Date:         Mon, 14 Feb 2005 11:27:06 -0800
Reply-To:     Pensioner <al_knoll@PACBELL.NET>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Pensioner <al_knoll@PACBELL.NET>
Subject:      Re: Headlights and grounds
In-Reply-To:  <200502140510.j1E5AboU017919@ylpvm44.prodigy.net>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"

Speaking only for myself, one of my many tricks, for those not too well
versed in electrics.  The light circuit is just that, a kind of circle that
starts at the + terminal of the battery goes to various connectors,
switches, relays, terminals, grounding points and such back to the -
terminal of the battery.

Each of the items in the list above has a non-zero 'resistance' to current
flow and an associated voltage "drop".  The current supplied through any of
the items is the same throughout the circuit.  The amount of current
(amperes) depends on the battery voltage and the sum of all the voltage
drops from battery positive back to battery negative.

Current= Applied Voltage*SUM(v1...vj) To max the current minimize that SUM
part.

If the voltage drop around the circuit EXCLUDING the headlight itself is
zero then maximum current will flow through the headlight.  If the voltage
drop is minimized at each of the items in the circuit, then you have the
best solution for your particular configuration.  Minimizing or eliminating
items in the list, lets call them components, is one approach.  Minimizing
the remaining voltage drops is as good as you can do.

So, for the berry berry best wire 2.5mm or larger directly from the battery
to the relay bank through a suitable inline fuse.  Use 2mm or as large as
you can manage from the relay to the lightbulb connector.  Now using the
original wiring from the headlight switch, control the relays.

If you are using 40A relays one relay will handle 200W+ worth of lighting
(13v*20A=260w)  Opting for one relay for the high beams one for the lowbeams
and one for the auxiliary lights with individual fuses for each light set is
a good solution.

Using SA lights with 100/80 mains and 100 w driving should be enough to
crinkle the paint on the trunk of that Highway patrolman you're following.
Definitely use sharp cutoff lenses so as to not bobby-dazzle others.

It's all faith based, nobody has actually ever SEEN an electron.  And if you
did, you couldn't be sure of it's energy.  Apologies to Maxwell, Ohm,
Thevenin, Heisenberg, Planck, Bohr and others.