no more accidently leaving headlights on (hopefully) anyone know how this mod would be completed? I hate cars that do this, why not just put your keys to the "on" to get the headlights on, makes no sense to me.

 

if you wanted you could find the hot wire for the headlights and just hook it up to an acc so when key is turned on lights are on. If you do your lights would be on whenever you are driving if you don't mind that. That is probably the simplest and easiest way to do it. Now I don't know how your brights would work I don't know if they use the same hot wire of hand. Guess you would just have to check and experiment when its all done.

 

Maybe figure out how it works in a newer car and grab the wiring from a junkyard.

My QX4 will automatically turn off the lights when I open a door once the key is removed from the ignition. It also has automatic headlights with a sensor in the dash. Maybe you could wire that up, too.

 

i'd say put in a relay that senses ign-ON or acc, and then wire that relay into the common ground on the headlight switch

 

a problem with all the current suggestions is that they focus on the headlights. with the headlights on, all running lights are on as well.

as you can see, there are many connections controled by the switch. relays, as mentioned above, will give the desired results, however, the wiring, as wiking would say, would be confuzean without lots of planning.

 

Somebody figure this out, i want it..

 

k so lemme make sure this is what everyone wants:
headlights CANNOT come on without key in either acc or ON
therefore headlights automatically turn off when key is turned to Start of Off.

amirite?

if that's what you guys are looking for then i should be able to whip something up.

 

No..lights turn on/off as normal without keys in the ignition, but lights turn off as soon as you remove the key from ignition.(or just ignition off would suffice )

My markIII supra turned them off when you opened the d-side door, loved it..

 

just to verify:
you walk to the car, keys in pocket, and reach thru the open window, flick the lights on and they work. open the door, and they turn off?
sounds like alotta work...

 

so then in order to get them back on after they auto-offed, you'd turn the switch off, then back on and they come on just like normal right?

it'll take some thinking but if it's doable on other cars then it's got to be doable on ours.

 

i read in an owner's manual for a car that has this sort of feature that even with the lights getting turned off it STILL drain's your battery, just at a much slower rate. that's b/c of the way it's wired, the device actually requires current to keep the lights off. tho i suppose it would draw no more current than an alarm system or clock.

 

ive been reading up on circuits that use caps to maintain power for xx number of seconds, requiring no power to keep it off. not sure how to impliment it as greeny wants.

 

Subscribed. This mod is not for me, I've done enough wiring/re-wiring on my car with all the stereo, relocating the battery, Ungo alarm, electric vaccum pump, electronic boost controller, Wideband O2, Romulator, push button ignition, E36 upgrade, HID's, etc. Although, I am DEFINATELY interested in implementation!

 

If the concern is to keep from accidentally leaving your lights on, could it be easier to find an auto-off relay (lights turn off automatically 15-30 seconds after you turn the ignition off or after you close the door)? A lot of the newer cars have that feature. It should be easy to find one. Or is that something thats integrated into the car's computer? I plead ignorance, just a suggestion to check out.

 

well it's all easier to do on a solid-state level, IE, on a computer chip. problem is that we can't just whip up a computer chip. benstoked is on to something, but I don't know how to use all that stuff. I could make a simpler system that would function as desired, but would slowly drain the battery, just at a GREATLY reduced rate from how fast the headlights would drain it. that's because i'd need to make a relay that would need power to open a circuit. as soon as that relay lost power, the circuit would re-energize. but in order for the relay to lose power you would have a dead battery anyways so it wouldn't make a difference.

but before anything can be designed it would need a very specific set of guidelines for operation. such that all possible conditions can be accounted for. as well as taking care of all the "what if" scenarios

for example what if you turn the headlights on with the ignition off then open your door?
what if you turn the car on, but then turn it off without opening your door yet?
what if the passenger gets out instead of the driver?

stuff like that. i can write it out in Visual basic but doing it with wires and relays is a whole different thing. You can't just open up a code editor to fix wiring..

so if everyone can agree on EXACTLY how the system should operate, I can start looking about the different circuits i'd need to work with to get something to work.

 

My maxima, Factory settings for the exterior light sw:

Position 0: Keys out, no lights. When keys in, ACC ON, park lights, headlights low beam always ON. Lights will go out when starting... Normally I dont touch the Light switch but it stays always Pos0.

Position 1: Parking lights do come on, and will stay by turning the light switch into Pos1.

Position 2: Parking lights do come on, and will stay by turning the light switch into Pos2. Also hi/low beam switch becomes enabled.

