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Cheers CC

if I use the battery charger to supply the loom as discussed how do I check the amount of power required by the lamps? Dont mean to sound dumb but electrics are really not my thing!

Gert

the battery charger powers the loom and I get the original tail and stop lamp working AND the DRC unit tail and stop lamps.

With engine running (AC supply) the original tail and stop lamps work. DRC unit I can get either the tail lamp BUT can only get the stop lamp to work using the tail lamp feed swapped to the stop lamp!!

This makes no sense to me!!

I think I am going to get the DRC loom kit so I can run a horn, blinkers and rear light unit all from a 12V DC battery supply on a constant loss basis. I will use the AC supply to power the front lamp only. I can then get through the road worthy test and ride the bloody thing as intended!!

Thanks for the help

Cheers

Gert

gertie6car wrote:Cheers CC

if I use the battery charger to supply the loom as discussed how do I check the amount of power required by the lamps? Dont mean to sound dumb but electrics are really not my thing!

Gert

Use your meter. Measure the current (amps). It is imperative that you know the difference between a parallel hook-up (to measure voltage) and a series hook-up (to measure current).

NEVER confuse the two or you WILL damage something.

Some things you just have to KNOW. Say...if you have a meter that only measures up to 200ma (milliamps)..using it to TRY to measure current in a circuit that is 20X that isn't going to end well. That and most meters in the higher amperage ranges are NOT fused. Hook it up to more than it can handle..something is going to get hot, smell bad, puff some smoke at 'ya, AND be no longer useful. Always set it at its maximum capacity and work DOWN..not the other way 'round. Obviously 20A isn't necessary, 10A will do..but don't START at a milliamp setting.

On a 'volts' setting, you're just looking at the potential ON a wire while it's connected, usually. ON an 'amps' setting, you connect the meter IN SERIES with the circuit...so everything going thru the circuit is going thru the meter.


Re: 'With engine running (AC supply) the original tail and stop lamps work. DRC unit I can get either the tail lamp BUT can only get the stop lamp to work using the tail lamp feed swapped to the stop lamp!! '

Rewrite that a bit.

DRC unit you get either the tail....OR...what? If there is an 'either' in the sentence, it's one or the other. I don't see an 'other'. Sure...I could guess pretty good, but I'd much rather understand what the situation is.

The tail/plate works on the tail wire...the stop works on the tail wire?


Some of that is by the way. IF you hook a known good supply (like the charger) up to the harness and it works, the problem is most likely not having sufficient power to run everything.


I didn't hear anything about disconnecting the headlamp on the AC test run. Honestly, I do tire of repeating myself..saying the same thing a few times and then saying it summore.

That should confirm the lack of available power issue.

Also..having your AC voltmeter connected while you press the brake and observing the voltage drop would likely tell you the same thing.


The reason why the tail/plate lights the stop and the stop doesn't? Look at your wiring diagram. Compare the paths of the two. The tail/plate has a whole lot less wire/switches/connectors and crap to go through, 'eh?

Verify THAT for sure by checking the voltage, too. Compare the voltage on the tail/plate wire when it's hooked up to the stop to the STOP wire hooked to the stop. You will see on the stop/wire/stop/lamp setup a voltage that is INSUFFICIENT to satisfy the diodes on the LEDs.

..which is why they don't light.

Anyway...you're headed toward the battery idea? So....you're not messing with trying to make the current (pun intended) setup to operate?

Hi CC

I should pay more attention - much was said when I was in class - all those many many years ago!

Thanks for the pointers -again!

Just to confirm....

With the AC power supply to the DRC unit I can get the tail/plate lamps lit but not the stop lamp. If I use the tail/plate light feed to supply the stop lamp it lights. The stop lamp feed will not light the tail/plate lamp when the brake is activated. I will check again and see if the stop lamp feed can power the tail lamp when the brake is depressed without the stop lamp connected to anything. I will also investigate the effect of taking the head lamp out of the system - as you describe.

