, as I have about 8mtrs of 2" angle alloy at home from an old frame around a flue.

[Joel SHOEMARK]

Looks neat.

I presume you didn't use the bar thing then?

That looks like you have mounted them on a alloy plate with the top bent at right angles, using the number plate mounting screws. Is that correct? It is similar to the thoughts I've had, as I have about 8mtrs of 2" angle alloy at home from an old frame around a flue.

 

Yeh mate, Thats pretty much what the bar thing is. It's just a peice of alloy angle thats pollished up. I has to cut the tube peice of the front because my lights are very low and wouldnt fit. It was only welded on the bottom side so my cutting is not visible unless someone gets lower than the lights.

 

As for mounting. I had the whole bumper off. Its so easy when you have the workshop manual. The plate had holes for 4 x M8 bolts but the silly thing was the lower 2 were only half way down the plate which is full number plate height. I went against my better judgement and just used the provided holes, only to find it was not rigid enough to stop the lights vibrating so I had to add 2 more at the bottom. I'll post pics but just imagine 3 x M8 bolts on either side, spaced out from the bumper to match the curve.

 

Dont worry about whats behind the bumber. It's just foam. I want to put all the pics together with instructions and information but here's a sneak preview.

 

[Llanigraham]

Cheers Joel.

That looks like my idea will be fine then, as I intend to use a couple of these:

http://www.memfast.co.uk/shop/Vprod2.asp?cat=2257001824

through the plastic.

[ejstubbs]

 I checked the circuit diagrams for NON Bi-Xenons and found there is a wire from the power control unit that supplies power for high beam. Low and Behold it still workes even though everthing else is settup for Bi-Xenons. So I now have a high beam power wire to activate my relay for the driving lights.

 

So now you don't need the transistor circuit to trigger the relay?  That simplifies things.  Presumably the CANBUS doesn't notice a small current draw on a circuit it doesn't expect to be in use.  Do you even need a relay, if that circuit is intended to power high beam in a halogen headlight bulb?

[Llanigraham]

So now you don't need the transistor circuit to trigger the relay?  That simplifies things.  Presumably the CANBUS doesn't notice a small current draw on a circuit it doesn't expect to be in use.  Do you even need a relay, if that circuit is intended to power high beam in a halogen headlight bulb?

 

From an experience by another member on here trying to wire up another light on the car, yes you might need the transistor circuit to do it, and since a failure could easily result in a fried lighting ECU I am certainly NOT going to risk it..

 

And yes you do still need a relay to light an additional set of auxillary lamps, as you would then be trying to switch 220 watts (4 x 55watts) over a circuit only designed for 110! Double the designed switch load.

[Joel SHOEMARK]

Cheers Joel.

That looks like my idea will be fine then, as I intend to use a couple of these:

http://www.memfast.co.uk/shop/Vprod2.asp?cat=2257001824

through the plastic.

 

I think the vibration is from the softness of the plastic. I have no doubt of the strength to hold the lights. It's just a little flexable and allows the plate to move. I have also added a couple of stays of the top of the lights that completely stop that forward/back movement of the top of the lights.

 

I'm also into RC Helicopters so I crossed the hobbies a little and use some heavy duty (RC heavy duty) ball joints from the light to the car. The ball joints are connected by about 3mm threaded rod with a carbon fibre tube. The carbon fibre tube just hides the thread and looks cool..

 

Happy Days.

Edited 19 September, 2013 by Joel SHOEMARK

[Joel SHOEMARK]

This is them.

 

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/like/300960171844?lpid=87

 

They do look so much better  than the flat strap that is sold as light support strap. I think hella call theirs 2 point mount. It's just flat strapping with slotted holes. You get the light where you want it and do up the bolts in the slotted holes, holding the strap at the set length.

 

Happy Days

[Llanigraham]

I've always used either these:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Rally-Spotlight-Steadies-Quick-release-hella-cibie-light-force-rally-cars-L-K-/281158064061?pt=UK_CarsParts_Vehicles_CarParts_SM&hash=item41765397bd

or more often:

http://www.jjcraceandrally.com/race/lamp-brackets-stay-bars/hella-lamp-pod-and-spot-lamp-steady-stay-bars

 

Never had a problem with either, but the second ones are easier to fit to modern cars.

[ejstubbs]

From an experience by another member on here trying to wire up another light on the car, yes you might need the transistor circuit to do it, and since a failure could easily result in a fried lighting ECU I am certainly NOT going to risk it..

 

 

Hmm, intrigued to understand how a couple of hundred mA draw on a circuit designed to deliver ~10A could fry the ECU.  Do you have a link to that other member's thread?

 

If Joel is still reading this: did you stick with the transistor circuit, or just use the relay on its own?

 

And yes you do still need a relay to light an additional set of auxillary lamps, as you would then be trying to switch 220 watts (4 x 55watts) over a circuit only designed for 110! Double the designed switch load.

 

That makes perfect sense.

[Joel SHOEMARK]

Well. Over 2500km down and the lights are working OK with 100w halogen bulbs in them.

To ejstubbs. Yes I stuck with the transistor circuit. Mainly because I didn't want to get a CANBUS error. As far as I know all loads are monitored. As you say this circuit should be more than able to handle a couple of hundred milliamperes but if the system isn't expecting any load then it might generate an error and turn off that system. I can only confirm it doesn't see 2 milliamperes. As for wiring the relay direct, experiment at your own risk. I would at least recommend using a resistor in series to at least limit the current draw.

I say the light are only working OK as the HID kit I ordered didn't turn up before I left. This the first time I have run halogen driving lights in over 6 years and while they are good for halogen, they have nothing on HID.

Happy days.