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All features mentioned are executed with relays. Setting a delay timer activated by door light circuit wont be an big issue.

The only thing I'd change, would be substituting the ACC-ctrl to charge ctrl. This means that lights would come ON only as alternator starts pushing charge voltage (engine running). This would give more lifetime to lamps.

--------------------------------------------------

Bulbs point of view (max filament lifetime):

a. Every time lamps start to get juice, voltage spiking does harm and cuts a piece of a bulb lifetime.
b. Every time a bulb starts to get juice, its lifetime is chopped. Heat expansion, voltage 'rush' into bulb, harms it juts a bit. Keeping lamp off until it is really needed, and keeping it ON until the very end (no unnecessary ON/OFF), will extend lifetime.
c. Starter motor is a terrible spiker - lights should be out when it or its solenoid spikes supply voltage

a + b + c = lights should be out until engine is purring steadily. Lights should go out before shutoff.

-------------------------------------------------

Windows environment has been created to destroy you laptop LCD backlights ten times faster than they would normally do. At startup, the poor programming has resulted in unnecessary ON/OFF flicker ... or maybe its a design which has been created for a huge bulb market...

 

Eh, I just wanted to implemented it that whenever the keys are in the off or keys out position, the lights would turn off, regardless of how they are toggeled on the lights switch, yes, it is somewhat about forgetting to turn off lights, but it's also that annoyance when you're outside the car, doors locked, windows up, and you notice your lights are on.

 

same for canada. daytime running lights. But for us USDM people the DRL isn't really an option.

As for the proposed system I'm still looking at a few things before making any sort of sketch of it.

 

By pulling out fuses you'll find the wire that supplies power to lights. Cut that wire and install between a good 40A relay (contact pins 30-87). Wire from relay coil pin86 is screwed to chassis ground. Control wire coil pin85 from 'any' source that is high when ACC is high.

(Here inspection regulations state that light have to be also separately controlled. This is achieved by adding a switch S3 (also rated 40A) parallel with the relay contacts.)

Now all activity behind this relay K1 is controlled via your choice of connection - like tapping from ign key ACC-wire. The switch S3 functions as the relay bypass - lights can still be switched on regardless of ign keys...

General diagram:

http://www.cardomain.com/ride/748507/11


S1: light switch ON/OFF, S2: hi/low beam switch - they remain as is.

Relays:


------------------------------------------------------

Another issue: To get full supply voltage to lamps = 50% boost in brightness, direct short thick wires from batt can be done like this ... thick = no voltage drop in wirings. http://www.cardomain.com/ride/748507/11

 

ya... but see, the problem for me lies not in the circuit you outlined, rather, in controlling the state of the control wire.

 

No, you dont have any problems. As u see, my answer was a. general, b. directed to Mystics...

Ctrl:
'Any' delay timer, door switch whatever logic can be used ... some may require diode. Biggest factor is to define all user desired features and their sequences.

 

the problem i'm having is seeing a way to keep the power source set to "ign" even after "ign" is no longer giving power, but as soon as headlight switch is turned off, for power source to return to battery. i'd need a switching relay that did not require power to maintain the state, regardless what state that may be.

 

?

My logic fell now in lost -state ... whatever, Radio-Shack or whatever can deliver mini relays (used in computers) that can drive std car relays. Their power consumption is less than battery internal leak, you can keep em ON for a year w/o noticing. Relay games have 'no limits.'

 

yes, those mini relays are something that crossed my mind as being a way to save energy.

as for the confuzean thing i said, it's that when you are wanting the lights to turn off from the ignition turning off you may as well have the power source switch to the IGN, rather than Batt, using a SPDT relay with 87 and 87a. But with these mini-relays i think this won't be as much of an issue. anyhow, then power source would go from 87a (+12v IGN) back to 87 (+12v batt) so the lights can come on again just w/ the switch, keys out.

 

My suggestion was aimed at not having to create a relay, instead seeing if an "auto-off" relay could be scavenged from another vehicle (probably best that its another Nissan), and wired in. And you're right of course, that if this is something that's programmed into the computer, there's not a lot that can be done.

 

i think that most of those are wired into these fancy sorts of "daytime running light" boxes, rather than the ECU itself. so if you know the pinout of the box you can whip something up, i'd think. But an FSm for that car would be needed, so if you can find a box and an fsm then it would be much more likely possible. problem is with that, that the wiring setup of our cars may not be compatible with it (as far as how the headlights turn on and stuff.. even from a 91 to a 92 maxima, the turnsignal system changed COMPLETELY.)

