Anyone have DIY for DRL module?
Anyone have DIY for DRL module?
Intermediate
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 26
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Hi, I have an extra module that I purchased earlier this year for my wifes car. Turns out her car isn't compatible with the module but I can assure you your TL is because I have the same module installed in my car right now. I connected the module to the fogs and current be happier.
Last edited by LoveMyTL-S; May 24, 2010 at 11:47 AM. Reason: As per BM rules
Thread Starter
CARBON FIBER WDP TL
Joined: Feb 2009
Posts: 1,157
Likes: 50
From: Boston
why didnt they fit your wifes car and where did you get it from...alot of pple are telling me autobarn.com
Last edited by LoveMyTL-S; May 24, 2010 at 11:47 AM. Reason: As BM rules
Intermediate
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 26
Likes: 0
My wife has a Mazda CX-7. I took her car to CarToys and even to the Mazda dealership to get the module installed and both said it couldn't be installed on her car due to voltage discrepancy? As I mentioned earlier I currently have this exact module installed on my TL right now so I know it should work. I originally tried to purchase the module from autobarn but they were sold out. I got this module off ebay for $40.
Last edited by LoveMyTL-S; May 24, 2010 at 11:48 AM. Reason: As per BM rules.
IIRC, the install was pretty simple. From autobarn's website:
"Installation: Reduced Intensity Daytime Running Lights system is a simple, under hood, three-wire installation 12-volts constant, Ground and Low beam headlight wire. Drivers with little or no automotive knowledge may want to seek professional installation."
They supplied really shitty wiretaps. Either solder the connections or buy some good 3M wiretaps before installing.
I can look to see if I still have hte directions that shipped with my unit, if you need anything more.
cjj2d: this module is $30 from autobarn.com and it adds the DRL functionality to 04-06 TLs. When you turn on the car with the headlights off, it turns on the OEM fogs at 75% intensity. The DRLs turn off when you either turn on your headlights or 30 seconds after you turn off the car.
"Installation: Reduced Intensity Daytime Running Lights system is a simple, under hood, three-wire installation 12-volts constant, Ground and Low beam headlight wire. Drivers with little or no automotive knowledge may want to seek professional installation."
They supplied really shitty wiretaps. Either solder the connections or buy some good 3M wiretaps before installing.
I can look to see if I still have hte directions that shipped with my unit, if you need anything more.
cjj2d: this module is $30 from autobarn.com and it adds the DRL functionality to 04-06 TLs. When you turn on the car with the headlights off, it turns on the OEM fogs at 75% intensity. The DRLs turn off when you either turn on your headlights or 30 seconds after you turn off the car.
Last edited by dwb993; May 19, 2010 at 09:39 PM.
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Racer
Joined: Dec 2011
Posts: 469
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From: Jacksonville, FL
Drifting
Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 3,473
Likes: 189
From: Dallas
I did my DRL's close to this but not exactly and I am concerned about 1 thing.
But first, in that link, He said he installed DRLs into his fog light position. But I do not see any new fog lights on the car. So, why install DRLs? Observing the pic, it looks like a fog light, so I don't get it. Seems like to me it would have been easier to just turn on your fog lights. haha No changes needed! woot. Unless brightness was an issue, but during the day, if lights on, even a fog light, it's not bothersome.. And most lights don’t "seem" as bright during the day because it is daylight outside.. So, again, I think he could have just turned on his fog lights since he did not change the headlight itself to an 07/08. But you know, whatever he wants to do. Its his car. ( I have more to say about the brightness below)
1 thing here, I could not find what he said to do with the passenger side. Is there another wire that goes directly to the passenger fog light to the box? Did I miss that? How did he connect the passenger side?
