| Author |
Message |
captain ron (Captain_ron)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, February 21, 2005 - 10:11 pm: | |
since my brake lights on my bus are the only 24volt lights, other than the drivers and steps light in the interior. I think I'll get a couple 24 volt lights and mount them on my trailer. I have a "dodad" that looks like a starter relay that a guy sold me to reduce voltage to 12 volts but could never get it to work. Why would they make the brake lights 24 volts and every thing else 12 volts? |
Tim Strommen (Tim_strommen)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, February 22, 2005 - 12:05 am: | |
Hi CR,
Brake lights are one of those systems that just HAVE to work. So even if you have a major failure in your electrical system (like your main 24V bus melts and blows the main breaker(s)...) people will still be able to see when you come to a screaching halt, so that they can marvel at how much you look like Yosemite Sam while screaming "My biscuts are burnin'!"
Okay, seriously though, some coach makers have isolated the brake lights from the rest of the electrical system, and on other busses that didn't have that separation, had owners with maintenance personnel that "cut-and-pasted" until the systems didn't make much of any sense (like "Eh I don't know why it's 24 volts, but I have some 24 volt bulbs I can use!"). You'll either want to leave the coach alone, or rip a bunch of the exsiting out and start fresh (depends on your finacial situation and how far along you are with the convert). My 40' Phantom had wires that actually had a complete loop, with diodes that were bypassed by wires less than 6 inches away (The bus was leaking about 850mAmps while everything was turned off and the vanner was diconnected. I rightly chose to rip most of it out).
I may be able to help you figure out that "dodad" of yours or I might be able to help you build a "doohickey" that's easier to use.
Tim |
FAST FRED
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, February 22, 2005 - 5:23 am: | |
If you install 24V bulbs in a bulb holder made for 12V bulbs , you usually have to wire it backwards.
The brake filiment is reversed when the 24V bulb is in the 12V holder.
A quick check before you imortalize the conections might be worthwhile.
FAST FRED |
Jim Wilke
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, February 22, 2005 - 9:41 am: | |
Ron, your entire bus should be 24 volts with the headlight bulbs the only 12 volt bulbs. That's how my 4905 is.
Jim-Bob |
Luis (Sundancer)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, February 22, 2005 - 11:18 am: | |
Sean, hope this is okay with you. I got this at one of your seminars. Hope its okay to share.
Relays cost me $10 each. Works great.
http://odyssey.smugmug.com/gallery/131040 |