I have a lucas in line brake light switch can I wire the lights through this or shall I fit a relay I only ask this because there is no rating on the switch.
Should be OK without a relay - it's not very high current (50W - approx 4 Amps) and non-inductive (no sparking).
David
No you shouldn't need a relay. My brake light switch is similar to yours. No relays required, works fine.
Cheers,
Dave
No
Definately no relay required for 2 x 21watt brake lights, thats 42 watts divide by 12v, and is about 3.5 Amps.
I would have said they were an inductive load. ie they are a coil of wire! (Bulb filament). Still it will make no difference.
The inductive part has nothing to do with sparking. Its all about the reversed currents that are produced when you switch off the supply to an
inductive load, its generates a Back EMF. (reverse current / voltage, as the magnetic field which was produced when the device was working / powered
up. When the power is removed the collapsing magnetic field induces a voltage / current in the wire / coil, in the reverse direction, this can damage
sensative electronic components
Non sparking devices are usually called "intrinsically safe"
I have fitted enough of those devices in Fuel Dumps and Petro Chemical Installations in years gone by.
They definately are not a capacitive load either
All good fun eh!..
My build is coming along nicely... hope to have it done for this summer... original date was Last Summer
in a simpler term, no
quote:
Originally posted by wilkingj
I would have said they were an inductive load. ie they are a coil of wire! (Bulb filament). Still it will make no difference.
The inductive part has nothing to do with sparking.