Wiring options for angel eyes.

[-Matt-]

Well I placed an order last weekend for some predator chromiums from umnitza. Hopefully they should arrive early this week. On umnitza's suggestion I have bought just the upgrade kit which I don't think includes a full wiring harness.

Anyway I just wanted to find out how people had them wired up eg:

1) Wired up to come on at same time as the front fogs.

2) Wired with a relay to the footwell lights for remote operation.

3) Wired to sidelights - (sidelight bulbs removed?).

4) Wired to ignition.

5) Some other way...

There seem to be lots of possibilities. What have you guys gone for and why?

By the way I'm not 100% certain about the legality of angel eyes - (It's probably fine since they are OEM on newer vehicles) - but anyway I would like to put in an additional switch to turn them on and off manually and separately from all of my other lights. I will probably wire in an ASC+T switch for this.

[-Matt-]

Bump :p

[ardsam]

Sometimes I have only my angel eyes on when its pitch black if Ive been driving since it was light enough for only sidelights and Ive been past loads of police cars and they don't care... angel eyes are legal Im sure!

[-Matt-]

So how are yours wired up?

[oakley]

Angels will be legal if u wire them up as ur side lights and remove the side light bulbs (this is how they are designed to be used) If you start adding switches you begin to move into a whole different legal world..... If you wire them upto ur fogs then the legality of ur angels is the least of your worrys and start enjoying the fines u receive everytime you go out in your car :) Altho upsettingly by saying that statement I suspect you already drive around using your fogs :tsk: Pc oakley :)

[Ronnaferd]

I have mine wired into the running lights. Whenever I turn the light knob my AE's turn on. This can be easily done by tapping into the corner lights. They are basically my "running lights"

[-Matt-]

I went to pick up my package from umnitza from the depot this morning. I havn't opened it yet but I will probably be fitting them over the weekend.

Ronnaferd - In the UK the corner lights are your indicators - they only flash when you are indicating a turn and are off the rest of the time so I don't think that would work for me.

Pc Oakley - Sounds like side lights is the way forward then. I do often drive arround with my front fogs on whenever it is dark or the visibility is poor. I have never been stopped for this and I think it is quite normal. The e36 has separate switches for front and rear fogs and I only use the rear fogs in actual fog or in very severe spray etc. I think it is only the rear fogs that you would get stopped for as they can dazzle cars behind you. The front fogs are very low so this isn't an issue.

[Ronnaferd]

ah i see. You might be able to tap into the fog light wires and have them come on when your fog lights turn on? just an idea.

[ardsam]

Angels will be legal if u wire them up as ur side lights and remove the side light bulbs (this is how they are designed to be used) If you start adding switches you begin to move into a whole different legal world..... If you wire them upto ur fogs then the legality of ur angels is the least of your worrys and start enjoying the fines u receive everytime you go out in your car :) Altho upsettingly by saying that statement I suspect you already drive around using your fogs :tsk: Pc oakley :)

whhhhaaaat???

[ardsam]

I went to pick up my package from umnitza from the depot this morning. I havn't opened it yet but I will probably be fitting them over the weekend.

Ronnaferd - In the UK the corner lights are your indicators - they only flash when you are indicating a turn and are off the rest of the time so I don't think that would work for me.

Pc Oakley - Sounds like side lights is the way forward then. I do often drive arround with my front fogs on whenever it is dark or the visibility is poor. I have never been stopped for this and I think it is quite normal. The e36 has separate switches for front and rear fogs and I only use the rear fogs in actual fog or in very severe spray etc. I think it is only the rear fogs that you would get stopped for as they can dazzle cars behind you. The front fogs are very low so this isn't an issue.

I got ccfl tubes that were simple to wire.... not the umnitza ones...

[-Matt-]

Well I want to say a few things in umnitza's defence...

I purchased the upgrade kit rather than the full kit. This was cheaper and a good option for me as it gives me a bit more flexibility in the install. Soldering together a harness is no problem at all for me.

I am sure that if I purchased the full kit the install would have been essentially plug and play.

I have had a quick look at the kit and I am very pleased with the quality. The only thing that surprised me was the blue tint in the plastic. I really want to match to my stock lights so I should probably have paid the extra for the 4500k set.


