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  View original topic: A Good Turn Signal Switch
thefladge Mon Jan 03, 2011 10:19 pm

For those of us with early Baja Bugs that don't require an expensive original turn signal switch, here is a good replacement:



$20.00 at a local hot rod shop. Good quality and it includes a built-in hazard light switch.


I DON'T recommend this style switch. It's junk! It started falling apart after about a week of use:


thesatelliteguy Mon Jan 03, 2011 11:39 pm

Thats the one i got, the first one. It works great! Mine flashes to slow though. Know how to fix that?

XLR8 Mon Jan 03, 2011 11:46 pm

thesatelliteguy wrote: Thats the one i got, the first one. It works great! Mine flashes to slow though. Know how to fix that?
fit LED lights :lol:
as far as i know you have to lower your indicator circuit resistance (LED indicators) OR change the flasher unit.

thefladge Tue Jan 04, 2011 5:19 am

Mine flashes at a normal rate. I use a cheap 3 prong universal flasher found at any auto parts store.

Dale M. Tue Jan 04, 2011 10:14 am

thesatelliteguy wrote: Thats the one i got, the first one. It works great! Mine flashes to slow though. Know how to fix that?

Try different "flasher"... For LEDS I have had good luck with TRIDON EL13 ( three prong) or the EL12 (2 prong)...

Ultimate TS may be this one....

http://signaldynamics.com/index.php?page=shop.prod...;Itemid=77

Better low cost mechanical switch, the Peterson 500, its a full metal housing unit that the $20 Chinese knockoff (plastic) is copied from....

http://www.pmlights.com/products.cfm?cId=5&fId=24&pId=885



Dale

thefladge Wed Jan 05, 2011 4:19 pm

I'm curious why people are using LED lights for turn signals.

What makes them better?

I just use regular bulbs and have never had any problems.

thesatelliteguy Wed Jan 05, 2011 4:24 pm

LED's are much brighter and they tend to last longer. Also, they draw less amps, but thats not a big factor for turn signals.

EvanB Wed Jan 05, 2011 7:25 pm

If using all LED turn signals, you may run into some problems with them flashing correctly.

the PO of my railbuggy attempted to wire up 2 LED Tail lights/Turn Signals on the back and 2 LED Turn signals on the front. He must not have had a wireing diagram for the Turn signal switch because he completely messed it up. I've completely re wired it to only achieve the turn signals to turn on, and not blink. They blink when I use the hazard lights, but when I try to only blink one side they stay lit.
I thought it was because I was using an old regular flasher. So I dropped like $30 on an Electronic Flasher, which is supposed to flash LEDs nicely. It didn't change a thing.
After many hours of scratching my head I bought 4 Resistors off Ebay and a new Turn Sig. Switch. It's the same one you are talking about and the same one I previously had, but I'm not going to cut all the wires back like the PO did to my old one.

When it warms up a little and I get some time I'm going to wire it all back up and hold my breath. I really like the LED lights.

thesatelliteguy Wed Jan 05, 2011 7:53 pm

Im not sure if you know this, but im gonna throw this out there b/c it might help someone else.

LEDs use a small amount of amps. A flasher works by bridging a gap between two electrical contacts until the bridge gets too hot. When it gets too hot, the bridge opens, thus cutting off electricity. When the bridge cools off, it drops back down and the contact is made again, until it gets too hot and opens again. Since LED's use such a small amount of electricity, it takes a bit longer for the bridge to get hot.

Its kind of like the breaker switch on your house. When you overload a circuit, the switch flips. Then you have to manually flip the switch back. A flasher flips it back for you.

thesatelliteguy Wed Jan 05, 2011 7:55 pm

Also, LED's are polarity sensitive. red on red, black on black or they wont work.

brs1997 Wed Jan 15, 2014 9:40 pm

thefladge wrote: For those of us with early Baja Bugs that don't require an expensive original turn signal switch, here is a good replacement:



$20.00 at a local hot rod shop. Good quality and it includes a built-in hazard light switch.


