Reply To: Indicators?

3rd April 2018 at 11:52 am #22635

Martin de Little

Participant

Indicators and or stop/brake lamps are a very personal choice! For myself I have tried to keep things as original as possible on our Normale but have recently felt it necessary to upgrade the rear lights, and indicators in particular.

Originally there were the 6v tungsten festoon stop/side lamps and the 6v tungsten bulb indicators on the C post. I quickly discovered (here in Surrey) that ladies who were – apparently – late for their post yoga, prosecco and cheese parties never even saw the indicators!!

To upgrade the stop/ side lamps I put in LED 6v festoons. I also removed the reflector within the lens unit because it blocks out much of the stop lamp illumination. Separate reflectors (a legal requirement) were mounted on the bumper.

The indicator feeds were then disconnected from the C posts and I installed Lucas motor bike indicator units on the bumpers. They looked ok, they worked, but frequent iffy connections and a general lack of “grunt” from 6v meant they were never overly bright. Fellow Tractionistes following me in convoy confirmed that they were often difficult to see.

So to LED lamps. Bright enough you can probably see them from the moon. See this link for a short video, pictures and diagrams. You may have to copy and paste it. https://www.dropbox.com/sh/0o27gbkd0feq7ix/AACj1XeXzdrJHPm_rXDPRQAQa?dl=0

I purchased a small but powerful LED unit comprising indicator, stop and side LEDs. As the car is still 6v and as the indicator units are 12v it was necessary to make up a small box of tricks. See diagram via the above link.

From the front of the car a fused 6v supply powers the DC/DC converter sitting in a box in the boot. The feed to the indicators L & R goes into 2x separate 6v relays – also in the box. As the indicator switch/arm is moved, the 6v relay for L or R side is caused to flick on and off by the flasher up front. The relay then “drives” the LED unit.

If the output from one relay is linked to the output of the other relay then you have a hazard warning flasher. Hurrah ! A switch between the relays will disconnect the hazard function. Running a wire up from each relay up to the front indicators will cause all 4x lamps to flash in hazard mode.

Meanwhile there is the problem of where to mount the LED unit? Underneath the bumpers would seem to be the best option. Down there they are not obviously visible, and they do not detract from the lines of the car. The electrics have all been “potted” in resin so no amount of rain, salt or grit can upset them. When activated they are clear and bright, even for the “ladies that lunch”.

MdeL