Daytime Running Lights for cars - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: proff
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: October 12, 2010, 12:49:04 pm
content: I'm looking for circuit diagram for DRL issued in Silicon chip 8/1999. If someone have this SC scan or draw it. Thanks

author: Zero999
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 12, 2010, 02:16:48 pm
content: Lol, what's the poll for? I want to vote for I don't have it.

author: Mechatrommer
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 12, 2010, 02:53:17 pm
content: me too! maybe we can just rant whythe hell,oppps... people want to run a car with its lights ON during the daytime?!

author: migsantiago
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: October 12, 2010, 03:39:22 pm
content: It seems that it's not a bad idea.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daytime_running_lampShafri, you need to be more open-minded.

author: marianoapp
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: October 12, 2010, 03:49:39 pm
content: Quote from: shafri on October 12, 2010, 02:53:17 pmhere is mandatory to drive with the headlights on during daytime, but only on highways

author: JohnS_AZ
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: October 12, 2010, 04:11:26 pm
content: Hmmmm.They say most cars in the future will be electric, so I wonder how much the range of a fully charged battery will be reduced by running the headlights in the daytime?

author: Zad
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 12, 2010, 04:35:54 pm
content: 20W of DRLs versus 37.5kW for a 50hp motor, I make that 1/1875th of the range, or about 500 feet if the range is 200 miles. I guess you need to live in a country that has approaching 24 hours of darkness in winter to appreciate how useful they can be in the gloomy twilight. Especially if you buy a car in a colour like grey/silver that fades into the background.

author: logictom
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: October 12, 2010, 04:42:23 pm
content: Quote from: migsantiago on October 12, 2010, 03:39:22 pmI think they have their uses. You get those windscreen wipers that turn themselves on when it rains so I think they should make light level activated headlights mandatory because you always get plenty of people (idiots) driving around when it starts to get dark with no lights on at all which is a annoyance being both a pedestrian and a driver!Of course not having a new car these might be the standard these days

author: JohnS_AZ
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: October 12, 2010, 04:49:29 pm
content: QuoteIt's kind of funny ... I have a 1969 Cadillac I'm restoring. Not only do the headlights come on when it gets dark, it automatically switches from high-beam to low beam when there's an oncoming car.Of all the modern cars I and my family have bought over 30 years, NONE of them do that.

author: Zero999
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 12, 2010, 04:54:40 pm
content: Quote from: JohnS_AZ on October 12, 2010, 04:11:26 pmIt makes a tiny difference with diesel and petrol cars but it's negotiable.I heard something about a road safety group campaigning for it to be law in the UK for cars to have thei headlights on in the day but the environmentalists didn't like it.I ride a motorbike and keep the headlight on all the time because it makes me more visible to other road users.

author: Mechatrommer
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 12, 2010, 05:26:15 pm
content: then it will be simple... car ON = headlight ON... simple. during the day, we need it ON, in the night we need it more ON!Quote from: JohnS_AZ on October 12, 2010, 04:49:29 pmyou could be a millionaire for this!for me who lived for 33 years old now, i never saw a car that can lit the light automatically with my own eyes in real life. we still need to rely on our right hand to turn the knob. and the newer model, its changed to the left hand side, real sucker! i dont know... for automobile industry in my place is like going backward. you want me to rant on this? politics sucks! goverment sucks! we are not even comply to AFTA! we are among the highest ranking in accident, our national car is like tin can that can be crushed easily, the tech (M&E) is 10-20 years behind and yet the price is the same as the modern and sophisticated Toyota Honda etc of the same transport class! people just making money by manipulating politics and selling the crappiest of the crappiest! the person in the government office up there? they are just a bunch of mama sucka fucka DICKHEADS. SUX!

author: TheDirty
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: October 12, 2010, 05:47:46 pm
content: Daytime Running Light are mandatory on cars sold in Canada.There are different methods for implementing this. Some just supply a reduced wattage to the high beams. This is good, because it's more visible, since the light is pointed up, and it's much less wattage. I've seen specs of 4watts for the DRL high beams. It also uses the high beam bulb which is much less utilized than the low beam.Do you need a schematic for this? Seems like a pretty simple circuit with a relay. Ours are generally attached to the parking brake switch, so when the parking brake is on the lights are off. This lets you let the car sit with the keys in and have the lights off if you want (like in a drive-in), or remove the load to the lights if you are trying to start the car on an almost flat battery.I've driven in a few cars with the light sensor that turns the lights on at dusk. Not certain why that's not more common. Seems like a pretty cheap feature.

