Battery saver for dual headlight setups

[GTPAddict]

I just did a quick tally on the parts I used (not including wire, solder, or things like that) Looks like it's gonna be around $35 for the parts not including tax, an enclosure, or printed circuit board.

Looking around, it seems like a run of custom PC Boards is around $10 each, maybe less depending on order quantity.

So, basically, if you wanted to put it all together and have a printed circuit board it would run in the neighborhood of $60 or so. Still would need the enclosure, but I have not looked for any options on that so I'm not sure about the cost involved.

 

[Cloggy]

Finished the board and programming today and partially installed it on the bike (it's in my tank bag until I verify everything). I had to make a small change, but it was probably for the best. I ended up isolating the relay, so I have 2 wires for the headlight (one from the dimmer switch, the other to the headlight) and 2 wires to the battery (12+ & ground). I'm not too worried about running the battery down since it only pulls about 1 mA when the relay is not on and 62 mA when it is, but I may change this later anyway. right now i have it plugged in to my battery tender plug. I haven't hooked up the headlight through the relay yet as I want to watch it for a few days first to get an idea of how it's gonna act. I will end up mounting it in the inner faring, so I won't be able to see it then very easily.

BTW, I also added another wire that is not hooked up to anything on my bike. This wire comes from the NO contact on the relay, so it can be wired up to either supply power or remove it. It could supply ground just as easily since the contact are isolated now.

Here's a new schematic, a simple program flow diagram, and some pictures.

Green light comes on at 12.4 volts (this is the voltage OK switch point)
Yellow light comes on at 11.6 volts (Low battery switch point)
Between 11.7 and 12.3 nothing is changed - no lights are on, no counters are reset or decreased, light is not turned on or off.

When the yellow light is on for 2 1/2 minutes without interruption, the relay is turned on. When the green light is on for 2 1/2 minutes without interruption, the relay is turned off. Anytime voltage rises above 11.6 volts, the counter is reset.

great work, well done :thumbup:

just a suggestion it might be worth extending the legs of the relay so it can lie flat at the end of the print, this way it's easier to put in a (waterproof) box.

Unfortunately I've got to spread my rep around a bit more before giving you any more.

 

[GTPAddict]

Thanks for the advise, it's ALWAYS welcome. I'm not an electrician by any means, or an assembly programmer for that matter (however I do a fair amount of .Net development), but learning both was fun for this project.

Not sure what you mean about rep, but I'll look in to changing the relay. I haven't looked for any kind of enclosures, but you'd probably need a minimum order for something like that as well I'd assume. If this is going to be just for me, it's probably not going o be worth it to have any made.

 

[trepetti]

Thanks for the advise, it's ALWAYS welcome. I'm not an electrician by any means, or an assembly programmer for that matter (however I do a fair amount of .Net development), but learning both was fun for this project.

Not sure what you mean about rep, but I'll look in to changing the relay. I haven't looked for any kind of enclosures, but you'd probably need a minimum order for something like that as well I'd assume. If this is going to be just for me, it's probably not going o be worth it to have any made.

This is a really great idea.... I have one suggestion. Why not move the red LED to the other pole of the relay? This way it provides positive confirmation that the transistor has switched and the relay has opened. Should the relay fail to trip, the red LED will fool the rider into thinking that the headlight has turned off when actually it has not.

 

[GTPAddict]

That is a good idea, thanks! The unit I made for testing does not have the red LED, but if I make another I'll put it on the relay contacts as suggested.

 

[mave2911]

This sounds good! One thing I'd like to see, is the relay/board etc. run off the existing light wire, with an a bulb wire coming off the enclosure to the bulb.

This depends on how accurate the voltage reading would be across the headlight bulb socket, but it would be easier to install.

For clarification, you'd unplug the lead from the bulb, plug that in to the male plug on the relay enclosure, then have another headlight bulb female coming off the relay enclosure to the bulb.

In series, with no alternative wires or the like.

Something small, compact and mounted inline to the existing wires, so it can be unplugged and the harness returns to stock.

Worth a thought?

Cheers,
Rick

 

[Cloggy]

Thanks for the advise, it's ALWAYS welcome. I'm not an electrician by any means, or an assembly programmer for that matter (however I do a fair amount of .Net development), but learning both was fun for this project.

Not sure what you mean about rep, but I'll look in to changing the relay. I haven't looked for any kind of enclosures, but you'd probably need a minimum order for something like that as well I'd assume. If this is going to be just for me, it's probably not going o be worth it to have any made.

Rep is short for Reputation, one of the symbols you see on the bottom LHS by each post is a white scales symbol , if you find it a helpful/informative post you can click on this and you can give somebody good reputation, but the forum stops you giving it to the same person straight away, so now I have to spread it around before giving you any again :thumbup:

You can buy quite inexpensive plastic boxes here in Europe, made for housing simple circuits, I expect it's the same on the other side of the pond . Here's an example & here's another & yet one more(I searched for box pcb abs). If you find a box of approx the right size you can slightly modify your print (by laying down some components that stick up) to make it fit the box, but remember if the longer legs (required for bending components flat) can cause a short circuit, stick a bit of insulating sleeving over them :thumbup:.

