[b0rna]

Hi,

Ive just installed aftermarket hids with a relay harness and a cap to filter the drl pulse as i have an 06 sedan. Im wondering if there is any way to piggyback to the relay from the interior lights, as they turn on when you press the unlock key on your remote, and thus, turn the Hid's on when the unlock key is pressed on the remote.

 

[Alec trevelyan]

I don't think that's something you would really want to do.

1. If you somehow rigged it up, the HIDs would then turn off when the interior lights do, which would mean you would just have to switch the lights on again anyway. All that use of the igniters is bad for bulb life.
2. If you overcame that, you would then be starting the car with lights already on, which is also not good for life. (note that if you turn your lights on and then the engine, the lights flicker--that's a sign that they're not happy.

 

[b0rna]

how about a timed relay triggered from the parking lights that block upon unlock? would that be too hard to do?

 

[Alec trevelyan]

Probably, and again that would mean the lights would be on when you start the car.

 

[icspots]

Or you could just install an auxiliary light and wire them up like my puddle lamps.

Like he said HIDs don't like being turned on and off quickly.

 

[jonathaneyarrow]

If you get constant power from the battery for the HIDs, then connect switch wire to your headlights, I think you'll be fine. I don't think mine cut off when I start the car, so check and see how your OEMs do. If they don't cut off, then you could use a PAC TR-7 as a latched trigger so when it sees your door unlocklock pulse, then it will cut them on. Also, you could hook up the lock so it cuts them off. If you use relays and diodes properly, you could also trigger the TR-7 to shut off the out put when you switch your headlights on via the switch so it just takes over and they don't shut down. I've got this big diagram in my head on how it would wire up, but you have to know if your lights shut down when you start the car....which I guess if you use the TR-7, would not be that important since the switch would be powered up with the constant power from the TR-7. So yeah, I hope that's not too confusing.

 

[b0rna]

Hmm, I do get constant power from the batteries, so its up to the cars headlights to cut the power to the relay when the alternator kicks in, im gonna check that out later and see what the car does. In the mean time i really want to do this as the TR7 has programmable timed delays, the only hard part is to get it to cut out when the car kicks in to trip the hid relay once its started, but i suppose using some diodes i can avoid having to do that by controlling current flow through the relay?

 

[b0rna]

Funny thing, the driver side HID stays on, the passenger one pulses just once very quickly (OFF-ON) when i start the car...they are both connected to the same relay, could be the ballast?

 

[jonathaneyarrow]

Could be from the voltage drop from starting the car. Switch the balasts and see what happens. If you program that TR-7 to come on with one pulse and off with another, then you could diode-isolate the doorlock wire and the headlight switch wire to trigger the turn-off signal to the TR-7. So that way, either the door unlock pulse or the headlight switch will turn on the headlights, but if you just unlock your car for a minute the lights will go off when you lock it back.

 

[Alec trevelyan]

Pretty much has to be the voltage drop, which is exactly the sort of thing you don't want to put your HIDs through if you can help it