How to test this light bar?

[jiminwatford]

A few years ago bought this



And now I've come across this in the corner







First I put the pos and neg to a battery but nothing

Then i put a trailer plug on the end. All the colours were there except brown

One or two came on with the indicators but I'm pretty sure that's not where they're supposed to be connected

[Rich]

So, you randomly wired it to a trailer socket or it’s meant to have roof level indicator/brake function? Easier way to test out what is what is to just take the cases off and chase the wiring through. Guessing with electricity makes the smoke fall out or worse when you get it wrong..

[Midas]

They aren’t brake lights, they would normally be wired into an alternate flash relay that lives inside the vehicle. You are only supposed to use the rear reds when stationary and fending off so they wouldn’t be set to flash all the time when the blues are on.

Looking at the bar itself it looks like it is rotators rather than strobes/LEDs so wiring is simple enough. I hope you have them covered when using on the public highway.

[xbl]

Bear in mind if you do get them working and are caught with them switched on it's a pretty hefty fine.

[Rich]

Aug 27, 2019 15:41:19 GMT Midas said:

They aren’t brake lights, they would normally be wired into an alternate flash relay that lives inside the vehicle. You are only supposed to use the rear reds when stationary and fending off so they wouldn’t be set to flash all the time when the blues are on.

Looking at the bar itself it looks like it is rotators rather than strobes/LEDs so wiring is simple enough. I hope you have them covered when using on the public highway.

That’s what I was expecting with the red panels, I thought they would be stationary vehicle warning strobes rather than anything else, how they are controlled depends on what they actually are, filament bulbs, LED or strobe discharge units.

[Midas]

I can see what looks like a couple of 540 motors in there, it will be halogen bulbs with rotators. Alley lights on the ends too?

Noisy ruddy things in practice, at least they are when the siren isn’t running.

[ahebron]

Back in the late 1980s I was apprenticed for a few months to the local TV studio electrical dept.
While I was there they started production on a Police drama.
My boss gave me the job of wiring the light bar up and insisted I use 6mm csa flex into a cigarette lighter.
The bar was 2 colour and halogen with rotators and side lights. Yep it was noisy!
That was one curse word of a job and was the catalyst for my career in the film/tv industry.

Adrian

[Midas]

Sept 8, 2019 6:43:55 GMT ahebron said:

Back in the late 1980s I was apprenticed for a few months to the local TV studio electrical dept.
While I was there they started production on a Police drama.
My boss gave me the job of wiring the light bar up and insisted I use 6mm csa flex into a cigarette lighter.
The bar was 2 colour and halogen with rotators and side lights. Yep it was noisy!
That was one curse word of a job and was the catalyst for my career in the film/tv industry.

Adrian

I nearly lost my first lease car to lights wired into the cigarette socket.. Left them running at a job and returned to a car full of smoke and no flashing lights!