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/cgi-bin/YaBB.pl General Category >> Rubber Side Down! >> Idiot's turn signals.. Pix and instructions 8/17 /cgi-bin/YaBB.pl?num=1218850052 Message started by shadowman on 08/15/08 at 18:27:32 |
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Title: Idiot's turn signals.. Pix and instructions 8/17 Post by shadowman on 08/15/08 at 18:27:32 Yeah, I do that. And it's dangerous. But coming out of a corner, canceling the signal is not what I'm focussed on. I wear a full-face helmet, so I can't see the speedo/dash lights unless I dip my head, and taking your eyes off the road like that is not a good idea, either. An audible reminder is out, as it would have to be 140 db to be effective. So, I think about it for a long time. Today I'm walking by a Radio Shack and I buy a pair of 12v LED assemblies ($3.98 total) and head home. First tried to break down the turn signal assembly and snake a wire through the mounting stem, but wouldn't fit. So I re-assembled signal and simply cut through the signal cable wrapper to expose the wires. Stripped off about 1/4" of insulation and spliced on a length of 16 gauge speaker wire. Threaded that up the fork and bars to the mounting bracket of my windshield. Then used my hot-glue gun to tack on a 1" length of black plastic tubing (actually, an olod felt marker that I cut down) to the windshield mounting bracket. Inserted the LEDs in the tubing, tacked in place, connected the LEDs to the wires coming off the turn signal cables, and applied black electrical tape as needed. Needless to say, at this point I'm rather impressed with myself and am rehearsing my response to NASA's inevitable offer of employment. Hop on the bike, fire it up and...hey! The LEDS blink when I use the turn signal, but when I cancel the signal they stay on. I mean a blinking LED tells me what I wanted to know, but why aren't they off when the signal is off???? Oh so close to perfection! (So sorry, Dr. Oppenheimer, but your bomb only blew up HALF of Hiroshima) What's up? I'm not big on electronics and circuitry and all, but I checked this out before I went final and I thought it was working. Who's got the answer? (BTW, I purposely omitted one critical piece of info in this narrative and I suspect that whoever zeroes in on this will also lead me to the solution) Thanks, kids. OK, Sunday morning, 75 and sunny, just did 25 on the bicycle (saw three deer and a red fox) and went back to the LED turn signal. The LED's are from Radio Shack (part # 272-0272, orange, 12v, $1.99 retail. ) This is how it looks installed -- can't see them well in this photo, but that's OK -- they are up there against the windshield, tacked to the mounts. The LED assemblies have two wires -- red and black. These need to be conneected to two of the three wires going to the turn signals. On the right side you want the green and the black/white wires. On the left side you want the black and black/white wires. Both sides also have a gray wire; disregard. So, with two wires on the LED and two from the signal, there are two possibilities. Palladin can explain this further to the curious, but for the rest of us it's trial and error - if it doesn't work with one combination it should work with the other. Check this before you start taping. So, you splice the LEDs to the turn signals and then mount them in a convenient location. Problem with LEDs is that you have to be looking right at them. For those without windshields, I don't think there is a location that would make this a feasible option. I put mine as close to eye level as possible. The wiring is still a little exposed and I could clean it up a little with some black shrink wrap insulation, but that probably isn't going to happen. I was looking for something that would remind me/allow me to check the turn signals without averting my gaze, and this helps. Cost: $4, plus 3 feet speaker wire, 250 feet electrical tape, glue gun or silicone adhesive. Time: 1 hour or less. Degree of difficulty is low. Cheers. http://w3.bikepics.com/pics/2008/08/17/bikepics-1388039-full.jpg |
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Title: Re: Idiot's turn signals been on for last six mile Post by 1st2know on 08/15/08 at 18:56:40 Just an idea I had but never implemented: Take the vibrator motor out of an old cell phone, mount that to the left side of the handle bar, or, for more fun, under the seat (tee hee - that tickles). Then, hook up the leads of the vibrator to the signals just like the beeper - switching transistor I think. This will give the rider a gentle, silent vibration whenever the blinkers are on. Of course, if it feels good, then some may be tempted to leave the blinker on for 12 miles :-) |
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Title: Re: Idiot's turn signals been on for last six mile Post by Paladin. on 08/15/08 at 19:10:42 Piece of pirozhki. Front lamps, you tapped into the grey and black wires. You want the black and the black/white tracer. |
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Title: Re: Idiot's turn signals been on for last six mile Post by shadowman on 08/15/08 at 20:19:32 And the prize goes to Paladin, who focussed in on the three wires. Right you are -- I stripped all three and the two solids were the ones that blinked, so I went with them. I'm sure you could explain the functions of the three wires, but it would be wasted. I will re-connect tomorrow. I took photos and will post, along with instructions, once I get it working correctly. Stand by. |
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Title: Re: Idiot's turn signals been on for last six mile Post by Cory on 08/15/08 at 21:12:43 sweetness i am anxious to see the pics and find out how well they work for you might try the same mod . Which brings me to the idea i wanted to try was to take those sporty fog lights you can buy at an auto place and mount those on the front of my savage just right under the headlight one on each side anyone ever done this and if so what was the outcome? |
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Title: Re: Idiot's turn signals been on for last six mile Post by verslagen1 on 08/15/08 at 21:22:13 I was toying with the idea of using the stick on arrows they put on mirrors and stick them on the windshield. would serve 2 purposes, put the lights where you could tell that they're still on and provide another means which to distract nearby cagers with. And giving them another reason to run you over. :o |
