Let There Be LIGHTS! Circuits


NEW! ANIMATION PAGE! There are 7 independent circuits controlled by switches on the dashboard. They are described here:

White lights along the front bumper, along the front and back of the hood, and across the top of the windshield come on with the parking lights. The individual bulbs are carefully arranged so that they point downwards along the bumper and above the windshield, upwards on the front of the hood and pointing forwards along the back of the hood (so that the light does not glare into the driver's eyes).

The amber lights along each side of the car point straight up. These are wired into the turn signal circuitry and operate only when the parking lights are on. There is a switch that changes the function of these lights. With the switch in the up position, the lights are naturally "on" and flash "off" when the turn signal flashes on. With the switch in the down position, the lights are naturally "off" and flash "on" when the turn signal flashes on.

There is a row of red lights above (pointing downward) and below (pointing rearward) the rear window. The switch controlling these lights determines whether the lights come on when the brake pedal is depressed or when the parking lights are on.

Around the windows green and yellow lights point downwards. This circuit is hooked in to the courtesy light which has three positions: on/off/on-when-the-door-is-open.

There is a row of green LEDs along the bottoms of the doors. These come on with the ignition, but can be turned off with a switch at the dashboard.

There is a row of red LEDs along the rear bumper that are controlled by a dashboard switch.

Finally, the front wheels have yellow LEDs and the rear wheels have red LEDs which flash with the turn signals or steadily, depending on what position the dashboard switch is in.

CONTEST!

There has been a lot of interest in how I did the actual wiring of some of the circuits, particularly the wheels. So far I have been reluctant to divulge how I did it. However, I have decided to conduct a contest. Here are the rules. By sending me a message, describe to me how you think I got the lights on the wheels to work. Don't forget to give me your mailing address in case you win. Also, if you have a home page, let me know so I can put in a link to it. The winner will receive a package of 10 Christmas cards (I will provide a picture of one as soon as I get it scanned). Runner up will receive a package of 10 postcards. The winner will be the first person to correctly explain how I did it in such a way that someone else reading the explanation would be able to do the job him/herself. Besides the two winners, I will also post my favorite incorrect suggestions. The authors of these suggestions will receive a postcard from me.

Here is a description of the cards:
The Christmas card is a picture of my car parked in front of a building in Johnson City. The building is decorated in Christmas lights and has the words "Happy Holidays" spelled out in lights.
The postcard is a self portrait. It shows my car sitting next to a reflective pool. The image of the car is clearly visible on the surface of the water. I am sitting in front of the car on the road, illuminated only by the lights.
Both the Christmas card and the postcard will be for sale from me directly or through the Orange Show gift shop.

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