Jump to content

What headlights should I get

Asells

By Asells
in Modifications & Accessories

Recommended Posts

TanMan22 Enthusiast

TanMan22

Posted
Posted

yes you will need the relay harness and either the BOW3 or the 4700uF capacitors to make the 35w kit not flicker

05cyclone Enthusiast

05cyclone

Posted
Posted

What I have on mine is the DDM 55w with the harness and I added a set of the can-bus error eliminators from the retrofit source and they have been flawless.

morrislee Enthusiast

morrislee

Posted
Posted

What I have on mine is the DDM 55w with the harness and I added a set of the can-bus error eliminators from the retrofit source and they have been flawless.

 

FYI, "can-bus error eliminators" just a fancy name for a capacitor. Dont spent the premium price if you can get some 16v 4700uF capacitors for few dollars and just pinch the leads in with the original signal in parallel.

TRS Andrew Enthusiast

TRS Andrew

Posted
Posted

Yeah, like cyclone said, they are ok once they are able to withstand the first couple of weeks, then they will be fine.

 

I personally seen the difference between DDM 55w vs morimoto 5five or whatever they called it. Morimoto is only ever so slightly brighter if you actually compared it side by side. Price does not justify the difference is what I am getting at.

 

I think the failure rate of the current model (XB; about 0.08% at last calculation) and the renowned support is absolutely worth it. :)

 

FYI, "can-bus error eliminators" just a fancy name for a capacitor. Dont spent the premium price if you can get some 16v 4700uF capacitors for few dollars and just pinch the leads in with the original signal in parallel.

 

There's actually much more inside than capacitors, at least with the Morimoto Canbus harnesses.

morrislee Enthusiast

morrislee

Posted
Posted

 

I think the failure rate of the current model (XB; about 0.08% at last calculation) and the renowned support is absolutely worth it. :)

 

 

There's actually much more inside than capacitors, at least with the Morimoto Canbus harnesses.

It is just a capacitor wired in in parallel. I have seen DangerDick's 5five kit. These are very simple electronic circuits. Ballasts are the complicated ones

TRS Andrew Enthusiast

TRS Andrew

Posted
Posted

It is just a capacitor wired in in parallel. I have seen DangerDick's 5five kit. These are very simple electronic circuits. Ballasts are the complicated ones

 

That's the capacitor link. The canbus harness (a completely separate part) is more than just a capacitor.

morrislee Enthusiast

morrislee

Posted
Posted

 

That's the capacitor link. The canbus harness (a completely separate part) is more than just a capacitor.

If you are referring to something like below, they are the same thing. A capacitor inside and expoxy filled the plastic housing

 

41YE33Q0cxL._SX466_.jpg

morrislee Enthusiast

morrislee

Posted
Posted

CANBUS is nothing more than a marketing term.

 

It is just another fancy term for bunch of wires already designed to control things. Rarely using integrated circuits. Mostly use capacitor, relays and resistors with some network or wiring to bypass stuff

morrislee Enthusiast

morrislee

Posted
Posted

Keep in mind, I have built my own has has worked for months without issue. I understood how they work because I used to study comp eng ;)

  • 1 month later...
Fasthotrod Enthusiast

Fasthotrod

Posted
Posted

 

 

CANBUS is nothing more than a marketing term.

 

It is just another fancy term for bunch of wires already designed to control things. Rarely using integrated circuits. Mostly use capacitor, relays and resistors with some network or wiring to bypass stuff

 

You may very well be right regarding the cheap plug-in modules, but you are wrong regarding CAN Bus.

 

CAN Bus stands for Controller Area Network. It uses message based protocol to allow multiple devices to communicate with each other without a host computer. CAN bus is one of five protocols used in the vehicle diagnostics standard. (On Board Diagnostics: OBD-II) I think that GM has their own protocol known as GM LAN (Local Area Network) that uses three different speeds of CAN Bus: High speed for engine and drivetrain controls, mid-speed for media, and lo-speed for everything else.

