Wiring Driving Lights on Night Guard
04-20-2015, 03:24 AM
#1
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Wiring Driving Lights on Night Guard
I bought a set of ORA Night Guard LED headlights. The driving lights in the housing of the new lights are activated by a completely separate wire than the rest, which use the harness. My question is - since I have a Procal that I've used to activate driving lights (and from what I understand, the driving lights are just the high beams on a lower power setting), would I then be able to just splice the driving light wire into the high beam wire of the light harness to continue with my driving lights working automatically, like they were with the stock housing. Thanks in advance for any help!
Last edited by TN_Vol_Jeeper; 04-20-2015 at 09:53 AM.
04-20-2015, 09:49 AM
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Somebody already put one up. I'll post some pics and impressions though.
04-20-2015, 10:18 AM
#4
JK Junkie
Well what I would do is test that you have voltage on the high beam wire when the driving lights are on. If so, I would just run a jumper wire to the new lights to see if the voltage is sufficient to illuminate it. If it is, I would wire it up permanently.
On my JK, the high beam wire on the passenger side is white/gray. I believe the driver side is white/light green.
On my JK, the high beam wire on the passenger side is white/gray. I believe the driver side is white/light green.
04-20-2015, 02:48 PM
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OK...so if you jumper or connect the "running lights" built into the ORA Nightguards to your high beams, then they will only come on when your high beams are on. If you high beams act as your DRL's, then you'll get both the high beams and the upper and lower strip running lights.
If the high beams act as DRL's at reduced voltage the lights may not come on at all. LED's are not like incandescent bulbs; they are ON or OFF within a voltage range. dimming is usually done through pulse width modulation (turning the proper voltage on and off VERY quickly to achieve desired brightness)...which is why an anti-flicker harness is required to eliminate the visual flicker of the PWM used to extend the life of the incandescent bulbs on the stock headlight circuit. I can't verify how these lights work with the factory DRL setting though, because I am not using it.
I had already run an extra wire for other DRL's I had previously added and used that, connected to an accessory power in the cabin, to operate the running light strips in the Nightguards. I also have a switch so I can turn them off manually if I so desire. If you want them as true DRL's all the time when the engine is running, find a fuse in the engine bay fuse box that only gets power when the vehicle is running, tap into that and then you'll have DRL's and you can disable the highbeam DRL.
Ultimately, I wouldn't just jumper them to the high beams. They provide some nice fill when the low beams are on...just my .02
If the high beams act as DRL's at reduced voltage the lights may not come on at all. LED's are not like incandescent bulbs; they are ON or OFF within a voltage range. dimming is usually done through pulse width modulation (turning the proper voltage on and off VERY quickly to achieve desired brightness)...which is why an anti-flicker harness is required to eliminate the visual flicker of the PWM used to extend the life of the incandescent bulbs on the stock headlight circuit. I can't verify how these lights work with the factory DRL setting though, because I am not using it.
I had already run an extra wire for other DRL's I had previously added and used that, connected to an accessory power in the cabin, to operate the running light strips in the Nightguards. I also have a switch so I can turn them off manually if I so desire. If you want them as true DRL's all the time when the engine is running, find a fuse in the engine bay fuse box that only gets power when the vehicle is running, tap into that and then you'll have DRL's and you can disable the highbeam DRL.
Ultimately, I wouldn't just jumper them to the high beams. They provide some nice fill when the low beams are on...just my .02
04-20-2015, 04:30 PM
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OK...so if you jumper or connect the "running lights" built into the ORA Nightguards to your high beams, then they will only come on when your high beams are on. If you high beams act as your DRL's, then you'll get both the high beams and the upper and lower strip running lights.
If the high beams act as DRL's at reduced voltage the lights may not come on at all. LED's are not like incandescent bulbs; they are ON or OFF within a voltage range. dimming is usually done through pulse width modulation (turning the proper voltage on and off VERY quickly to achieve desired brightness)...which is why an anti-flicker harness is required to eliminate the visual flicker of the PWM used to extend the life of the incandescent bulbs on the stock headlight circuit. I can't verify how these lights work with the factory DRL setting though, because I am not using it.
I had already run an extra wire for other DRL's I had previously added and used that, connected to an accessory power in the cabin, to operate the running light strips in the Nightguards. I also have a switch so I can turn them off manually if I so desire. If you want them as true DRL's all the time when the engine is running, find a fuse in the engine bay fuse box that only gets power when the vehicle is running, tap into that and then you'll have DRL's and you can disable the highbeam DRL.
Ultimately, I wouldn't just jumper them to the high beams. They provide some nice fill when the low beams are on...just my .02
If the high beams act as DRL's at reduced voltage the lights may not come on at all. LED's are not like incandescent bulbs; they are ON or OFF within a voltage range. dimming is usually done through pulse width modulation (turning the proper voltage on and off VERY quickly to achieve desired brightness)...which is why an anti-flicker harness is required to eliminate the visual flicker of the PWM used to extend the life of the incandescent bulbs on the stock headlight circuit. I can't verify how these lights work with the factory DRL setting though, because I am not using it.
I had already run an extra wire for other DRL's I had previously added and used that, connected to an accessory power in the cabin, to operate the running light strips in the Nightguards. I also have a switch so I can turn them off manually if I so desire. If you want them as true DRL's all the time when the engine is running, find a fuse in the engine bay fuse box that only gets power when the vehicle is running, tap into that and then you'll have DRL's and you can disable the highbeam DRL.
Ultimately, I wouldn't just jumper them to the high beams. They provide some nice fill when the low beams are on...just my .02
04-20-2015, 10:08 PM
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I just googled labeled fuse block for my 09 to see what was what and what got power when the key is set to acc and run. Went to local parts store to buy a wired fuse and then pulled an unnecessary fuse. I pulled the heated seats because mine was not equipped from the factory that way and used that slot to insert my new wired fuse to run to the drls. Now the drls are powered when the key is set to acc and run. No issues and have been that way for a few months.
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04-21-2015, 02:46 AM
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I just googled labeled fuse block for my 09 to see what was what and what got power when the key is set to acc and run. Went to local parts store to buy a wired fuse and then pulled an unnecessary fuse. I pulled the heated seats because mine was not equipped from the factory that way and used that slot to insert my new wired fuse to run to the drls. Now the drls are powered when the key is set to acc and run. No issues and have been that way for a few months.