Can I make trailer signals brighter?

[bruceb58]

Re: Can I make trailer signals brighter?

My bet is that there are no heavy duty flashers available for this. Many after market ones are actually electronic now.

 

[Libbs]

Re: Can I make trailer signals brighter?

You were right guys, I give up. Can't find any HD flashers for the '99 Cherokee. Back to work now, so I'll try just replacing it with a standard one when I get home Wednesday.

Thanks again for all the help and advice.

-Libbs

 

[UncleWillie]

Re: Can I make trailer signals brighter?

Reading this again...

Your Turn signals on the Jeep are normal brightness.
Therefor, there is 12 volts to the Jeep turn signal bulbs.
The Jeep's Relay/Flasher is not the problem.
The 5 volts on the meter is a false (analog averaging) reading.

The Trailer Turn signals are dim.
Therefor, the problem lies between the Jeep Turn Bulbs and the Trailer Turn Bulbs.

That leaves us with either a wiring or a Converter problem.
If the Brake lights on the trailer are normal brightness, that eliminates all wiring between the converter and the trailer.
If BOTH turn signals are dim it is either the converter is bad or both wires from the Jeep Turn signals to the converter have the same problem.

Occam's Razor says the converter is the simplest explanation.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

EDIT:
Now, having said that, I searched for schematics for just what is inside of the converters.
Baring any proprietary custom made Integrated circuits, everything I could find used multiple relays.
And looking at the schematics of the relay circuits, there does not appear to be any point that would affect BOTH turn signals.
Does any one have a schematic for a 5 to 4 wire lamp converter that does NOT use relays?

 

[bruceb58]

Re: Can I make trailer signals brighter?

Now, having said that, I searched for schematics for just what is inside of the converters.
Baring any proprietary custom made Integrated circuits, everything I could find used multiple relays.
And looking at the schematics of the relay circuits, there does not appear to be any point that would affect BOTH turn signals.
Does any one have a schematic for a 5 to 4 wire lamp converter that does NOT use relays?

All they do is run the brake and turn through an XNOR gate. Pretty darn simple. Not propietary.

 

[T_Herrod]

Re: Can I make trailer signals brighter?

If my memory is correct the orignal complaint was dim turn lights. First thing to check is to see if the wiring inside the trailer lights has been reversed. I'm thinking that someone replaced the lights and got the turn and tail lights wires switched inside the light housing.

 

[UncleWillie]

Re: Can I make trailer signals brighter?

All they do is run the brake and turn through an XOR gate. Pretty darn simple. Not proprietary.

I understand the XOR circuit, Relay or Solid State.

What doesn't make sense is a singe failure in the converter circuitry that affects BOTH Turn Signals.
The odds of two failures simultaneously that only DIM the lights is inconceivable.
A wiring issue I can see. A logic circuit failure, Not so much.

What I meant by proprietary was not the actual logic used, but someone like Hopkins having a custom IC burned to keep the parts count down in their converters instead of using discrete components.

 

[bruceb58]

Re: Can I make trailer signals brighter?

I understand the XOR circuit, Relay or Solid State.

You made it sound like you couldn't figure it out using anything other than relays or custom made ICs.

Now, having said that, I searched for schematics for just what is inside of the converters.
Baring any proprietary custom made Integrated circuits, everything I could find used multiple relays.

I do agree that its hard to imagine the convertor box being the problem if both signals are doing the exact same thing. The schematic I have in mind could not have seperate brightnesses for brake and turn. They would always be the same.

I still believe the OP is measuring full voltage and that 5.5V measured with an Analog meter is correct for a blinking light.

I really doubt Hopkins has a special IC. The design I was thinking about has one IC(not custom), 2 FETS and 3 or 4 diodes...that's it.

 

[MJS]

Re: Can I make trailer signals brighter?

BEFROE YOU REPLACE ANYTHING
You have the bulbs in the trailer in backwards. Take the bulbs out, turn them 180 degrees and put them back in. The wireing is fine but if the bulb is turned to where the turn signal post is sitting on the running light power supply and the running light is sitting on the turn\brake power supply. They will light the bright filliment for running lights and the dim one for signals. Put all that money you were about to drop back in your pocket.

 

[04fxdwgi]

Re: Can I make trailer signals brighter?

This thread is beginning to have a life of it's own.......

Suggestion: Use a standard old test light. If the vehicle lights are at full brightness, they are at 12 VDC, not 5 VDC. Period. I think your tester is lying to you.

If the test light is dim at the trailer connection ON THE JEEP, then it's the light adapter before the trailer connection ON THE JEEP or wiring to the adapter.

If the test light is bright at the CONNECTOR ON THE JEEP, and dim at the trailer lights, it's the trailer wiring caused by:
1. Mis-wired / bad connection at connector FROM THE TRAILER
2. Messed up wiring on the trailer
3. A bad ground

Sorry, but that's it in a nut shell. Dump the tester you have, go simple with the test light and go from there. This is electrical systems 101.

 

[MJS]

Re: Can I make trailer signals brighter?

Seriously, try rotating the bulb and let me know if that fixed it. If the bulbs are the kind with two contacts on the bottom and two lugs on the sides to lock them in place, it's likley in backwards.

 

[Libbs]

Re: Can I make trailer signals brighter?

K guys, got a new flasher and there is a significant improvement. Turns out what I thought was normal brightness on the vehicle turn signals was actually a bit dim too, now that I see it with a new flasher. I just didn't know it.

I checked the bulbs on the trailer to make sure they were in correctly and they were. There were two little nubs on opposing sides of the bulb, one higher up than the other, preventing inadvertant reversal.

The tester now shows the voltage hitting 8+ volts on the upswing. That's up from about 5.5v. I'm pretty sure it's actually hitting 12v, but my crappy analog tester can't show it fast enough before the blink turns off as suggested several times in the thread.

I'm likely going to switch to LEDs at somepoint anyway just 'cuz.

Thanks so much for the huge response. I'm indebted to you all!

-Libbs