Header Panel Lights

[cquinnball]

Hi,

 

Does anyone have a header panel with headlights connected to a light switch in their man cave or garage?  I am not sure if it is possible and I am not much of an electrician.  If you do would you mind sharing a picture?

[Pete M]

not yet!    but someday for sure.

[BeaterComanche86]

Haven’t looked into this but a 120v to 12v transformer with a fuse and switch would do the trick. Connect the hot and the ground to the lights. Also something that can hold decent amperage since the headlights probably draw a decent amount. 

[cquinnball]

Thank you!  I will have to google all of this but i am sure i can work through it.

[cquinnball]

please forgive my lack of electrical experience.  So if i have standard wire in my garage that has an existing switch and light bulbs could i install a junction box and run it to a switch and from the switch to the headlights i would use the below coupled with what fuse?  Sorry again, and thank you!

 

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07MDFK9JP/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=A2S7ZIGVI25YZ9&psc=1

 

[Jeep Driver]

3 hours ago, cquinnball said:

please forgive my lack of electrical experience.  So if i have standard wire in my garage that has an existing switch and light bulbs could i install a junction box and run it to a switch and from the switch to the headlights i would use the below coupled with what fuse?  Sorry again, and thank you!

 

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07MDFK9JP/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=A2S7ZIGVI25YZ9&psc=1

 

Yes that should work.

[Keyav8r]

From the ad you would need to use 12V LED lights.  I think even low beams would be a lot of light in a garage or man cave.

[BeaterComanche86]

Are the all the lights led? If so than that driver should work. Like @Keyav8r said you’ll have a ton of light in your man cave. Post some pics when you get it wired, I’d like to see how bright it actually is. 

 

Also so I don’t think the fuse would be  necessary since your using that driver and have a circuit breaker in the panel. 

[cquinnball]

This was for the back wall of a garage.  I have quite a few header panels with stock headlights, I would like to set up on to a single switch.  I am just not sure of exactly how to set it up.  So if I use the driver on the link i sent to you would i just continue the regular house electrical wire to the headlights?  Or do I need to use a different wire after the driver?

[Jeep Driver]

Get a deep cycle battery and a battery tender.

 

For the half hour once a week where you fancy yourself with all the cool lights..........the battery can handle it.

 

Run all the head lights through a pot so you can dim those.......you should also lessen the demand on the battery that way. 

[BeaterComanche86]

Your would have to run additional wire between all the lights and connect that to the driver. If the lights in the header panel aren't all led I don’t know how well this would work btw. Also I don’t think you’d be able to run multiple headers with this driver, maybe 2. If you have 5 or 6 I would buy one driver per header. But try one first before you buy a bunch. What type of bulbs would you put in your header panels? 

[BeaterComanche86]

Hopefully this poorly draw diagram helps 

[cquinnball]

I will try this!  Thank you. Once I get it done I will post on this thread. Thank you again!!

[cquinnball]

8 hours ago, BeaterComanche86 said:

Your would have to run additional wire between all the lights and connect that to the driver. If the lights in the header panel aren't all led I don’t know how well this would work btw. Also I don’t think you’d be able to run multiple headers with this driver, maybe 2. If you have 5 or 6 I would buy one driver per header. But try one first before you buy a bunch. What type of bulbs would you put in your header panels? 

I was planning to use the stock headlamps. Will those not work with this driver?

[Keyav8r]

Check the amperage draw for the incandescent headlights versus the amperage rating on the driver.  That will tell you if you can use it on one or more header panels.  If you’re going for ambient lighting for the garage, remember that headlights have a focused beam that will result in a lot of light in some areas and little light in others. If you’re going for accent/conversation pieces, consider using some type of lights with a more diffuse pattern.  Maybe rig 40W incandescent lamps behind clear or frosted lenses with some type of reflector behind the lamps.  That would give the “look” without burning your eyeballs out when the beam hits you.

Or, go with your original idea.  It’s your garage, your header panels and your money.  Good luck and post some photos of your finished product.

[BeaterComanche86]

https://www.amazon.com/150-Watt-Transformer-Halogen-BSET150/dp/B00905TLLU?ref_=fsclp_pl_dp_3

 

I’m not sure if the led driving will work for incandescent so I found this one. You can try the led driver but it’s hard to say without giving it a try

[cquinnball]

Hi Thanks for the feedback.  The lights are for conversation pieces, not functionality.  I just don't want to blow out perfectly good headlights so i may try with a light bulb first and covers like you suggested.

[BeaterComanche86]

it’s would be cool if you put this up in the DIY section once you get it going. Just a thought 

[13 Legion]

I’m actually following this. I have my 70 Chevelle rear bumper with taillights ( only thing left from my first car, well that and the steering wheel). Always thought of doing the same thing in the basement as wall art with working taillights. Please post some pics and good luck!

[Eagle]

On 5/15/2019 at 4:03 PM, cquinnball said:

please forgive my lack of electrical experience.  So if i have standard wire in my garage that has an existing switch and light bulbs could i install a junction box and run it to a switch and from the switch to the headlights i would use the below coupled with what fuse?  Sorry again, and thank you!

 

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07MDFK9JP/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=A2S7ZIGVI25YZ9&psc=1

 

 

That's rated to 10 amps.

 

Ohm will probably correct me but, simplistically, Watts = Volts x Amps. The OEM headlamps (H6054) are IIRC rated at 35 watts. Sylvania XtraVision are 55 watts.

 

Flipping the formula, Amps = Watts/Volts. You need two headlights, so call it 70 watts if you use basic headlamps, or 110 if you use XtraVisions. 70/12 = 5.8 so that should be good to go. 110/12 = 9.2. In theory still good to go, but too close to the limit for me to feel comfortable with it.

 

You would use a 10-amp fuse, or maybe a 15 or 20. The wire size has to be chosen based on the load and the fuse. A 15-amp circuit needs 14-gauge wire. If you use a 20-amp fuse, the wire size has to be 12-gauge. Absolute minimum would be 16-gauge wire with a 10-amp fuse.

 

NEVER use a fuse larger than what's needed for the wire size. The fuse is to protect the wire from overheating due to overload.

[Eagle]

Personally, I think even OEM headlights are much too bright for accent lighting. I think I'd be tempted to sacrifice a couple of old headlights (or find some that are burned out) and see if you can remove the connector and filament from the back without breaking the housing and reflector. If you can open it up, then you could insert any sort of low output bulb into the opening, anything from a 5-watt nightlight bulb on up.

[cquinnball]

Thank you for this. I will have to see what headlights are in the panels and buy the proper size. I am an accountant, so math clicks with me. Thank you again!

[Eagle]

In general, the fuse protects what's downstream from it. In this case, though, if you use that 10-amp transformer you also don't want to overload that. I would use 14-gauge wire with a 10-amp fuse. That way, if you decide to play the odds and add more lights, the fuse will blow before you burn out the transformer.

 

BTW -- are you going to light the parking lights along with the headlights? If so, look up the wattage on those and add it to the load in the equation. Be sure you use the parking light filament -- the turn signal filament is brighter and draws probably twice as much current.