Light conversion

Warren Lovell · May 13, 2005

Have any of you converted to 12 volt lights? Is this a possibility? And if so, what are the procedures and part numbers? Is there a voltage drop device one can install before the headlights?

Thanks,

Warren

Gatnom · May 14, 2005

Warren: Are you just interested in changing the headlights or all the lights? Dave

Warren Lovell · May 14, 2005

I guess I could change them all, just to make it easier to go down to Napa and get bulbs if one burns out.

Warren

ajg6989 · May 14, 2005

just run a 12volt line off the battery point inbetween and run a switch to the cab then to the set of lights under the bumper just dont run over cars with them down there they will get knocked off as the deuce tends to climb over cars. I have a set mounted there for seeing things up close.

Gatnom · May 14, 2005

[3]There are several ways to accomplish this depending on how well you want things to work and how much work you’re willing to put into it. The easiest, but least desirable is to tap the positive terminal on the grounded battery for twelve volts, and feed the lights through a toggle switch or separate the feed to the light switch and supply the twelve volts there. The bad thing about this approach is that it drops the voltage on that battery alone, and the 24 volt regulator charges the entire system to bring the voltage back up. This will boil the water out of the battery that is above ground, severely shortening its life. A better way is to get a 24 volt to 12 volt step down transformer that is sized for the load and supply the twelve volts that way. These used to be available at radio shack and would be your best, (easiest), bet, just be sure to get one that could handle the load. On my M715, I isolated the internal components on a gm 12si alternator, bringing an isolated ground stud through the case. I can now charge both batteries in the 24 volt system independently regardless of the load on either by running two 12v alternators, one feeding each battery. This gets a little complicated as you now need a relay powered from the ignition switch to pull in 12 volts to energize the field on the above ground alternator from the above ground battery, maintaining system isolation. I only went this route because I had already converted the whole truck to twelve volts and then decide to mount a 24 volt winch I had lying around. I don’t know if I’ve helped you out any or complicated your decision. There are some other options if you know exactly what you want to accomplish. Honestly, I think bulbs are easy enough to come by that I will not be changing my deuce. There has been a lot of discussion about bulb availability here, with several options as well, (I will be changing over to separate headlight bulbs & reflectors), you just need to keep some spares. Let me know what you decide, I’ll help as much as I can. Dave <?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com

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ajg6989 · May 15, 2005

Also most comercial buses run off 24vdc systems with a power inverter hooked up for 12vdc and one inverter for 120ac for inside lights most of the running lights are 24 vdc.

Trango · May 15, 2005

Umm,

Would it work to wire two 12v lights in series?

Bob

Desert Rat · May 15, 2005

In parallel not series, look at a 24V bulb and see. The manufacturers do this like Wagner and so on.

Gatnom · May 15, 2005

Trango: Two twelves in series will run on 24 volts, but if you loose one, the good one will turn off as well, so you would be wise to carry a spare and maybe even have quick access to some backup lighting as well just to get off the road! If you did this with tailights, you'd have no way of knowing you were totaly black in the rear. Remember, the 12volt filaments are much more durable and will last longer before burn out, but they still do. A lower wattage bulb will last longer than a higher wattage of the same voltage. The vibration in these trucks combined with the fine filaments of the high wattage 24v lighting is the downfall for the bulbs. Dave

Desert Rat · May 15, 2005

Good points Dave! I just looked at a spare 24V and 12V bulb from my trailer lights and you are most definitely correct!

rmgill · May 16, 2005

Personally, I don't see the reason to heavily modify the electrical system. Get a supply of lamps/bulbs from Saturn Surplus, Newark, and other sources and just keep them with the truck. Since I bought my ferret I haven't had to swap any bulbs. Even so, I have several spare bulbs stored in the vehicle and a few more in my parts bin. Buy 10 at a time and it'll be years before you need more. The 2.5 and 5 tons will accept a bulb case that saturn surplus sells that works well for storing several stop/turn lamps and dash lamps too.

painkiller · May 16, 2005

i was reading somewhere i forgot where maybe it was on this site, but leave the idle of the truck at or above 800 rpm because below that will throw nasty vibrations into the lights and kinda eventually start to crack them or loosen the bulb i believe... makes sence i guess so from now on i always leave the throttle at 3 clicks out about 900 to 1000 rpm and seems to just sit there smoothly because we are on the topics of lights and electrical systems just thought i'd throw that in there

SixBuy · May 17, 2005

Has anybody investigated the new LED lights for tail. stop. turn. marker, etc.? I wonder if they will work with the existing turn sigal flasher or if that has to be replaced also. I like the idea of replacing headlights with the 24 V Hella halogen...