I DON'T recommend this style switch. It's junk! It started falling apart after about a week of use:

i know this is kinda off topic but how did you mount your sterring wheel? i have one just like it and i cant figur out how to put it on.

thefladge Thu Jan 16, 2014 7:17 am

It's a Grant steering wheel. You need a Grant adapter. I believe they still make them for early VWs.

donbarnes Tue Jan 21, 2014 7:04 pm

I just put a 3-way toggle switch on the dash, turned so it flips from left to right, very simple to do and removed all the clutter out of the column...at same time used a momentary-on push button switch on the dash also for the dimmer switch..

chubby53 Tue Jan 21, 2014 10:05 pm

I used a stock blinker switch with built in dimmer. had a couple laying around incase one fails. I run led's on the front and regular lamps in the back. turn signals work great. used an old school stock E switch opposite of ignition location next to ash tray and it works great too. For the hazard box I used the 67 bug big black box. works awesome, bad news is if it fails, gonna have a hard time finding a replacement. they aren't cheap.

ORANGECRUSHer Wed Jan 22, 2014 5:04 am

back to the OP, buy an electronic flasher instead of a mechanical. The electronic will always flash at the same rate no matter what. The flash rate was an added feature with the original mechanicals so that the operator would know when the rate changed there was a bulb out somewhere. You lose this with electronic, but if you're a responsible owner like I am you will check your lights regularly anyway. An alternative option as someone has mentioned earlier is to just buy different brand which is a crap shoot. I find electronic flashers to be more reliable than mechanicals amazingly.

ORANGECRUSHer Wed Jan 22, 2014 5:06 am

thesatelliteguy wrote: Also, LED's are polarity sensitive. red on red, black on black or they wont work.

yeah, they won't work ever again lol

ORANGECRUSHer Wed Jan 22, 2014 5:16 am

EvanB wrote: If using all LED turn signals, you may run into some problems with them flashing correctly.

the PO of my railbuggy attempted to wire up 2 LED Tail lights/Turn Signals on the back and 2 LED Turn signals on the front. He must not have had a wireing diagram for the Turn signal switch because he completely messed it up. I've completely re wired it to only achieve the turn signals to turn on, and not blink. They blink when I use the hazard lights, but when I try to only blink one side they stay lit.
I thought it was because I was using an old regular flasher. So I dropped like $30 on an Electronic Flasher, which is supposed to flash LEDs nicely. It didn't change a thing.
After many hours of scratching my head I bought 4 Resistors off Ebay and a new Turn Sig. Switch. It's the same one you are talking about and the same one I previously had, but I'm not going to cut all the wires back like the PO did to my old one.

When it warms up a little and I get some time I'm going to wire it all back up and hold my breath. I really like the LED lights.

The electronic flasher didn't fix anything because it wasn't the problem. What kind of led lights are you using?
I bet something was missed in the schematic. I remember when I setup the turns and hazard on my rig. I used the original equipment relays yet it took a bit to figure out the right circuit. I had wished I had traced it out when I pulled it apart so I wrote what I came up with down on paper. Do you think I could find it now? lol
All I do remember is turns alone is simple and so is hazards alone, but to get both working at the same time takes a little more knowledge/thought.

Dale M. Wed Jan 22, 2014 8:01 am

Essentially all hazard switch does is connect left and right side turn signal lamps to a common flasher.... And blinks red lamp on dash switch....

As for flasher rates and sensitivity, older flasher circuits were "thermal" so amperage load across heating elements (number of filaments) determined how fast flash rate is/was. If a bulb burned out, it changes current load on heating element so it heated faster or not at all and so lamps either flashed faster or not at all.... All this is dependent on manufacture of thermal flasher....

Electronic flasher sense a load (switch contacts closing) and the that there is lamps on end of circuit the need to flash, this initiates a electronic circuit in side flasher unit to turn/off at a specific rate determined by its own internal timing circuit which operates a relay of electronic circuit to turn off or on lamps...

If one is struggling with all LED lamps electronic flasher (designed specifically for use with LEDS) is only answer.... IF you are determined to use old thermal flasher with LEDS you need a "load" circuit to create enough current flow (amperage) to operate thermal flasher....



Turn signal switches are mere a (directional) on/off/on switch.... Stock one usually self cancel, aftermarket (or broken ones) do not self cancel...

And don't be cheap with Chinese Republic Authorized Product (CRAP) and buy good switch that has metal housing, NOT a chrome plated plastic housing... Down the road a bit you will be thankful....

Dale



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