I want to add a set of auxiliary lights to my motorcycle, and I'd like to integrate their switching with existing hardware rather than add another switch. I need help on developing a solution that accomlishes this. The functionality I have in mind revolves around the high beam switch, and is described as:
A. Vehicle includes low beam light (not involved in this solution, simply noted)
B. Vehicle includes high beam light.
C. Vehicle includes auxiliary light (this is spot/fog light).
N = ~3 (ideally, this should be variable)
1. Vehicle is running, low beam is on (continuous), high beam and auxiliary light are off.
2. User flips high beam switch ON; high beam turns on.
3. User flips high beam switch OFF; high beam turns off.
4. User waits less than N seconds.
5. User flips high beam switch ON; high beam and auxiliary light turn on.
6. User flips high beam switch OFF; high beam and auxiliary light turn off.
7. User waits more than N seconds.
8. User flips high beam switch ON; high beam and auxiliary light turn on.
9. User flips high beam switch OFF; high beam and auxiliary light turn off.
10. User waits less than N seconds.
11. User flips high beam switch ON; high beam turns on; auxiliary light remains off.
12. User flips high beam switch OFF; high beam turns off.
+++
Put another way, from the ON position on the highbeam switch, flipping the switch quickly off then on again changes the status of the auxiliary light's response to the switch, latching and unlatching it with regard to the switch.
If the high beam is on WITHOUT the auxiliary, the user can turn the auxiliary on by quickly flipping the high beam off then on again (high beam is also on after quick-flip).
If the high beam is on WITH the auxiliary, the user can turn the auxiliary off by doing the same (high beam is on alone after the quick-flip).
In all cases where the high beam is on without the auxiliary, if the user turns the high beam off, the auxiliary (obviously, I would hope) remains off. The question here is whether the user then waits less or more than N seconds to turn the high beam on again. If the user waits less than N seconds to turn the high beam on again, the auxiliary comes on with the high beam. If the user waits more, the auxiliary remains off.
In all cases where the high beam is on with the auxiliary, if the user turns the high beam off the auxiliary also turns off. The question, then, is the same as above. If the user waits more than N seconds to turn the high beam on again, the auxiliary also comes back on. If less, the auxiliary does not come back on.
In case this is not clear, the high beam can be on without the auxiliary, but the auxiliary cannot be on without the high beam.
+++
I was wondering if some forum members would be so kind as to offer ideas about a few different approaches to getting this done. Someone mentioned that a 555 timer would be helpful, but couldn't offer any information beyond that. Looking at the 555 page at Wikipedia, I'm seeing a "bistable" mode that looks promising, but I'm not exactly clear on how that would work. I do have some specific design questions deriving from the explanation there, but it seems premature to ask them.
I think this could easily be accomplished with an Arduino, but I don't like the idea of the extra complication and bulk. But I'm open to hearing ideas along these lines.
+++
Thank you in advance!
A. Vehicle includes low beam light (not involved in this solution, simply noted)
B. Vehicle includes high beam light.
C. Vehicle includes auxiliary light (this is spot/fog light).
N = ~3 (ideally, this should be variable)
1. Vehicle is running, low beam is on (continuous), high beam and auxiliary light are off.
2. User flips high beam switch ON; high beam turns on.
3. User flips high beam switch OFF; high beam turns off.
4. User waits less than N seconds.
5. User flips high beam switch ON; high beam and auxiliary light turn on.
6. User flips high beam switch OFF; high beam and auxiliary light turn off.
7. User waits more than N seconds.
8. User flips high beam switch ON; high beam and auxiliary light turn on.
9. User flips high beam switch OFF; high beam and auxiliary light turn off.
10. User waits less than N seconds.
11. User flips high beam switch ON; high beam turns on; auxiliary light remains off.
12. User flips high beam switch OFF; high beam turns off.
+++
Put another way, from the ON position on the highbeam switch, flipping the switch quickly off then on again changes the status of the auxiliary light's response to the switch, latching and unlatching it with regard to the switch.
If the high beam is on WITHOUT the auxiliary, the user can turn the auxiliary on by quickly flipping the high beam off then on again (high beam is also on after quick-flip).
If the high beam is on WITH the auxiliary, the user can turn the auxiliary off by doing the same (high beam is on alone after the quick-flip).
In all cases where the high beam is on without the auxiliary, if the user turns the high beam off, the auxiliary (obviously, I would hope) remains off. The question here is whether the user then waits less or more than N seconds to turn the high beam on again. If the user waits less than N seconds to turn the high beam on again, the auxiliary comes on with the high beam. If the user waits more, the auxiliary remains off.
In all cases where the high beam is on with the auxiliary, if the user turns the high beam off the auxiliary also turns off. The question, then, is the same as above. If the user waits more than N seconds to turn the high beam on again, the auxiliary also comes back on. If less, the auxiliary does not come back on.
In case this is not clear, the high beam can be on without the auxiliary, but the auxiliary cannot be on without the high beam.
+++
I was wondering if some forum members would be so kind as to offer ideas about a few different approaches to getting this done. Someone mentioned that a 555 timer would be helpful, but couldn't offer any information beyond that. Looking at the 555 page at Wikipedia, I'm seeing a "bistable" mode that looks promising, but I'm not exactly clear on how that would work. I do have some specific design questions deriving from the explanation there, but it seems premature to ask them.
I think this could easily be accomplished with an Arduino, but I don't like the idea of the extra complication and bulk. But I'm open to hearing ideas along these lines.
+++
Thank you in advance!
Last edited: