My FYI Switchbox

OK, so FYI in this case means "F you, idiot!"

I had this on an old car and will likely make another one for my Ex. I ran 3 sets of lights and an electronic airhorn. My headlights were bright, but nothing too bright. They were simply whiter than the stock. I'd have people flipping their high beams, and I'd flip mine to show them I wasn't running with brights on. Well, some folks got ticked off, and would run with their beams on coming at me. I'd hit the momentary switch (the FYI switch) and they'd think a UFO was coming at them (between the 6 extra lights and the horn blast, I thought it was, too!).

So, I'm pretty sure this was how I wired it all. I think at the time I simply used a Radio Shack box and switches and relays from NAPA or so.

:exp: Hope it's useful to someone else as well. The red wires are power coming in.

Marc

 

[Bill Kemp]

Hay mcsteven, if people are flashing you does that give you a hint that your lights need to be aimed? Taking the time to properly aim your lights so they are not a distraction/hazard to oncomming drivers seems a lot better use of your time than what you did with your childness FU switch.
This forum is about better lighting on & off road, not about blinding other drivers because you don't take the time to do things right.
If you would like to reconsider your position on this I would be happy to remove this whole post from the forum and restore your credability.
Just let me know....

 

[mcsteven]

Hay mcsteven, if people are flashing you does that give you a hint that your lights need to be aimed? Taking the time to properly aim your lights so they are not a distraction/hazard to oncomming drivers seems a lot better use of your time than what you did with your childness FU switch.
This forum is about better lighting on & off road, not about blinding other drivers because you don't take the time to do things right.
If you would like to reconsider your position on this I would be happy to remove this whole post from the forum and restore your credability.
Just let me know....

Wow, Bill. I understand you are a moderator, so I'll give you a chance to restore YOUR credibility.

Since you asked, YES, my lights were properly aimed. Done by a professional body shop. I had already considered that. I had the lights and airhorn, and then decided to add an additional (momentary) switch to the box. I also looked at it and when someone would believe that my highbeams were on, I flashed mine back. When they then decided it would be ok for them to drive at me with their highbeams, I considered it fair game.

Feel free to restore your credibility.

 

[corkey]

you should have stated in the first post about how carefully they were aimed and all that,,

 

[snoranger]

Bill's right. If people flashing you is that much of a problem that you have to build this, then something isnt right.

As far as the wiring, the way its shown right now, all the switches will turn on all the relays. You need some diodes in there to separate the functions.

 

[mcsteven]

First, folks, you aren't reading the OP. I stated, "I had this on an old car...." OK, I could have included that it was in 1992, about the time that some of the modification stuff started hitting my small town back east. People saw whiter or brighter lights than they were used to and I assume they thought the driver was using highbeams.

@ Snoranger - So when I responded to their signal with my highbeams, and they then decide that it's ok to blind me with their lights, yeah, that's what's wrong. The vehicle was meticulously maintained including the aiming of the lights. A friend was a body guy with his own shop and so customization and repairs were always easy (he had no computer capability so it was a decent trade for him).
Also, yeah, I noticed the wiring issue. I did the schematic in about 5 minutes, and I did it wrong. It was about 20 years ago. I'll try to fix it.

@ Corkey - yeah, I could have, but I didn't think other people would have tried to be armchair mechanics when I stated that I had this....

The idea of it now, if I get another electronic airhorn for my Ex, is to use it instead of the horn in a panic. I'm thinking about putting the momentary switch on the floor like the old American car highbeam switches.

Don't mean to piss anyone off here on the forums. I've gotten a lot of good info and leads here. And the written word is so hard to acquire emotion from. I was a firefighter for a lot of years. Try before you pry - see if the door is unlocked before you break it down or take out a window. See if the headlights are aimed correctly before stating your diagnosis. With that, I'd have to disagree with Snoranger's first comment.

 

[corkey]

see thing is,, it's on the net, there are tons of ARMCHAIR MECHANICS here,,

one of which i am not,

my rig gets bashed, and real dirty, and i have to fix it,,

 

[Bill Kemp]

OK lets let this go....Perhaps I over reacted. I know, as you probably do also, the original post, without the additional info, pissed me off. I was thinking "asshat with no regard for others". It seems I was wrong and am happy to "let friends be friends" and move on.

 

[mcsteven]

OK lets let this go....Perhaps I over reacted. I know, as you probably do also, the original post, without the additional info, pissed me off. I was thinking "asshat with no regard for others". It seems I was wrong and am happy to "let friends be friends" and move on.

Cool. Me too.

 

[OffTrac]

it was in 1992, about the time that some of the modification stuff started hitting my small town back east. People saw whiter or brighter lights than they were used to and I assume they thought the driver was using highbeams.

Your grudge is almost old enough to drink.

 

[mcsteven]

Your grudge is almost old enough to drink.

Back then it was FYI. Today it's more of a "where did you get your freakin' license?!"