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Spots but hmmmmm
Posted: 26 Sep 2009, 21:39
by CovKid
Added these today (Hella spots) after finally figuring out how to mount them without drilling into me precious chrome bumper. Question is, there are a few ways I could connect them:
Extra relay to supply them but triggered by main beam being actuated
Wired straight into main beam circuit which is already powered by two chunky relays
Could also add extra switch so they are permanently off regardless of connections above if I wanted to I suppose. All those lights might be far more useful across the moors but maybe not for most urban driving.
Can't really wire independently as it might be too easy to forget to turn them off and probably illegal anyway
What you reckon?
Re: Spots but hmmmmm
Posted: 27 Sep 2009, 08:22
by Red Westie
Hi
Yours are only single round headlamps so full beam power is presumably 2 X 60watts which is just 10 amps....if the two spots are also 60watts a piece then thats another 10 amps, 20 amps in total.
Why am I quoting current? well if you have already wired your lights through relays they will easily be able to handle the extra current draw so my advice would be to have the spots come on with full beam.
Martin
Re: Spots but hmmmmm
Posted: 27 Sep 2009, 09:37
by CovKid
Cheers Martin - am off out to wire them up!

Re: Spots but hmmmmm
Posted: 27 Sep 2009, 10:57
by CovKid
Ah, these are 100 watt each. Maybe that'll change things. After all, if there was a fuse blown for any reason, it'd take out my headlights too presumably.
They're the Hella 500 Comet lamps.
Re: Spots but hmmmmm
Posted: 27 Sep 2009, 13:07
by happy camper
Do it properly fella run a seperate relay for them and take your live feed from you h/b curcuit it'll cost you another tenner but will save you a potential wire loom fire.
Re: Spots but hmmmmm
Posted: 27 Sep 2009, 13:39
by CovKid
Looks that way, plus I can add a switch to dash to switch that relay on or off so I don't have to have the spots on if I really don't need them.
Re: Spots but hmmmmm
Posted: 27 Sep 2009, 14:14
by happy camper
CovKid wrote:Looks that way, plus I can add a switch to dash to switch that relay on or off so I don't have to have the spots on if I really don't need them.
wouldn't bother with the switch buddy just have em on when high beam is selected that way you won't have to make two dipped movements when you meet traffic at night + if you wire it in to high beam and a switch it won't know wether its coming or going and will keep blowing fuses, i tried to put an over ride switch into my rad fan but it kept blowing fuses so i disconnected it from the rad sensor and its just now on a switch and give no problems at all .
Re: Spots but hmmmmm
Posted: 27 Sep 2009, 14:33
by CovKid
They'll still be connected to main beams but the idea of a switch to the relay on the low power side is it'll mean I can actually disconnect them from that circuit entirely when not needed otherwise I'm gonna have all four blazing away everytime I'm on full. For most of my urban/rural trips the normal lights are fine but when I do trips out to places like Wales etc at night, all four would come in handy on full. For most of the time they'll be off but there are those times....
Besides, got a switch on my clocks thats doing nothing useful
Footnote: Will use a switch with a 'centre off' postion:
Position 1) spots come on ONLY when fog light switch is actuated - theory here that with only sidelights on, spots being lower than h/lights should cut through fog.
Position 2) center - spots permanently off
Position 3) spots only come on when lights switched to main beam.
Might be useful setup idea for anyone fitting similar lights.