Hi all,
Ive got LED side marker lights obviously run off the side light switch, but ive seen a number of trucks these days with flashing side markers in line with the indicator repeaters… is there any sort of relay you can buy to change them so they flash? Ive seen it on the exact same truck, but it was a daf lf… Im running a daf cf. Cheers
Can’t help you with the wiring…though i suspect these are double filament lights anyway.
Bit of favourite subject of mine this, much simpler and safer years ago, all side lights were either white or red, with side markers usually being split red/white lenses…if you saw an amber light it was an indicator, nothing else…many full length trailers had at least one amber side repeater fitted.
What idiot decided to make side lights the same colour as indicators.
Where I have fitted them to trailers I have always fitted another led unit directly above or below the existing side markers.
I suspect (but don’t know for certain) that using an existing sidelight led unit wouldn’t comply with construction and use as they should be constantly illuminated at night.
Looked into this the other day. There is a light unit made by rubbolite (what ever their name is) has 3 wires off it. Cost about £20 each.
The Rubbolite ones, or LITE-wire (shameless plug!) markers are what you need. In both cases 3 wires. 1 to earth, one to side light circuit, and one to the indicator. Both of these are approved as side marker/repeater so you shouldn’t have problems when it comes to test time.
leo.saphira:
Looked into this the other day. There is a light unit made by rubbolite (what ever their name is) has 3 wires off it. Cost about £20 each.
The third wire is for the flashing LED unit as the side markers have to stay illuminated all the time.Got some on a new trailer and they run between 9 to 24 volt and are dual polarity so you can wire them either way.
Clever stuff but bloody expensive but no need for shunt resistors as the 5 LEDs draw enough current to trigger the flasher unit so you dont get the flasher “shadow”
With a 2 wire one you could wire the + to the live feed for the side lights as normal but wire the negative to the positive of the indicator bulb. They would then work all the time as normal but when the indicator flashes on the LED lights would turn off.
Conor:
With a 2 wire one you could wire the + to the live feed for the side lights as normal but wire the negative to the positive of the indicator bulb. They would then work all the time as normal but when the indicator flashes on the LED lights would turn off.
Confused on this one. How is the marker going to illuminate with no earth/negative?
Conor:
With a 2 wire one you could wire the + to the live feed for the side lights as normal but wire the negative to the positive of the indicator bulb. They would then work all the time as normal but when the indicator flashes on the LED lights would turn off.
Sounds to me like some drivers need a dcpc module in electrics. Something can’t be constantly illuminated if it’s flashing.
semtex65:
Conor:
With a 2 wire one you could wire the + to the live feed for the side lights as normal but wire the negative to the positive of the indicator bulb. They would then work all the time as normal but when the indicator flashes on the LED lights would turn off.Confused on this one. How is the marker going to illuminate with no earth/negative?
Voltage is actually potential difference, the difference between what is on one side of a component/circuit and what is on the other. The marker LEDs want to see a potential difference of 24V. It doesn’t matter a toss whether you have 0V on one wire and 24V on the other or you have 24V on one side and 48V on the other as long as the difference between the two is 24V. The positive of the indicator bulb when it has no voltage supplied, i.e it is off, will for all intents and purposes appear as 0V. You’ve got +24V going to the other side so you have your potential difference of 24V which is what they want to see so they light up. When the indicator bulb lights, both sides are now seeing 24V so because there is no potential difference the LED light will turn off.
Own Account Driver:
Conor:
With a 2 wire one you could wire the + to the live feed for the side lights as normal but wire the negative to the positive of the indicator bulb. They would then work all the time as normal but when the indicator flashes on the LED lights would turn off.Sounds to me like some drivers need a dcpc module in electrics.
I’ve a BTEC National Diploma in electronic engineering and I’m half way through a BEng (Hons) Electronics Engineering degree. Don’t really think I need one, do you?
Something can’t be constantly illuminated if it’s flashing.
Who said anything about it being constantly illuminating? The side marker lights would go out when the indicator light was on as I said so for all intents and purposes would flash when the indicator was being used, just in the opposite, and would remain lit when the indicator wasn’t being used.
Conor:
Own Account Driver:
Conor:
With a 2 wire one you could wire the + to the live feed for the side lights as normal but wire the negative to the positive of the indicator bulb. They would then work all the time as normal but when the indicator flashes on the LED lights would turn off.Sounds to me like some drivers need a dcpc module in electrics. Something can’t be constantly illuminated if it’s flashing.
Who said anything about it being constantly illuminating? The side marker lights would go out when the indicator light was on as I said so for all intents and purposes would flash when the indicator was being used, just in the opposite, and would remain lit when the indicator wasn’t being used.
A marker light would have to stay constantly illuminated.
Sorry, your post about potential difference, is not correct, and even if it was you would have earthing issues with such a set-up.
