Cheap ebay brake modulator

[posplayr]

Just a quick report on a cute little modulator (size of a match box) I got from ebay.

I ordered one of these to use with my LED's until I can get a Moto Vis produced.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/350928615965?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649

http://www.ebay.com/itm/like/151172963260

Remember it is only rated for:

Rated input current: 0.8A to 1.2A

I tested it with an LED and Incandescent 1157 bulb. Both seemed to work identically. 5 fast pulses (in 1/2 sec) then 4 slow pulses (just over 2 1/4 sec) with a total duration of 2.75 sec till brakes hold steady. Check with your local jurisdiction as to what is legal.

As designed this is probably legal in CA even though it flashes 9 times in 4 seconds given this and the sections in the next post.

V C Section 25251.5 Deceleration Warning Lights

Deceleration Warning Lights

25251.5. (a) Any motor vehicle may also be equipped with a system in which an amber light is center mounted on the rear of a vehicle to communicate a component of deceleration of the vehicle, and which light pulses in a controlled fashion at a rate which varies exponentially with a component of deceleration.

(b) Any motor vehicle may be equipped with two amber lamps on the rear of the vehicle which operate simultaneously with not more than four flashes within four seconds after the accelerator pedal is in the deceleration position and which are not lighted at any other time. The lamps shall be mounted at the same height, with one lamp located on each side of the vertical centerline of the vehicle, not higher than the bottom of the rear window, or if the vehicle has no rear window, not higher than 60 inches. The light output from each of the lamps shall not exceed 200 candlepower at any angle horizontal or above. The amber lamps may be used either separately or in combination with another lamp.

(c) Any stoplamp or supplemental stoplamp required or permitted by Section 24603 may be equipped so as to flash not more than four times within the first four seconds after actuation by application of the brakes.

Amended Ch. 410, Stats. 1983. Effective January 1, 1984.

Thumping it with my finger nail produced no apparent change. It seems to be the same that an American company is selling for $20.

The incandescent 1157 pulls about 0.6A
The LED 1157 with 18 SMD LED's pulled about 0.1A

Moto Viz

http://www.thegsresources.com/_forum/showthread.php?t=219433

I did not check it but presume that you will need to keep the input ground and output ground separate. So just insert between the power and ground of your brake. This might be a problem for a tail light in the same housing as the 1157 as they both share the same ground.

If you go LED, I have been wiring both 1157 lamps to the Brake as the license plate light is bright enough and it gives a more pronounced blink.

[posplayr]

This is the main section relating to stop lights. Between V C Section 25251.5 and 24603 there seems to be a lot of flexibility in flashing and conveying deceleration with Brake lights and supplemental brake linhts.

http://dmv.ca.gov/pubs/vctop/d12/vc24603.htm

V C Section 24603 Stoplamps

Stoplamps

24603. Every motor vehicle that is not in combination with any other vehicle and every vehicle at the end of a combination of vehicles shall at all times be equipped with stoplamps mounted on the rear as follows:

(a) Every such vehicle shall be equipped with one or more stoplamps.

(b) Every such vehicle, other than a motorcycle, manufactured and first registered on or after January 1, 1958, shall be equipped with two stoplamps, except that trailers and semitrailers manufactured after July 23, 1973, which are less than 30 inches wide, may be equipped with one stoplamp which shall be mounted at or near the vertical centerline of the trailer. If such vehicle is equipped with two stoplamps, they shall be mounted as specified in subdivision (d).

(c) Except as provided in subdivision (h), stoplamps on vehicles manufactured on or after January 1, 1969, shall be mounted not lower than 15 inches nor higher than 72 inches, except that a tow truck or a repossessor’s tow vehicle, in addition to being equipped with the required stoplamps, may also be equipped with two stoplamps which may be mounted not lower than 15 inches nor higher than the maximum allowable vehicle height and as far forward as the rearmost portion of the driver’s seat in the rearmost position.

(d) Where two stoplamps are required, at least one shall be mounted at the left and one at the right side, respectively, at the same level.

(e) Stoplamps on vehicles manufactured on or after January 1, 1979, shall emit a red light. Stoplamps on vehicles manufactured before January 1, 1979, shall emit a red or yellow light. All stoplamps shall be plainly visible and understandable from a distance of 300 feet to the rear both during normal sunlight and at nighttime, except that stoplamps on a vehicle of a size required to be equipped with clearance lamps shall be visible from a distance of 500 feet during those times.

(f) Stoplamps shall be activated upon application of the service (foot) brake and the hand control head for air, vacuum, or electric brakes. In addition, all stoplamps may be activated by a mechanical device designed to function only upon sudden release of the accelerator while the vehicle is in motion. Stoplamps on vehicles equipped with a manual transmission may be manually activated by a mechanical device when the vehicle is downshifted if the device is automatically rendered inoperative while the vehicle is accelerating.

(g) Any vehicle may be equipped with supplemental stoplamps mounted to the rear of the rearmost portion of the driver's seat in its rearmost position in addition to the lamps required to be mounted on the rear of the vehicle. Supplemental stoplamps installed after January 1, 1979, shall be red in color and mounted not lower than 15 inches above the roadway. The supplemental stoplamp on that side of a vehicle toward which a turn will be made may flash as part of the supplemental turn signal lamp.

A supplemental stoplamp may be mounted inside the rear window of a vehicle, if it is mounted at the centerline of the vehicle and is constructed and mounted so as to prevent any light, other than a monitorial indicator emitted from the device, either direct or reflected, from being visible to the driver.

(h) Any supplemental stoplamp installed after January 1, 1987, shall comply with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 108 (49 C.F.R. 571.108). Any vehicle equipped with a stoplamp that complies with the federal motor vehicle safety standards applicable to that make and model vehicle shall conform to that applicable safety standard unless modified to comply with the federal motor vehicle safety standard designated in this subdivision.

Amended Sec. 108, Ch. 307, Stats. 2009. Effective January 1, 2010.

[chef1366]

Visibility is key especially when stopping.

[posplayr]

Visibility is key especially when stopping.

But is it really worth $3.31 shipped?

I posted a picture here.

The point is to keep the bulb you are modulating on a separate ground. I don't know exactly how your particular bike is wired, but it is probably similar to the schematic of the tail light wiring harness for a 82/83 GS1100E. The 1157 bulb has two filaments (White and Grey) and a single ground (the case).

So there is no way to separate those grounds so I put both of the 1157 filaments on the same ground which is the output of the modulator.

One think I'm not sure of is if this works with independent control of W and gr wires. Since I had used LED bulbs for tail light and brake light. The tail light was very bright so much so that the brake light was not as pronounced as I would like. So I wired both White and Grey to the output of the modulator to give a very distinctly bright brake light. It will probably work either way. I cant guarantee that however. The brake modulator really has nothing to do with LED lights and most everybody will have an 1157 brake light so it stands to reason it will work that way as well.

[chef1366]

$3.31!!!!
Shipped??????

Maybe an SUV up my a$$ isn't so bad.

[posplayr]

$3.31!!!!
Shipped??????

Maybe an SUV up my a$$ isn't so bad.

Ouch, I like it when you me me that way.