Relay tail lights?

[gforbess at attglobal.net (Gordon Forbess)]

On Sat, 4 Mar 2006 15:26:07 -0500, GGehrke <ggehrke@gmail.com> wrote:

>Any idea, though, exactly how "close to instant" it is?  For example,
>Incandescent bulbs take as much as 200ms to light (according to the
>sources I've found online).  At 75mph, 200ms is 22 feet. 

According to Bosch, operating time is 10ms.. about 1 foot in your
example.

http://www.bosch.se/content/language1/downloads/Relays_Catalog_2005_2006_eng.pdf


>I probably should have metioned that the battery is going in the back...  :D

No problem there, then.

>Well, I'm thinking of running the front corners directly off the low
>beams (same relay) and the rears I'd just use run a second smaller
>trigger wire to the back to a relay right next to the tail lights. 
>There are those side repeaters -- are they running lights or turns?

Mine are running lights.  
 
>They haven't ever worked in either of my cars anyways...  I intend to
>weld that hole shut next time I paint it.
>I'm plaing with the feasibility of adding side turn signals to the
>side mirrors.  That'd be pretty sweet.

Isn't BMW using the side marker behind the front wheel arch as a
flasher with the turns?  There is a mod out there somewhere to make
Scirocco side markers flash, but it could be done a bit better with a
dual element bulb and relay.   

>I'm also thinking of adding lamp out indicators to the car.  I
>recently picked up a book called "50 Awesome Auto Projects for the
>Evil Genius" that has all sorts of electrical hack projects you can
>build.  One of them uses reed switches and inductance to figure out if
>there's current running to a bulb.  If there isn't, it lights a little
>warning indicator LED on the dash somewhere to let you know the bulb
>is dead.  Pretty trick.

Wife's Mercedes has that ability. It is handy to know if you're asking
to be pulled over for a bad bulb. 



Gordon
75 Mk I/Drake 1.9
http://pws.prserv.net/gforbess/scirocco/scirocco.htm