Quote:
Originally Posted by AW128i
We might be able to do a makeshift workaround to get the AEs to function as DRLs. Stop me if what I'm saying doesn't make sense...
Aftermarket AEs are popular among the E46 crowd. One method they hook the AEs up is from the ECU so that they're always on. You unlock the car, the AEs come on and they stay on until you turn the ignition off and lock the car. This has me thinking that, through the use of a relay, we may be able to artificially create DRLs with the AEs, it just takes a little of outside the box thinking. Here's where I'm going with this.
And forgive me if I'm going about this all wrong because one thing I am not is an electrical engineer, though if I was able to draw this out for you guys, I could probably explain it better. Basically, we want two positive connections on the relay so I think we would use a single pole double throw relay. Basically, the ECU "always on" connection is affixed to the "normal" side of the relay. This means that whenever the ECU "always on" wire has a current going through it, the relay is pulling +12v directly from the battery. When the relay coil is energized from a trigger wire (via a tap on one of the headlight wires or similar), the current would flow not from the battery-direct connection, but rather through the normal headlight wiring. This basically gives you two power scenarios for the AEs; one-parking lights off, two-parking lights on. This should also give you two light output levels for the AEs because I believe when they are connected through the headlight wiring (as they would be if no modifications were made) they aren't receiving the full +12v but rather a reduced voltage.
My logic and/or thinking could be way off here, but I'm trying to figure out a way for us to use the AEs as both DRLs and parking lights, as they are on the OE xenon headlights.
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Sorry, should have made it clear that we are going to try to make them as DRLs for the final kit, we just hadn't done this originally. They already come on when the car is unlocked, which is a plus. I will see if your work around is plausible on Friday.