Electrical Geniuses?? (Taillight Integrator)

I got 4 diodes for a couple of bucks and wired it up like this. Works great, only draw back is when the brake is on the rear only stops flashing.
Mark

79MKII wrote:

bountyhunter wrote:

79MKII wrote:

I felt like wasting $99 and bought a taillight integrator for my dual-bulb taillight. I received the unit and these instructions:

i148.photobucket.com/albums/s16/79MKII/M.../IllSportDiagram.jpg

WTF? How can this work if the wires for the running lights and brake lights are wired together? Does this thing actually have a variable output of some sort that will vary the bulb brightness? Both filaments would have to be lighted if connected as shown :S :blink:

I don't get it...

The text is gibberish, but the diagram clearly shows only two power feed wires to the rear of the bike. That would imply that the rear lights (running and turn signal) are wired together as one filament. It would be very easy for a solid-state converter circuit to light it as a brake light and also be able to switch it on and off in response to the turn signal flasher signal.

The only problem with that is that it has to work as a tail light too. The bulb needs 3 functions: Running, brake and turn. It would have to vary the brightness too, not just turn it on and off, right??

Yes, but that's very easy to do. It simply means they will use a constant current driver instead of constant voltage and have the current selectable to different levels. In a solid state controller, it's a piece of cake.

Mark Wing wrote:

I got 4 diodes for a couple of bucks and wired it up like this. Works great, only draw back is when the brake is on the rear only stops flashing.
Mark

YEP, and it turns out getting the turn signal to "release" when the brake light is activated and still flash as a turn signal (and then go back to working as the brake light after the TS is off) is a fairly complicated circuit problem.

The reason is that the "turn signal low" event is what must be used to inhibit the brake light circuit's control of the bulb to allow it to flash.... easy enough, except when the TS is turned completely off it's also low which would simply kill the bulb for use as a brake light. So, the inhibit has to be "when the TS line goes low after it was driven high". It has to release control of the bulb back to the brake light illumninator circuit after a certain time.

I designed a circuit which will do this but have so far been too lazy to build it up. It's in a PDF version and available to anybody who wants to play around with it.

Post edited by: bountyhunter, at: 2008/02/19 17:09

If this thing works as it seems it would, with only 1 hot wire to each bulb, then it would work with single element bulbs too right? This would be great for making your single element rear turnsignals into running/brake/turn signals (if you can find red lenses). I also think this would work for single LED lights then too, wouldn't it?

79MKII wrote:

If this thing works as it seems it would, with only 1 hot wire to each bulb, then it would work with single element bulbs too right? This would be great for making your single element rear turnsignals into running/brake/turn signals (if you can find red lenses). I also think this would work for single LED lights then too, wouldn't it?

If the schematic is accurate, then it should work with a single filament bulb.

if you can find red lenses

I'll bet you won't, I sure looked a long time before I gave up.

BTW: if you buy the super bright 3W Luxeon LED tailights in RED, they will shine very red through amber lenses. At night, all you see is bright red light. In the day, you can see a bit of the amber until you hit the brake and light it up and it is bright red.

As odd as it sounds, the amber lense conducts the red LED light without changing it's tone much at all. The only amber you get is daylight reflected off the outside of the lense.

I have plans for a solid state version, and a 3-relay version for use with two dual-filament fixtures, but the parts cost more than the ready-made trailer units I've seen for $5 or $10.

www.geocities.com/loudgpz/GPZturnSigInteg.html

loudhvx wrote:

...but the parts cost more than the ready-made trailer units I've seen for $5 or $10....

Yeah, seriously. I know I sound like a broken record to some, but I got my Reese trailer light kit for $14 from Amazon.com, shipped free.... with vendor support... and a *decent* wiring diagram...

:blink:

OK, the GM of the company called me today in response to my email - really nice guy to talk to. He explained how the converter works and it does indeed vary the output electronically. While running (tail lights) the output of both filaments (actually 4 filaments and 2 bulbs) will be at 30%. When the brakes are applied, all 4 filaments go to 100% power. If the turnsignal is applied, that particular side will oscillate between 30% and 100%. Sound like it should work really well and would work for single element bulbs and led's too. The brakes and turn signals will actually be brighter than ever before because both filaments will be on. I guess that, and the fact that a single filament could be used are at least 2 advantages of this unit over a std trailer converter. Worth another $85 though, probably not. I'll have to think long and hard about keeping this or returning it and using a trailer converter.

I hear you can get them for $14 from Amazon...

79MKII wrote:

OK, the GM of the company called me today in response to my email - really nice guy to talk to. He explained how the converter works and it does indeed vary the output electronically. While running (tail lights) the output of both filaments (actually 4 filaments and 2 bulbs) will be at 30%. When the brakes are applied, all 4 filaments go to 100% power. If the turnsignal is applied, that particular side will oscillate between 30% and 100%. Sound like it should work really well and would work for single element bulbs and led's too. The brakes and turn signals will actually be brighter than ever before because both filaments will be on. I guess that, and the fact that a single filament could be used are at least 2 advantages of this unit over a std trailer converter. Worth another $85 though, probably not. I'll have to think long and hard about keeping this or returning it and using a trailer converter.

I hear you can get them for $14 from Amazon...

Did he confirm it is compatible with LED tail lights?

Reason I ask: if it is a constant current circuit, it will freak out because the LED's don't draw enough current. If it is a constant voltage drive circuit, it might work OK because it just forces a specific voltage across the load.

duplicate

Post edited by: bountyhunter, at: 2008/02/20 19:49

It states in the add that it will work with LED's. I don't think he actually said "current" or "voltage", but only called it "% output". Here's the add:

Illuminator Sport

It does say that you need an electronic flasher if used with LEDs though, so I'm not sure what that indicates??

Post edited by: 79MKII, at: 2008/02/20 20:38

79MKII wrote:

It states in the add that it will work with LED's. I don't think he actually said "current" or "voltage", but only called it "% output". Here's the add:

Illuminator Sport

It does say that you need an electronic flasher if used with LEDs though, so I'm not sure what that indicates??<br><br>Post edited by: 79MKII, at: 2008/02/20 20:38

Thanks