Dual-Input Time-Delay Relay
Last Updated: 8/01/2010
Status: In Stock -- Units typically ship 1-2 days after receipt of order
Now available: A new version of the TDR which starts the turn-on time delay immediately at power-on. After this, the trigger inputs will switch the connected device on and off with no delay. This is useful for motorcycles that need a delay on start-up, but afterwards need to be able to switch between low and high beams with no delay. See here.
Now available: A new version of the TDR which switches the high side, or positive side. The standard TDR only switches the low side, meaning it switches the ground connection of the device (HID ballast or other), while the positive connection stays connected to battery voltage. Some applications cannot use this scheme, so for customers who need high-side switching, I now have a version of the relay which switches the positive side, while the negative side stays connected to ground. See here.
Variants
For sale here is a compact solid-state relay with adjustable turn-on and turn-off times, and two separate inputs. It is useful for many automotive applications, including H4/9007 HID retrofit systems and motorcycle HID retrofits, but it is also useful any place you would like to add a delayed relay in your vehicle, such as for powering your car windows for a short period after turning off your car. Remember, this relay isn't only useful for the applications listed below, it can be used for many different things.
This relay has the following features:
- Adjustable turn-on delay (0 - 60 seconds)
- Adjustable turn-off delay (0.25 - 60 seconds)
- Can be triggered by positive or negative switching, selected by polarity switch
- Dual isolated inputs
- Simple spade connectors
- Solid-state operation for high reliability
- Compact size (2.375" x 1.25" x 0.81" or 60 x 32 x 21 mm)
In addition, when used for headlights, this relay eliminates the need to determine if your car's headlights use positive or negative switching, as it can handle both. If your headlights (or other item) do not turn on when you turn the switch on, just flip the polarity switch.
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| Time-Delay Relays |
Application 1: HID Headlights - Keep HID Ballasts on in High-Beam Mode
On any halogen-equipped car that is being converted to HID, it's considered best practice to use a
relay to connect the HID ballasts to the car's battery (through a fuse of course), so that the
factory fuses for the regular headlights aren't overloaded and blown because of the HID ballasts'
high start-up power draw. On a car with four headlights (two per side), this is pretty easy: you can
just use a standard automotive relay, available cheaply at any auto parts store, and connect it so
that the low-beams are used to turn on the relay. This way, whenever you turn on your headlights,
the HID ballasts will turn on, and power your HID low beams. When you switch your high beams on,
your low beams (HID) will of course stay on, and your halogen high beams will also come on, or if
you have bixenon projectors, your bixenon solenoids will activate, giving you HID high beams. This
is because, in most 4-headlight cars, the low beams stay on when the high beams come on.
However, in 2-headlight cars (with one headlight on each side), things work differently: there is only one bulb per side, with two filaments inside, one each for low and high beams. Common numbers for these bulbs are H4, 9003, 9004, and 9007 . On cars with these lights, when the high beams are turned on, the low beam filaments are turned off. This means that connecting a relay to this system to power HID ballasts isn't so simple: there's no single wire that's powered when your headlights are on. If you connect your relay to your low beams, as on 4-headlight cars, your HIDs will turn off when you turn on your high beams! And since cars like this are usually retrofitted with bixenon projectors, and have no separate halogen high beams, this means they have no headlights at all in high-beam mode!
One simple solution to this, commonly found on the internet, is to connect two diodes to the relay's control pin, and connect each of these relays to the low and high beam wires. This works, but it's a bit messy, requires soldering, and just doesn't look very good. In addition, there's a small delay when switching between high and low beams, which will cause the relay to switch off very briefly, and this probably isn't very good for your ballasts.
The WolstenTech Time-Delay Relay offers you an easier, cleaner solution to this problem, with the following features designed to make your HID retrofit on an H4 or 9003-equipped car easier:
- Two independent, isolated input connections, for connecting to your low and high beam wires.
- A minimum turn-off delay of 1/4 second, so that ballasts never lose power during low/high switching.
- An adjustable turn-off delay of up to 60 seconds, so that, if desired, headlights will stay on for some time after turning off headlight switch.
