Brighter lights

[nero279]

yeah, that's one of the reasons for asking, i'd rather do it right back through the original fuse box but if that's gonna be complicated i'll go with apache's suggestion

[MattF]

yeah, that's one of the reasons for asking, i'd rather do it right back through the original fuse box

Why? You would be creating a lot of work for no visible benefit. Hell, I'm a finnicky devil, but I honestly don't think even I'd go the full hog of replacing the loom when you can easily add a new fuse box and wire directly.

[nero279]

i got lots of spare time at the moment

[MattF]

i got lots of spare time at the moment

That's different then.

[Apache]

That's different then.

If you go back through the original fuse box, you lose all the benefits. Simply, it's too long a run from the battery to the lights via the fuses / relays. I reckon if you were clever about it you could get the cable from the battery via fuse / relay (available in one box!) to the light to earth under 2ft. If you used 20A cable, the losses this method would be practically nil, and your lights would be like lights rather than the asthmatic candles originally fitted to these things.

When I've got five minutes I'll do it meself to one side and let you know the difference.

[MattF]

If you go back through the original fuse box, you lose all the benefits.

Some, not all. Personally, I agree with your method, but I can also see his point of view of wanting to keep it as original as possible.

[nero279]

You got me thinking, it's not good. But for the sake of originality, Apache's idea actually makes more sense, if i go the s$$$$yard and pilfer a new bulb connector/plug, i can leave the original loom wholly intact.

I'll have a play later methinks and decide which way to go.

[Apache]

The original is left intact, apart from a quiklok on the dipped / full beam cables to drive the new relays. Then, as you say, just pull off the bulb connector and tape it up, and fit your new one with the feeds from the new system.

P1ss easy!

Maybe I could develop this into a kit of parts to sell, and make my dream of not 'working for the man' come true...

[Wild Thing]

The original is left intact, apart from a quiklok on the dipped / full beam cables to drive the new relays. Then, as you say, just pull off the bulb connector and tape it up, and fit your new one with the feeds from the new system.

P1ss easy!

Maybe I could develop this into a kit of parts to sell, and make my dream of not 'working for the man' come true...

This is how my plans show, using the original headlight plug wires to drive the relays, but you need to use all 3 of the wires, to go to the relays as the common is positive and the high/low beam wires are switched negatives, ie when you switch on the headlights, power is passed through to the common on the headlights then negative switching on the other 2 wires for dip and high beam.

[BUSHWHACKER]

Standing by with handbags!

[Wild Thing]

Standing by with handbags!

HeHe

[Apache]

Standing by with handbags!

Why?

Nothing there is contradictory. You can switch a relay with common positive or negative. It makes not a jot of difference.

[Wild Thing]

Why?

Nothing there is contradictory. You can switch a relay with common positive or negative. It makes not a jot of difference.

The point I was trying to make was that if you wired one side of the relay coils to earth and the other side of the relay coils to the high low beam wires it wouldn't work as they are all negatives, also if you wired one side of the relay coils to positive and the other side of the relay coils to the high low beam wires you wouldn't be able to turn the lights off as the negative switching inside the high/low dip switch is permenently connected to earth, either high or low which ever way the switch is left, hence why you need to connect one side of the relay coils to the common positive on the original headlight plug wires and the other side of the relay coils to the high/ low beam wires on the original headlight plug wires.

[Apache]

The point I was trying to make was that if you wired one side of the relay coils to earth and the other side of the relay coils to the high low beam wires it wouldn't work as they are all negatives, also if you wired one side of the relay coils to positive and the other side of the relay coils to the high low beam wires you wouldn't be able to turn the lights off as the negative switching inside the high/low dip switch is permenently connected to earth, either high or low which ever way the switch is left, hence why you need to connect one side of the relay coils to the common positive on the original headlight plug wires and the other side of the relay coils to the high/ low beam wires on the original headlight plug wires.

Think you misunderstood me. The earth I was referring to was the earth for the bulb, not the relay. All the relay requires across it two switch is a Pd. It doesn't matter whether it's an earth switch or a positive switch.

[nero279]

Right soo, it actually seems everyone is talking about very similar circuits.

What i am planning to do is make up a connector to plug into the old plug on the back of the existing headlight, i have some new plugs so don't need to reuse these.

So to do this does it matter that the circuit is positive or negative switched? Surely i can feed two relays from the common on the existing plug, one for main beam one for dipped, and then the dipped / main... never mind i'll go see what happens when i do it and come back with some results and a diagram of what i done, and it'll probably be almost exactly the same as the original one at the start of the thread but laid out differently, i'm sure now everyone is talking about the same thing in different ways anyway.