Shutoff Harness for HID Angel Eyes

maymay07 · 04-15-2014, 12:35 PM

I just wanted to share how I made my shutoff harness to turn off my HID angel eyes when the low beams are turned on.

I like the HID angel eyes in the daytime, but they are too bright for my taste in evening/nighttime so I have them turning off with a simple relay harness (total cost ~ $20).

I believe this would work for those using various HID kits, but the connectors may be different. You could probably use it to turn off the control signal that turns the harness on, but I have mine on the power line to the ballasts
so the harness is just cutting off power whenever the low beams are on.

The bottom line is you just
need a 5-pin relay (not 4-pin that is standard in HID harnesses). The fifth pin (87a) is the normally closed pin, so essentially the relay isn't doing anything to the signal until the relay is activated (my relay is connected by a quick-splice connector to the low beam wire).

Pic 1: parts I used, 9006 extension cable (HID extension, $10), relay kit with connectors (Ebay from HK, $3), Tyco 5-pin relay (Ebay, $5).

Pic 2: schematic I made of how to wire it.

Pic 3: parts.

Pic 4: connectors connected.

Pic 5: cable installed.

Pic 6: what the harness does.

Pic 7: just a recent pic of HID AEs across a parking lot in full sun.

Question: does anyone know if there is a way to dim the HIDs by adding another circuit with resistor, for example? The relay I used has a normally open pin (87) not used, so I could connect a separate circuit on that pin and it would automatically turn on when the main circuit turns of (low beams are on). Has anyone tried this yet? I might put a rheostat on the power line and see what effect it has varying the voltage to the ballast. HID suppliers may have more info or ideas.

dwells · 04-15-2014, 12:41 PM

As far as I know, HIDs can't be dimmed - they either ignite or they don't. I think you'd have to look into some sort of dual-bulb setup or something if you wanted alternate brightness settings.

maymay07 · 04-15-2014, 01:27 PM

Yeah, I think dual bulb would be a major problem.

It had crossed my mind that it could be done with a dual ballast, but I'm not sure if a single bulb can be powered by different ballasts at different brightness. For example, a 35W ballast for daytime and a 25 or 15w ballast at night.

Either way, the ballast would have to supply the HV to ignite the bulb, but maybe the settling voltage would be less, therefore less output.

04-15-2014, 12:35 PM	#1
maymay07 Enlisted Member 4 Rep 44 Posts Drives: 2011 328i E90 LCI Join Date: Feb 2014 Location: California iTrader: (0)	Shutoff Harness for HID Angel Eyes - Dimming possible? I just wanted to share how I made my shutoff harness to turn off my HID angel eyes when the low beams are turned on. I like the HID angel eyes in the daytime, but they are too bright for my taste in evening/nighttime so I have them turning off with a simple relay harness (total cost ~ $20). I believe this would work for those using various HID kits, but the connectors may be different. You could probably use it to turn off the control signal that turns the harness on, but I have mine on the power line to the ballasts so the harness is just cutting off power whenever the low beams are on. The bottom line is you just need a 5-pin relay (not 4-pin that is standard in HID harnesses). The fifth pin (87a) is the normally closed pin, so essentially the relay isn't doing anything to the signal until the relay is activated (my relay is connected by a quick-splice connector to the low beam wire). Pic 1: parts I used, 9006 extension cable (HID extension, $10), relay kit with connectors (Ebay from HK, $3), Tyco 5-pin relay (Ebay, $5). Pic 2: schematic I made of how to wire it. Pic 3: parts. Pic 4: connectors connected. Pic 5: cable installed. Pic 6: what the harness does. Pic 7: just a recent pic of HID AEs across a parking lot in full sun. Question: does anyone know if there is a way to dim the HIDs by adding another circuit with resistor, for example? The relay I used has a normally open pin (87) not used, so I could connect a separate circuit on that pin and it would automatically turn on when the main circuit turns of (low beams are on). Has anyone tried this yet? I might put a rheostat on the power line and see what effect it has varying the voltage to the ballast. HID suppliers may have more info or ideas. Attached Images
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04-15-2014, 12:41 PM	#2
dwells ಠ_ಠ 75 Rep 1,539 Posts Drives: Monaco Blue 335i coupe Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: New England iTrader: (6)	As far as I know, HIDs can't be dimmed - they either ignite or they don't. I think you'd have to look into some sort of dual-bulb setup or something if you wanted alternate brightness settings. __________________ \| 335i coupe \| Monaco Blue \| JB4 G5 ISO \| Style 313M \| Huper 40% tint \| Aero lip \| CSL trunk spoiler \| M3 sideskirts \| Paint-matched grilles \| Painted reflectors \| GP Thunder II angel eyes \| Smoked LED sidemarkers \| Self-coded \|
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04-15-2014, 01:27 PM	#3
maymay07 Enlisted Member 4 Rep 44 Posts Drives: 2011 328i E90 LCI Join Date: Feb 2014 Location: California iTrader: (0)	Yeah, I think dual bulb would be a major problem. It had crossed my mind that it could be done with a dual ballast, but I'm not sure if a single bulb can be powered by different ballasts at different brightness. For example, a 35W ballast for daytime and a 25 or 15w ballast at night. Either way, the ballast would have to supply the HV to ignite the bulb, but maybe the settling voltage would be less, therefore less output.
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