| Author |
Message |
Duncwarw
Samba Member
Joined: August 25, 2003
Posts: 3094
|
 Posted: Mon Oct 22, 2007 6:46 am Post subject: |
 |
|
My "American" '73 (born 10/72) has the green dash light.
Parking lights are a whole other thing again.
In Europe, they're tiny bulbs you can run all night. My van has them.
In America, I have no idea what they're for. Big bulbs like that can flatten your battery and I've yet to see a parkling area that requires them.
I've heard them called "party lights". No idea what that means either but in some states it's illegal to drive with them on.
_________________
“To find yourself, think for yourself”
Socrates, 470 BC - 399 BC |
|
| Back to top |
|
 |
NASkeet
Samba Member
Joined: April 29, 2006
Posts: 2958
Location: South Benfleet, Essex, UK
|
| Posted: Tue Oct 23, 2007 6:22 am Post subject: Side lights, tail lights & parking lights. |
|
|
| Duncwarw wrote: |
My "American" '73 (born 10/72) has the green dash light.
Parking lights are a whole other thing again.
In Europe, they're tiny bulbs you can run all night. My van has them.
In America, I have no idea what they're for. Big bulbs like that can flatten your battery and I've yet to see a parkling area that requires them.
I've heard them called "party lights". No idea what that means either but in some states it's illegal to drive with them on. |
There seems to be general confusion about what various lights should be called.
Generally speaking, when one switches the main light switch to the first on-position, the side lights & tail lights (aka front & rear parking lights) are illuminated. If fitted (not on British & European specification), 4W or 5W side-marker lights, will also be illuminated.
The pair of front 4W or 5W side-light bulbs (aka front parking lights), are mounted in the main headlamp units of air-cooled VWs and the pair of rear 5W tail-light bulb-filaments (aka rear parking lights), occupy the same bulbs, as the brake-light bulb-filaments.
In Great Britain, if parked on a road at night, which is both an omnibus route (i.e. route for public transport vehicles) and lacks steet lighting, then one must leave the side lights & tail lights illuminated.
_________________
Regards.
Nigel A. Skeet
Independent tutor (semi-retired) of mathematics, physics, technology & engineering for secondary, tertiary, further & higher education.
Much modified, RHD 1973 VW "1600" Type 2 Westfalia Continental campervan, with the World's only decent, cross-over-arm, SWF pantograph rear-window wiper
Onetime member, plus former Technical Editor & Editor of Transporter Talk magazine
Volkswagen Type 2 Owners' Club (Great Britain)
http://www.vwt2oc.net |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
NASkeet
Samba Member
Joined: April 29, 2006
Posts: 2958
Location: South Benfleet, Essex, UK
|
| Posted: Mon Nov 09, 2020 12:28 pm Post subject: Re: Unmasking the main-beam warning light |
|
|
| NASkeet wrote: |
| dwill49965 wrote: |
| NASkeet wrote: |
| When driving your 1968~79 VW Type 2, have you ever wondered why the headlamp main-beam warning light, barely glows when illuminated, whilst all the others are as clear as day? |
No. The other lights are idiot/warning lights for critical systems, such as oil pressure, and alternator/charging system. You need to know when those are failing, whether driving in broad daylight or at night. At night, when you are driving with your high beams on, you don't want or need a strong bright blue light glaring back at you from your dash because as Mark says:
| Mark wrote: |
| If anything, I need to put a new piece of blue cello over the bulb, as it is fairly distracting while (whilst?) driving at night. |
You may not be able to tell during the day if your high beams are on or not, but that is hardly critical. |
My green, side-light warning light, showing when the side lights (i.e. parking lights) are illuminated, is of similar intensity to the oil-pressure and generator warning lights, none of intensities have been glare sources at night. In contrast, the blue, main-beam warning light, with its integral mask, was barely visible at night, even when driving on an almost deserted country road, in the pitch black.
This might contrast with the experience of some of you, for a variety of reasons, which might include one or more of: (1) translucency of the blue, plastic filter lens; (intensity of the incandescent-filament bulb); and (3) the individual's retinal-cone sensitivity to blue light.
I have merely suggested a practical way, of increasing the visibility of the main-beam warning light, which can be implemented by those whose experiences have been similar to mine and simply ignored by others, for whom it would be a retrograde step.
| vwbusbusvw wrote: |
| The illumination device indicating the main lighting apparatus in my personal 1971 Type 2 Transporter Van Bus Camper glows very bright, and any modifications to the unit would be, in my opinion, very, very stupid; this is also indicated by the above 4 replies. |
It isn't a "stupid modification", as one individual retorted! The editor of the Internationally subscribed magazine, Volkswagen Camper & Commercial, certainly didn't think so, when he published my article a few years ago!
If for whatever reason, one's own main-beam warning light is too bright, it might be more appropriate to use a lower intensity light bulb or if this is impractical, use an in-line resistor, to reduce the supply voltage. |
If you haven't yet read the article, for which I was paid £50 in 2004, here it is for your perusal:
Nigel A. Skeet, "How To: Unmasking the Main Beam Warning Light", Volkswagen Camper & Commercial, Issue 16, Autumn 2004, Page 45.
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/album_page.php?pic_id=1993486
_________________
Regards.
Nigel A. Skeet
Independent tutor (semi-retired) of mathematics, physics, technology & engineering for secondary, tertiary, further & higher education.
Much modified, RHD 1973 VW "1600" Type 2 Westfalia Continental campervan, with the World's only decent, cross-over-arm, SWF pantograph rear-window wiper
Onetime member, plus former Technical Editor & Editor of Transporter Talk magazine
Volkswagen Type 2 Owners' Club (Great Britain)
http://www.vwt2oc.net |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
SGKent 
Samba Member
Joined: October 30, 2007
Posts: 41031
Location: Citrus Heights CA (Near Sacramento)
|
| Posted: Mon Nov 09, 2020 3:13 pm Post subject: Re: Unmasking the main-beam warning light |
|
|
more unmasking. I thought that was only a political thing. When I read the title I had a picture like this in my mind of a "Main-Beam Warning Light"
_________________
“Most people don’t know what they’re doing, and a lot of them are really good at it.” - George Carlin |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
NASkeet
Samba Member
Joined: April 29, 2006
Posts: 2958
Location: South Benfleet, Essex, UK
|
| Posted: Wed Nov 11, 2020 11:58 am Post subject: Re: Unmasking the main-beam warning light |
|
|
| SGKent wrote: |
more unmasking. I thought that was only a political thing. When I read the title I had a picture like this in my mind of a "Main-Beam Warning Light"
|
Given that Volkswagen Camper & Commercial is a British magazine, it was appropriate to write the article in English rather than North American. I believe the volks in North America refer to the headlamp main beam as high beam and dipped beam as low beam.
Strange people the North Americans!  No wonder we need an English -> American | American -> English dictionary
_________________
Regards.
Nigel A. Skeet
Independent tutor (semi-retired) of mathematics, physics, technology & engineering for secondary, tertiary, further & higher education.
Much modified, RHD 1973 VW "1600" Type 2 Westfalia Continental campervan, with the World's only decent, cross-over-arm, SWF pantograph rear-window wiper
Onetime member, plus former Technical Editor & Editor of Transporter Talk magazine
Volkswagen Type 2 Owners' Club (Great Britain)
http://www.vwt2oc.net |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
