Wiring spotlights with a relay

[chrisgriffiths]

Hi everyone,

Would anyone have a wiring diagram for wiring a pair of small 4" spots, or perhaps know where I might find one
Best Regards
CHRIS

[beero]

Just google 'wiring spotlights with a relay' and then look at images. (other search engines are available)

[bmcecosse]

Spotlights ? Are you going rallying ?? Just fit decent halogen headlights - all the light you need for normal motoring without cluttering up the front of the car...... Actually - I used my Trav at 5 am last week, for a fast run across Scotland, and the old sealed beam headlights gave me all the light I needed on a dark miserable morning....

[panky]

The problem happens when some joker comes up behind you with his mega bright night suns blazing on a dark road, drowns out your sealed beam glow, creates a black hole in front of you caused by your own shadow and you cant see the road I've fitted halogens and they are fantastic

[alexmcguffie]

Let him past

[bmcecosse]

Exactly! Anyone comes up behind me - I wave them past asap - I hate having anyone on my tail - no matter what car I am driving!

[panky]

I agree but there's all ways that wait until it's safe to do so. It has happened to me but not in the Minor, very scary

[bmcecosse]

I doubt 2 X 4" 'spot' lights are the answer though!

[alexmcguffie]

If you can't see, slow down...

[panky]

I'm not arguing the case for spotlamps, most people fit them because they like the look of them and good luck to them, but I am flying the flag for halogens, vast improvement on standard. I got a set off ebay for £30, inc p&p, domed lenses that look the part

[MikeNash]

Chris,
If you've got the "pull/push" switches then you won't need a relay. Years ago they were judged to be able to handle at least 15 amps and mine have done so without complaint. See here http://www.mmoc.org.uk/viewtopic.php?f= ... hes#p58691
But why not wire them in off a "T" in the feed to the headlights' main beam? I've done this 'cos when I want main beam, by definition, I want all the light I can get. (I've the halogen type bulbs fitted. And the dip switch has always been able to handle it too.)
Here's my set up.[frame][/frame]
Lovely, isn't it? They're a medley of ancient Lumax, Raydyot and Lucas(?) lamps of the 1960s.
The fog lights are fed through a separate "pull/push" switch. As a package, the lighting works better than the wife's Peugeot 5008 - and that's saying something. And don't believe anyone who says you can't do it with a dynamo - YOU CAN! But you'd be well advised to have an ammeter to check on the charging situation.
Regards from Mike ("I thunder through the night") Nash.

[alexmcguffie]

Sounds a scientific assessment of the switch

[bmcecosse]

T ing any lights off the Main Beam wiring will soon have it on fire! It's designed to run the Main Beams - and nothing else !!

[IslipMinor]

The dip switch may take the additional load, but the lighting switch will get very hot - as I found out many years ago when I had the spot lights simply hooked up to the main beam connection! A simple relay solved it.

When I finished the restoration in 1998, I fitted 100w halogen bulbs to replace the original 60w halogen main beam filaments, and again the headlight switch did not like it - now all fully 'relayed' to unload the switch completely.

[alexmcguffie]

You're also best to use a relay to reduce the length of wiring between battery and lights and number of switches/connections. If you have bad connections and long wire runs you could easily see the voltage to the lights drop below 10v. With a fusde + relay + properly rated wire direct from the battery things will look a lot better and your original switches and chassis loom won't be at risk of being fried. Trust me...

[MikeNash]

Well Chris,
So the "relays" have it! And I must check my switches and wiring again - I've never noticed any overheating nor had a fire but perhaps I've just been lucky.
But perhaps LED bulbs will soon make all this easier. Members of the Ariel Motorcycle Owners Club have been experimenting with them. (As an Arielist I've only a 40 watt dynamo to power everything with on my old 600 cc side valver.)
Here's a bit of You-tube showing the current status http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mw4t3dr1 ... e=youtu.be
It's encouraging, MikeN.

[bmcecosse]

Do you have a link to LED headlight bulbs Mike ?

[alexmcguffie]

A friend of mine supplies them to LMP sports car teams (Le Mans). Good ones aren't cheap but they are the future...

[MikeNash]

Roy,
This seems the one that Arielists are experimenting with is this
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/281363715688
and at the moment a couple of lads (in the UK and Australia) have fitted them and the rest of us are waiting to see how they get on. The Yourtube stuff I linked you to above is the UK fellow and as he is a support engineer doing many miles travelling all over the UK on his 650 Ariel we hope to get early and valuable feed back. I'll let you know how it goes (prob on a new thread!) Others are trying HID systems too.
Regards, MikeN.

[bmcecosse]

Thanks Mike - there are many others being sold - but I doubt they will 'dip' as these clearly do. Quite expensive as you say - and I certainly can't justify them for my cars... but I like to keep up with the technology. We live in an LED twilight zone at home....