| Author | Message | ||
     Ratbuell |
OK, so a diode is an electronic "one way gate", right? Here's what I'm thinking. Gonna run a wire off my horn "hot" wire (it only has power when honking). Put in a diode - rating TBD after a visit to the Radio Crack website and/or store - so power can flow out of the horn, but not back into it. Hook the other end of the wire to the high beam lead. End goal/result? Hit the horn and get not only "Honk", but full lighting as well (my aux light relay is triggered by the high beam wire). Diode keeps the horn from going berserk if you turn on the high beams. If the horn doesn't carry enough power to trigger all the lights, I'll just hook it to the trigger wire for my aux light relay - trigger wire doesn't need amps, just volts, to fire the relay. Thoughts? | ||
| Sleez |
i wouldn't do that first idea. just use the horn wire to trigger a relay, that would be the best/easiest way. | ||
| Ronmold |
Running H-beam & horn off wimpy horn switch not a good way to do it, but I commend you for coming up with the idea. It would work for awhile. Or use a diode on the horn lead and on your H-beam lead, Y'ed together to the relay for your aux lights. But then no H-beam on honk. Or just use a relay as said above. | ||
| Ratbuell |
I can live with lo and aux lights on honk, I'll just Y into the relay feed for the aux lights and see how it works. I'll have to add a second diode though, on the relay trigger between my horn splice and the high beam wire, so the horn power doesn't try to feed back to the highbeam... I'm sick to death of braindead cagers. Maybe optical + audible will work. It'll also confuse the hell out of the tech doing my 5k  (Message edited by ratbuell on March 29, 2009) | ||
| Crusty |
I'm sick to death of braindead cagers. Maybe optical + audible will work. Not to bust your bubble, but idiots pull out in front of trains with flashing lights and loud horns. And they run on fixed tracks. Ride as if you're invisible, and expect the brain dead morons to do the stupid thing. | ||
| Ronmold |
Diodes aren't very vibration friendly and these ain't no Goldwings. Best way to connect to them is to twist a wire on one of the leads and solder cut the leads short (3/16") then run the wire back over the body of the diode. Do the same with the other end so the leads are going out opposite ends than what they're soldered to. Put a piece of heat shrink over the whole thing (clear is best as you can tell what leads go to what ends of the diode and also someone else working on the bike can ascertain what that mystery bulge is!) Now the wires are supported by the diode body and not the wire ends. V-Twin idle proof! In your case you could put both diodes together in the same heat shrink and twist the silver band ends together, they would go to the relay. you don't even have to buy any diodes, rip open an old clock-radio or other electronic junk and cut 'em off the circuit board, any diode will work for this app. I would recommend a 3rd diode backwards across the relay coil, (terminals 85 & 86) the silver-band end to the +. This will suppress (shunt) the inductive kick when the relay is turned off saving the 2 diodes from the hundreds of volts developed when the relay's magnetic field collapses. OK more than you wanted to know... | ||
| Ratbuell |
Crusty - I'm fully aware, as my wife's car got totalled a couple weeks ago by a braindead phone-r. Bright silver car, all lights on, clear day, clear traffic...(I have a B word in mind) ran a stop sign and T boned us hard enough to total the car. Flash/honk is more for my peace of mind. I'll *feel* like I'm making a difference, lol. I won't hide behind them, though - I'm always tired after a ride because paying enough attention for myself and all the boneheads around me wears me out. |