author: Neilm
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 12, 2010, 06:00:48 pm
content: I believe that daylight running lights are being mandated by the EU.My car can switch the lights on when it gets dark. Trouble is if I go under a wide bridge or through a short tunnel the lights come on and go off again - flashing the guy in front of me which is annoying.Neil

author: Zero999
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 12, 2010, 10:00:26 pm
content: Quote from: Neilm on October 12, 2010, 06:00:48 pmIf that's true the UK government isn't paying any attention to it.Actually I think it's probably just Scandinavia because the winters are long and dark.

author: Zad
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 13, 2010, 12:27:53 am
content: The UK government may not be paying a lot of attention to it, but it is going to happen anyway. Manufacturers aren't going to change part of their Eu spec for just one country. Its hard enough to get some of them to make right hand drive cars sometimes! The Audi LED DRLs seem to generate a heck of a lot of distracting glare, especially at night. They also look like something you would buy from a cheap car accessory shop, I'm sure EL wire would be more appropriate.

author: PetrosA
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: October 13, 2010, 01:27:08 am
content: In Poland it's required from October to March. I always used them year-round there and do so here as well. My Transit Connect doesn't have DRLs, so I turn them on manually. Our Passat does have them (come on when handbrake is released) but the downside is they come on full bright and a number of times I and my wife have forgotten to turn the headlights on when starting out at night, so the back end of the vehicle is dark. Stupid design. It would be much better to have a bright, low powered light dedicated for DRL instead of using the headlights. An LED array in matte plastic would be ideal.

author: Zero999
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 13, 2010, 09:04:24 am
content: Quote from: Zad on October 13, 2010, 12:27:53 amThe already do that. It's not only the position of the steering wheel that's different on a right hand drive vehicle, the headlights are also angled differently. The UK isn't the only country to drive on the left hand side, Thailand, Japan and Australia also do. It's also safer to drive on the left because with most people the right eye is is better than the left so it can see on coming tragic more effectively.

author: Mechatrommer
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 13, 2010, 11:12:15 am
content: Quote from: Hero999 on October 13, 2010, 09:04:24 amcount Malaysia in!

author: GeoffS
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: October 13, 2010, 11:25:05 am
content: In fact, you can count in allthesecountries.EDIT: I changed the image to one that shows not only who drives on what side of the road but those countries that have changed sides.

author: PetrosA
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: October 13, 2010, 11:38:33 am
content: Quote from: Hero999 on October 13, 2010, 09:04:24 amThat has to be the strangest argument I've ever heard for driving on the wrong side of the roadAny statistics to back up the safety record you mention?

author: Zero999
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 13, 2010, 01:04:25 pm
content: Quote from: PetrosA on October 13, 2010, 11:38:33 amThe reason why I think driving on the left is safer has nothing to do with being from a country which drives on the left. It's supported by science and is actually common sense when you think about it.Here's a link to an explanation on Wikipedia, note the citations:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Right-_and_left-hand_traffic#Safety_factorsHere's another article which doesn't have any citations but explains it more clearly.http://www.wikilaw3k.org/forum/Cars-Transportation-Safety/It-is-known-that-driving-on-the-left-is-safer-for-most-people-why-do-most-countries-drive-on-the-right-363415.htm

author: Mechatrommer
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 13, 2010, 02:54:40 pm
content: maybe thats why any camera model is designed for right handed people. majority is the right handed dominant people.

author: Time
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: October 13, 2010, 04:04:08 pm
content: Quote from: Hero999 on October 13, 2010, 01:04:25 pmA manual transmission is a good point but, in the US atleast, these are a dying breed. Its actually more expensive to get a manual transmission on some makes/models. As for preference in side for sight, that is just a weak argument. The citations are all journals to articles talking about eye dominance for preference in monocular and binocular apparatuses (which eye you use in a telescope, gun sight etc). One of them even says that eye preference is not even related to and independent of handedness.As a mostly left handed and quasi-ambidexterous driver, I am not arguing for or against a side of the street to drive on - I just find it hard to believe either argument could be soundly supported with science.

author: scrat
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: October 13, 2010, 04:16:16 pm
content: As an Italian, I'm proud to see that there are some little details that still remember our ancients' splendour.- most people in the world drive on the right, as in the Roman empire.- many people still speak neolatin languages- many English words derive from latin onesWe must call to them, because South Europe decline is undoubted.Fo the hot heads...it's a joke!About daytime lights, in my country they are mandatory on all extraurban roads, and the same is (AFAIK) for our neighbours in Slovenia, Austria and Croatia (perhaps they started well before Italy). It's a useful thing, especially for grey/silver cars at low light conditions (not only in Scandinavia).

