autocheck loading for eurolights conversion

[Mike Arman]

The autocheck seems to function correctly when it sees the relay coils OR
the lights.

You will need to use the four-relay system, one relay per filament because
if the autocheck has only one side loaded, it will trigger. I seem to
remember opening one of these (it could have been the tail light monitor
box) and finding a "W" shaped piece of thin metal. The electricity flows
through it, heating it up. If both legs of the "W" are loaded, and
therefore heated equally, the "W" doesn't twist. If only one leg is loaded
(other one has a bad bulb, hence no power flows through the leg), it DOES
twist and triggers a contact to the autocheck controller.

I got my power for the relays from the jump start terminal, and used four
relays. My autocheck seems quite happy (about that, anyway) and even gives
me an "OK" on startup every once in a great while!

As far as not knowing you are driving with one light out, it is quite
possible. The OEM type 44 DOT lights are so bad that there isn't much
difference between total darkness and lights on, while the Euro conversions
are so good that even one low beam is better by far than the two DOT high
beams! What I do is check high and low beams for both filaments by flashing
them against a wall before I drive off, and again when I get home.


--end of Audi content--

I think the real reason not too many people in the US are overly concerned
about who eventually wins the election is that we know that our lives will
not be significantly different with a Democratic Tweedledee or a Republican
Tweedledum, nor will there be much of a change from the present
administration. The only REAL change will be that we will have someone else
to vilify instead of Bill Clinton. This is NOT a world-shaking difference,
and most of the electorate feels it isn't worth getting highly upset about.
As has been mentioned, there are no tanks in the streets, and there are not
likely to be, either.

What is upsetting is the appalling imprecision and sloppiness of the
election process - first they tell us every vote counts, so get your sorry,
unpatriotic behind out there and vote, dammit (I did), then they tell us
that due to a procedural "glitch" they are not going to honor some half a
million votes cast in such and such a county, even if they CAN someday
figure out how many were for each candidate.

Want to see some serious voter turnout? Proposition One: Junk the electoral
college, yes or no. Proposition Two: Make meaningful election reforms,
focusing on "soft money" and other similar scams. Proposition Three:
Overhaul the physical mechanism for voting and counting the votes - ever
hear of computers, Al-who-invented-the-internet and George-who
never-heard-of-it?

And as far as revoking the Declaration of Independence, I am of two minds -
Sometimes I think the Redcoats should be invited back to Washington to
finish the job they started back in 1812, but properly this time, and
sometimes I think, hey, you guys wanna revoke our Declaration? Come and try
it! You'll see tanks in the streets, all right, but they're gonna be YOUR
streets! (Just kidding, honest!)

Best Regards,

Mike Arman