G
Guest
Guest
The weather was OK on Sunday, so I thought "right, let's fit these light boosters".
I did the RHS one first, then turned the lights on and - sure enough - it looked brighter than the left, although in daylight that's a subjective assessment. So I did the LHS one too, by which time it was getting dark (more about the delay below).
Then I started her up and thought "hmm, doesn't look a lot brighter to me". So I got the multimeter out and did some checking only to find:
- Engine off, lights bright, voltage at bulb about 2v higher than at battery +ve terminal.
- Engine running, lights no brighter, voltage at bulb less than 0.1v higher than battery +ve terminal.
So what seems to be happening is that the booster gives a constant output voltage ... that as near as dammit matches the peak alternator output voltage (at least on my truck).
Conclusion: it delivered the peak battery voltage to the bulb terminals with no loss, so it performed the job of a "relief wiring harness" both in terms of light brightness and in relieving the load on the stock wiring. But it didn't offer any startling increase in light output, and the claim of "HID like brightness" is laughable.
So if you haven't fitted a relief wiring harness then it's not a bad solution for performing that job, but at around =A360 it is over-priced.
So sorry JB, it should solve your relay blowing problem, and brighten the lights a bit, but it isn't the answer to a maiden's prayer as far as TLC low beam performance goes that I hoped it would be.
I haven't given up hope totally since I think it may be possible to fool it into producing a higher voltage by offsetting the "reference zero" earth to the unit, perhaps using a zener diode. I've taken it all out at the moment pending a more prolonged session on the bench, and I'll report back if I have any joy.
Oh yes, why it was getting dark. You know those rods with a hooked end that hold the battery in? Well, the outboard ones drop very nicely down through the hole into the wing bodywork panel... I spent about 2 hours trying to get the damned thing out before I finally gave up and made a new one.
If anyone has any bright ideas about how to get it out I'd be grateful!
As the subject line says: a frustrating day.
Christopher Bell
Devon, UK
1996 1HD-FT
____________________________________________________________
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systems are scanned for acceptability of content and viruses
I did the RHS one first, then turned the lights on and - sure enough - it looked brighter than the left, although in daylight that's a subjective assessment. So I did the LHS one too, by which time it was getting dark (more about the delay below).
Then I started her up and thought "hmm, doesn't look a lot brighter to me". So I got the multimeter out and did some checking only to find:
- Engine off, lights bright, voltage at bulb about 2v higher than at battery +ve terminal.
- Engine running, lights no brighter, voltage at bulb less than 0.1v higher than battery +ve terminal.
So what seems to be happening is that the booster gives a constant output voltage ... that as near as dammit matches the peak alternator output voltage (at least on my truck).
Conclusion: it delivered the peak battery voltage to the bulb terminals with no loss, so it performed the job of a "relief wiring harness" both in terms of light brightness and in relieving the load on the stock wiring. But it didn't offer any startling increase in light output, and the claim of "HID like brightness" is laughable.
So if you haven't fitted a relief wiring harness then it's not a bad solution for performing that job, but at around =A360 it is over-priced.
So sorry JB, it should solve your relay blowing problem, and brighten the lights a bit, but it isn't the answer to a maiden's prayer as far as TLC low beam performance goes that I hoped it would be.
I haven't given up hope totally since I think it may be possible to fool it into producing a higher voltage by offsetting the "reference zero" earth to the unit, perhaps using a zener diode. I've taken it all out at the moment pending a more prolonged session on the bench, and I'll report back if I have any joy.
Oh yes, why it was getting dark. You know those rods with a hooked end that hold the battery in? Well, the outboard ones drop very nicely down through the hole into the wing bodywork panel... I spent about 2 hours trying to get the damned thing out before I finally gave up and made a new one.
If anyone has any bright ideas about how to get it out I'd be grateful!
As the subject line says: a frustrating day.
Christopher Bell
Devon, UK
1996 1HD-FT
____________________________________________________________
Electronic mail messages entering and leaving Arup business
systems are scanned for acceptability of content and viruses