Just added my DRLs/Halos

[hayze]

Hello,

I just had my DRLs installed, and my friend and I wired them up recently, so I thought why not post a thread here. These are actually called halos. Lots of people call them angel eyes too. These are not invasive emitters or headlights at all. They are however noticeable. They also make my car look classier (in my opinion).

Also, this mod is very subtle and unique. In general, using halos is a neat way to implement DRLs (again, in my opinion).

Before I show pictures, I'll depict the wiring. Its actually very simple.

After being shipped back from AAC, each headlight housing has added to it a ballast with two terminated wire leads.

So then my friend and I implemented the wiring in this diagram:

(all connections were properly soldered, heat shrunk, and electrical taped). We also tested continuity with a DMM.

We wired these to my passenger side marker, so they behave identically. This stops me from leaving them on upon exit. I plan to add an inline switch one day when I have some time.

Anyway, here are some pictures of them:

Note: the halo doesn't replace the high beam. They couldn't successfully replace them anyway. There is still an H1 bulb that is completely separate from the halo. The halo is a completely separate circuit than the high beam, so the highs still work as usual.

The halos draw less than 1A each, but I don't know exactly how much.

They are 8000K (HIDs are 4300K though)

The bullet connectors are the PL-08 from here:
http://autolumination.com/connectors.htm

Well, just thought I'd share my headlight mod. By the way, thanks to everyone who ever answered any electronics questions for me on other threads. Its all part of me learning how to get these jobs done safely even though I had a very skilled friend help me out anyway.

 

[tay]

Looks clean. Did you think about doing halos around the low beams too? I always thought the quad setup looked nice.

Don't TLs have high beam DRLs? I know most newer Honda/Acura cars I've seen have the halogen high beams on during the day.

Other than that, clean TL! I think they're some really classy cars. And they have arguably one of the best xenon projectors on the market, especially when used with the ZKW clear lenses.

 

[hayze]

Its a TSX not a TL,

ha, they look kinda similar though, especially at the headlights.

AAC can put the halos on all the lights or any combination, but I just wanted one per headlight housing.

Oh and what is the ZKW lens? I never heard of that.

 

[tay]

You can get a TSX-Replica clear lens on an internet store called the retrofit source. You take the projector out of the housing, swap the lens, and it's supposed to add some intensity, as well as sharpen the cutoff. Lots of people on HIDPlanet use them, you can probably find a thread there.

 

[bshanahan14rulz]

I wouldn't recommend using a tsx replica lens on a tsx projector. Why? because why use a replica when you already have the real thing? Now, the replicas are clear like the old tsx lenses (yours have fresnel lines in it) but you really won't see any difference in intensity. It's an unnoticeable amount, even more unnoticeable than the difference between a high Q4 and a low Q5 of the same tint.
The benefit of the lens is that you will be able to attain a nice, sharp cutoff, sharper than what you have now. If you don't give a rat's bum about how sharp your cutoff is, don't bother with the lenses.

And ZKW lenses are lenses from a very very specific projector made by ZKW for BMW (usually they use bosch/hella parts for their lighting). This lens is very clear with no fresnel lines, no frostiness, no texture. Just a clear, aspheric lens that happens to have similar focal length to the TL 3" bixenon projector. Added onto the TL, the ZKW lens will provide a sharp cutoff all the way across.

 

[MichaelW]

But does Honda have dynamic auto leveling? do they even have automatic leveling?

 

[bshanahan14rulz]

But doesn't Honda have dynamic auto leveling? do they even have automatic leveling?

Sometimes.

Yes and no.

It depends.

Were you talking to me?

 

[MichaelW]

When the 2004 TL came out, Honda installed HID bi-projectors.
It did not have dynamic auto leveling, where you have a front axle sensor & rear axle sensor so that the headlights maintain a constant azimuth.
A cheaper system is to omit the front axle sensor, which is better than manual [driver dependent/reliant]
and Honda omitted manual remote leveling, via a rotary knob in the dash.

In the civilized world, you can not even have HIDs without a leveling & cleaning system. (it would be illegal)

Has Acura/Honda fixed that in the intervening years?

 

[bshanahan14rulz]

I see no reason to have autoleveling when the car's angle changes so much and so quickly. No, from what I know, non-autoleveling lights are not illegal. Plenty of cars come equipped with HIDs that do not include autoleveling. all s2k came with HIDs, no s2k came with autoleveling.

autoleveling is more useful for SUVs and 4doors, etc. It is meant to couteract what happens when you put a bunch of groceries (consisting of bricks) in the trunk, for example. It should not be used for the constant change in angle that the car goes through while driving, as that would be too disorienting to the driver.

it would suck trying to go uphill and autoleveling makes your lights go down so that you can only see a few yards in front of you. Then, when you go down hill, you'd be blinding everybody as your lights try to stay level.

