XSeries-forum

Hi everyone

Ive been looking to connect my angel eyes to the interior lights for a fade on/off via the remote, Although not connected ive already run a wire from the footwell light to the lighting switch panel, i have a diode in line so the interior lights are off whilst im driving along! Can anyone tell my what the colour of the wires are from the light switch panel are to the angel eyes side lights?
Im having trouble finding out any help would be appreciated...

All sound nice & pretty etc,
but
the fade on/off may also possibly be LOAD affected, ie the angel eyes are a significantly higher wattage, and could destroy the Mossfet giving power to the interior lights of a known wattage & current draw.
AND
There is a legal obligation to be able to operate side-lights for any duration set by the dash switch, and any alteration from design intent may give you issues at MOT time...

Just a thought any way.

if you are a dab hand with electronics, you could create a simple circuit with about 6 components that will ramp up the illumination of the angel eyes on switch on, and charge a capacitor hooked to a mossfet with a bleed resistor from input to earth of the Mossfet, thus keeping the Mossfet open and fade out gradually until the capacitor is depleted.... that would work, but not in conjunction with the interior light - which I think is a bad idea any way.

[quote="X5-D-Sport Salisbury"]
if you are a dab hand with electronics, you could create a simple circuit with about 6 components that will ramp up the illumination of the angel eyes on switch on, and charge a capacitor hooked to a mossfet with a bleed resistor from input to earth of the Mossfet, thus keeping the Mossfet open and fade out gradually until the capacitor is depleted.... that would work, but not in conjunction with the interior light - which I think is a bad idea any way.
[/quote]

Sounds like Chinese to me lol

Hi Tim,

probably is Chinese, most electronic components come from China nowadays lol

Remember the lighting on the X5 is controlled via a computer module - the LCM - and not directly from the light switch.  Some of the lighting circuits have a modulated signal using Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) to control intensity, others use a ramped signal to dim etc.  Be careful when messing with the LCM as it is an expensive unit to replace.

As has been said above, you will fall foul of the Vehicle Construction & Use regs as well as the MOT regs covering mandatory lighting - the Angel Eyes are part of the 'mandatory' lighting and must work correctly in accordance with those rules.

Thanks for the replies and concerns

I've read a few articles of people doing this successfully just wiring direct to the angel eyes and back to the footwell or any other interior light and have had no problems/errors as such, so I beleive this extra load is within tolerances, if not I'll take my chances  although this method involves feeding the wires threw the engine bay and firewall etc. therefore for ease I wanted to go straight from footwell into the lighting switch.

If there's a module or similar between the lighting switch and angel eyes It may show up a 'lights on' message at every hit of the remote. Also the words 'expensive unit to replace' is starting to give me the horrors. Therefore I may instead wire direct to the angel eyes and install a diode on the original angel eye circuit side to stop any 'reverse' current and bypass any precarious electricky.


As for the legal fiction side of things if the MOT fails over it I'll first laugh, then pull the wire tap out and plug it back in when I go to drive off. If I get hauled into court, I'll send my strawman

Very simply, the electronics that feed the interior lighting will most unlikely be ip to the current draw of the Angel Eyes  and you wil fry the module supplying the power, as I mentioned initially.l

[quote="X5-D-Sport Salisbury"]
Very simply, the electronics that feed the interior lighting will most unlikely be ip to the current draw of the Angel Eyes  and you wil fry the module supplying the power, as I mentioned initially.l
[/quote]

Indeed.  The module is £378 from BMW assuming you have Xenon HID lighting.  What you need to also watch is that there is a link between the angel eyes and the dipped headlights.  The intensity changes with the lamps usually fitted.  It's only an output from the LCM though.

Nothing on a BMW is simple....

Again thanks for the concerns and I hear what your saying, but as previously mentioned I've read articles of people doing this same mod, same method, on various BMWs with no frying of modules or anything else. so besides the formalities I will take my chances 

Anyway thanks again for your time I'll keep you updated...