 

[CdnMedic]

I might be intersted, I'll be installing dual bi-xenon projectors on the streetfighter next month, I'm running l.e.d turn signals and tail light, so well see......

I'm hopefully doing that this year. I plan on using the LED rings as my DRLs, so I'll have a switch to turn the headlights on/off but with the + for the Halos coming from before the switch so they will always be on when the bike is running.

 

[GTPAddict]

Why not move the red LED to the other pole of the relay? This way it provides positive confirmation that the transistor has switched and the relay has opened. Should the relay fail to trip, the red LED will fool the rider into thinking that the headlight has turned off when actually it has not.

I had a thought about this on the way to work this morning. Since the relay contacts are isolated from the rest of the ckt, an installer has have a number of options when installing. They could set it up to kill power to the headlight (as it is now on mine), or they could send power to another relay like motogiro suggested. You could also have your center relay switch wire grounded, which would allow you to either supply ground or remove it from a circuit depending on how it was wired. It is a good idea, and would work well on mine, but maybe not on other applications.

This sounds good! One thing I'd like to see, is the relay/board etc. run off the existing light wire, with an a bulb wire coming off the enclosure to the bulb.

This depends on how accurate the voltage reading would be across the headlight bulb socket, but it would be easier to install.

For clarification, you'd unplug the lead from the bulb, plug that in to the male plug on the relay enclosure, then have another headlight bulb female coming off the relay enclosure to the bulb.

In series, with no alternative wires or the like.

Something small, compact and mounted inline to the existing wires, so it can be unplugged and the harness returns to stock.

Worth a thought?

Cheers,
Rick

Originally, this was how it was going to be, but the voltage was not accurate at the headlight so I added a separate wire to monitor voltage at the battery and power the low voltage circuit.

As it is now, you could still do what you suggested, just tie the two red wires together (one for the ref, the other for the center relay contact), black would still be ground and green for the headlight. The problem is the voltage at the headlight is about 1 volt lower then at the battery IIRC. I have some test results I did at home, I'll try to post them up tonight to give you an idea.

Rep is short for Reputation, one of the symbols you see on the bottom LHS by each post is a white scales symbol , if you find it a helpful/informative post you can click on this and you can give somebody good reputation, but the forum stops you giving it to the same person straight away, so now I have to spread it around before giving you any again

Ah, that's right I forgot about that. This the only forum I visit that tracks reputation. I do remember now a could years ago asking what it was. Thanks for the rep!!

 

[Se7enLC]

This is an interesting topic!

I had a lot of issues with dead batteries last year, and eventually found out that the problem was my idle being set too low, not the dual-headlights like I thought. Even at idle with brights on it shouldn't be draining the battery! Check your idle just in case, so you don't feel like an idiot like I did!

THAT BEING SAID - I totally opened up my headlight connector and pulled out the mod flag connector to draw less power when I was worried! I removed ALL my accessories.

I started a project last fall to integrate an arduino microprocessor into the bike, along with a 16x2 backlit LCD. Got sidetracked with winter, but I'm starting back up again now that it's warm (ish). The goals were:

• monitor battery voltage
• monitor engine speed
• monitor road speed
• gear indicator (calculate gear ratio from engine+road speed)
• temperature display
• compass
• bluetooth communications with android phone

Your design makes me think I should add some configurable digital output pins to switch relays. I could make an output switch on (or off) when voltage drops below a certain value to turn off the second headlight, for example. Cool idea!

 

[GTPAddict]

Please post pictures when you're finished, that sounds like an awesome project!

I moved on to phase 3 over the weekend. I couldn't find an enclosure that I liked, so I bought one from Radio Shack. This one wouldn't fit my circuit board, so I had to build another one, but slightly different. It works the same, but instead of using one board, I use 2 smaller boards, and I'm not using the Radio Shack relay but a 15 amp omron relay from a GM vehicle.

Here are some pics for those interested. I didn't take any with the relay in the case, but it wasn't really all that exciting. The last pic is complete next to a CD case to show the size...

 

[HaChayalBoded]

No interest in this specifically for the dual headlight mod, however a VERY big interest for the FZ in general.

Say, a battery saver hooked to heated gear. This would be great not just for the FZ but for any bike with a weak alternator.

I'd buy 3

Heck, even hooking it up between the battery and an auxiliary fuse block for the FZ might not be a bad idea, this way it will cut off all not essential addons.

 

[FB400]

To the OP:
I really like this idea. I would be on the list to buy one but here is my issue

running HID projectors that are powered through the high/low control box. the control box accepts the power source and the H4 headlight lead plugs into it. so it is an all in one relay, high low control and basic octopus of wires that go to the ballasts.

If wanting to turn off one headlight I would have to be running dual control boxes - one that could be turned off and one that is on full time.

Can you think of another way?

 

[GTPAddict]

No interest in this specifically for the dual headlight mod, however a VERY big interest for the FZ in general.

