HID Conversion - Paging Coaster and MKMonty

[Donnie]

Right, after seeing you two doing it, and seeing as I am still on the hunt for an exhaust, I might as well try to wire the kit that arrived from ebay yesterday

So, any tips and anyone know what the ? wires are in the picture, im assuming its to switch between high and low beam?

P1160002-Edit by Donnie Canning, on Flickr

[MK Monty]

Looks similar to mine though it had a male 3 pin plug to connect the lamp socket. I cut that off and went direct to the red and blue. Not sure what the black box does after the ballast. Mine had a ruddy big relay that coaster says I can do away with. Connect it to your battery and remove the lamp holder from your JB reflector and get it working before trying to hide it all. Coaster recommends the extension leads available on eBay to get the ballast in the horn casting further away from the lamp. Enjoy the light.

[coaster]

Looks similar to mine though it had a male 3 pin plug to connect the lamp socket. I cut that off and went direct to the red and blue. Not sure what the black box does after the ballast. Mine had a ruddy big relay that coaster says I can do away with. Connect it to your battery and remove the lamp holder from your JB reflector and get it working before trying to hide it all. Coaster recommends the extension leads available on eBay to get the ballast in the horn casting further away from the lamp. Enjoy the light.

Yes, all of that, get it working on the bench before you attempt to fit it to the scooter. Mine just had the ballast and lamp unit. I also had a kit I'd bought a year or so previously for my classic car but decided not to use. I took one of the ballasts and connected it directly to the HID unit using extension leads from ebay and it works just as well as the motorcycle version AND the ballast is smaller.

At a pure guess, I'd say the wires in your picture with a ? would be for the high beam lamp but could be wrong hence the recommendation to try it on the bench.

[coaster]

Welcome to the Lightside btw

[Donnie]

cheers guys, sorry for the delay in reply, been busy with work and the wife

I'll see if i can get it all to work on the bench and see what happens first then.

As for the extension wires off ebay, are these just hid extension cable kits?

[coaster]

cheers guys, sorry for the delay in reply, been busy with work and the wife

I'll see if i can get it all to work on the bench and see what happens first then.

As for the extension wires off ebay, are these just hid extension cable kits?

Yes, they extend the cables coming out of your ballast (grey box in your pic). The important one is the cable to the hid lamp which carries very high voltage (approx. 30kv), both wires in the cable are like miniature HT leads. On my first conversion I just cut and extended these wires with ordinary vehicle grade wire and I have had no problems with it at all. I though damp weather might be a problem but the biblical rain we experienced on the Derby 150 didn't affect it. All joints were neatly soldered and heat shrunk. The 2nd conversion has ebay sourced extension cables that just plug into the existing connectors, I used the half metre length cables.

Looking again at your picture, I recon you will be able to do without the black box (relay?). The thinner 2 wires going from the black box to the HID lamp are the feed for the main/dip solenoid (built into the lamp base). The twin cable from the ballast to the black box are the DC feed.

If you want to wire it as it is, the mystery wires go to the dip switch.

[MK Monty]

Coaster
Are you then just supplying DC from lights on, to the Balast via the 2 pin plug from the relay loom and doing away with it. In my case the relay is massive it would be good to get rid of it as it complicates things a bit.

[coaster]

Coaster
Are you then just supplying DC from lights on, to the Balast via the 2 pin plug from the relay loom and doing away with it. In my case the relay is massive it would be good to get rid of it as it complicates things a bit.

Correct Monty, no relay. There wasn't one supplied with my bike based system, the car based system that I cannibalised for the 2nd installation did have a relay but I didn't use it.

[xenia1]

Bear in mind that the whole headlamp needs to be changed for a HID compatible unit for it to be legal, you cant just fit an HID unit into a standard reflector and glass designed for incandescent /halogen bulbs, doing this will just put the beam pattern all over the place and most likely dazzle oncoming traffic...unless of course the kit comes with all the relevant conversion parts ect..

[Donnie]

It doesn't and its going in a jockeys boxenstop

[coaster]

Bear in mind that the whole headlamp needs to be changed for a HID compatible unit for it to be legal, you cant just fit an HID unit into a standard reflector and glass designed for incandescent /halogen bulbs, doing this will just put the beam pattern all over the place and most likely dazzle oncoming traffic...unless of course the kit comes with all the relevant conversion parts ect..

As Donnie said, for use with the Jocky's clear glass H4 conversion lens/reflector units. No reason why an HID would cause any more dazzle than any other light provided it is adjusted properly. HID conversions are very popular with bikers and 2 wheelers do not have to have 'self levelling' like cars do. I do agree though that they are a waste of time with a standard readed glass.

[Donnie]

well hit a problem bench testing it, couldn't get it to work at all as it is, ended up disconnecting the relay section and using just the ballast and bulb which is working lovely except one thing, there seems to be no way to switch the bulb from high to low

After opening up the black box on the non used bit, ie just after the power connections, it appears that this may be where the solenoid is housed? Any suggestions?

[MK Monty]

Ronnie
Going back to your original photo. I presume you have power going direct to the ballast. You have removed the other connections bar the ones going from ballast to lamp. What about the small 2 pin plug that in the pick comes from the relay. That I think is the flick flack relay that moves the bulb. It does not turn on another filament like a normal lamp. It moves the hid nearer the reflector so it's beam is altered

[Donnie]

Yep, its 2 thin wires that come out of that box, but it looks to me like the two wires with the question mark go into that box then link to those inside the box via the solenoid, then come back out again to move the bulb?

[MK Monty]

Donnie
So have you got anything connected to the small 2 pin at the lamp.
I would disconnect the positive from your power supply (battery?) leave the negative connected. I would then connect 12v to one of the pins of the 2 pin and see if it moves the lamp via the solenoid, if not try the other one. Mine gets this signal from the the red or blue the old supply to the headlight.

[Donnie]

Ah, I see where you are going with that, ill have to give it a go tomorrow and report back.

[Donnie]

Couldnt help myself, went and tried it, its trying to do something, ie when I did as you suggest all im getting is a buzzing noise and slight spark so it must be trying to do it?

[coaster]

Couldnt help myself, went and tried it, its trying to do something, ie when I did as you suggest all im getting is a buzzing noise and slight spark so it must be trying to do it?

I agree with Monty's suggestions, maybe you battery is running low? I have had that when the battery on my scoot has run down.

[Donnie]

that did cross my mind, im using a jumper pack which is showing 12v but I guess its possible that to flick to full beam it needs more juice, ie if using the scooter the battery will either have to be in tip top condition or the engine running.

Todays plan though, jetting! Weathers been a bit crap for it this week either too windy or rain, its finally dried up but still gusty but hoping to get an hour in this afternoon if the forecast can be believed!

[Donnie]

done some jetting between the showers and decided to see what happens if i try to connect it all on a running scooter but still not right.

Again i can get one to work but when i try to get it to change to the other "beam" well have a look at the video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6whsJtraX7Q