11 replies to this topic

[MiniManiac]

I was wondering if someone here could please help me out w/ this pickle hehehehe. If you have 2 horns in your car (one with a high tone and one with a low one), it is possible to have just one of them sound, or the other one sound, or both sound together at the same time, but how do you have to wire them to be able to achieve this with a 3 position switch?

I wish each "tone" to be attained by one position (1-Horn A, 2- Horn B & 3- Both horn A & B together). There would be no off position, one tone would always be active, which, since you always need to honk anyway would not be a problem.

Could anyone please help me out with this. Is this possible w/ a 3 position switch, because in theory I see no problem with it, but I am only able to wire it so that one sounds or both sound. I am unable to get them both to sound independently unless I loose the ability to make them sound together hahahaha Do I need some other type of switch or what is it I must do to obtain the desired result??

Thank you very much for your time & help.

[iwatkins]

You say you have a three position switch? Does it have just three connections on the back? Does the switch have three actual positions?

 

Pictures would help.

Cheers

 

Ian

[MiniManiac]

Hello iwatkins thanks for the quick reply. The switch actually has three positions. I have only tried with that one which has 6 connections on the back.

I hope that helps somehow to come up with an answer. I Honestly could not care less if I must get a different switch, all I want is to be able to wire the horns to sound on three different settings, independently (one or the other) and then together.

Once more, thanks for the time & help

[BritishRacingGreen]

I've done a quick sketch (very quick..) to help, so long as you can find the correct switch it'll work fine.

Attached Files

•  Sketch.png   5.64K   21 downloads

[BritishRacingGreen]

As your switch has 6 pins on the back you'll need to find a diagram of how its all connected up inside, and then we'll be able to tell you which pins go where.

[MiniManiac]

Thank you very much for your help BritishRacingGreen. I will do that. I shall try what is on the diagram and come back to you with the result, as well as the actual connections inside the switch.

[Dan]

  If you wire it by that diagram the horns will both be permanently connected.  You would need to add diodes to the paired connections to the central terminal to stop the current supplying the whole circuit in any switch position.

 

  Or you need a switch with a different function, a 3 position that is classed as an a/a+b/b if you can find one (similar to a headlamp switch but with the connections in a different order), rather than just a 3 position single pole.

 

  It's an odd question though!

[MiniManiac]

  If you wire it by that diagram the horns will both be permanently connected.  You would need to add diodes to the paired connections to the central terminal to stop the current supplying the whole circuit in any switch position.

 

  Or you need a switch with a different function, a 3 position that is classed as an a/a+b/b if you can find one (similar to a headlamp switch but with the connections in a different order), rather than just a 3 position single pole.

 

  It's an odd question though!

Thank you very much for your answer. Indeed, although grateful for the diagram, I did spot that that is exactly the problem I have been having & the reason why I can only get it to give me 2 tones/sounds regardless of the 3 positions, I have to isolate/stop the current on all three positions & 2 of them keep getting connected and giving me the same tone/sound   

I will look for such a switch as you describe. Hopefully that will do the trick.

I am fully aware that it is an odd question (quite a bit, could not find anything about it online) HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA That is just the kind of guy I am, my teachers kept pointing that out to me. I always came up w/ questions they had never heard, even after decades of teaching hehehehe I think it is my natural curiosity & guess that when I see something I automatically & immediately start thinking of all the possible scenarios in order to either understand to the best of my ability the situation or in this case make a more informed choice according to what I think is best  

In this particular case, if I have 2 horns which can give me a 3 tone combination/lineup, then why not? Let's use all 3 is what I say   

[blueturbomini]

If what you want to do is have the horns play seperatly(like the emergency services) you can only do it through a relay which keeps switching the power from one horn to the other. You will get in trouble with said emergency services if they hear you doing it though.

[MiniManiac]

If what you want to do is have the horns play seperatly(like the emergency services) you can only do it through a relay which keeps switching the power from one horn to the other. You will get in trouble with said emergency services if they hear you doing it though.

Well actually what I want is to be able to get the most out of the two horns I have. Normally you have one of them sound independently and then another setting where both sound at the same time. I would like to make the most out of it and have the combined setting, the high tone independently and the low tone independently all connected to a 3 position switch so that I may drive around using whichever sound/tone I fancy out of the 3 (one of them would be connected/on at any given time so I would always have a horn).

To be honest though, that emergency services idea of switching back from one horn to the other sounds quite tempting and interesting, specially since I am fitting a beacon to the roof and probably turning my Minivan into either an retro ambulance or fire engine LOL I had not even thought about that possibility since I already fit it with a siren anyway hahahaha. I do not intend to use any of it on the road anyway, only at shows. The 2 horns with the 3 tones/sounds are intended for regular use though. In the end it is just a matter of wanting to have 3 different, regular horn sounds   

[jasonmallett]

Hopefully this diagram will help

Attached Files

•  image.jpg   32.09K   15 downloads

Edited by jasonmallett, 30 May 2013 - 11:34 AM.

[chrisdeakin]

it wouldnt be expensive to have another switch to make it either one horn or both then the 3 pos' can be for playing the horn or selecting one to play on its own . maplins have a good selection of switches for all needs