 

The thing is, too many people are seeing certain terms, then just regurgitating them without knowing what they are talking about. These "CAN BUS Eliminators" for headlights have absolutely NOTHING to do with the CAN Bus, but because the CAN Bus is what tells the automotive systems that there is a headlight problem, people have mistakely called them "CAN Bus Eliminators" for that very reason.

 

Think about it for a moment... a hallogen light bulb in your truck. Does it have a microprocessor? Does it communicate with the Body Control Module? Hardly... but people still call those black boxes CAN BUS 'eliminators' and they aren't anywhere close to a proper description.

 

I have no idea what GM calls their system, but lets assume for a moment that they call it the Headlight Control Module. The Headlight Control Module talks to the Body Control Module, and serves a few purposes. One: Power the Headlight. Two: Reduce power to the headlight for use as a Daytime Tunning Light. Three: Inform the driver that a headlight is not functioning properly.

 

One is easy: Turn on/turn off. Been that way for years... but to add the other two features, they had to come up with something else. Enter in Pulse Width Modulation. (PWM) PWM is the ability to turn on/off a source of power in a rapid manner, like so:

 

atmega168a_pwm_02_lrg.jpg

 

The pulses are fast enough that our eyes don't see it as a flicker, but it's only on long enough to power the filiment in the bulb to have a minimal output during DRL use, or max duty cycle for regular headlight use. The bulb filiment sees the pulse and current begins to flow and the element heats up creating light. When the pulse goes to zero the filiment is still hot so light continues to be emitted... and here comes the next pulse, and it does it all over again. I don't know for certain, but GM may possibly reduce the voltage of the pusle during DRL operation... I've never checked it with an oscilloscope to be sure.

 

While the Headlight Module is sending the pulses to the bulb, it's also monitoring the current to the bulb to make sure that everything is working properly. If current stops flowing, then the module knows that 'something' in the circuit opened up... most likely the bulb itself. That's when the Headlight Module 'talks' to the Body Control Module (maybe over CAN Bus, maybe over GM LAN, whatever...) to tell it that the headlight is out.

 

It might look something like this:

 

vigraph.png

 

If current stops flowing, the blue line would go flat and the Headlight Module would sense that. So for anything to work on the headlight circuit and not report back an issue, it has to maintain a particular amount of current flow back to the Headlight Control Module to satisfy the requirements.

 

Companies that sell HID kits know that the easiest way to sell kits is to make them 'plug and play' for your vehicle. On older vehicles, that was much easier. On todays vehicles, it becomes a bit harder.

 

The ballast on a HID kit needs clean power coming into it to make it work. If you are sending it a PWM signal, it won't work right. That's where the capacitor comes in. A capacitor acts like a filter, and also acts like a small battery in that it takes a charge when the pulse is high, then discharges into the circuit when the pulse goes low. It attempts to smooth out the area of power/no power, convincing the ballast that everything on the supply side is okay.

 

But to 'fool' the Headlight Control Module, it will also need to have something that looks like a standard lightbulb load, or at least enough load to overcome the open-circuit threshold. Odds are, there is a resistor in there that performs this type of service, too. Depending on the brains behind the device, they very well may have some type of voltage regulator circuit, some Mosfets, inductors, etc... It just depends on how many systems you want your 'black box' to work with, and how much money you want to put into it.

 

Sorry about the rant. :crazy:

Ryan698 Enthusiast

Ryan698

Posted
Posted

I did the morimoto 6000k kit and I love it 200% better then stock and look awesome!!! 71b22b9d6ddcdf0d44dff94b1dc26417.jpg0e13f5a8fcbb32e475103b9c08982411.jpg

 

Sent from my SM-G900W8 using Tapatalk

BuyAmericanIron Enthusiast

BuyAmericanIron

Posted
Posted

http://www.downsouthkustomstx.com/

Call this guy. Got my HID's from him. Easy install, factory looking wiring harness and relay, clear and easy to follow instructions. The only cutting was a hole drilled in the cap on the back of the headlight assy. Very bright (like they should have been from the factory) and work perfect. Good people and he knows his stuff when it comes to HID and LED bulbs. He also tries out all setups prior to shipping to the customer so you have a trouble free installation.

