Lights on reminder

[Mr Camouflage]

I wouldnt wire the buzzer to come on when the ignition is off. I'd wire it to the door switch, so that it came on when the door was opened and the headlights were on. Thats how most new cars do it.

I think it would drive you crazy everytime you came home at night and turned the igniton off first, before the headlights. Thats the order I always swith things off, and thats why id wire to trigger when the door opens.

[EScanlon]

Camo;

Part of the problem of wiring it that way, is that the door switch / dome lamp are on the same circuit, and it's "hot" all the time. The little "Lights On" buzzer circuitry would be on continuously.

Zbane:

Ideally, that would be the way to rewire the switch or the Relay Harness (for those that bought one), but there's already enough items going through the ignition switch that exacerbate the wiring nightmares without adding another one.

Lastly, I bought a few that were on sale, and have been trying to find where to plug them in. I'm hoping that SteveJ's post is the answer I've been looking for.

As one that has .... bluntly, spaced out turning off either the Headlights OR the Parking Lights OR the Dome Lamp only to discover a thoroughly discharged battery....I can say that I'll take ANY kind of warning, whether before the door opens, or right after I stop the car (which currently my wife has been doing...with ensuing "joy" at how I get reminded) or a buzzer that kicks on as soon as I turn off the ignition. Would love to have as my Acura does, a soft chime when the door opens, but I'll take the buzzer.

I'll post my confirmation of SteveJ's post with the buzzer I got. Hopefully they're one and the same, and I don't screw it up.

Enrique

[TomoHawk]

Enrique-

Acoording to the buzzer's instructions, you need an IGN feed, and one for the lamps. With both IGN and lamps on, both legs of the buzzer are hot, and it won't sound. This worries me, as you're using the IGN wiring as a source for GND. Would that work?

A chime sounds interesting. Where could you get those? Inquiries tell me to "go to the dealer" who wants to sell you one for a specific car; hence: "280Zs don't have a chime.":devious:

[SteveJ]

I wouldnt wire the buzzer to come on when the ignition is off. I'd wire it to the door switch, so that it came on when the door was opened and the headlights were on. Thats how most new cars do it.

I think it would drive you crazy everytime you came home at night and turned the igniton off first, before the headlights. Thats the order I always swith things off, and thats why id wire to trigger when the door opens.

Yes, it's nice to have the headlights & running lights that go off when the door is opened. On the other hand, I know I'm not up to engineering that. I had enough fun just developing a working way to splice in relays for the headlights (done before someone smarter than I am thought to just design a plug & play solution).

I placed the headlight buzzer under the center console. You can hear it, but I don't find it annoying. It can't be nearly as annoying as finding a dead battery when you need to go somewhere.

[TomoHawk]

Since the lights are on a mechanical switch, instead of a relay system, like the ignition is, there isn't a simple way to turn off the lights with the key. Unless you splice a relay into the fuse links to cut the lighting circuits.

[ezzzzzzz]

Basically this system operate on the following principle.

When the ignition switch is activate, the internal coil of relay #2 is energized and no current reaches the buzzer so no sound is heard regardless of headlight positon.

When the headlights are on, the internal coil of relay #1 is energized and battery current is passed through relay #1 to relay #2. If the key is off then current flows through relay #2 to sounds the buzzer. If the key is on then relay #2 is energized and no current reaches the buzzer.

Use of a chime will be more appealing.

It's as simply as that!

List of Materials:

a) 2-bosch relays single pole doube throw (SPDT)

12 volt buzzer or chime

c) Solderless teminals

d) Electrical wire

e) Board to install components

[TomoHawk]

TWO relays!??

Only the buzzer should be needed, and it does work on American cars, so the same simple nbuzzer should work on the Z, with the exception of a simple addition, like a diode or something like that.

I think you've over-engineered this idea Ezzzz. First make the buzzer work with the stuff that's there.

[zbane]

Enrique-

A chime sounds interesting. Where could you get those? Inquiries tell me to "go to the dealer" who wants to sell you one for a specific car; hence: "280Zs don't have a chime."

Maybe the 280z does not have a chime, but my 280zx does. When I leave the lights on, it chirps happily, Ding, Ding..Ding, Ding..etc. Perhaps all you need to do is switch out the light stick and all applicable hardware from a zx.

[ezzzzzzz]

I was only trying to have some fun. Read on as there is reason in my madness. My circuit does not rely on the ignition for a ground source. It really isn't that difficult. A simple buzzer can be found at Radio Shack. They probably have a chime as well. In your desired version one buzzer lead goes to a terminal that is feeding 12v to the side or dash lights (these are the last to go when turning off your lights). The other lead goes to an ignition source. When the ignition is off but the lights are on the buzzer/chime uses the ignition load(s) as it's ground source (abet it is not a straight ground). In this scenario the ignition circuit is drawing all required current through the buzzer/chime too. It may be enough to cook the little bugger it heavier loads (i.e. electric fan) aren't load relayed and should kick in. Otherwise, that simple circuit should work in nearly every application. My old Land Rover has seperate switches for internal/parking lights and the headlights. A bit more creative approach would needed in such a case.

[hls30.com]

WHy not pull the Babe of a 280ZX and let her talk?

Will

[TomoHawk]

Too complicated, and not period correct.

[sblake01]

But a 'lights on reminder' is?