On the install I have in mind to include relays to the interiour light circuit and the ignition and then also a manual switch. The effect should be...

Angel eyes come on automatically when car is unlocked then fade out.

Angel eyes come on automatically with ignition position I.

At all times angel eyes can be switched off using ASC type console switch.

What do you think?

[umnitza]

Well I want to say a few things in umnitza's defence...

I purchased the upgrade kit rather than the full kit. This was cheaper and a good option for me as it gives me a bit more flexibility in the install. Soldering together a harness is no problem at all for me.

I am sure that if I purchased the full kit the install would have been essentially plug and play.

I have had a quick look at the kit and I am very pleased with the quality. The only thing that surprised me was the blue tint in the plastic. I really want to match to my stock lights so I should probably have paid the extra for the 4500k set.


On the install I have in mind to include relays to the interiour light circuit and the ignition and then also a manual switch. The effect should be...

Angel eyes come on automatically when car is unlocked then fade out.

Angel eyes come on automatically with ignition position I.

At all times angel eyes can be switched off using ASC type console switch.

What do you think?
Originally, when we did the plastics, they needed a UV coating, once installed on the car, the "blueishness" does wear away:)

the rest of your commentary is spot on with respect to wiring.

Good luck with install.:thumbup:

[big-tex]

On the install I have in mind to include relays to the interiour light circuit and the ignition and then also a manual switch. The effect should be...

Angel eyes come on automatically when car is unlocked then fade out.

Angel eyes come on automatically with ignition position I.

At all times angel eyes can be switched off using ASC type console switch.

What do you think?


Dude, I think that would be awesome.:thumbup:

[oakley]

I do often drive arround with my front fogs on whenever it is dark or the visibility is poor. I have never been stopped for this and I think it is quite normal. The e36 has separate switches for front and rear fogs and I only use the rear fogs in actual fog or in very severe spray etc. I think it is only the rear fogs that you would get stopped for as they can dazzle cars behind you. The front fogs are very low so this isn't an issue.

It is still illegal and you will be fined- Its just a case of when!! It will happen mate! let us know how the install goes :)

[-Matt-]

I got my first chance to play with my angel eyes today. Unfortunately I have now realised that they weren't quite the ones I was expecting. I thought I had ordered angel eyes with chrome backing:

http://www.umnitza.com/product_info.php?cPath=114_113&products_id=1105

However, the ones that umnitza sent me don't have this. I am waiting for a response to my pm before I comment on this further.




I'm sure this blows any chance I have of returning these but it's quite an amusing picture...

http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=156407&d=1218319826

This is the latest upgrade to my ancient linux box!

I wanted to test how much current the angel eyes draw - it is apparently ~ 1.18A although there may be a spike at turn on.

[jason_recliner]

These are exactly the same as the ones I bought on eBay (AUD$70 I think).

Mine didn't come with instructions, which I eventually tracked down from the manufacturer, attached.

[oakley]

Thats a very original way of testing them!! I havent got the chrome backing on mine- Altho iv had my angels for years (not umnitza's) The backing does seem like a good idea but I dont think its going to make a massive difference mate- Altho my angels are really bright in the first place- So depends on what the output is like- Im sure it would be easy enough to fit some foil or other reflective material onto the back if it bothers you...Iv often thought about trying it to see if it makes any difference....

[umnitza]

It's how we test them all the time, you haven't blown any chance of testing.
As always, best to email us - info@umnitza.com

And no, they aren't the same as the ones from eBay.

Please send your information to us right away - info@umnitza.com

[-Matt-]

I have done a few tests and have figured out the circuit I will be using for the angel eyes.

I have two high power transistors wired together in parallel. Each transistor acts as a relay (closing its switch when it gets the trigger signal). In the end I decided that solid state was probably better than mechanical switching.

I plan to take the trigger signals from the interiour lighting circuit (so they come on with the remote) and from the cigarette lighter (so that they comes on with the ignition).

I then have a fuse and switch that are connected in series with these transistors (the switch is mounted in the console).

The nice thing about this setup is that all of the electrics (apart from the lead to the angel eyes) will be contained in the dry inside of the car (under the sunglasses holder). I will pass the wire to the angel eyes through the hole in the bulkhead in the footwell.

