Two Prong Flasher Auto Cancel Mod (Final)

[crazy steve]

'Bug, this would be a great use for some two-sided tape...

[CatatonicBug]

Thanks Cy. Now I feel more confident in making this happen.

As for being unrepairable, the idea is to make it so it doesn't NEED to be repaired. The silicone holds everything in place, and prevents any kind of stress on the connections or the wires themselves. The relays are really cheap, so I actually ordered 2 of each this time, so I could make a second unit if I really wanted to. I just want to make it a clean, single unit that does not LOOK like I hodge-podged it together, and remains reversible (only one wire cut, with bullet connectors). I don't have any experience with perf board, and wouldn't know the first thing about using it. However, it would still leave the solder connections exposed to the elements, and have the potential for short circuits. I really feel the need to encapsulate this whole thing in something, so rather than spend a few hundred on the 2-part potting compound and the tool to apply it, I'll try silicone and see how it goes.

[CatatonicBug]

It works! I made the circuit function!

I made a slight alteration, but I figured I'd give the complete run-down of parts and prices for everyone.

The relays I got were:
Panasonic JS1-B-12V-F from Digi-Key for $1.86, or the same one from Newark for $1.90. Newark had them backordered at the time of this posting, but I actually received a shipment of these from both places (ordered twice because I broke the first set).
NTE R40-11D2-12 from Newark for $3.97 or the same one from RadioShack for $4.57

I also added a socket for that second one, because the pins on the relay are rather fragile, and I snapped them off the first set. The sockets are NTE 436W16 from Newark for $6.18 for a package of 2. The pins are MUCH stronger, and the un-used pins can easily be cut off to make it more manageable.

I got all my LEDs from SuperbrightLEDS.com, since they are just up the road from me. Another additional thing I added to this mod was their flasher. I started with the HD Tridon EL12 flasher, but it wouldn't work without either a regular bulb or a load resistor on each side. So, I got the generic no-load flasher from SuperBright for $8.95, and it had a nice benefit - Wire leads! This allowed me to put spade terminals on the ends, leaving the third pin of the OEM flasher plug open. This made it possible to use a spade terminal on the signal lead from the relay so I didn't even need to splice into the yellow/green wire.

I use a fairing, so I needed 90º angle bulbs on the rear, but regular 1157 (running lights/turn signals) for the front.
The LEDs I got were the following:
2 of the 1156-x2W-ARA bulbs (in amber color) for the rear for $14.95 each
If you are not using a fairing, and have running lights in the front, get 2 more, but the 1157 version.
2 of the 1157-A24-WV bulb, 100º, amber, for $7.49 each (not used unless using a fairing). These are the same bulbs (in red though) used in the tail/brake light spots.
7 of the BA9S-A4-90-12V bulbs (12v, 90º, amber) for the dash, for $1.98 each.

I have an HID headlight, so my headlight indicator is no longer functional, so I didn't need the LED bulb for that. If you have the OEM headlight, get 8 of the BA9S bulbs. I left the Neutral, high-beam, and fuel light bulbs as incandescent, because I had issues, especially with the fuel light using LEDs. I get a feeling the way that sensor works, it sends a little power all the time, and that was enough to light the LED all the time, no matter how much fuel I had. I may get a blue and a green BA9 bulb eventually, but those lights are seldom used, so I'm not too worried about it.

I taped the 3 devices (2 relays and the flasher) together, side-by-side, with electrical tape. I then soldered all the necessary wires on, attached 2 spade connectors to the flasher and one to pin 1 on the 2A relay. I spliced pin 4 into the turn signal fuse wire, and added bullet connectors to the brown flasher wire and the Common pin and the NC pin on the 10A relay.

I used some tape to gather the wires together, then I removed the OEM flasher from the rubber holder, and fed this whole unit through the rubber holder. It sits right where the OEM flasher used to sit. I haven't potted the assembly yet, but I will once I find a suitable container.

I tested it for the first time today (the snow finally melted), and it works perfectly! Thanks Cy for all the research and the write-up!

[cywelchjr]

Awesome! That's good to hear. I'm going to be doing some tweaks to the article so that it can move to the tech section, soon.

Next is I'm going to build a unit that those who don't want to do any work will be able to just plug in. I'll build two units to start with, one of which will go in my bike, the other will be offered to a tester for free. After that I'll be selling them for pretty much cost, it'll give me something to do. It will all be put together on perfboard and will be intended to be durable and easy to install without any cutting of ANY wires.

[old_skool]

is it necessary to change the dash bulbs to led, or is something you wanted to do?

[cywelchjr]

is it necessary to change the dash bulbs to led, or is something you wanted to do?

When changing to LED bulbs for the turns and such changing the dash bulbs is purely optional. It's yet another way to save a little bit more current, plus they do last a lot longer than the OEM style bulbs and come in different colors as well.

[natemoen]

Need a tester

[Nubian]

Awesome! That's good to hear. I'm going to be doing some tweaks to the article so that it can move to the tech section, soon.

Next is I'm going to build a unit that those who don't want to do any work will be able to just plug in. I'll build two units to start with, one of which will go in my bike, the other will be offered to a tester for free. After that I'll be selling them for pretty much cost, it'll give me something to do. It will all be put together on perfboard and will be intended to be durable and easy to install without any cutting of ANY wires.

Second tester available

[CaptonZap]

Hey Cy,
Would a person who was worried about having to replace a relay with pitted contacts, after it had been potted to resist weathering, be advised to put some MOV's at appropriate places, to counteract the DC arcing on contact opening?
CZ

[natemoen]

So is it really just 2 relays and some clever wiring? I thought there were more parts?

[cywelchjr]

Hey Cy,
Would a person who was worried about having to replace a relay with pitted contacts, after it had been potted to resist weathering, be advised to put some MOV's at appropriate places, to counteract the DC arcing on contact opening?
CZ

No, those relays if you use the same part numbers are rated for millions of duty cycles, and for well over the current that you will get even with standard bulbs let alone LEDs. The only time you might need to worry about the contacts if if you had a coil on the output of the relay in which case you would put a reverse bias 1n2001 diode to kill the reverse transients when the relay opens which is what will burn the contacts. MOV's will do nothing to protect the contacts, those are AC clamping devices.

[cywelchjr]

So is it really just 2 relays and some clever wiring? I thought there were more parts?

Yep, that's really all it is, the right combination of relays in the right order wired correctly. The hard part was figuring out the right combination and how to wire them in so the worked properly.

[airborneXS]

Still need a tester? ....

[cywelchjr]

Still need a tester? ....

At the moment I have two volunteers who I may go ahead and send units to. After their feedback I'll have cost figures and then should have a few units built for sale and will advertise.

[Chuckster]

Gonna give this a try...

I just received the relays and flasher I ordered , so I'm ready to give this a try. I think I have it all layed out, but I am a newbie when it comes to electrical. I bought some perf board, so as Cy suggested, I will mount the relays and flasher on the perf board. Any tips/advice on soldering the relatively thick 14 guage wire to those small leads on the relays? Should the leads remain straight, or is it better to bend them? I bought 2 sets of relays just in case I mess up.