author: Zero999
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 13, 2010, 05:37:07 pm
content: The British empire is why most of the world speaks English and is also why lots of countries also drive on the left.According to Wikipeida, the USA used to drive on the left but I think they changed to the right, probably to rebel against the British.I think the reason why most countries now drive on the right has more to do with the American influence on the automotive market rather than the Roman empire.Having a manual transmission is not the only argument in favour of driving on the right even if the ocular dominance is ignored, there are plenty of other controls in the centre of the car: hand break, stereo, heater, air conditioning etc. I know one isn't supposed to use them whilst driving but many do.It's probably not worth changing from driving on the right to the left but it makes sense not to change from right to left.Hell I'm left handed myself so I know I'd probably be a safer driver if I could drive on the right but I'd rather drive in a place where everyone drives on the left because there's less chance of them hitting me.

author: Neilm
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 13, 2010, 07:28:18 pm
content: I always thought that the reason the UK drives on the left date back to the middle ages. When travelling down a narrow lane you might meet someone coming the other way. If you move to the left it then allows you to draw a sword and strike or parry in one movement if necessary. This assumes that you are right handed and have the sword on your left hip.Meanwhile back on topic ... I believe that the EU are mandating daylight running lights but it is not yet in effect. From memory it has to apply to vehicles from next year or year after.Seehttp://www.theaa.com/motoring_advice/safety/daytime-running-lights.htmlNeil

author: scrat
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: October 14, 2010, 01:31:26 pm
content: @Hero: you're right (so am I left?). My mistake. In the Roman Empire keep-left rule dominated. So the last people to remain on that rule in Europe was the British, while right rule came from US and spreaded starting from France (http://www.todayifoundout.com/index.php/2010/06/why-some-countries-drive-on-the-right-and-some-countries-drive-on-the-left/). You never know enough of your people's history. So, instinctively, many people choose left.Still the three I mentioned are valid, although the English Empire has had a dominant role in the left-rule diffusion

author: Simon
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: October 14, 2010, 05:42:10 pm
content: Quote from: Hero999 on October 12, 2010, 10:00:26 pmfrom memory it happened 4 years ago as we were all laughing and cursing in italy when it came out and it certainly wern't no italian law (what italy think of safety) but yea it was a 2 week wonder and then people stopped bothering, you can't manufacture common sense

author: scrat
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: October 14, 2010, 08:18:34 pm
content: Quote from: Simon on October 14, 2010, 05:42:10 pmI must say that now almost every car runs with lights on during the day... At least here in the North of Italy. To clarify, here are some rules about road circulation in South Italy...http://translate.google.it/translate?js=n&prev=_t&hl=it&ie=UTF-8&layout=2&eotf=1&sl=it&tl=en&u=http%3A%2F%2Fnonciclopedia.wikia.com%2Fwiki%2FCodice_meridionale_della_strada.All joking aside, if it comes from the EU, the daytime lights rule is one of the best safety laws they introduced. Many of them are leading to a form of hypocrisy, where all you need is a certification that says you are obeying to all rules, and then you can make what you want.

author: Zero999
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 14, 2010, 08:29:53 pm
content: Does it actually cut down on the number of road accidents? If so, I agree, it's a good idea. If not, it's a waste of time and money.Does it have to be the full headlights on or will a strip of bright white LEDs do? If it's LEDs I don't see the problem as they're bound to last for the life of the car and if one or two fail, it shouldn't matter.

author: NiHaoMike
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 15, 2010, 03:57:42 am
content: Quote from: Time on October 13, 2010, 04:04:08 pmThat's because they're being replaced by DCTs and CVTs. Nobody has yet figured out a good way to manually shift a CVT and those used to a traditional manual have complained about the feel of most DCTs. But at least the inefficient and often unreliable torque converter automatic is starting to disappear.The problem, of course, is that while electronics can coordinate shifting much better than any driver, they are very poor at knowing when to shift. And many drivers, including most hypermilers, like to have more control. The original manual Honda Insight is actually a favorite among many hypermilers for that reason.As for headlights, they're just starting to go LED. Then it's just a matter of designing the power supply to support variable current, which is very easy.

