The BSA A7-A10 Forum
Technical (Descriptive Topic Titles - Stay on Topic) => Lucas, Ignition, Charging, Electrical => Topic started by: bsa-bill on 19.06. 2010 11:46
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Hi, I've come upon a problem with the switch I bought as part of a headlamp with switch and ammeter ( like a Goldie type), I think this has come up before, problem is getting the side light ( pilot and rear) to work with the headlight and also work by themselves.
The switch seems lacking in any internal or external duplicate feed, so coupling up the sidelights to the connection with the headlight will result in the headlamp coming on with the side light.
I've had the switch to pieces and can see no extra circuits in it, it does have a brass post which connects to nothing, I think this post would on a B series have a rocker on it that moves with the switch and connects to the extreme end pins on the switch.
As far as I can see the only answer is to use another switch for the sidelights or run with head light and side light all together as is often done these days anyway, don't know how this works for an MOT though.
Anybody cured this with an artful dodge or know what switch I need ( switch sits in quite a large hole and is held in by a circularish spring clip
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Check with your MOT chap but when I had my bike done he never checked the sidelight
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Bill, assuming that you have the normal switch design which most of us have, I've come across this situation once on a friend's Super Rocket and when I looked closer at the wire connections on the switch the side light bulb wire had not been connected to terminal 4. Only this wire is to be connected to 4. The head/dip light switch supply wire is to be connected to 2. The terminal 3 is for the wires from the ammeter and 'A' terminal on the control box.
This way when the switch lever is set to head lights power is disconnected from terminal 4 and hence the side light.
Just for the record I've connected the Magneto earth to terminal 6 and earthed the brass post you mentioned so that a) I can't run the engine without at least the side lights on (safety, as per modern bikes) and b) use it as an engine off switch when I turn the lights off (saves an extra switch/button on the bars). I also use 20W Halogen for the side light which is well bright enough to be seen during the day
Hope this helps
Alan
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Thanks Alan, I have one of those Cibie headlights that need a bulb with a window in it's base for the sidelight to shine through, as of the moment I have a Quartz halogen bulb in there that has no window, so no side (pilot) light for now.
what I was trying to get though was a tail light on by itself and stay on when I switch to headlight, to do this with a link wire results in live feed to the headlight.
I think the Lucas switch on the Flash has internal circuits that get around this, this switch doesn't it is not a Lucas or known switch.
The switch has a chip off it inside the headlamp so I think needs replaced anyway so If I can find out a part number I get one.
Spent two very full days wiring the bike, why can't they use the same colours BSA did?. also have added indicators so there's a bit of a full house inside the headlamp.
I like your magneto cut out idea, damn I forgot to run a wire for that, however I did run an earth front to back so I could tap into that.
many thanks for your reply