6 volt relays

[Art Bjornestad]

I found 6 volt relays at Amazon that are used for headlight dimmer relays on 65 and earlier. They were 16 bucks and can be used for horns and lights. Art

[eagle]

If you need a low current relay(pull in), you can get a 5 volt relay at an electronics store, Radio Shack has them. I don't know what your going to use it for but I like the low current coil of a modern relay. For horn or lights the dimmer relay you found should work good.

[Willie Krash]

I don't know what you have in mind continuous usage or not but Snyder's sells a 6v horn relay with all the trimmings for $13.95. Intermittent usage of course. Not a bad idea either.
Part # A-13820

[Phred]

http://www.fifthaveinternetgarage.co...counter_2.html

A site full of electrical information

[ctlikon0712]

Phred, great site. The coolant on page 3 is interesting. 370 degree boiling point and no water to turn to rust! Has anyone tried the Evans NPG Plus coolant?

[CWPASADENA]

Sponsored Links (Register now to hide all advertisements)

Originally Posted by ctlikon0712

Phred, great site. The coolant on page 3 is interesting. 370 degree boiling point and now water to turn to rust! Has anyone tried the Evans NPG Plus coolant?

This stuff is mainly intended for a car that has a problem keeping cool. I believe it is a synthetic material with a high boiling point. It will work but I do not see the value of using it in a Model A. There is no reason that a Model A that overheats can not be fixed.

I am sure in a car that does not overheat, this stuff would not hurt anything but it is expensive.

I have a completely restored Model A with a fresh clean cooling system and here in Southern California, we do not need the anti freeze protection, so I just use distilled water and water treatment.

Just my opinion,

Chris W.

[MrTube]

Digikey has quite a few 6VDC coil relays.

http://www.digikey.com/product-detai...B323-ND/254540

[MikeK]

Mechanical relays? Just use a power MOSFET.

[Cool Hand Lurker]

"Mechanical relays? Just use a power MOSFET. "

Oh. OK.

[dumb person]

Originally Posted by MikeK

Mechanical relays? Just use a power MOSFET.

They are extremely hard to find.

[MikeK]

Originally Posted by dumb person

They are extremely hard to find.

Complete solid state control modules are available online from Digi-Key and Mouser, as well as other electronics suppliers. Here's a LINK to one type of completely photo-isolated MOSFET relays that fit easily inside horn motor covers and headlight shells. You do need to add a 50cent 1N4003 diode across the load, as shown in the link. I have the CMX60D10 inside a horn. No visible external wiring or added parts! You do need to know a bit of elementary electronics to select and install one from scratch. Unfortunately my current transportation is crutches and cane (damn lower back) so I can't take pics and put together a "how to" with a horn.

The devices shown are impervious to the dampness and cold weather corrosion problems that plague mechanical relays. The device shown will take a 100 amp surge, something a small mechanical relay will not do. They are rated for inductive (coil, motor, etc.) loads. There are no contact points to arc and stick shut like in mechanical relays. Small mechanical relays have very short MTBF's when used in inductive apps.

You can also use the CMX series (3-10v control) on 12 volts, just use two high ohm 1/4w resistors to make a voltage divider for the input control or use a 6.2v zener.

[Cool Hand Lurker]

Thanks MikeK for the details. I can visualize anything mechanical but I don't even speak the language of electronics so I needed that. I am thinking that "MTBF" means something like Maximum Time Before Failure, right?

[MrTube]

Oh, so thats how its going to be eh MikeK?

I have a pair of solid state relays I've been meaning to install in my home built audio amps but have not got around to it. They are rated for 25A @ 250V AC but were by no means cheap. They also require a heatsink.

[Cool Hand Lurker]

Wow. That MOSFET is $40 at Mouser!

[MrTube]

Originally Posted by Cool Hand Lurker

Wow. That MOSFET is $40 at Mouser!

Yes, they are not cheap and I am not sure why MikeK and others are calling the\m "MOSFETs" as they are referred to as a solid state relay. Yes, they contain a mosfet but its only a small part of the circuit.

You can build one using discrete parts a lot cheaper than $40 but I don't personally know how.


http://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/...iwcoACRc54Y%3D

[MikeK]

Originally Posted by MrTube

Yes, they are not cheap and I am not sure why MikeK and others are calling the\m "MOSFETs" as they are referred to as a solid state relay. Yes, they contain a mosfet but its only a small part of the circuit.

You can build one using discrete parts a lot cheaper than $40 but I don't personally know how.

Street price at electronics shops in Chicago is $29. There are several types of solid state relays, based on the switching element. It could be a triac, SCR, Darlington, MOSFET or other. That switching element actually occupies 75%+ of the package, the rest is a tiny circuit (LED + phototransistor and support components) to electrically isolate the input (trigger, switch) from the power switching device. Technically, you would call it a MOSFET opto-isolated switch. This not being an electronics forum, I simply referred to it based on what kind of solid-state switching element it contained. MOSFETs are the choice for moderately inductive DC loads.

Yes, you could build one non-opto isolated with a cheap $4 discreet power MOSFET, two 50c diodes and a few tiny 20c resistors and two 25c ceramic disc caps. About $3 to add opto-iso. Explaining it (and its execution) is beyond the scope of this forum. My other garage is full of electronics stuff, I'm a former HAMB (radio, not Hokey Ass Message Board) addict.

What I did was take the easy (lazy?) way. The device shown is as easy to wire for a novice as figuring out a relay, without the hassle of figuring where to hide the thing in a weather protected environment. I have yet to see 1) a reliable inductive load mechanical relay that fits in the horn cover 2) a weatherproof 6v relay.

Like anything, you get what you pay for. Why would anyone waste their $ on quality parts from A&L when you can get the cheap stuff from Vintique? I certainly don't expect anyone to pick a $29-$40 device over a $10 relay.

[Cool Hand Lurker]

MikeK, usually when I try to build something electronic it doesn't work after I am finished. Maybe too much heat when soldering, a backward diode, other stupid mistakes too. I sometimes have parts left over because I have to buy a pack of 4 at Radio Shack. And it takes way too much time when I do it. And when it doesn't work I have no idea what went wrong. But it is fun. Then I go out and just buy the expensive version!

[MrTube]

Originally Posted by Cool Hand Lurker

MikeK, usually when I try to build something electronic it doesn't work after I am finished. Maybe too much heat when soldering, a backward diode, other stupid mistakes too. I sometimes have parts left over because I have to buy a pack of 4 at Radio Shack. And it takes way too much time when I do it. And when it doesn't work I have no idea what went wrong. But it is fun. Then I go out and just buy the expensive version!

For the past 20 years the only thing it seems like radio shack ever has is cellphone plans. They never have any electronics parts I need.