RobZ71LM7 Enthusiast

RobZ71LM7

Posted
Posted

The Canbus kit as sold by TRS (Morimoto) supposedly contains more than just a capacitor-they have a resistor too. The TRS capacitor link is sold separately and is cheaper. I want to say the capacitor link kit I got came with a cap close to 10,000 uF. Our headlights only need a capacitor. Just because your cheap kit's canbus was only a capacitor doesn't mean they are all that way.

 

Canbus

http://www.theretrofitsource.com/components/harnesses/morimoto-standalone-canbus-wire-harness.html#.VdsJhNJViN0

 

Capacitor

http://www.theretrofitsource.com/components/harnesses/capacitor-relay-harness-link.html#.VdsJptJViN0

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

Go to topic listing

  • Latest Articles

  • Posts

    • GN2018
      Rattle in the rear!

      By GN2018 · Posted

      I've tried everything and still have the rattle.  My next thing to eliminate is the seatbelt connection on the real pillar.  The cover seems loose and could be the source.  I found one of my grandsons video games in the back seat rest compartment   and had a glimmer of joy, but that wasn't it.  I'll keep trying.  
    • diyer2
      Injector update

      By diyer2 · Posted

    • Atlas
      The Peckish Synapse

      By Atlas · Posted

      I'm tangentially aware of what Harley used to be, back in my riding days, although I was into Italian sport bikes. Ducati seems to have gone the other way; still very expensive, but they've made a large subset of their bikes a lot more reliable and accessible, and they've diversified their lineup to include other riding sports too. IMO, a good example of where greed and growth might have also been beneficial to the consumer.   Although GM is charging a relative premium for its most popular pickups, I find that there are some excellent value propositions in its lineup as well.   The Colorado still strikes me as the most attractive midsize on the market, and also the most reasonably priced given capability and features. There's a part of me that wishes I would have bought one instead of my Silverado.   The Equinox ...I must be getting old. The ICE equinox is a great design IMO. Probably because it reminds me visually of an actual SUV aka an S Blazer. Underneath it's nothing even remotely close, but it LOOKS good. It's got all the modern features plus some at a very reasonable price. If I had to run out and buy myself a daily commuter to do everything except tow, an Equinox would be on my list.   It does bug me that mid-tier 1500's reach into the 50-60k range, and Tahoes and Burbs are even more expensive. Less than 10 years ago, dealers were sitting on rows of Tahoe LS and LT's for low 40's. You could even still find Tahoes with a front bench, still!
    • Grumpy Bear
      Gas Prices

      By Grumpy Bear · Posted

      Big oil is raking in billions from the Iran war. Can it avoid Trump’s fury?   Remember I said Big Oil is 'Vertically Integrated"?   Even as they no longer own the majority of the "Pump" they still own the "Well". Crude price upward pressure does not translate into that same pressure on production. Pumping cost remain unaffected and the gap is pure profit. Even after subtraction of a minor, comparatively, lower amount from supposed, but not always, realized refining volume. Consumers hate war, Big Oil, not so much.
    • KARNUT
      2027 GMC Sierra: Official Discussion

      By KARNUT · Posted

      We live in a world where the average person expects more. People say wages and our needs are farther apart. My first new home had 3 bedrooms and one bedroom. My first car and truck had what would be considered a stripped or work vehicle. In my neighborhood back then there were more homes like that and cars too. Middle managers and second home buyers worked their way up to the fancy houses and cars. Car loans were 3 years. GM had different models of cars for different income levels. The cars were pretty much the same size if you wanted a big vehicle. The nameplate designated the opulence. Chevy, Pontiac, Buick, Oldsmobile and Cadillac.  To be fair some of the cost is government mandated. We can’t blame them for giving us what people will pay for. Careful advertising steering people towards more profitable SUVs and trucks. As I learned recently a minivan is a cheaper more efficient form of transportation. Certainly easier to live with. Somebody realized the profit margin wasn’t as big and gave it a soccer mom label. So it lost its coolness. They’re making it the masses are buying it. You hit your hand with a hammer you can’t blame the hammer.

  • GM-Trucks.com Clubs

  • Popular Contributors

×
×
  • Create New...