 

I would just find the orginal power source for the headlights cut it and tie it into the ignition switch, as in the lights will only be able to be on when the key is in the 1 or 2 position. But then you can't have the lights on when the key is out but thats not really that bad of a draw back.

Auto on and shut off and all that would be really nice but unless your jobless or have alot of free time it probably wouldn't be worth it. What were looking for (headlights off to not kill the battery) is easily done so lets see some one try it.

~Alex

 

So you delete the post for what reason?

 

Heh, i'd say he seen his new profile after posting..

 

i have a preliminary sketch made up that uses all relays, and the lights are still powered by the switch itself, which is fine, but i dunno exactly how much ign-off-lightswitch-on power draw it will cause. that situation is all but unavoidable.



basically, when you shut the engine off, the circuit to disable the lights WILL draw current until you turn the headlight switch off. but i can do like what wiking said, and use mini relays to control larger relays (since the current you can send across the switched half is far larger than what the coil itself can handle), thus reducing power draw to a minimum. also bear in mind that only one side is shown here. and that they don't make a TPTT relay as far as i know so it would have to be branched somehow.

but come to think of it, even my brother's car, a 93 camry with auto-off, states that the auto-off mechanism should only be used for a MAXIMIMUM of 48 hours before disengaging the headlight switch. and maybe it'd be prudent to have a little LED somewhere indicating "hey power is still in the circuit.... turn the switch off"

 

Eh!? ...toy-designers cant use relays? unbelievable

The basic lights-off setting works well in all eu-cars (not mercede$ of course), engine off, relays off = no drain... well, eventually the relays and switches will some day have 'microscopic' drain through the gunk 'splashed' inside their casings.

When features are needed, electronics can be programmed to do whatever. And today they consume so little power that battery internal degradation is bigger issue. Still a manual main switch for all electronics would be a plus ... getting car started after two weeks park at airport - clean hands.

 

well the reason that i still have to have power usage is b/c the transfer relay to the right of "close!" needs to stay activated even after the engine shuts off. i'll experiment with different designs. but i hope you can see what i did there.... when the ignition was on, the headlights got their power from the ignition instead of the battery. once the engine turns off, i KEPT the source as the ignition, so the lights would turn off. but once you turn the switch off then back on, it resets, and the lights come on again. I used a hold-relay on the parking light circuit, ignited by the ign circuit, and then did a transfer between battery/ignition

 

How about a pressure/vacum switch attached to say the intake. Wiring it like kill switch to the ground wire or the headlights?

 

Has anyone tracked down how many systems this mod is going to affect? What I mean is, there are the headlights, side marker lights, tail lights, interior dome light, door lights, dash lights, alarm system, exterior key hole LED, stereo (dimmer function), door switches, and that chime thingy that tells you your lights are on when your door opens.

Seems like to address this systematically, the best place to install a relay would be coming directly off the switch? Interesting idea with the vacuum switch, but that begins to concern me regarding safety. What if your engine is dead on the side of a road at night and you need a bit more than emergency flashers to alert other drivers of your presence? Or, if engine dies while driving.....big safety issue. Engine dead, no other lights...perhaps not even interior. Or would messing with this circuit affect the emergency flashers? I thought they were independant? Something to think about given what we're talking about messing with.

 

Possibly would work much like from charge light ctrl... U could also use it as ATheft ACC input: when smbdy tried to start engine, it would be kill it when engine just started to come around. This would frustrate the wannabe robber and move him on next available vehicle...

How about coolant sensor as input

 

Check out the basic general schema: Bypass switch always bypasses all add on features = circuit as it was...

 

How about installing a larger chime (louder) to tell you your lights are still on when you open the door? Maybe hook it up to your horn circuit? j/k

Thanks Wiking...clear now. Temp sensor though?

 

First mod in any a car: smash the ding dong bells... next, lights automation. Third: windows bypass (shutoff w/o keys).

Temp sensor as ctrl source would cool busibodies: keeps light off until engine has warmed.

 

my proposed setup depends ONLY on the ignition switch being on. You can REMOVE the engine, for all it cares. the way i wired it is all relayed, so the original circuits are used to do the controlling, the relays just let stuff turn on and off based on driver's desires. the parking light/illumination circuit would be the trigger for the system to kick into action, and the relays would affect the WHOLE functionality of the headlight switch

 

Engine does not know. But bulb filaments do burn on spikes generated by starter & solenoid 10x faster. This is why even EU 2k2 xenon lights dont come on at or after startup... intelligent lights ctrl design is zero, charge, or vac ctrl , or any delay is incomprehensible for these toy-designers.