I will be away on business till friday now so I will hopefully let you know the outcome over the weekend.

On the battery front I must confess I would prefer the whole set up powered by the bike, as long as I have gas and the engine running I have lights. The battery is a quick fix but has finite capacity - just how much with LED's I am unsure but it gets me up and running - or should I say riding?!

Re: 'With the AC power supply to the DRC unit I can get the tail/plate lamps lit but not the stop lamp. If I use the tail/plate light feed to supply the stop lamp it lights.'

Understood.


Re: 'I would prefer the whole set up powered by the bike,..'

You bet!

IF this all turns out to be simply a lack of power (looks like that), the answer, of course, is to get more power. That 65W coil you mention would likely get the job done seeing as the trigger point between working and not is only one 'device'.

You might be able to get by without additional power with a clean up of the harness. As noted..power availability being the issue.. the wiring setup thru the brake configuration could be gone through. Clean every connection, recrimp every crimp, bypass what isn't absolutely necessary (like the rubber booted switch. It doesn't have to be there, and anything going through a switch is likely suspect for losing some power).

Are you testing the stop lamp via the foot or hand switch? If you have always used one (or the other) you may find the switch you have NOT tried works better.

The diagram indicates bullet connectors in the following spots that would be simple enough to bypass some stuff.

From the yellow wire off the regulator there is a wire going to the rubber boot. Disconnect it from the switch, connect it (the yellow) directly TO the red wire going to the rear brake switch (where the black from the switch goes..not the red wire TO the rear light assembly, 'natch).

You could also try bypassing the brake switch itself just to see if the current coil could power the brake lamp continuously (brake switch then out of the circuit, too).

There's all sorts of testing and fussing you can do to get a better idea of exactly how close you are to having what you need power-wise.

Have fun!

Hi CC,

thanks for the suggestions, I will try them out at the earliest opportunity - likely the weekend.

The guys at DRC (Dirt Freak Japan) have sent me a complete new light unit just in case the original I have is knackered! Great customer service -I emailed them last tuesday saying I had a problem and a complete new one turns up from Japan today!

Will try that out as well just incase it is the light unit itself.

Cheers

Gert

Gertie, how did you get on with this??

Ive had to fit a new rear light/brake light combo to the back of my KDX. In the doing of this I found a home made rectifier wiried into the loom!!!
Learning now that the bike chucks out AC makes sense!
When I wired my light setup in, I just took a live to each brake switch (banjo type) and then to the led brake light. It had 3 wires, GRD, live for Rear light and a live for Brake light.

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dubtruker wrote:I put a Baja Designs Regulator rectifier on mine and floated the ground. That way it charges and maintains a small 3500 mah battery stuffed in the airbox. I run a DRC edge glued with Automotive Goop to the bottom of a Maier MX fender with the plate Zip tied to the subframe. I have a UFO Ghibli DOT light because it looks exactly like the OEM one but it takes a H4 and got a great beam for street, the low beam is now HID with a small halogen for high beam and an LED in the running light spot. That way if a cop wants to see all my beams I have it all to show him. During the day I run on the LED in the headlight and during this it charges the battery for a whole night of riding around the city/trails where we do about 70-100kms. My signals are all LED as well to reduce drain. I am sure when I finally get around to installing Inda's 100watt lighting coil I will never need to turn off my HID.
Mine's on the right!
http://www.pbase.com/chia/image/116559972

Not to hijack this thread but my KDX has a similiar setup as yours. It has a BD kit and rectifier, and I also run an LED running light and tail light which allows the battery to charge. If I use the 35w H4 headlight though, it uses the battery up. No big deal, it's a nicad battery and can handle being discharged. How much power do you loose with the rectifier? When I get the higher output coil, I'm hoping to run a UFO light with two 37w MR16 bulbs. Here's mine. I haven't put the LED signals on it yet.

DUH! I just respondd to a real old thread. For some reason it came up on "posts since your last visit" before I posted. HMMM?