When i had a 113 in the mid 90’s i did what the Dutch drivers did, put a marker light on each corner of the bumper, it only had 2 wires, they came on with the lights, and when you put an indicator on, they flashed alternatly with the lorry’s indicator. E.G lorry indicator on- marker light off… lorry indicator off=marker light on.
Own Account Driver:
Sorry, your post about potential difference, is not correct, and even if it was you would have earthing issues with such a set-up.
And your qualifications in electronics are?
Idiots guide seeing as you seem to need them…
bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesi … rev3.shtml
And why would you have earthing issues?
This isn’t some magical voodoo but something which has been done on vehicles for years. I take it you’ve got an alternator warning light on your car? It works on exactly the same principle.
A wire that isn’t live doesn’t automatically become a suitable earth.
Conor:
Own Account Driver:
Sorry, your post about potential difference, is not correct, and even if it was you would have earthing issues with such a set-up.And your qualifications in electronics are?
Idiots guide seeing as you seem to need them…
bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesi … rev3.shtml
And why would you have earthing issues?
This isn’t some magical voodoo but something which has been done on vehicles for years. I take it you’ve got an alternator warning light on your car? It works on exactly the same principle.
When Bking’s posting more sense than you it’s time to throw in the towel. 
AF1:
A wire that isn’t live doesn’t automatically become a suitable earth.
The only criteria it needs is that it has enough free electrons available that the potential difference (voltage) created across the device between the two wires is what the device needs with the amount (current) it requires and with the flow in the direction (polarity) the device requires. As long as it meets those it becomes a suitable earth whether its at 0V, 10V or 10,000V. The alternator charging warning lamp on a car proves the theory.
Its all about the flow of electrons and the resulting electric field that is generated, not whether you call one negative or whether its connected to the negative terminal on the battery. Antennas use this very principle to radiate a signal.
If you’ve got a computer and a multimeter try the following test. With the computer turned on measure the voltage on one of the HDD power connectors. Connect the black probe of your multimeter to the +5V red wire and the red probe of your multimeter to +12V yellow wire on the molex connector. The multimeter will show +7V. That is because there is a potential difference between the two of 7V. You could connect anything that needs 7V to those wires just like that and it would work regardless of the fact that none of them is 0V.
Conor:
AF1:
A wire that isn’t live doesn’t automatically become a suitable earth.The only criteria it needs is that it has enough free electrons available that the potential difference (voltage) created across the device between the two wires is what the device needs with the amount (current) it requires and with the flow in the direction (polarity) the device requires. As long as it meets those it becomes a suitable earth whether its at 0V, 10V or 10,000V. The alternator charging warning lamp on a car proves the theory.
Its all about the flow of electrons and the resulting electric field that is generated, not whether you call one negative or whether its connected to the negative terminal on the battery. Antennas use this very principle to radiate a signal.
If you’ve got a computer and a multimeter try the following test. With the computer turned on measure the voltage on one of the HDD power connectors. Connect the black probe of your multimeter to the +5V red wire and the red probe of your multimeter to +12V yellow wire on the molex connector. The multimeter will show +7V. That is because there is a potential difference between the two of 7V. You could connect anything that needs 7V to those wires just like that and it would work regardless of the fact that none of them is 0V.
Well there is obviously a measurable 7v potential difference between a 12v terminal and a 5v terminal, which could be used to power a device requiring a 7v input voltage but this does not make your original suggestion correct though.
I simply do not believe you have any worthwhile formal electrical qualifications.
Conor:
AF1:
A wire that isn’t live doesn’t automatically become a suitable earth.The only criteria it needs is that it has enough free electrons available that the potential difference (voltage) created across the device between the two wires is what the device needs with the amount (current) it requires and with the flow in the direction (polarity) the device requires. As long as it meets those it becomes a suitable earth whether its at 0V, 10V or 10,000V. The alternator charging warning lamp on a car proves the theory.
Its all about the flow of electrons and the resulting electric field that is generated, not whether you call one negative or whether its connected to the negative terminal on the battery. Antennas use this very principle to radiate a signal.
If you’ve got a computer and a multimeter try the following test. With the computer turned on measure the voltage on one of the HDD power connectors. Connect the black probe of your multimeter to the +5V red wire and the red probe of your multimeter to +12V yellow wire on the molex connector. The multimeter will show +7V. That is because there is a potential difference between the two of 7V. You could connect anything that needs 7V to those wires just like that and it would work regardless of the fact that none of them is 0V.
Yes this works a great in the case of an alternator warning lamp as when the alternator isn’t charging it provides an earth to allow the bulb to light. In your scenario when the sidelights are on they’ll be trying to earth by back feeding through the indicator stalk which is not ideal.
Actually having re read it says use the live feed at the flasher bulb, would this not just make the flasher bulb light up when you turn the sidelights on?
To be fair, he did say Btec , and not City & Guilds 
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Watts that Holmes ? , surely you know resistance is fertile 