I was trying to determine what all the connections are and this is what I think. When the key is turned on, a relay is toggled to ON in his black box and power drawn from the battery to supply voltage to the bulb. I chose another place to sense when the ignition comes on. That is fuse position 31 in the fuse panel near the left foot inside. The green wire that he used is sort of hairy in the schematic. If you put a low resistance sensor in parrallel with the wiper switch, and that is what he did, then current is increased on the fuse of that circuit which is likely already loaded with other items. maybe nothing will happen. Not sure. I just picked a safer place. Less hairy.
Then when the HID's come on, that is sensed through a 2nd relay and that relay shuts off the voltage. I did this the same way as he did.
But one of his wires is connected to the fog light plug/socket. Now, I think that is his power supply from his black box when in turn gets it from the battery. I choose the battery as the voltage supply too, but if he is putting power to that socket while his switch is off, that is not a good idea. I would hope he removed the factory relay for the fog lights or somehow "disarmed" that wire before he tapped it. Again.. not a great idea. I thought at first he was using the fog light circuit as a switch to turn on the foglights, but that not correct. I think he is plugging that socket into the bulb itself, and therefore it is not a sensory connection but rather a power supply connection. Plus he is getting all the sense switching he needs from the green wire and also the HID tap.
My next issue has to do with how he got power to the passenger side. If he has a separate wire that goes to the black box, then those 2 foglights are likely still wired in parallel with each other just like a factory fog light. And they are getting 12v from the battery, JUST LIKE the dang factory fog lights.. So, again I say, why not just turn on your fog lights and forget the black box? But if he only had 1 wire that feeds the positive side of that drivers side bulbs, and if he took the negative side of the driver’s side bulbs and connected to the passenger side + lead, then he is ok. In this configuration the bulbs are in series. The total circuit resistance is greatly increased and the voltage drop over each bulbs becomes 6v instead of 12v. Therefore power output will be less that a normal 65w 9005 or a 55w 9006. So, what I am saying is don't wire these bulbs in parallel if you want a DRL brightness, and especially if you want to install 07/08 headlights. Someone else on this website melted his headlights during a conversion because he left his bulbs in parallel.
So if this guy, bhelsdon, is still running these bulbs in parallel, then his brightness is still that of a fog light. So, he didn't gain anything by installing the black box except a bit of automatic switching.
Someone asked if you can move the green wire connection, and to that I say definitely yes. I built my own controller with 2 relays and tapped fuse position #31 on the fuse panel at the left foot inside. You can easily do the same thing but you can put a switch on that and control the first relay which tells the black box when the key is turned on. If you put a switch on it, it wont see it until you toggle it with the key on.
If you install the 9005's or 9006's, in a 07/08 headlight, you need to put the bulbs in series. And I cannot tell how he wired up the passenger side.
I have the helms book that shows the wiring for USA Fog lights and Canada DRL's. Very close in design, but wired differently. Series vs. parallel.
2 relays with 2 relay pigtails will cost you about the same cost as this black box.
Just a simple circuit. And mine is safer because I put a 10amp fuse to power the bulbs, and its way more than enough.
But first, in that link, He said he installed DRLs into his fog light position. But I do not see any new fog lights on the car. So, why install DRLs? Observing the pic, it looks like a fog light, so I don't get it. Seems like to me it would have been easier to just turn on your fog lights. haha No changes needed! woot. Unless brightness was an issue, but during the day, if lights on, even a fog light, it's not bothersome.. And most lights don’t "seem" as bright during the day because it is daylight outside.. So, again, I think he could have just turned on his fog lights since he did not change the headlight itself to an 07/08. But you know, whatever he wants to do. Its his car. ( I have more to say about the brightness below)
1 thing here, I could not find what he said to do with the passenger side. Is there another wire that goes directly to the passenger fog light to the box? Did I miss that? How did he connect the passenger side?
I was trying to determine what all the connections are and this is what I think. When the key is turned on, a relay is toggled to ON in his black box and power drawn from the battery to supply voltage to the bulb. I chose another place to sense when the ignition comes on. That is fuse position 31 in the fuse panel near the left foot inside. The green wire that he used is sort of hairy in the schematic. If you put a low resistance sensor in parrallel with the wiper switch, and that is what he did, then current is increased on the fuse of that circuit which is likely already loaded with other items. maybe nothing will happen. Not sure. I just picked a safer place. Less hairy.
