Ruby main-beam warning light

[Tony Griffiths]

My panel lights are also LED. It's nice to finally be able to read the gauges at night... one thing I find really odd is the glow in the bulbs when the battery is disconnected. I hope it's the capacitor in the distributor, not the car slowly disoving and generating its own electricity...

We had a household LED bulb that used to do that. I read that it can be caused by poor quality bulbs and a switch that lets through a tiny amount of when off,  or an earth wire with very high resistance or not making a good connection. Another reported reason- and this takes some believing -  electromagnetic induction allows one cable running alongside another to pick up sufficient juice to just let the lamp glow. The latter cause is, I suppose, just like laying an induction loop alongside the live rail of the electric train line at the bottom of your garden and getting a free supply to your garden shed.

[Mike Costigan]

I remember one occasion when we were preparing PL at Mike Hirst's garage, presumably for a Measham Rally; we had all sorts of trouble getting one of the headlamps to work, but as soon as the reflector was removed from the headlamp bowl, and therefor the earth connection was disabled, the headlamp worked perfectly! I don't recall how we resolved that ...

[Dave Mann]

    I tried LEDs and whilst they gave loads of light with little current draw I wasn't too happy with them. The end came when both blew simultaneously leaving me with no light being an RN where the side lights went out when the  headlights were on, the suppliers replaced them FOC but after that I reverted to 25 watt quartz halogen which give a good defined beam so I can see whether they are dipped or not. They are Lucas Graves reflectors and bulbs.

[Nick Lettington]

My panel lights are also LED. It's nice to finally be able to read the gauges at night... one thing I find really odd is the glow in the bulbs when the battery is disconnected. I hope it's the capacitor in the distributor, not the car slowly disoving and generating its own electricity...

We had a household LED bulb that used to do that. I read that it can be caused by poor quality bulbs and a switch that lets through a tiny amount of when off,  or an earth wire with very high resistance or not making a good connection. Another reported reason- and this takes some believing -  electromagnetic induction allows one cable running alongside another to pick up sufficient juice to just let the lamp glow. The latter cause is, I suppose, just like laying an induction loop alongside the live rail of the electric train line at the bottom of your garden and getting a free supply to your garden shed.

That's all very well, but when the battery is disconnected, the source of electricity is my greatest concern!

...and if you want induced current, your probably best trying an AC source. I'd stay away from the rails if the 750v DC third rail induced current into its neighbours.

[Tony Griffiths]

I remember one occasion when we were preparing PL at Mike Hirst's garage, presumably for a Measham Rally; we had all sorts of trouble getting one of the headlamps to work, but as soon as the reflector was removed from the headlamp bowl, and therefor the earth connection was disabled, the headlamp worked perfectly! I don't recall how we resolved that ...

I recall, vaguely (it may not have been the same occasion) that the panel switch stopped working a couple of hours before we were due to start. I remember running a cable through a switch and soldering the wires direct to the bulbs. Bright they were. At the time it was possible to pop down to West street and get the reflectors re-silvered - while you waited - for 10 bob cash in hand.

---

I tried LEDs and whilst they gave loads of light with little current draw I wasn't too happy with them. The end came when both blew simultaneously leaving me with no light being an RN where the side lights went out when the  headlights were on, the suppliers replaced them FOC but after that I reverted to 25 watt quartz halogen which give a good defined beam so I can see whether they are dipped or not. They are Lucas Graves reflectors and bulbs.

The Honda reflectors fitted with the properly-made LEDs of the American Pre-Focus type (APF) have a pretty good beam pattern through standard Ruby glasses. Still, as all these LEDs are made in China, I have a couple of standard bubs in the glove box - just in case.

[flywheel1935]

If you can see further down the road , your on main beam !!!!!!!