So just a few questions....

I need an always on 12v +ve and a ground in the console - can I branch this off from the OBC or stereo?

Does power to the cigarette lighter only come on with ignition position I and II?

Can I use the light in the ashtray as the interiour light trigger voltage?


I plan to try and install this over the weekend - I will be gluing some silver foil on the back of the halos to minimise back reflected light.

[oakley]

The cig lighter is always on- can be used when the car is all locked up etc..

[-Matt-]

That is good news I can take the always on power for the angel eyes from the cig lighter then.

I'm sure the stereo only comes on with the ignition.

I think the light in the ashtray is part of the interior light circuit so this should work for the remote feature.

Everything I need is right there in the console. :thumbup:

[jason_recliner]

The cig lighter is always on- can be used when the car is all locked up etc..

Er, not in my car it isn't. It comes off the Accessory line. You better check yours matt.

[-Matt-]

I thought that seemed more likely - I will check whilst I am in there. Is there an always on 12v +ve somewhere inside the console? If necessary I will add a new fuse to the fusebox and lead a wire back through the bulkhead - I'd like to avoid this if possible.

[oakley]

I did think that as I was typing as wasnt sure if it always on in my '46....Tis def on my e36 tho so worth checking..There will be one on the rear of the obc its just a case of working out which one it is- someone will have a wiring diagram- iv got one kicking around somewhere and if i can find it i'll post it up or pm u it...

[-Matt-]

Oakley was right - the cigarette lighter is always on. I am using this for power and a branch from the head unit to do the switching. I don't have footwell lights so I would have to lead a wire down from the dome light. I haven't done this yet so the angel eyes just come on with the ignition but can be overridden by a console switch.

Pics coming as soon as it gets dark...

By the way installation was a right PITA. I couldn't figure out how you were supposed to use the clips - they don't seem to fit my Bosch euro ellipsoids. In the end I cut off the clips - glued some aluminium foil to the back of the angel eyes and then glued them to the front of the glass disks. (Using high temperature silicone glue).

[-Matt-]

It was raining, my car is dirty and these are taken with a phone camera but....

1) All off,
2) AE on,
3) AE + sidelights + fogs,
4) AE + sidelights + fogs + dipped main,
5) AE + sidelights + fogs + full main,
6) Close up AE only.

They look a bit brighter in real life - dark pics to come.

[-Matt-]

I tried to take some night pictures but they didn't really come out properly because the lights are too bright. :thumbup:

Now slightly changing topic....

What do you guys think of these xenon bulbs...
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=360080365538&ssPageName=STRK:MEWA:IT&ih=023

I can't afford a HID setup at the moment - I just want to know if these bulbs will give a better colour match to the AE's and a bit more light output than the stock ones.

By the way - I have already searched and I have euro style Bosch lights so melting the lenses won't be a problem.

So has anyone tried these or similar bulbs? Were they brighter than stock? Any OBC error messages?

[oakley]

Here is a picture of my HID's compared to a very very expensive so called "HID look" bulb- as you can see the bulbs are pants! Dont bother wasting ur money they look no different!!
Save the cash and put it towards a kit- you can get them cheap enough on ebay now
157507

157508
(altho in a very slight defense my HID's dont look that blue its just the camera light but it doesnt change the difference in colour and they are both spose to be rated at the same colour temp- both 6.5k)

[-Matt-]

Is this the type of thing you are talking about...
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/XENON-HID-CONVERSION-KIT-BMW-E30-E36-318-320-325-M3-M5_W0QQitemZ190243803001QQihZ009QQcategoryZ72235QQ rdZ1QQcmdZViewItemQQ_trksidZp1713.m153.l1262

[oakley]

I'll have to take a look when I get home chap- ebay is banned\ firewalled at work so I cant follow the link!!

[jason_recliner]

Now here's an interesting point. These HID kits are H1. I found some selling H7.
I thought my Australian BMW had H1 in it, certainly it does now. I believe US spec had a 9005/6 which is *similar*???
My manual says H7.
So what's an H7? How different from H1 is it; are they close enough to use one or the other?

If I get a HID kit, which I am getting interested in, should I go with H7?