 

[MichaelW]

That is the exact reason to have an automatic leveling system.
Have you seen an '04-'05 Maxima (with HIDs), horribly obnoxious that the cutoff moves up and down.

I was not referring to the US. HIDs SHOULD be illegal without leveling & cleaning systems.

No it is not 'distracting', even basic systems work fine. Dynamic systems are seamless.

Leveling system do not orient the lights to the absolute horizontal, they orient to the direction of vehicle motion. If you were going uphill, your headlights would shine too high. If you go downhill, they'd be too low.
See page 3
http://www.hella.com/produktion/Hel...ndustry/Light/TILicht_Elektronik_GB_TT_16.pdf
Manual leveling should be used on halogen reflectors.
Automatic leveling should be used halogen reflectors.
Dynamic leveling should be used with HID projectors.

See chart on page 5
http://www.hella.com/produktion/Hel...AutoIndustry/Light/TIScheinwerfe_GB_TT_18.pdf
Punch it! and the headlights compensate down.
Nail the brakes, and the headlights come up.

 

[tay]

Some cars have less suspension travel than others. That's probably why they didn't bother with that system on the S2000... the tight suspension means that the car doesn't lean forward much, or lean back much.

I definitely see it being more useful in a van or SUV, where you have a varying cargo load, combined with a mushy suspension that lets the car bob up and down. I don't see them being useful on a S2000, which has no cargo capability, and a tight suspension that keeps it level under braking/acceleration.

As for the cleaning system, I really don't understand why they should be legally mandated. I don't think I've ever had my car in a situation where my headlights were dirty to the point of compromising visibility noticeably. And it's easy enough to clean by hand. You go to the gas station, use the squeegee to clean the mud off your windshield, then do the same thing with your headlights and mirrors. If you live in a very muddy part of the country, or go off-roading, then I see the appeal, but the majority of suburban and urban drivers are never going to get enough dirt on their headlights to cause serious issues.

If that were the case, then they should ban polycarbonate plastic lenses on headlights, because it's well documented that they decay and become yellow and hazy, which is pretty much unavoidable. Your lenses get muddy, you can wipe them off with a napkin. They get yellow and hazy because of UV light, you're SOL unless you buy new ones. That, to me, is a more serious issue than just catering to people who are too lazy and negligent to take care of their car.

 

[MichaelW]

As for the cleaning system, I really don't understand why they should be legally mandated. I don't think I've ever had my car in a situation where my headlights were dirty to the point of compromising visibility noticeably. And it's easy enough to clean by hand. You go to the gas station, use the squeegee to clean the mud off your windshield, then do the same thing with your headlights and mirrors. If you live in a very muddy part of the country, or go off-roading, then I see the appeal, but the majority of suburban and urban drivers are never going to get enough dirt on their headlights to cause serious issues.

Do you get winter in NJ?
It isn't about light output, it is about glare.

 

[mds82]

Halo's are for BMW's, not Acuras... sorry, thats just my $0.02

 

[hayze]

^^This association needs broken because these look soooo much better on other cars.

 

[tay]

IDK, I think they look best on quad headlights where the lights are all the same diameter. Mixed diameter angel eyes always look a little odd to me, and single angel eyes do too.

 

[bshanahan14rulz]

I just don't like the really bright ones. It doesn't look too bad on that headlight since it already has quite a few rounds in it, but usually it's just weird lookin'

 

[bobski]

At first I thought those "ballasts" were just current regulating electronics for driving a couple of LEDs (the most common approach to halo construction). But looking closer at the unlit halos, I realized they don't look like the typical notched light-guide... Are those circular CCFL tubes?

 

[tay]

Thats what it looks like... CCFL rings have become popular - probably because theyre a little cheaper and less complicated. The real BMW angel eyes are these rounded tubes, grooved in certain ways, then connected to a small incan bulb with fiber optic cable. Lots of optical engineering involved to replicate that, when you could just take a cheap CCFL and bend it. Theyve been making round CCFL rings for PC case modding for years.

And the CCFLs definitely look better than some of the cheap ebay LED crap you see.

 

[bshanahan14rulz]

Most aftermarket Halos that don't come pre-installed in aftermarket headlights are usually CCFL. More LED ones are showing up now too. Not too many acrylic light guide style halos though...

BMW Halos use a 10W halogen bulb hidden in the housing. It has a reflector that shoots into a pair of flexible fibre cables that go to each halo. Pretty neat idea.

 

[bobski]

probably because theyre a little cheaper and less complicated.

Meh. http://www.geocities.com/jvxdriver/eagle_eyes.htm

And the CCFLs definitely look better than some of the cheap ebay LED crap you see.

I'll give you that much.