Desert Rat · May 17, 2005

SB,
LED lights are designed to withstand the vibrations of trucks. Look at the civy applications on commercial trucks. Those guys had the first LEDs and with good reason. LED setups have a reputation for resiliant service under extreme conditions. The major drawback is the price. LEDs are very expen$ive. You can buy 24V LEDs and not need any other modifications. They are bolt on ready but even more expen$$$$$ive than 12V.

Trango · May 17, 2005

LED's would be the hotness.

I too ended up keeping my truck 24v for my swap. In fact I threw some of the last wires onto the engine last night, and I figured that it is just easier to deal with the 24v than try to reëngineer the whole truck just to run cheaper light bulbs, you know?

Also, with 24v, you get half the amperage on any one wire for the same total wattage.

Bob

mouse · May 17, 2005

gatnom, you pointed out that if you tap in to the last batterie , you would boil the other.I want to tap in to 12v and run a small fuse block for after market BS. if not at the batterie where should i go

cranetruck · May 18, 2005

LED type lights don't have to be expensive. Got mine on ebay for $17/ea, took them apart and installed them as shown below. The multi-LED types will usually have a built-in voltage regulator for operation on voltages from 10 to 30 volts.
In addition for added visibility, the DOT required marker lights were were installed as shown in image #2.
Used the set-up on the 420 mile round trip to Aberdeen a few days ago, worked great.
I agree with Ryan that 24-volt bulbs are easy to find and spares should always be carried.
A CB radio may be wired to the grounded battery. I have a permanent "Chargetek 500" charger hooked up so that the battery voltages can be equailized at home after a trip when 120 vac is available.

Gatnom · May 18, 2005

Mouse: Tapping the positive terminal on the grounded battery is the only place your going to get 12 volts. Light loads, like a CB or similar, won't be as bad as larger loads like headlights, (the worst would be things like snow plow pumps, etc.). I would still recommend one of the 24v - 12v converters, (step down transformers) as these are a 24 volt load on the system, while giving you the 12v you need for accessories. I have been meaning to check on sources for these but haven't gotten around to it. Another option might be to put a -12v zenor diode, (from someone like newark electronics) in series with your accessories and hook them up to 24v. I haven't tried it, but in theory, it should work. If you do go the route of hooking up to the grounded battery, Bjorn's recomendation of charging the batteries inependently when you can is the best way to deal with it. You will still be overcharging the above ground battery while driving and should keep an eye on the water level in that battery. Dave

mouse · May 18, 2005

Ha Dave, thanks , ill start looklng for the step down, that sounds like the ezest fix.how far are you from hershey are you ?i got family there(you know i had to go to the kitchen and get a candy bar just so i could spell that

)
ps where on the fire wall does it get steped down to 12 volts.im sorry i forgot to tell you i have a m1009 :banghead:

pps: wehn looking for a step down ,i found a trailer light converter . check out www.adaptrix.co.nz [thumbzup]

some one was asking about converting there trailer .

Gatnom · May 19, 2005

Mouse: I'm about 160-170 mlies west by a little north of Hershey, closest "big" city on the map would be Altoona PA.

You can feed it from wherever works best, as long as you can supply the current demand of the converter. The best would be to go back to the main power cutout switch in the cab. You could feed directly from there, or use a seperate 24 volt relay to bring in a heavy feed wire if your going with some high amp unit. I've had a cheapie Radio Shack 15/10 amp for years in different vehicles, and have never had a problem with it,(can't find it in the catalog anymore). The good thing about going to the cutout sw. is that you power everything down when you shut the truck down,(important if your not driveing it every day. I aso use a charger like Bjorn to keep the batteries topped, only his is a better idea as mine does not have isolated grounds, and I have to break the connection between the batteries.

Here a source for converters, it was the first I came to by googleing.

http://www.powerstream.com/dc1.htm

I would talk to them about protecting the unit form in rush current if you are going to use it for lighting (they address it in their description), could also be an issue if you're running a generator. I would think that a decent sized capicitor would work. They also say to protect it from water. Dave

Here is another source:

http://www.okoffroad.com/stuff-voltage-reducer.htm

Light conversion

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