Question about hid's...

[Sketch o5]

get an upgraded harness.

 

[finch13]

get an upgraded harness.

Upgraded as in 10 AWG wiring and 40A relays... and 1 harness per ballast?

 

[blacknight]

What would be teh purpose in using HID bulbs without a ballast?
The ballast is what powers the bulbs.
Without the ballasts the bulbs probably won't achieve maximum brightness.
To me it just doesn't make sense
IT's like using ballasts to operate regular halogen bulbs

 

[ryan s]

you should make a wire harnes and put a 30amp fuse relay in the harnes soo it won't hurt ur car...then you be fine useing it.... ^__^

yeah harness for sure. i agree with using a 30A fuse since most relays are 30A.

btw...new wheels? wheres the pics??

I made my harness for my 35w kit. It's simple and I would say mine is higher quality than the pre-made ones. 30A fuse is overkill, for my 35W's I used a 5A fuse for each ballast, when they say the start-up current draw is like 7-something. That current spike is only momentary and not long enough to burn the 5A fuse. You want to use the lowest fuse possible for the most protection.

You can't make the harness for $5 though. I'd say $20. The relay itself is $5 and the 16 or 14 ga. wiring is going to be about $8 a spool, plus shrink tubing, solder, flux, etc. if you don't already have it.

theres a limit to how low you can go...generally, one should use the next step down in a pinch like 30 ->20 or 20 -> 17.5 etc because like i said above...matching the fuse to relay ensures the fuse will break instead of the relay.

if the fuse is rated too low...it wont blow when it needs to...taking down the next item in the circuit which would be the relay or possibly even a ballast...depending on where the short is.

What would be teh purpose in using HID bulbs without a ballast?
The ballast is what powers the bulbs.
Without the ballasts the bulbs probably won't achieve maximum brightness.
To me it just doesn't make sense
IT's like using ballasts to operate regular halogen bulbs

i think his was a noob reply to the original question...cause HID bulbs wont work without a ballast...

 

[Russianred]

...cause HID bulbs wont work without a ballast...

+1. That's why there is a ballast with an ignitor inside. The ignitor lights the arc when you switch them on, and the ballast keeps the lighting arc stable during its operation.

 

[LitoCG2Rider]

btw...new wheels? wheres the pics??

yaaa new wheels bro..picture is in my ride thread. ^__^

 

[ryan s]

ohhhhhhhh...ill check it out

 

[finch13]

theres a limit to how low you can go...generally, one should use the next step down in a pinch like 30 ->20 or 20 -> 17.5 etc because like i said above...matching the fuse to relay ensures the fuse will break instead of the relay.

I fused mine to protect the ballasts and my electrical system, not the relay. My fuse is right after my power tap, if anything tries to pull over 5A for too long, that fuse will go first before anything else.

 

[ryan s]

with a 5A, youd be close to blowing it every time you turn your headlights on. ive run a single ballast off an 8V power supply but ive never tried two at the same time.

for the noobs: HID ballasts don't take much amperage to run...they take a lot on startup. this is why you should use a harness.

 

[finch13]

I have a harness for each ballast, meaning each ballast is fused at 5A. Startup power draw on the DDM Slims (Apexcone) is like 7.1A and operating draw of 3.xA. The 7.1A is too quick for it to melt the fuse, but a sustained draw over 5A will blow it. Keep in mind, this setup has worked flawlessly for the past 9 or so months.