Need electronics guru

[f4isvt]

I have hid's installed on my bike and would like to build some kind of delay in on them. I only need a 3-5 second delay. This way I will have time to start the bike before the hid's kick in so I am not igniting my ballast then flicking them off when I start it. If any one knows how to do this it would be appreciated.

[EagleCock]

http://tripageled.com/PAGES/hondaother.htm#HIDdelayrelay

[f4isvt]

Thanks I would still prefer to try and make one and save the 40 dollars. But if no one knows how that may be the only option

[EagleCock]

yea, I don't know how to construct it, but I can buy it!

[f4isvt]

I thought about just clipping the ballast wire and connecting it to a switch then I could turn them on or off whenever

[jarvismb]

I'm an electrical engineer, I can make anything you want. Just give me some details of exactly what options you'd like to have and a wiring diagram of the signals you have to work with up there.

[Disclaimer]

Another Spark-E... awesome!

[jarvismb]

hey alright, you too?

I'm getting my MSEE in digital (VLSI) systems, but I have analog projects here and there, so I should be up to some simple signal delays.....hopefully :wink:

I know there are some EE's that are complete badasses with analog, and they're getting harder to come by. JRMMiii, I'm sure if you work with others, then you know that you can't just let any ol' digital guy dick with your analog stuff, cause we're good at screweing them up

[Disclaimer]

I'm an EE, but haven't worked in electronics since I graduated. I'm doing ME work (Automotive). I took classes in VLSI, Electro Field Theory, Digitals, High Voltage, Micros, Signals and Wave propagation, etc.

Analog is an old technology. You either have to specialize, or find some of the older guys around that only work in analog. With regards to analog, I'm not much more proficient than basic circuit theory.

I'd solve this problem with a switch because that's the easiest and most clean solution. Beyond that, you're getting into timer circuits (digital or analog driven) and I'm too lazy to go through the calcs and design. And, as I mentioned, I haven't even so much as touched a cap or resistor since I left college 3 yrs ago.

Post your work though, I want to see it ;)

[magley64]

how about just wiring a decent size capacitor in line with the ballasts, and putting a diode on the positive side between the battery and the capacitor?

when the power cuts from the battery to start the bike, the lights will run off the cap, and the cap won't get drained by the starter because of the diode..

it's a bandaid, not a delay...but it should keep the lights from cutting out during your start cycle...

*disclaimer: I am a MECHANICAL engineer, not an electrical one, I do have some experience with DC circuits, but my AC prowess is limited...

[jarvismb]

@magley64:

that is actually a decent simple approach to it, and it would work, except when you do the base Cap calculation , you find that in order to maintain proper uninterrupted voltage with the current draw of a HID system, you would need around a 2F cap! Per bulb if you have more than one. If you have room for a 2F blast cap from a car audio bass speaker system, then it will actually work just like that, and there's nothing wrong with the idea, but just waiting to charge the HID until the engine is running is a way of avoiding some decently sized power products.

btw, you actually seem to have a much better grasp of EE stuff then nearly any MechE I work with, which is refreshing to see.

[Disclaimer]

No shit, the DC stuff is the easy stuff... if you know AC, you're tits.

And @ jarvis: I can't believe you like this stuff enough to get a Masters. I'm going back for my MBA (and likely a Masters in IT), but 4 years of undergrad EE work with this stuff was enough for me.

Problem is, if you don't use it you lose it... which is sad.

[Lamar Vannoy]

See the write up I did on cbrforum...

http://www.cbrforum.com/m_586516/tm.htm

[jarvismb]

@JRMMiii

I didn't originally intend to, but when I went to work for Kodak, they offered to pay for everything and my grades @ UD let me into some schools without taking GREs, so I really didn't have an excuse, so now I work during the day and take my classes at night. They said they would pay for an MBA after that if I wanted, but I think I may be burnt out by then, we'll have to see. That's a lotta damn school.....

And you're totally right about not using it, and going to waste. It's hard to keep it up, which is why I ask for the occasinal analog project to try to keep it in my head.

Here's a screen cap of my last analog project (one page of it at least). The values have been blanked to protect the innocent

(and my job )

[Disclaimer]

+1 for further education.

+1 for night school

+10000 for getting work to pay for it.

-50 for the thread hijack. Thanks for the schematic LV.

[f4isvt]

See the write up I did on cbrforum...

http://www.cbrforum.com/m_586516/tm.htm

Thanks buddy thats exactly what I was looking for. I knew there was a better alternative than a 40 dollar kit.

[jarvismb]

You're right on the hijack, apologies all around....

As for the schematic shown, that's a really clever idea. Self-latching the relay off of the alternator and the ign switch is a great idea. No need for anything else, that's good stuff.

Did you invent this mod? it's nice....

[exSRAaron]

sooo confused.... EE's. It should be pretty easy to do tho..

[flounder]

@JRMMiii

I didn't originally intend to, but when I went to work for Kodak, they offered to pay for everything and my grades @ UD let me into some schools without taking GREs, so I really didn't have an excuse, so now I work during the day and take my classes at night. They said they would pay for an MBA after that if I wanted, but I think I may be burnt out by then, we'll have to see. That's a lotta damn school.....

And you're totally right about not using it, and going to waste. It's hard to keep it up, which is why I ask for the occasinal analog project to try to keep it in my head.

Here's a screen cap of my last analog project (one page of it at least). The values have been blanked to protect the innocent

(and my job )

WTF.... I was a CE at UD small world.

[Lamar Vannoy]

It was more of a group effort on cbrforum, idea came from a Ninja 250 diagram, I was probably the first to do it though.

[wolfman]

See the write up I did on cbrforum...

http://www.cbrforum.com/m_586516/tm.htm

That's very clever...

Doing it this way means the headlights can only be on when the bike is running...correct? I think the one whodey posted is timed to turn on after the key is switched to the "ON" position...so technically the bike doesn't have to be running. I could be wrong though.

Both are good ways of doing it though. I like yours b/c I often turn my key on and don't start the bike immediately.

[InyaAzz]

I'm an electrical engineer, I can make anything you want. Just give me some details of exactly what options you'd like to have and a wiring diagram of the signals you have to work with up there.

I need a machine that picks the correct Lotto numbers.

[Lamar Vannoy]

The headlight comes on after the engine is started and stays on till the key is turned off. Looking back, it could be done a little better by pulling the power before the starter switch so that the light does not go off if you restart the engine.

[magley64]

@magley64:

that is actually a decent simple approach to it, and it would work, except when you do the base Cap calculation , you find that in order to maintain proper uninterrupted voltage with the current draw of a HID system, you would need around a 2F cap! Per bulb if you have more than one. If you have room for a 2F blast cap from a car audio bass speaker system, then it will actually work just like that, and there's nothing wrong with the idea, but just waiting to charge the HID until the engine is running is a way of avoiding some decently sized power products.

btw, you actually seem to have a much better grasp of EE stuff then nearly any MechE I work with, which is refreshing to see.

thanks for the compliment, and yes I agree, bolting a couple of 2 farad caps to the triple tree would be a bit rediculous, I didn't figure they'd have to be THAT big:dunno:

that's why i'm a mechie who plays with electrical in his free time....