Then when the HID's come on, that is sensed through a 2nd relay and that relay shuts off the voltage. I did this the same way as he did.
But one of his wires is connected to the fog light plug/socket. Now, I think that is his power supply from his black box when in turn gets it from the battery. I choose the battery as the voltage supply too, but if he is putting power to that socket while his switch is off, that is not a good idea. I would hope he removed the factory relay for the fog lights or somehow "disarmed" that wire before he tapped it. Again.. not a great idea. I thought at first he was using the fog light circuit as a switch to turn on the foglights, but that not correct. I think he is plugging that socket into the bulb itself, and therefore it is not a sensory connection but rather a power supply connection. Plus he is getting all the sense switching he needs from the green wire and also the HID tap.
My next issue has to do with how he got power to the passenger side. If he has a separate wire that goes to the black box, then those 2 foglights are likely still wired in parallel with each other just like a factory fog light. And they are getting 12v from the battery, JUST LIKE the dang factory fog lights.. So, again I say, why not just turn on your fog lights and forget the black box? But if he only had 1 wire that feeds the positive side of that drivers side bulbs, and if he took the negative side of the driver’s side bulbs and connected to the passenger side + lead, then he is ok. In this configuration the bulbs are in series. The total circuit resistance is greatly increased and the voltage drop over each bulbs becomes 6v instead of 12v. Therefore power output will be less that a normal 65w 9005 or a 55w 9006. So, what I am saying is don't wire these bulbs in parallel if you want a DRL brightness, and especially if you want to install 07/08 headlights. Someone else on this website melted his headlights during a conversion because he left his bulbs in parallel.
So if this guy, bhelsdon, is still running these bulbs in parallel, then his brightness is still that of a fog light. So, he didn't gain anything by installing the black box except a bit of automatic switching.
Someone asked if you can move the green wire connection, and to that I say definitely yes. I built my own controller with 2 relays and tapped fuse position #31 on the fuse panel at the left foot inside. You can easily do the same thing but you can put a switch on that and control the first relay which tells the black box when the key is turned on. If you put a switch on it, it wont see it until you toggle it with the key on.
If you install the 9005's or 9006's, in a 07/08 headlight, you need to put the bulbs in series. And I cannot tell how he wired up the passenger side.
I have the helms book that shows the wiring for USA Fog lights and Canada DRL's. Very close in design, but wired differently. Series vs. parallel.
2 relays with 2 relay pigtails will cost you about the same cost as this black box.
Just a simple circuit. And mine is safer because I put a 10amp fuse to power the bulbs, and its way more than enough.
Last edited by Chad05TL; Dec 15, 2012 at 11:56 PM.
One problem with turning the DRL on as foglamps is that you have to have the headlamps on for the foglamps to come on. Unless, you follow this DIY as I did which even alows you yo turn on and off the foglamps with the stock switch:
https://acurazine.com/forums/3g-tl-2004-2008-93/g-029-diy-independent-fog-lights-stock-switch-772633/
https://acurazine.com/forums/3g-tl-2004-2008-93/g-029-diy-independent-fog-lights-stock-switch-772633/
Last edited by crbnfbr; Dec 16, 2012 at 03:28 AM.
Racer
Joined: Dec 2011
Posts: 469
Likes: 154
From: Jacksonville, FL
One problem with turning the DRL on as foglamps is that you have to have the headlamps on for the foglamps to come on. Unless, you follow this DIY as I did which even alows you yo turn on and off the foglamps with the stock switch:
https://acurazine.com/forums/showthread.php?t=772633
https://acurazine.com/forums/showthread.php?t=772633
If you would have read the DIY you'd see that the foglamp switch independently controls the fogs whether the headlamps are on or not. I have it done to my car and I can turn on or off the foglamps regardless if the headlamps are on.