- An adjustable turn-on delay of up to 60 seconds, so that, if desired, headlights will not turn on for some time after activating switch.
- Works with both positive and negative-switched headlight systems, so you don't have to worry about finding out which kind your vehicle is before ordering.
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| Time-Delay Relay Adjustments |
Application 2: Motorcycle HID Retrofit - Avoid Hot-Restrike or Starting
Problems
On many motorcycles, the headlights are left on at all times, including when the bike's engine is
started. The HID system has a high current draw which reduces the battery current available for
starting, which can cause problems especially in cold weather. On other bikes, the headlights are
switched off during engine start, causing a "hot restrike", where lights turn on when the bike is
first turned on, then turned off during engine starting, then quickly turned back on again after the
engine is started. Hot restriking is not very good for the ballast or the HID bulb, reducing its
lifespan significantly.
The WolstenTech Time-Delay Relay eliminates hot-restrike and starting problems by allowing the user to set an adjustable turn-on delay of 0 to 60 seconds. The ballast will not be powered on until this delay time has passed, so the HID system only starts after you have started your motorcycle.
Another important feature of the Time-Delay Relay is its extremely compact size. Space is very limited in motorcycles, and this relay is much smaller than most alternate solutions for this problem. You should have little trouble fitting the Time-Delay Relay into your motorcycle. It also includes two mounting holes for easy mounting, but if an even smaller size is needed, these can be cut off for a total length of only 1.5" or 38 mm.
The following features of the Time-Delay Relay serve to make retrofitting HID lights into motorcycles easier:
- Compact size of 2.375" x 1.25" x 0.81" or 60 x 32 x 21 mm for fitting into the tight confines of a motorcycle.
- An adjustable turn-on delay of up to 60 seconds, so that headlights will not turn on for some time after activating switch or starting motorcycle, eliminating hot-restrike.
- An adjustable turn-off delay of up to 60 seconds, so that, if desired, headlights will stay on for some time after turning off headlight switch or motorcycle.
- Two independent, isolated input connections and a minimum 1/4 second turn-off delay for use in H4-equipped motorcycles.
- Works with both positive and negative-switched headlight systems, so you don't have to worry about finding out which kind your vehicle is before ordering.
Specifications
This relay comes in a small plastic box with two mounting holes, and 5 standard spade connectors on
the bottom. The electronics inside are encapsulated, or potted, in epoxy and are water resistant.
There are two small adjustment knobs on the back to adjust the turn-on and turn-off delays. The five
connections are:
- +12V from battery (an inline fuse is required)
- Ground
- Load - to be connected to the ground connection of the device to be switched
- 1 & 2 - to be connected to the two switched input wires
A packet of 5 matching terminals is included with each relay.
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| Time-Delay Relay Connections |
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| Time-Delay Relay Connections |
How many?
Should you order one or two relays? That's something every customer will have to decide for him or
herself. These relays can handle the power consumption of two HID ballasts, so if you wish to use
one relay for your whole headlight system, it will work just fine. Of course, if you have a
motorcycle with only one ballast, only one relay is needed.
However, if you have two ballasts and desire maximum redundancy, you can use two relays, with two separate fuses, so that if one ballast or relay malfunctions, you still have one headlight functional. It is also possible to use one relay with two fuses, between the relay and the ballasts, to protect against ballast failure, though you will still lose both headlights if the relay fails (not likely, but it's important to be aware of all possibilities when planning a system for maximum reliability).
Please also see the Installation Instructions page for sample wiring diagrams showing how this relay can be installed in a typical car.
Pricing
The price for the Time-Delay Relay is $24, plus
any applicable shipping charges. If you purchase using the Paypal button below, it will calculate
your shipping and should give you multiple options for shipping.
Ordering
Interested? You can order one or a pair quickly and
easily by clicking on one of the Paypal links below. Feel free to add more products to your cart
before checking out, such as the Bixenon Controllers, and
save with combined shipping. If you would like to pay by money order, or have some other special
needs, just email me and let me know how I can help you.
Other Information
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