Question

[Yoder, Wm. Douglas]

I'd have to look at a wiring diagram, but wouldn't the voltage coming
from the battery not be constant as you turn on other electrical
systems?  Power has to come from somewhere... the two sources of power
are the battery and the alternator.  But the alternator charges the
battery when the engine is running.

That being said, in theory a DC-DC converter would work for providing a
constant 12V to the headlights.  The other factor for the converter
design would be the amount of current the headlights require.

-Doug

Todd Young wrote:
> I thought of something last night and wanted to throw it out to the list
> for feedback.
>
> We all know that normal voltage to the headlights drops as you turn on
> accessories, thereby reducing the available light output from your
> headlights. Some of us have wired in relays to direct voltage directly
> from the battery to the headlights, thereby shortening the expected life
> of the bulb because it is receiving 13.6 volts rather than 12 volts.
>
> Here's my idea, instead of using relays, why not utilize a DC-DC
> converter circuit with the relays? Input would still be 13.6 volts
> directly from the battery, but with the DC-DC converter, the voltage
> from the battery could be a "range" of voltages, but still have an
> output from the converter set to a steady 12 volts.
>
> OK, tell me why this wouldn't work? And if it would work, any electrical
> engineers out there that could throw together a circuit for us?
> --
> Todd Young
> 7079 Dawn Ave. E.
> Inver Grove Heights, MN 55076
> 651-450-7725
>

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|    Doug Yoder    |   wdy at zordok.net   |    http://www.zordok.net/    |
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|    Wouldn't it be worse if life really were fair and we somehow      |
|           deserved all the nasty things that happen to us?           |
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