Last edited by crbnfbr; Dec 16, 2012 at 02:02 PM.
Drifting
Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 3,473
Likes: 189
From: Dallas
That is correct, with factory setup you cannot turn on fog lights unless the headlights are on. So I forgot about that. You can't just turn on the foglights. Whatever reason he used to install this black box, it's only a small portion of what I said. And I don't care why he installed it. Its his car.
But his power is going directly to the 1 foglight that I can see. And I can tell the the negative side of that socket is still conencted to the harness and it does not look like it would go to the passenger side foglight.. So, he is still running these foglights in parallel. If still in parallel, then the lights are still too bright for DRL's. So nothing about his setup is like a DRL except the fact is comes on when the car is on, and goes out when the HID is turned on.
So again, the parallel aspect to this wiring method is bad for 07/08 headlights. The black box is Ok to use, but the way he connected the power to the foglight itself is not what I would do at all. But the box itself is almost identical to what I designed myself. But they got a little more fancy with it and put a simple timer (probably 555 timer) on the wire that is used to tap the green wire going to the wiper motor. This is the same wire someone could use to run a switch to the cabin for personal control.
anyway whatever. If he is running 12v to each bulb, and it does look like he is, then he still basically has foglights with just some automatic switching. And its bad that he still has the power connected to the fog light socket from the factory harness simultaneously with his black box power. That's crazy. I would not put 2 power sources on the same connection.
So basically, his foglights come on during the day without HID on. Then when he turns on his headlights, he can hit the foglight switch and the fog lights come on, again.
You know, rather than doubling up on the foglight and having 2 power conenctions to the bulbs, 1 from fog light harness and the other from the black box, I think it would be best just to connect your own switch and forget about the $30 box. That way you can just turn it on and off whenever you want it. And it would be cheaper.
But his power is going directly to the 1 foglight that I can see. And I can tell the the negative side of that socket is still conencted to the harness and it does not look like it would go to the passenger side foglight.. So, he is still running these foglights in parallel. If still in parallel, then the lights are still too bright for DRL's. So nothing about his setup is like a DRL except the fact is comes on when the car is on, and goes out when the HID is turned on.
So again, the parallel aspect to this wiring method is bad for 07/08 headlights. The black box is Ok to use, but the way he connected the power to the foglight itself is not what I would do at all. But the box itself is almost identical to what I designed myself. But they got a little more fancy with it and put a simple timer (probably 555 timer) on the wire that is used to tap the green wire going to the wiper motor. This is the same wire someone could use to run a switch to the cabin for personal control.
anyway whatever. If he is running 12v to each bulb, and it does look like he is, then he still basically has foglights with just some automatic switching. And its bad that he still has the power connected to the fog light socket from the factory harness simultaneously with his black box power. That's crazy. I would not put 2 power sources on the same connection.
So basically, his foglights come on during the day without HID on. Then when he turns on his headlights, he can hit the foglight switch and the fog lights come on, again.
You know, rather than doubling up on the foglight and having 2 power conenctions to the bulbs, 1 from fog light harness and the other from the black box, I think it would be best just to connect your own switch and forget about the $30 box. That way you can just turn it on and off whenever you want it. And it would be cheaper.
Last edited by Chad05TL; Dec 16, 2012 at 02:34 PM.
He didn't install anything besides wires. The black box is where the constant 12v wire connects to. The only things you need is several feet of wire. Also the foglamps stay on even with the HID high beams.
Last edited by crbnfbr; Dec 16, 2012 at 02:41 PM.
Drifting
Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 3,473
Likes: 189
From: Dallas
My setup is totally different though. I routed my factory fog light socket to my new fog lights. (adapter) So the switch in the wheel controls the fog lights. And I have new wires controlling the 9005 bulbs. My DRL's are entirely separate from my foglights. Plus mine are in series and do not shine as bright as a fog light because each bulb is only dropping 6v over it.