Say, a battery saver hooked to heated gear. This would be great not just for the FZ but for any bike with a weak alternator.

I'd buy 3

Heck, even hooking it up between the battery and an auxiliary fuse block for the FZ might not be a bad idea, this way it will cut off all not essential addons.

The way I have it wired, you could use it for just about anything as long as the current stayed below 15 amps, which I would expect just about anything added to these bikes would.

I haven't looked in to have a circuit board made or trying to find an enclosure because I honestly didn't think there was enough interest to warrant the cost. For what I have now, it would cost about $65 (including the enclosure and pigtail w/ plug), probably closer to $85 for a printed circuit board with a different enclosure but I'd have to check on that.

I posted an early version of the schematic a week or so ago. The main different between that and what I'm using now, is the new one has a more robust transistor and higher current relay.

If I could get at least 10 confirmations from people who would want one, I'll look in to the board and an enclosure and get a definite price.

I really like this idea. I would be on the list to buy one but here is my issue

running HID projectors that are powered through the high/low control box. the control box accepts the power source and the H4 headlight lead plugs into it. so it is an all in one relay, high low control and basic octopus of wires that go to the ballasts.

If wanting to turn off one headlight I would have to be running dual control boxes - one that could be turned off and one that is on full time.

Can you think of another way?

Not sure to be honest. The only HID setup I had experience with was BlueMoons, and that used 2 ballasts. IIFC, doesn't the HID headlight require a lot less current? I found this on another site

A 12V 50W HID globe draws 4.16 amps compared to 8.33 amps drawn by a standard 100W halogen globe

Not sure what wattage the FZ6 is using, but I would think it was less than 50 watts

 

[mave2911]

I noticed a new thread about something similar, and immediately thought of this thread.

Any update GTPAddict?

I'd be more than happy to pay for something like this to switch off the 2nd headlight when power is low, due to sitting in traffic/idle.

Cheers,
Rick

 

[FinalImpact]

I noticed a new thread about something similar, and immediately thought of this thread.

Any update GTPAddict?

I'd be more than happy to pay for something like this to switch off the 2nd headlight when power is low, due to sitting in traffic/idle.

Cheers,
Rick

^^ :thumbup:

I so Forgot about this thread! :spank: :spank: Good job GTPAddict!!

Anyone interested in actual BATTERY Voltage! It can be had for $8.00, see post 4 and 5 in.... http://www.600riders.com/forum/fz6-...g-head-light-cutoff-circuit-design-notes.html

ADDED links:

Mini 3-wire Volt Meter (0 - 99.9VDC) ID: 705 - $7.95 : Adafruit Industries, Unique & fun DIY electronics and kits $8 shipped! lol
View attachment 49201

A 2 wire version of the same thing.... :thumbup:

https://www.adafruit.com/products/460

The downside, unless your consciously observing the meter its just techno bling and could go unnoticed!


DETAILS:
Dimensions: PCB: 30mm x 20mm
Display: 23mm x 14mm
Combined Depth: 11mm
Weight: 5.45g

Power specifications:
3.2V to 30V DC measurements
0.1V precision
3-4mA draw << 0.004 Amps is very small amount and not a burden to the system.
Green LED display
Use with positive voltages only!

 

[GTPAddict]

Yep, it works great. Didn't seem to be a whole lot of interest so I just dropped it. Parts wise you're looking at about $70 IIRC, then you'd have to put it together. It would be better to have a circuit board made, but to do this cost effectively you'd have to have 6 or 7 people interested in doing it. I can get the chips and program them for anyone wanting to do this, just let me know. Probably about $10-$15 shipped per chip.

If anyone is interested I can post up a compete parts list and schematic

 

[FinalImpact]

Yep, it works great. Didn't seem to be a whole lot of interest so I just dropped it. Parts wise you're looking at about $70 IIRC, then you'd have to put it together. It would be better to have a circuit board made, but to do this cost effectively you'd have to have 6 or 7 people interested in doing it. I can get the chips and program them for anyone wanting to do this, just let me know. Probably about $10-$15 shipped per chip.

If anyone is interested I can post up a compete parts list and schematic

Well Done! :thumbup:

That IC you picked is very versatile! it could have many uses....
FWIW: I have a board house that will fab up small quantities of PCB's for fairly cheap (They'll do 10 or less, but more is cheaper). PM me if you want it but generally speaking they'll want a Gerber file which is all the details required to lay out the copper on fiberglass Printed Circuit Board (PCB). If they have make the electronic profile, it is not all that cost effective.

 

[sloring]

doing some research and tcmalker's dual headlight mod might be what you guys are looking for:

http://www.600riders.com/forum/fz6-mods/35015-tcmalkers-dual-headlight-mod.html

 

[FinalImpact]

doing some research and tcmalker's dual headlight mod might be what you guys are looking for:

http://www.600riders.com/forum/fz6-mods/35015-tcmalkers-dual-headlight-mod.html

I think I see a trend here.... TC is that YOU? :spank::spank: :BLAA: