VEHICLE AUXILIARY CIRCUITS

Auxiliary circuits are circuits operated by electricity e.g. horn circuit, flasher circuit, windscreen
spray, wiper circuit, number plate lights, interior lights etc.

Cables

Each electrical component requires a source of energy and a circuit around which electricity can
flow. The cables have wires that supply current from the battery to the different components.
Where cables run together, they are formed into a harness or a loom. To obtain maximum
protection, the cables only leave the loom at the point where each component is located.

Terminals and connectors

Terminals attach cables to components where current flows. Connectors join cables together.

Circuit protection

Without circuit protection, a short circuit will allow excess current to flow which may melt the
cable or damage the component. A circuit protection device such as a fuse or thermal circuit
breaker reduces the risk of these problems.

1. Fuses- When the current exceeds the rating, the fuse blows and the circuit is broken,
hence excess current is stopped from flowing to the circuit and the circuit is protected.
Different fuse ratings are available to suit various circuits. Examples of fuses include
ceramic fuse and auto fuse.
2. Thermal circuit breakers- When there is current overload, a bimetallic strip heats up and
bends, opening a pair of contacts and temporarily breaks the circuits to stop current flow
hence protecting the circuit.

Windscreen wipers

Majority of the wipers are operated electrically. The force needed to drive a rubber wiper blade
is large especially when the blade has to sweep away a large volume of water from the
windscreen.

Permanent magnet windscreen wiper

Diagram- fig.17.2 (photo)

It uses a permanent magnet to drive the windscreen motor. Two permanent magnets are bonded
with an adhesive to the steel yoke. A worm on the end of the armature drives a worm wheel
which then drives the wiper blades. A polythene vent pipe releases the gases formed by arcing at
the brushes.

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Operation

When the wiper switch is put on, current from the battery will flow to the brush which will pass
it to the commutator. It will then flow to the armature and the magnetic field of the current in the
armature will repel (oppose) the magnetic field of the magnet hence producing a force that will
rotate the armature. The rotation of the armature will cause rotation of a worm on the armature
shaft which will rotate a worm wheel. The rotating worm wheel will cause wiping action of the
wiper arms and wiper blades.

Mechanical drive systems

Mechanical drive systems are used to transfer motion from the motor to the wiper blades. The
two main systems are:

1. Link
2. Flexible rack

1. Link

Diagram- fig.8.30 (Fundamentals text book)

It uses a crank on the output shaft of the motor to move a horizontal link. This drives the levers
and rotates the shafts on to which the wiper arms are connected.

2. Flexible rack

Diagram- fig.17.9 (Photo)

This system is quieter than the link system. It has a crankpin on a worm wheel driving rod which
connects with a flexible rack contained in a rigid tube.

Windscreen washers

Most vehicles have an electrically operated pump to supply water to jets that spray the
windscreen. The water is used to wash the windscreen.

Horns

Most horns are operated electrically and the note is obtained either by magnetically vibrating a
diaphragm or by pumping air past a diaphragm into a trumpet. There are three types of electric
horn:

1. High frequency horn

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 1. High frequency horns
Diagram-fig 8.47 (Fundamentals text book)

Operation
When the horn button is pressed, the closed contacts allow current to flow around the coil.
This creates a magnetic field which pulls the armature, the diaphragm and the tone disc. The
armature moves hence opening the contacts, stopping current flow and the magnetic field of
the coil collapses. The armature moves back the diaphragm and the tone disc to their original
positions and closes the contacts. The movement of the diaphragm and the tone disc causes
them to vibrate and produce a note (sound)
2. Wind tone horn
They use a similar electrical operating system like the high frequency horn for moving the
diaphragm, but instead of vibrating a tone disc, it vibrates a column of air in a trumpet to
produce a note. A wind tone horn therefore uses a trumpet instead of a tone disc. Other
components are similar to that of a high frequency horn.
Diagram-fig 8.48 (Fundamentals text book)

Direction indicators (signal lamps)

They flash to inform other road users that the driver wants to turn or overtake.

Diagram-fig 8.43 (Fundamentals text book)

When the switch is moved to the left or right, current is supplied to the appropriate lamps. The
flasher unit interrupts current to the indicators regularly to give flashing light. The flasher unit
also controls the hazard warning feature, which flashes all the directional indicators
simultaneously to warn other drivers when the vehicle breaks down. There are 3 types of flasher
units:

i. Thermal flasher
ii. Capacitor flasher
i. Thermal flasher
It uses the heating effect of an electric current to bend or extend a metal strip. One type uses
two bi-metallic strips. Each strip is wound with a heating coil and fitted with a contact. When
the switch is put on, current on the heating coil heats up the strips, and the strips bend to open
and close contacts, to pass current to the indicators or stop the current flow, which results to
flashing. Another type of thermal flasher is the vane type flasher, shown below
Diagram-
It consists of a rectangular steel vane, a metal ribbon diagonally connected to the corners of
the vane and a pair of contacts, one on the centre of the ribbon and the other fixed to the base.

