HEADLIGHTS-ON ALARM


At society's current stage of breakdown, it makes sense to run the headlights during the day just as an extra shiny object to alert the cell-phone-distracted moving hazards out there. One drawback is that it's easy to forget that they're on since the light is not noticeable from the driver's seat. A headlights-on alarm is the answer. Sure, they've been standard in cars for some time now. But some of them don't come on until you open the door. And I, like most people, don't leave my car just because I shut off the engine. I could sit and stare for hours. By installing an alarm as described below, it will alert you as soon as the ignition is turned off. Here goes:

Begin by getting a 12 volt buzzer or chime. (I used a Radio Shack 273-071 chime @ 10 bucks. 3 leads: red, blue and black. The blue and black leads go together for the ground connection; and red of course is positive). The connection goes between the lead coming from the windshield washer switch in the steering column, and a positive lead from the parking lights.

I wasn't comfortable with hooking these two circuits together without protection, so I placed diodes at either end of the buzzer to prevent any crossover if the buzzer should short out in the future. I also spliced in an inline fuse. My car has only a negative parking light lead running from the dashboard headlight switch, so I had to run a line through the firewall to tap into the 12 volt positive lead going direct to one of the parking lights.

The reason this works is that in most cars the windshield washer lead is positive in Run or Accessory, but is grounded when the ignition is shut off. With the buzzer thus connected, you will have a complete circuit when the lights are on and the ignition is off, producing an alarm.


Comments from Other Sources:


• buy a buzzer from radio shack, and wire the red wire into the windshield wiper fuse and the black into the parking light fuse. if that doesn't work, switch the wires.

• Wal-mart also carries them. They are sold under 3M. In the auto electrical area. Costs around $7.00. same easy installation. Just two wires

• units with red, blue, and black leads are CHIMES instead of buzzers; you can put the read and blue leads together... [no more info given yet]

1. the buzzer, will have a positive wire (red) and a ground wire (black).

2. Solder a 3A in-line fuse onto the red (positive) wire, and splice the end of the red wire into the parking lights/turn signal fuse hookup (I slaved it onto the fuse itself, but you can find the color-coded wire that comes out of the back of the fuse box to make the install a little cleaner if you wish.

3. Check your Technical Service Manual, Haynes, etc. for the correct color. Or you can just do it the easy way like me and slave it to the fuse).

4. Splice the black wire (ground) into "windshield wiper circuit" (The same deal goes for this hookup. Take the easy route and stick it in with the fuse, or go the clean route and splice it into the correct wire coming out of the back of the fusebox. Your choice.)


LINKS

Google: "lights on buzzer"

Messageboard thread on Lights-On Alarm (www.honda-tech.com)


TO MESSAGEBOARD > > >

HOME