Finally, flashers...

swooshdave · May 30, 2012

So I finally have working turn signals...

I got everything wired up and the little buggers would just lazily blink. I thought I had the right flasher unit that I got at the auto parts store.

I think the package said something about low voltage. Note the coil inside.

So I picked up a couple of these flashers from Amazon, about $10 ea. The other is for the Ducati. I popped out the old flasher and put the fancy new one in. Instructions say to ground the pigtail. So I do and nothing. Apparently grounding to the positive on a negative ground system... not bad but doesn't do much. As soon as I got the ground sorted I had a winner. See how this one is all electronic? First one said electronic on the outside too...

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004O1 ... 01_s00_i00

[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vDfdO0Sn9fM[/video]

Next trick is to figure out how to wire in an indicator for the imaginary dash I have.

Oh, and on the right handlebar switches is the right turn signal up or down?

Mark F · May 30, 2012

Right is up. Left is down.

concours · May 30, 2012

Mark F said:
Right is up. Left is down.

LOL, MIne is opposite from that.

L.A.B. · May 30, 2012

swooshdave said:
Next trick is to figure out how to wire in an indicator for the imaginary dash I have.

For a standard incandescent bulb, connect one warning lamp bulb terminal to the left hand flasher circuit, and the other bulb terminal to the right hand circuit.

maylar · May 30, 2012

For LED blinkies you connect one end of the indicator light to ground and use diodes from the 2 front blinkers tied together at the hot side of the indicator.

rvich · May 30, 2012

I wire my flashers so that the paddle goes in the direction that my bars are going to lean into the turn. It seems to make it a little more automatic for my analog brain. So on mine the paddle goes up to turn left and down for right.

Russ

Mark F · May 30, 2012

Hmmmm. Interesting. Maybe the PO changed it to suit the way his brain was wired. :?
I don't know whether it is correct or not.

swooshdave · May 30, 2012

http://britmoto.com/manuals/Manuals/Riders_3.pdf

Up for left according to Rider Handbook.

drones76 · May 30, 2012

swooshdave said:
http://britmoto.com/manuals/Manuals/Riders_3.pdf

Up for left according to Rider Handbook.

YES! Now my OCD is not going to require that I fix it.

concours · May 30, 2012

rvich said:
I wire my flashers so that the paddle goes in the direction that my bars are going to lean into the turn. It seems to make it a little more automatic for my analog brain. So on mine the paddle goes up to turn left and down for right.

Russ

That's how I've been remembering which way... lol

swooshdave · Jun 6, 2012

I've got a new problem, flashers work just fine when the bike isn't running, but as soon as I start it they don't (stay on, don't flash).

I do have the ground wire from the flasher connected directly to the battery. Is that bad?

I've never had something not work depending on if the bike was running or not.

Torontonian · Jun 6, 2012

Got my Tridon flasher cheap at Crappy Tire ,works a treat. Ignore the heavy-duty one ,that's for trailers. The battery is strong so no probs. but I remember the previous battery as it was ending it's life ,the flashers would only work if I revved the engine. Plus the Boyer would rev.high and strangeness. My flasher controls were moved to the left side paddle awhile back , up is left and down is right. Still forget to turn them off time to time but other drivers nicely remind me at stoplights. Wouldn't have it any other way , hand signals no one knows about in the new world.

batrider · Jun 7, 2012

Maybe RFI (Radio Frequency Interference) from the spark plugs / ignition system is getting into the flasher unit so it keeps retriggering. Do you have either resistive wire or spark plug caps?

swooshdave · Jun 10, 2012

batrider said:
Maybe RFI (Radio Frequency Interference) from the spark plugs / ignition system is getting into the flasher unit so it keeps retriggering. Do you have either resistive wire or spark plug caps?

I don't think the wires are resistive. Look like copper wires.

