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| Go Beyond Member Since: 30 Jan 2012 Location: Headcorn, Kent Posts: 6678  
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Both positive and negative cables MUST be run directly to the battery (do not earth locally to the bumper) this is because the 'control box' works on a voltage sensing system.
The additional wire requires a positive feed from the side light circuit (to turn the DRL's off when the side lights are on) so don't connect that to the battery. If you've done exactly as above and it still doesn't work then you have a fault |
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16th Sep 2013 9:54am |
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| bpman Member Since: 21 May 2008 Location: Oslo Posts: 8069 
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I had a quick play with the leds yesterday and saw the same behaviour, i think the unit has a voltage sensitive relay on it, switches on when it senses the alternator voltage (around 14v) and switches off probably about 12.6v. the feed to the side light forces the leds to switch off.
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16th Sep 2013 11:35am |
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| ironman19 Member Since: 17 May 2013 Location: cambridge Posts: 7 
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Thank you for the tips. I will have a tinker tonight and see if i can get them working.
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16th Sep 2013 12:40pm |
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| mpm Member Since: 28 Mar 2013 Location: Cheshire Posts: 8 
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I also have purchased a flatdog bumper & was advised to pick up a purple/green ignition "on" positive, will that work or does it & the neg have to go to the battery,
I intended to put neg to the bulkhead neg stud on the Puma, any advise on the best waterproof double connector to connect to the sidelight wire, I don't like skotchlocks ?  |
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21st Sep 2013 10:12am |
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| wyvern Member Since: 13 Dec 2009 Location: Cornwall Posts: 2103 
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My DRL LEDs have just 3 leads - positve, negitve and sidelight pick up,
The pos and neg went directly to the battery (there is a built in fuse on the cable) and the sidelight pick up linked into the L side side light. However I was confused as the lights did not come on when I linked them up first so rewired them 2 or 3 times to ensure that they were correct.. still not working ... lots of head scratching etc...
it was only when I turned on the engine and that the battery was starting to charge that the lights came on (after about 5 seconds) .. 
Then I had another panic as when I turned off the motor the lights stayed on for a long time ... 
My inital thoughts were that these are connected directly to the battery and will drain the power ... 
However after reading the instructioins .... it pointed out that there was a 2 min delay on turn off to 'allow walking down the garden path' (which I interpert as discharging the residual LED charge...) 
I have had no problems with them since fitting other than a slight interferance on the radio that I am going to look at next week some time... !  Poppy - TDCI (Puma) 110XS 2.2 - Camper conversion - see the build here - https://www.defender2.net/forum/topic56530.html
Elgar -TDCI(Puma) 110XS Dormobile - now sold Devon & Cornwall 4x4 Response - DC126  |
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21st Sep 2013 11:39am |
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| custom90 Member Since: 21 Jan 2010 Location: South West, England. Posts: 20334
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So in other words voltage sensitive as mentioned previously, negative constantly connected. Live run includes the fuse in line I assume with the sidelight feed as the trigger / switch. Along with a parking delay on some as above. Personally I don't see the point in the voltage sensitive side but perhaps I'm missing something? A standard relay would do the job just the same except for the time delay shut off. ⭐️⭐️God Bless the USA 🇬🇧🇺🇸 ⭐️⭐️
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21st Sep 2013 12:35pm |
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| LandRoverAnorak Member Since: 17 Jul 2011 Location: Surrey Posts: 11324
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A voltage sensing arrangement is probably cheaper and easier to manufacture as a solid state control box rather than a traditional relay. Darren
110 USW BUILD THREAD - EXPEDITION TRAILER - 200tdi 90 BUILD THREAD - SANKEY TRAILER - IG@landroveranorak "You came in that thing? You're braver than I thought!" - Princess Leia Last edited by LandRoverAnorak on 21st Sep 2013 3:03pm. Edited 1 time in total |
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21st Sep 2013 12:47pm |
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| wyvern Member Since: 13 Dec 2009 Location: Cornwall Posts: 2103
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opps - should have said that the tie in to the side light makes the DRL LED's dip when the side/main lights come on to keep with in the law .... they reduce power and become less bright...
The trigger is the alternator power feed to the battery I assume hope that helps Poppy - TDCI (Puma) 110XS 2.2 - Camper conversion - see the build here - https://www.defender2.net/forum/topic56530.html
Elgar -TDCI(Puma) 110XS Dormobile - now sold Devon & Cornwall 4x4 Response - DC126 |
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21st Sep 2013 1:59pm |
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| bpman Member Since: 21 May 2008 Location: Oslo Posts: 8069
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The VSR makes the installation easier because you don't have to find an ignition on +ve, are we trying to find a problem where there isn't one ?
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21st Sep 2013 6:15pm |
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| mpm Member Since: 28 Mar 2013 Location: Cheshire Posts: 8
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The opposite in fact, the manufacterers instructions are brief to say the least, the wiring is not very long & wont reach to the battery without connectors, which are always a source of problems on truck electrics. The guy who sold me the kit mentioned using a purple/green as a pos & as the voltage will b the same throughout the vehicle I saw no reason to go to the battery for this or the neg.
The in line fuse would have to b cut off & put as close to the battery connection as possible to protect the wiring but not if using an already fused purple/green or other ignition s/w pos. Please correct me if I have got hold of the wrong end of the stick here |
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26th Sep 2013 9:43am |
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| Go Beyond Member Since: 30 Jan 2012 Location: Headcorn, Kent Posts: 6678
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You're quite right, the wiring is too short for a Defender as I presume the DRL kit is a generic one and most cars have the battery under the bonnet.
Our DRL bumpers are drop shipped by Flatdog and are made for them by Mantec, again, I presume that there isn't the money in them to make a 'custom' loom. The ones I've installed I've always extended the positive and negative with insulated two core cable and reconnected the fuse holder at the battery end. It is my personal experience that the 'voltage sensing' function does not work if the positive or earth are picked up anywhere else other than the battery (I have tried, after all it would be easier not to run to the battery) but if it works for you then that's great  |
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26th Sep 2013 10:17am |
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| LandRoverAnorak Member Since: 17 Jul 2011 Location: Surrey Posts: 11324
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Just out of interest, does the voltage sensing arrangement work ok if LED headlights are fittted? I wondered if they would draw enough current to make the voltage change enough to be picked up? Darren
110 USW BUILD THREAD - EXPEDITION TRAILER - 200tdi 90 BUILD THREAD - SANKEY TRAILER - IG@landroveranorak "You came in that thing? You're braver than I thought!" - Princess Leia |
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26th Sep 2013 10:26am |
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| Go Beyond Member Since: 30 Jan 2012 Location: Headcorn, Kent Posts: 6678
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The headlights (LED or otherwise) don't affect (or infact have anything to do) with the voltage sensing.
What the voltage sensing relay does is to turn on the DRL's when the engine is running and off again when the engine is turned off (some have a delay built in and turn off a short while after the engine has stopped) The whole idea (as BP man said) is that you don't have to connect to an ignition switched wire. It's a good idea if you have a 'normal' car where the battery is sited under the bonnet (not so easy on Defenders) |
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26th Sep 2013 10:34am |
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| LandRoverAnorak Member Since: 17 Jul 2011 Location: Surrey Posts: 11324
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Ah, sorry. I thought it was also meant to meet the requirement to turn them off, or make them dimmer, when the headlights are on. Darren
110 USW BUILD THREAD - EXPEDITION TRAILER - 200tdi 90 BUILD THREAD - SANKEY TRAILER - IG@landroveranorak "You came in that thing? You're braver than I thought!" - Princess Leia |
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26th Sep 2013 10:47am |
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