author: Simon
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: October 15, 2010, 06:01:07 am
content: look, if you can't see a flipping 20 ton lorry in broad day light you should not even be on the road.@Scrat: please don't get me started on Italian drivers north or south, I've driven the whole length of the country and you are all as bad as each otherI've had my fair share of northern drivers swing round in their seats and make gestures along the lines of: "I'd like to beat you up because your car with a heavily loaded trailer doing 65 mph is going to slow and I'm showing off to my ditsy girlfriend never mind being heavily distracted from the road ahead "!. Italy's big weakness is that it fights between itself and wastes it's resources, North versus South ? how stupid can people get, the last civil war in England was centries ago, we've grwon up since then

author: Zero999
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 15, 2010, 09:26:46 am
content: Quote from: NiHaoMike on October 15, 2010, 03:57:42 amThis isn't the case in Europe and I doubt any of the heavy goods vehicles in the US are automatic so that's a lot of huge machines being driven left handed when the driver changes gear.

author: PetrosA
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: October 16, 2010, 10:18:42 am
content: Quote from: Hero999 on October 15, 2010, 09:26:46 amBuses and many trucks here and in the EU have been available as automatic for some time now, and here is a link to one of the largest US truck manufacturer's page on transmissions:http://www.freightlinertrucks.com/trucks/featured-components/transmissions.aspxAutomatic or hybrid manual transmissions make more sense if they perform wellI do wish my Transit Connect were available with a manual, since the auto that Ford put in it sucks at knowing when to shift down.

author: Mechatrommer
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 16, 2010, 11:16:29 am
content: Quote from: PetrosA on October 16, 2010, 10:18:42 ami kinda get used to my Toyota Wish Auto. Just press the pedal quickly then it will shift down, lift the pedal up rapidly? shift up, quite nice and responsive... for me. But our national car's auto? sux!. But nothing beats manual! "The Super Auto" lies not in the car, but in my left hand and feet, and ummm... left brain i think

author: Simon
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: October 16, 2010, 11:32:35 am
content: I'd prefer manual, my car is ten years 12 years old and the automatic version used significantly more fuel according to the manual. With me at the controls I can get a good 10% more economy than the average driver

author: thakidd
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: October 20, 2010, 05:59:46 am
content: My Honda 2005 has the manual twisty knob setup. I do not like this method because I may leave my lights on while leaving the vehicle if I do not pay attention or hear the annoying beep when exiting the car. I am pretty good about turned the lights on, when needed, as I have never had an always-lights-on car.I also believe that the always-on setup is a bad idea. Screw the wack-job environmentalists and auto safety people for a moment. Why would I want my bulbs running down faster in an always-on setup than would in the manual way? I would have to buy bulbs more frequently. That is just a bad idea for my wallet.Therefore, the only system that makes sense is one that only turns them on when needed. It satisfies my pocket book and it better satisfy the wack-jobs.That btw is how you save the environment while not pissing off normal people. Get on it HONDA!Meanwhile, I might look at hacking my current setup!

author: scrat
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: October 20, 2010, 09:07:18 am
content: Always-on lights rule is a way to save money...and lives. It's just a safety matter.I was skeptic, when I started to see the first motorbikes coming from Austria that had their lights on during the day, but now that I've seen the difference I have to say it's far better. I accept an added cost, because I know we all are avoiding a number of accidents. From an energy/money point of view, how much does it cost to change a new car because of an accident?About the fact that light bulbs are burning faster (in the last few days I changed two of them), I think that a more careful voltage regulation could make them last much longer. Even if I turn them on manually after motor is running, and turn off before stopping motor, they usually burn at turning on. I think that adding a soft start and protecting them from overvoltage could make a big difference, although this is only a guess.Moreover, I see that the lamp that always goes down is the normal night light (which I must use also durign the day), even if it is connected in parallel with a little one. Law allow to use a weaker light for daytime, which I don't have, but some new cars have. The logical guess is that this weaker light would have a longer life.

author: Zero999
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 20, 2010, 10:33:55 am
content: Using LEDs is the obvious solution, at least only for the automatic day time running lights. Halogen or HID can be used for the manual night time running lights.Perhaps all headlights should be automatic and turn on when the ambient light level drops below a certain point?

author: Frangible
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: February 07, 2011, 06:03:24 pm
content: DRLs would be OK if they came with an auto-on feature. With today's bright dashboards and non-automatic DRLs, I see plenty of people driving around with their lights off (no tail lights). The DRLs are plenty bright for driving in traffic, so the driver never knows his lights are off. I'd also like a manual-off feature (other than pulling the parking brake) so I can dip my headlights at an oncoming motorist - it used to be the standard signal for "you first" when meeting at a one lane bridge.