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 Operation of the vane flasher
When the directional indicator switch is put on, current flows from the battery through the
closed contacts to the indicator lamps hence switching them on. The current heats the metal
ribbon, extending its length and this moves the metal ribbon and the vane upwards, opening
contacts. This stops current flow to the indicators and switches off the light. The ribbon then
cools due to lack of heating current hence the ribbon and vane move downwards to close the
contacts, allowing current to pass and switch on the light. This cycle is repeated as long as
the indicator switch is on.
ii. Capacitor flasher
It uses the timer action of a capacitor while it is performing its charge-discharge cycle to
control the switching and flashing of the indicator lamps

Maintenance and fault diagnosis of horns and direction indicators

Horns

Most faults are due to cable and connector problems. When a fault is present, a visual check
should be done and a voltmeter test should also be done to determine that the voltage applied to
the horn is correct.

Adjustment: After a long period, the horn contacts may require adjustment due to wear, so an
adjusting screw is provided to alter the contact space

Direction indicators

The common faults are bulb failure and a loss of earth at the lamp. Earth problems are caused
by a bad connection of the earth cable and this can be detected by a visual check.

Vehicle Lights
Lights are needed on a vehicle to enable the driver to see and be seen in conditions of
darkness and poor visibility.
Lighting system circuit layout
Lamps are grouped in separate circuits, these include the following (types of lamps):
1. Head lamps (main driving lamps)-For illuminating the road ahead during darkness. They
have a dipping facility to prevent approaching drivers being dazzled.
2. Fog lamps- For illuminating during fog. Headlamps are not effective during fog but fog
lamps are strong enough to illuminate through the fog.
3. Reversing lamps- For illuminating the road when the vehicle is moving backwards and
warn road users of the backward movement.
4. Brake lights- To warn road users that the vehicle is slowing down.
5. Interior lights- For illuminating the interior of the vehicle
6. Number plate lamps- For illuminating the number plate

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 7. Instrument panel lights- For illuminating the instruments on the dashboard e.g.
speedometer, fuel gauge etc.
8. Indicator lamps (signal lamps)- They are located on the front sides and rear sides to warn
road users that the vehicle is changing direction.
Lighting circuit arrangement
The lamps are located in parallel with each other for maximum illumination.
Diagram-fig 8.1(Fundamentals text book)
Lamp construction
Illumination can be obtained from an incandescent filament or from the glow emitted when
an electric current is passed through a glass tube containing a special glass (fluorescent
lamp). Most vehicle lamps are filament types but the fluorescent type is used for interior
lighting for passengers inside the vehicle. Illumination is the amount of light that falls on a
surface.
The main components in a vehicle lamp assembly for forward lighting consists of the
following:
1. Light source
2. Reflector
3. Lens

1. Light source
It produces a beam of light for illumination. The beam is then distributed through the reflector and
lens.
Diagram-fig 8.11 (Fundamentals text book)
2. Reflector
The function of a headlamp reflector is to redirect the light rays. A normal reflector is shaped in a
parabolic form, is highly polished and is coated with a material such as aluminium to give a good
reflective surface. To give good illumination, filament must be accurately positioned at the focal
point of the reflector. This allows the reflector to reflect the light rays in a parallel beam as shown
below.
Diagram-fig 8.12 (Fundamentals text book)
Other position of the filament put the lamp out of focus e.g. if the filament is in front of the focal
point or behind the focal point as shown above. The converging and diverging beam are
disadvantageous such that the converging beam does not illuminate far while the diverging beam
dazzles oncoming drivers.
3. Lens
A glass lens bends the rays and distributes the light to obtain the required illumination. It is made
of block sections. The design of a headlamp lens pattern attempts to achieve a good illumination
for both the main beam and the dip beam. The main beam requirement is a long range penetrating
light while a dip beam needs a low level light spread just in front of the vehicle (not long range).
Dipping facility

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It prevents oncoming drivers and other road users from being dazzled with the main beam light.
This is achieved by redirecting the rays downwards near the vehicle. It involves a bifocal twin
filament bulb which has the dip filament either offset to the focal point (located in front of the
focal point) of the reflector or shielded to deflect the beam to the ground near the vehicle
Diagram-fig 8.17 (Fundamentals text book)
Diagram-fig 8.18 (Fundamentals text book)
Diagram-fig 8.19 (Fundamentals text book)
Types of bulbs
1. Filament bulbs
2. Tungsten-halogen bulbs (Quartz-halogen bulb)
3. Gas discharge bulb