His fog lights I think are still running as foglights because I think he still has them in parallel. For real DRL in a 07/08 headlight, you dont want to connect them like that.
I understand he only installed wires. But you can't have DRL's (series) and simulateously have fog lights (parallel).
Either 6 or 12v drop.. but not both. You have to re-wire for each setup.
There is about 100 different ways to look at this, and I am coming up with the same result every time.
Everything he did is wrong. You cant have DRL's and Foglights in the same bulb. Different voltage drop for each type circuit. But if you just wnat to have the dang thing ON, then ok.. make a cheap switch. No need to buy a DRL black box or any relays.
His fog lights I think are still running as foglights because I think he still has them in parallel. For real DRL in a 07/08 headlight, you dont want to connect them like that.
I understand he only installed wires. But you can't have DRL's (series) and simulateously have fog lights (parallel).
Either 6 or 12v drop.. but not both. You have to re-wire for each setup.
There is about 100 different ways to look at this, and I am coming up with the same result every time.
Everything he did is wrong. You cant have DRL's and Foglights in the same bulb. Different voltage drop for each type circuit. But if you just wnat to have the dang thing ON, then ok.. make a cheap switch. No need to buy a DRL black box or any relays.
Last edited by Chad05TL; Dec 16, 2012 at 02:45 PM.
Racer
Joined: Dec 2011
Posts: 469
Likes: 154
From: Jacksonville, FL
I was just reiterating that if you want to use fogs as DRLs, you have to modify the car, as they can't be run independently in stock form.
Head a da Family
Joined: Jul 2003
Posts: 5,505
Likes: 568
From: New Friggin Jerzy
Autobarn doesn't list it anymore because their supplier discontinued it.
The company to get a DRL module from now is Hamsar out of Canada. www.hamsar.com. I called an Acura dealer up there and they said they install the model 45040 on all '04/5/6 TL's that relocate to Canada as DRL's are mandatory in Canada on every vehicle. That's why the Canadian '04/5/6 TL's came with DRL's standard. Lights the fogs at full brightness.
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The company to get a DRL module from now is Hamsar out of Canada. www.hamsar.com. I called an Acura dealer up there and they said they install the model 45040 on all '04/5/6 TL's that relocate to Canada as DRL's are mandatory in Canada on every vehicle. That's why the Canadian '04/5/6 TL's came with DRL's standard. Lights the fogs at full brightness.
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Drifting
Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 3,473
Likes: 189
From: Dallas
I am curious though how they turn on their DRL's and how they turn them off. Besides of course using the fog light circuit. But that would not function like a DRL. Normal fog lights, you cannot turn them on unless the headlights are on.. so I guess something is going on there but I can't tell by looking in 10 minutes. Smells fishy though.
This is just a guess, but I just looked at the wiring diagram on their website and it might be possible that you have to leave the foglight switch ON all the time..So it works opposite.. But then, the little light would be ON in your dash board when the DRL's are off.. But that is only a guess at the moment. Not enough detail on their schematic.
I noticed their schematic on their webpage has only 1 relay, but the picture the guy posted of the material he received, I think it has 2 relays.. strange
Last edited by Chad05TL; Dec 17, 2012 at 07:05 PM.
My DRL's work normal. I did do the foglight stock switch mod so I can turn my fogs on/off as I please. Thats why I have 2 relays by my battery.
I have 5k DRL's if you look in my build thread page 2 I have pics of all of them.
I like the jdmitoy set while costs more it came with everything. I bought different bulbs off ebay for the 5k look.
Light output sucks but they are DRL so I don't care.
I have 5k DRL's if you look in my build thread page 2 I have pics of all of them.
I like the jdmitoy set while costs more it came with everything. I bought different bulbs off ebay for the 5k look.
Light output sucks but they are DRL so I don't care.
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