Driving Light Wiring - incorporating on/off

[zambo]

I’ve looked at a range of articles/posts on this but I’m still not certain how to do this and as I’m re-wrapping the wiring as the restoration comes to a close, wish to incorporate the driving lights wiring into the process. 
 

The kit I brought - I was buying something else on Amazon - what can I say, has an on/off switch.

 

Now if I was using the existing driving light connection built into the original wiring as a trigger,  I’d use that with a relay, the driving lights would come on with high beam - the rest of wiring would be as per what I put in when I rewired the hi/low beam circuits with relays years back. Problem solved. 
 

What I’m trying to figure out is how I can use the high beam in the headlights in isolation when triggered by the column switch as well as the having the driving lights come on (with the rocker switch “on” of course) or just have the high beam in the headlights on with the driving lights off (rocker in “off” position).
 

Meaning I want the column switch and corresponding feed in the engine bay to control the trigger to the driving lights thru the on/off rocker. 
 

This is probably really easy or I’m thinking about it wrong and for someone that has completed front and rear end total refurbs including brakes, half shafts, steering box, all bushes and bearing, etc. plus full dismantling of the car for paint, I feel like a bit of a dunce asking this one. 
 

Thanks as always. 
 

 

Edited April 19 by zambo
Format

[0257]

John76’s post on this for the win.

[zambo]

6 minutes ago, 0257 said:

John76’s post on this for the win.

I was hoping for @John76 to chime in … as well as him saying the solution is not obvious and I’ll feel less of electrical novice 😂.  

Edited April 19 by zambo

[Stevenola]

If I understand correctly then splice your dash switch in between the driving light relay to ground connection. 

[zambo]

1 hour ago, Stevenola said:

If I understand correctly then splice your dash switch in between the driving light relay to ground connection. 

@Stevenola that might be the solution.
 

So rather than use the positive feed located near the top of radiator in the original loom, I use the column switch as the earth (I assume that’s what the column switch does). 
 

So when I trigger the high beam it will earth the driving light relay but the driving lights will only come on when the driving light rocker is also “on”.  That would be “on” when I’m doing the extended country driving but want to dip everything (at the column) when another car approaches. 
 

When the rocker is “off” I’ll have high beam for occasional around town/suburban

use when I trigger it at the column, but the driving lights stay off even though the relay is earthed. 
 

Is that logic correct?
 

I was thinking the positive feed was the route to a solution. Not the earth. 

Edited April 19 by zambo

[PhilC]

I know it’s in the UK but I have this.

DRL Controller Board

WWW.POWERFULUK.COM

---

DRL Controller Board This listing is for a Daytime Running Light (DRL) controller board. Note: This board is suitable for use with LED bulbs and will not work with halogen. A DRL controller board will control the function of DRL lights...

 

It works really well. DRLs come on with ignition, dim when you turn your lights on and then get brighter when you switch your main beam on. You can also wire them to dim when you indicate (I didn’t bother with this). Absolute bargain and easy to wire in.

[zambo]

28 minutes ago, PhilC said:

I know it’s in the UK but I have this.

DRL Controller Board

WWW.POWERFULUK.COM

---

DRL Controller Board This listing is for a Daytime Running Light (DRL) controller board. Note: This board is suitable for use with LED bulbs and will not work with halogen. A DRL controller board will control the function of DRL lights...

 

It works really well. DRLs come on with ignition, dim when you turn your lights on and then get brighter when you switch your main beam on. You can also wire them to dim when you indicate (I didn’t bother with this). Absolute bargain and easy to wire in.

Thanks Phil - looks like a nice piece of kit.
 

Fortunately I live in the tropical north of Australia with about 320 days of sunshine a year and we typically don’t run DRL’s like in a lot of northern hemisphere countries.

 

Even in southern Australia they are not typical and people just turn their lights on when they sense the ambient light is low. Some modern cars have it built in of course. 

[Mike Self]

I wanted to be able to turn my driving lights on and off independently of any other lights on the car,  to have them go on and off with the high beams, and also be able to have 'em off all the time.  

 

The method below doesn't use the dedicated terminal near the battery.  

 

What I did many years ago when I wired 'em:   Got a single pole, double throw toggle switch (off when centered, on when switched left or right), and ran the wire leading to the driving light relay to the center terminal.  Then I ran a wire to an ignition-switched hot lead to one side terminal (ignition-switched so I wouldn't forget and leave the lights on with the car off), and the other side lead to the high beam terminal on the dimmer switch.  

 

                                                                                                                    

   

Been working well for me for many years...

 

mike                                                           

DRIVING LIGHT WIRING.pptx

[Stevenola]

11 hours ago, zambo said:

@Stevenola that might be the solution.
 

So rather than use the positive feed located near the top of radiator in the original loom, I use the column switch as the earth (I assume that’s what the column switch does). 
 

So when I trigger the high beam it will earth the driving light relay but the driving lights will only come on when the driving light rocker is also “on”.  That would be “on” when I’m doing the extended country driving but want to dip everything (at the column) when another car approaches. 
 

When the rocker is “off” I’ll have high beam for occasional around town/suburban

use when I trigger it at the column, but the driving lights stay off even though the relay is earthed. 
 

Is that logic correct?
 

I was thinking the positive feed was the route to a solution. Not the earth. 

Yes, this is how I have my driving lights wired - off unless the high beams are on, then I can either keep the driving lights on with the high beams or switch them off and only have high beams.  There are different ways to accomplish this, I just chose this way as it seemed easiest and safest.

[John76]

If you want the driving lights to only be available (by way of separate ON/OFF switch) when the high beams are ON, then wire them using a separate relay triggered by the tap on the headlight wire near the battery (front left).

If you want to turn them on at any time, independent of high/low headlights, then connect your relay as follows:

#87 to driving lights +. Driving lights - to a really good chassis ground.

#30 directly to battery + (use a fuse)

#85 to ON/OFF switch on the dash, and then to ground

#86 to any switched +12v source. This will only allow driving lights when the ignition is ON.

 

John

PS: Use your neat round ON/OFF switch instead of a rear defroster switch.... unless you don't have/need fog lights in Australia.

 

Edited April 19 by John76
typing error

[zambo]

Thanks - all suggestions were helpful and appreciated.

 

But I should have used the bandwidth between my ears first and figured out the three leads to the on/off rocker. 
 

With a simple test light and battery on the bench, I ascertained that;

 

(i) with battery power connected, the positive to the on/off rocker switch is always live and,

 

(ii) the light grey wire on that switch receives that current when the rocker is flipped to “on” and that wire (grey) triggers the relay, activating the driving lights. Meaning the grey goes to 86. (It’s all sheathed and shrink wrapped to the base of the relay so didn’t want to cut it all away to check - but this is a simple circuit so the logic should follow). 
 

So by disconnecting the always on +ve to the rocker and connecting in its place the feed from the driving light tap in the engine bay, that on/off switch only triggers the driving lights (via the grey wire) when it receives power from the tap (high beam column switch activated) and the driving light rocker switch is in the “on” position. 
 

I think that gets me to where I need to be. 

 

 

Edited April 21 by zambo