LED headlight sidemarkers

Go on... I’m curious.

 

so, quick disclaimer - i have not wired up a MESO marker light before, and i am just basing this off of info i read in this thread. hopefully @MESO could verify how misguided my conclusions are...
according to this post:

i was playing around in the circuitlab editor and came up with the below circuit to accomplish this functionality:

so, the marker light is wired per the normal instructions, but the white wire will also be connected to the output of the relay. the headlight circuit will drive a relay to override the drl signal when the headlight is on, and if @HIallday 's assumption that the amber will dim after 5sec is correct, i think this might work.

i think you will need a diode "upstream" on the drl circuit so the voltage doesnt backfeed. also, not sure about the headlight circuit driving the relay - maybe should be inline with headlight power instead of run to ground? anyway, looks like you might only need one relay after all

idk, just spitballing. roast me if i did something stupid here

 

I don't think these dim after 5 seconds. I could be wrong, but I didn't see anything in the literature about that. Regardless, I think the way you have it wired there will just result in the white being on 100% of the time (R constant to battery). If the W lead took priority (once again, not sure how the driver prioritizes signals), it would reduce to 50% brightness white when the headlights are on or the DRL circuit is on. So if the W takes priority, it will only be 50% with the DRL or headlights on. Then 100% brightness with the DRL and headlights off. Following me so far? I suck at explaining stuff. Anyway, regardless of the behavior of the white light, the Amber (Y) would still only be live while the turn signal is on. I have an SR, so my truck is a little different, but I am assuming here the trucks that come with LED DRL's have separate signals for the turn signal and DRL? If this is the case, by hooking the R to the battery, I think your turn signal would just alternate between 100% white and amber. I cant think of a way to have it Amber when the parking lights are on, flash when the turn signal is on, and white (100 or 50%) when the DRL's are on, but its so damn complicated that I wouldn't even want to draw it out, much less try to explain it. Hope this helps? I know there are a lot of assumptions here, but whatever way those assumptions fall, the amber in this configuration would only work as a turn signal.

EDIT: @RoostrC0gburn Forgot to quote you, so you'd know I had responded.

 

Just to clarify for everyone since ive wired up a ton of these:

-Amber does dim after being powered for ~5 seconds, so you can run them amber full time without risk of damage (This is an update at some point, some of the earlier strips dont have this feature)

-They are "low priority drivers", so if white (50%) and red (100%) are both powered, they will default to 50%.

-I don't see the above mentioned configuration being possible. There's only one wire for amber, so while they are in the dimmed amber position, there will be no way to make them blink 100% amber. You could run them white during the day, and tap the amber wire into the low beam+ so they default to amber when the low beams go on. You would lose the turn signal function of them with this set up though.

 

thank you for clarifying. the diagram is based on a few wrong assumptions, so i appreciate you setting it straight.

sounds like there is no way to make the side markers operate the way you want @HIallday

 

Good to know! What is the priority on amber vs white? It’s possible to do the amber indicator and turn signal, but I don’t know how you would do it without a series of relays and a delay timer.

 

Amber is top priority.

I guess anything might be possible, but you'd be getting into some pretty involved stuff, over most of our heads. DD makes an amber strip already that has turn signal capability that would do full time amber w/ amber turn, obviously no white at any time though.

 

Yeah, it’s gets really complicated. I have no issue with complicated (I have a set up for a reverse light that runs on three relays just so the indicator lights light up the way I want them too for example), but even I decided to set up to do DRL white, Amber turn and amber parking light would just be too much. That should say something....

 

@no vtec 4me Do the amber ones dim after a certain time as well?

 

the amber strips have:
50% amber
100% amber
>100% amber for turn signals (assuming these will dim after 5 seconds, but don’t know first hand. Also don’t think it would benefit you in any way)

 

I just installed these myself and agree there would be no way to accomplish that configuration utilizing factory wiring. Depending on how determined the individual is, there is definitely a solution that lies within a custom controller upstream from the LED driver to manipulate the lights to operate in this way (totally not worth the time sink imo just for side marker lights).

 

So, do the amber on the switch back turn on at 100%, and then after staying on for 5 seconds, dim? If so, I think it’s actually doable. Will still take a couple of relays, and probably a resistor. But you could have the amber on 50% with the parking lights, 100% as a blinker, and the 50% or 100% white DRL. I could draw it up if anyone really wanted me to, but it’s still complicated. It would also switch “negative”, as in when it’s supposed to be on, it will be off and vise versa. When @no vtec 4me does my lights in a month or so, I’m hopefully going to configure it like no one else has yet (that I know of), but I’m not sure how complicated I want to make it.

 

The easy part is setting up your headlights off config, just tap the yellow into the turn signal. The issue is going to be with the headlights on you will want to eliminate possible backfeed using a diode mentioned above, then if you want it to still function as a turn signal you will need to wire an interrupt from the headlight on signal you'd be receiving 100% of the time from the headlights or you won't be able to make the amber blink. This would have to be parallel to your turn signal and interrupt the signal from the headlights while the turn signal is operating. Perhaps some sort of NC NO contacts will help you achieve that but I'm no circuit designer, I took the required courses and promptly forgot it all.

 

Yeah, I'm definitely think of using a NC relay to interrupt it, that's why it would flash in 180 phase reversal (on when its supposed to be off, vise versa). The catch to that would be using the turn signal signal to drive the relay coil, not the bulb. This is where you'd need the resistor, otherwise it would just hyper-flash. But you could wire the parking light from 30 to 87a (NC) and then the turn signal to 86 with 85 grounded. When the parking lights are on, it would be solid amber, and when the turn signal flashes, it would break that circuit, causing it to flash. I suppose if you didn't want it to be out of phase, you could tie it to ANOTHER relay and shift it another 180 in phase? Like I said, it starts getting complex.... And this isn't even touching the DRL circuit yet, but I suppose if amber takes priority, that might not be an issue at all. So there you have it, my thinking out loud....

 

OK, it can be done. It will require 2 relays (NC) and 2 diodes per side. Not as bad I initially thought (but I tend to start with the most complicated solution sometimes). All of this will be taking place before the driver, but it's doable. There might be an easier way, but I don't see it right now. As to the resistor, that may not be needed as the original turn signal is still in the circuit. I'll draw it up if anyone is interested (I'll draw it up if no one is interested too..)

 

Thanks for everyone’s advice. I’m not worried about trying to keep the factory wiring/keeping pnp or how complicated wiring would get.

I am going to do the bhlm in a couple of months and was wondering if it is possible? and if it is, what would the wiring diagram look like?

 

Here is the post about the 5 sec dim
Can anybody confirm this?

 

Ambers will dim if connected constant. The turn signal is meant to be intermittent so diode runs them at ~150% output. So if you wanted them solid they dim as to not over run the LEDs. Novtech has hooked up a lot so his info is good too

 

I hit a wall... I'll keep working on it. It IS possible, just maybe not as "simple" as I thought. Simple to do out of phase, but trying to keep it in phase combined with the DRL function is what's killing me right now. I am trying to do it all with relays and diodes though. Adding a time delay circuit would probably eliminate the phasing issue, but I'm trying to avoid that.

 

Ok, I tried getting around the delay timer, but I couldn’t figure out how to do that and still work as an Amber parking light as well. If your still interested in this, let me know. I’ll draw it up tonight. It will require 1 NO/NC (or just NC if you can find it, but those aren’t very common in automotive), 2 diodes, and a timer. The timer wiring isn’t that intimidating, just an added component.