Hi,
In Sweden it is mandatoyu to have the lower beam on even during daytime. My SLK is imported from Germany, where it is not mandatory, thus it lacks "automatic lower beam".
My plan is to set a buzzer between "generator +" and "lower beam +". This should give me a warning when the car is on and the light is off and when the car is off and the light is on.
If I understand everything right, the generator is reached from below. I think that there should be some easier place to get a +12 only when the engine is running. Preferably close to the lower beam. Are there any recommendations? Pictures are always good if possible.
If by generator you mean alternator, then it will always have 12V at its + terminal.
If I were you, I would find the +wire for the lower beam and an ignition wire (wire that has +12V only when the key is on) then wire in a relay so every time you turn the key on the lower beams come on. No need for a buzzer then.
That seems like a smart solution. Are there any side effect that you can see? I guess I will have to cut the wire to the lower beams and connect directly to the battery using a
The "automatic lower beam" option should be an option in your car-menu (at least our SLK has).
Scroll through the settings using the steering wheel buttons, and it should be under "lighting" if memory serves well.
You should be able to active it from there.
I am not sure you will be able to figure out how to do it, but one remark:
Two of my motorbikes were US version (before I changed it back to EU operation), which means that the headlights came on automatically.
However, as both are big V-2's, and battery capacity is fully needed to start those beasts, they had a provision that the lights only came on AFTER the engine ran.
I am not sure that is done through a wire that is only active after the start procedure, or some clever use of electric components, but it worked that way.
As you being is Sweden with cold winters, you might consider such aspect as well.
Improved (at least what I think). The actual current to the beams come from "the original wiring" with the original fuses and so on. Think this should be good.
Well, just noticed the downside of the solution, The warninglight inside the cars says that a lamp is broken. So, can I connect this contact to something? To ground via a resistor of let's say 10 kOhms?
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