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Title: Re: Idiot's turn signals been on for last six mile Post by youzguyz on 08/16/08 at 14:01:23 I was the world's worst offender of leaving the turn signals on. I made a beeper rig, audible to around 55mph Link (http://suzukisavage.com/cgi-bin/YaBB.pl?board=tech;action=display;num=1189100000) And I also put a pair of led bars on either side of my Vapor speedo display (hooked into the connectors inside the headlight). I tried the LEDs on the mirrors at one time, and it just didn't work out. How soon after a turn, and how often do you actually check your mirrors? Just didn't work there for me. |
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Title: Re: Idiot's turn signals been on for last six mile Post by T Mack 1 on 08/16/08 at 17:17:15 I have developed the habit of stabbing the cancel button. Over and over again. Even if I haven't turned in miles....... :-? Hmmmm..... words like Obsessive, compulsive come to mind........ It can be embarrassing it I miss the cancel button and hit the horn....... :o |
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Title: Re: Idiot's turn signals been on for last six mile Post by Paladin. on 08/16/08 at 18:06:04 651C7C50525A00310 wrote:
651C7C50525A00310 wrote:
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Title: Re: Idiot's turn signals been on for last six mile Post by youzguyz on 08/17/08 at 03:21:30 I check my mirrors fairly often, and thought it would be a great place to put the LEDs. But I discovered I don't check the mirrors so much when I first round a corner. My attention is on the new things that just came into view. Then, when I check the mirror, the turn signal indicator was not "registering" consistently. The only thing I came up with is the I was looking at the image in the mirror, not at the mirror itself, if you get my drift. Maybe I have an issue with flashing lights of any kind!! For me, the beeper was a much more effective solution. That it is a bit.. not cool.. doesn't bother me. I want to be sure I am correctly signaling my intentions.. to those that are paying attention. |
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Title: Re: Idiot's turn signals.. Pix and instructions 8/ Post by shadowman on 08/17/08 at 12:52:41 For those interested, I re-wired (tip of the helmet to Palladin) and posted a photo and instructions. Go back to first post. |
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Title: Re: Idiot's turn signals.. Pix and instructions 8/ Post by Robertomoe on 08/17/08 at 16:19:01 There's always the option of a HUD-like system. Mount the lights in the helmet and have a plug connector and you're a fighter pilot! |
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Title: Re: Idiot's turn signals.. Pix and instructions 8/ Post by shadowman on 08/17/08 at 17:27:39 Y'know, I was thinking the same thing just the other day -- if they haven't done so already, it's just a matter of time before a high-end bike manufacturer and helmet fab get together and do this. It would be expensive, but there would be a market. All your info -- speed, RPMs, time, GPS locator, fuel, head temp, etc., etc. -- all displayed on your face shield. I give it five years. |
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Title: Re: Idiot's turn signals.. Pix and instructions 8/ Post by youzguyz on 08/17/08 at 17:43:51 Why wait? http://www.veypor.com/hud.html I'm pretty sure Lancer has something to do with this product, but I forget things easy. (I'm old) |
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Title: Re: Idiot's turn signals been on for last six mile Post by Onetogo on 08/18/08 at 06:31:23 Which brings me to the idea i wanted to try was to take those sporty fog lights you can buy at an auto place and mount those on the front of my savage just right under the headlight one on each side anyone ever done this and if so what was the outcome? I like the LEDs on windshield trick. I put an LED on my handle bars as a driving light on indicator and found that if it's recessed deep enough into whatever tube you are using, the light is in shadow and shows up easily. I used a short piece of aluminum tube. Verslagen1 - I bought a set of wee driving lights from JCWhitney and mounted them onto the triple tree under the headlight, not so much to illuminate the road but increase my visibility to on-coming traffic. They have chrome housings containing the 12v, 50w halogen lights with reflector and protective cover in one piece. The bezel that secures the light into the housing screws down onto three dimples. I messed with one of 'em trying to figure out how to change the bulb when it burns out and couldn't get the sucker to open. Oh well. Decided to go for a circuit downtown even before they were wired up and when I got home discovered the bezel I messed with had worked loose, come off and the bulb was missing. >:( Called JCW and they shipped a replacement light at no charge. Messed with it too so I could see how they work since obviously they open! Got 'em wired up, went for a ride and it too fell off!!! :o I was too embarassed to call JCW again for fear of receiving a "Here's Your Sign" award. :-[ Saw a set at WalMart just like the JCW brand and a dollar to two less, minus shipping too boot. This time I drilled out the two bottom dimples (2 out of three) and screwed 'em on. ;) Cool man. They work good. Two or three days later I was running errands and on the fourth stop my bike wouldn't start. :-? I wired the lights straight to the battery and I bet they draw more than the charger can keep up with. Gonna have to re-wire them through the headlight I reckon. |
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Title: Re: Idiot's turn signals.. Pix and instructions 8/ Post by Rustbucket on 08/21/08 at 20:16:16 ^ onetogo.. I've been there too on the tiny driving lights on my S-40. I have one of the small lights (55W) mounted under the headlamp utilizing the existing bolt threads that are there, the small light bracket fits perfectly. Then i put a switch inline so i can have it on or off as to not deplete the battery during slow rides in stop and no'go traffic. >>I found out the hard way that you can't run add on 55 watt bulbs then go slow pokin around the lake.. Push starting aint no fun on these machines.. I've been thinking about ways to add LED's or beepers to remind me that a blinker is on... I've made myself get into the habit of pushing the cancel button on the switch whenever i'm riding.. Every few minutes or whatever. I'm getting better at canceling the blinkers after a turn now though.. |
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Title: Re: Idiot's turn signals been on for last six mile Post by justin_o_guy2 on 08/22/08 at 03:29:03 5C2545696B6339080 wrote:
I did that, twice, sitting behind a cop.. thankfully, he ignored me. |
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