Plugs are BP7ES, so non-resistor.

non-digital-boyer-with-resistor-caps-plugs-t13277.html#p156971

hobot said:
Oh ugh, flash backs on my analog boyer ere, This baseline Boyer can spark just fine any R combo you happen to end up with. Only thing that happens if no R in plugs or caps or leads is your LED signals will blink on and off as normal but during on period will flash like a timing light.

They aren't strobing, just staying on solid.

Hobot · Jun 11, 2012

Ignition interference causes LED to flash with each spark but don't stop them blinking normally so what one sees is timing light fast flashing in intervals of on and off. Yes its a hoot at night to see throttle blip rpms registering through the signals.
No winking is not d/t R issues in spark HT leads, so keep hunting .

gtsun · Jun 11, 2012

Hey swoosh do you know anyone else who has used that flasher succesfuly? I was having trouble with mine & pvisseriii told me about a modern one from NAPA, part # 552LL and it works great! Why not try one just in case there is something with yours that can't work right with the engine running. If you buy it & it's not the problem I'll buy it from you to keep as a spare. I got mine working for the first time in years & it really is nice to have them. Sometimes even just to tell other rudders of a group a turn is comming up and I like the (maybe false) scense of safety when sitting at a light waiting to turn left I feel a bit safer from some cell phone coma induced driver not seeing me sitting there! Anyway, good luck.

swooshdave · Jun 11, 2012

gtsun said:
Hey swoosh do you know anyone else who has used that flasher succesfuly? I was having trouble with mine & pvisseriii told me about a modern one from NAPA, part # 552LL and it works great! Why not try one just in case there is something with yours that can't work right with the engine running. If you buy it & it's not the problem I'll buy it from you to keep as a spare. I got mine working for the first time in years & it really is nice to have them. Sometimes even just to tell other rudders of a group a turn is comming up and I like the (maybe false) scense of safety when sitting at a light waiting to turn left I feel a bit safer from some cell phone coma induced driver not seeing me sitting there! Anyway, good luck.

The one in the first picture is electro-mechanical like the NAPA one. It didn't work at all.

The new one is all electronic, and should work. It works when the bike isn't running so it's not "broken".

Probably something goofy in the way I wired it.

gtsun · Jun 11, 2012

I'm not suggesting it's broken just maybe not compatible for some reason. Electrical stuff is all Voo Doo science to me, I understand the path it follows & the basic stuff but not what's really going on inside those wires & goofy contraptions so I start with things that are known to work togeather. What else is there? Could a short cause those symtoms?

swooshdave · Jun 11, 2012

gtsun said:
I'm not suggesting it's broken just maybe not compatible for some reason. Electrical stuff is all Voo Doo science to me, I understand the path it follows & the basic stuff but not what's really going on inside those wires & goofy contraptions so I start with things that are known to work togeather. What else is there? Could a short cause those symtoms?

Yes, a short could cause weird behaviors.

swooshdave · Jun 12, 2012

So my cousin came over with his fancy Fluke and we poked around seeing if there was anything strange we could find that would mess with the flashers.

We didn't find anything unusual.

He took my wiring diagram back to work today and asked his EE for advice. He suggested putting one of these in the system to smooth out the flow to the flashers.

1 amp voltage regulator

You will need some bypass caps across the leads or it won't work.

Put a 0.33uF cap between pins 1 and 2 and put a 0.1uF cap between pins 2 and 3. You could also throw an additional electrolytic cap on the output between pins 2 and 3, something like a 4.7uF, but this may not be necessary if the LEDs aren't pulling much current.

Pin 1 is on the left side if you are looking at the front of the transistor.

See page 23 for cap connections:
http://www.fairchildsemi.com/ds/KA/KA7805E.pdf

I had assumed that the job of the battery was to do this. This sounds way too complicated, but just what I'd expect from an EE. :mrgreen:

Thoughts?

Finally, flashers...

swooshdave

Mark F

concours

L.A.B.

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maylar

rvich

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