1. Filament bulbs
Diagram-fig 8.3 (Fundamentals text book)
They use a tungsten filament that is enclosed in a glass container and secured to two support
wires. The two wires are attached to contacts in a brass cap. Low wattage lamps such as
those used for indicator lamps are normally of the vacuum type. Vacuum type lamps don’t
have air in them. Removal of air helps in:
 Preventing oxidation and vaporization of the filament
 Reducing heat loss from the filament.
The oxygen in air causes tungsten deposits to blacken the glass and also cause the filament to burn
away quickly. When operated at the rated voltage, a filament temperature of about 23000C is
reached and a white light is produced. If the lamp is operated at a low voltage, the filament
temperature will be low and the light output will be low too. The operation of the lamp at a higher
voltage vaporizes the tungsten, blackens the glass and burns out the filament. Filament for larger
powered bulbs e.g. head lamp bulbs are made to operate at a higher temperature and produce more
light by filling the bulb with an inert gas such as argon. Heat loss from the filament due to
convection and movement of the gas is reduced by winding the filament in the form of a helix. All
bulbs are marked with letter E to show that they are approved and have a number to identify the
country where approval was given (e.g. 1, 2, 3 etc.)
2. Tungsten-halogen bulbs (Quartz-halogen bulb)
Halogen refers to a group of chemical elements such as iodine and bromine. When a halogen is
added to the gas in a bulb, a chemical reaction takes place which overcomes the evaporation
problem. Evaporation of the tungsten still occurs but as the tungsten moves from the hot filament
towards the glass, it combines with the halogen and forms a compound called tungsten halide. The
compound does not deposit itself on the glass. The gas movement carries it back to the filament
where the tungsten halide splits up (separates) and tungsten is redeposited on the filament while
the halogen is released and returned to the gas. This therefor e overcomes the problem of a normal

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gas-filled bulb where heat causes evaporation of the tungsten filament which gets deposited at the
glass causing it to turn black (discolouration).
Therefore, the advantage of the tungsten-halogen bulb is that it prevents discolouration of the bulb
and also keeps the filament in a good condition for a long time. To achieve this, the bulb must
operate at a temperature of around 3000C so that it can vaporize the halogen. This is achieved by
using a small bulb of quartz. Quartz is a material that can withstand high heat and is strong enough
to allow the bulb to be gas-filled to a high pressure so as to give a brighter filament leading to
brighter illumination.
Diagram-fig 8.4 (Fundamentals text book)
Diagram-fig 8.5 (Fundamentals text book)
3. Gas discharge bulb
Their basic principle of operation is commonly used e.g. in fluorescent lighting. Gas discharge
refers to the electric discharge that occurs when an electric current flows through a gas and causes
it to produce light.
Diagram- fig. 8.6 (Fundamentals text book)
The bulb is filled with inert gas xenon and a mixture of metal halides.
Operation
When the bulb is switched on, current is passed to the electrodes inside the discharge chamber.
The gas between the electrodes is ionized, producing an arc that completes the circuit in the
discharge chamber, hence current flows from one electrode to the other using the complete circuit.
The current heats the lamp body, vaporizing the metal halides and light is produced.
Advantages of a gas discharge bulb
 I t has a long service life. It lasts the whole life of a vehicle without replacement
 It provides long range lighting with good distribution of light on the road surface.
 It has high light output with low power consumption.
Sealed beam lamp
It is a lamp with the reflector and lens connected as one unit (sealed). In the past a headlamp was
made up of separate parts (the reflector and lens not sealed) and this made it difficult to locate the
filament at the focal point and also illumination was reduced when dust and moisture entered the
lamps through gaps between the lens and the reflector and settled on the reflector. The sealed beam
lamp overcomes the above problems. Its two tungsten filaments for the main and dip beam are
accurately positioned at the correct points and the lamp is filled with inert gas. The bulb has no
independent glass envelope, hence tungsten deposits are spread over a large area so the light
efficiency remains high for a long period of time (does not use a halogen)
Diagram-fig 73.4 (photo)
The sealed beam unit has two disadvantages:
 It is expensive to replace when the filament fails
 Sudden light failure occurs when the lens cracks (because the inert gas escapes)

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Light Emitting Diodes (LED)
It is a new technology used in vehicle lighting systems. They use a wide range of colours. The
main advantages of LED are:
 They consume less power
 They are long lasting
 They don’t emit Ultra-Violet (UV) rays.
The main applications where LED lighting is currently used on the vehicle are as follows:
 Brake lights
 Tail lights
 Reading lights (in the vehicle interior)
Diagram- fig. 8.8 (Fundamentals text book)