Adding switchback functionality to front turning lights

UPDATE 29/10/2015: Upon checking directly inside the front fender (thanks to Lsstefan) we find out that the instruction manual is wrong: we don't have PY21W bulb (BA15S socket) but WY21W (T20\7740 socket), so some info on the first post are outdated.

Hi guys,
I have this idea since the day I order my Mustang: how could we have the front turning lights to turn on together with the parking lights (preferably white), and then blinking when turning?
For our american friends, it's too easy: they already had this, and to have parking lights white and turning lights amber they could buy Diode Dynamichs switchback, or simply go to ebay and pick one of the many offers.
We, as always, have some more issues, first of all our turning lights are not intended to stay on as parking lights, and then we have completely different socket for the bulbs.

In the past days I searched the net and collected some info.
First of all, what is a switchback lamp? It's like two-bulb-in-one lamp. It has white leds for parking lights that goes off when turning, when it blinks amber
(actually, parking lights could also be amber)

There are two switchback type:
- TYPE 1: when blinking, it's amber-white-amber-white
- TYPE 2: when blinking, it's amber-off-amber-off


US Mustang turning light specs
Front park and Direction indicators 7444NA (amber)

From another forum:

They are confusing. 7443 and 7444 are both clear/white automobile light bulbs and 7443NA and 7444NA are both Natural Amber/yellow automobile light bulbs. All four bulbs are dual filament which means they are two light bulbs in one. 7443/NA is rated at 12 volts 21/5 watts and 7444/NA is rated at 13.5 volts 28/8 watts which means 7444/NA is supposed to be a little brighter. My Mazda CX-5 owner's manual listed rear turn signal as WY21W/7443NA which is definitely wrong as only single filament bulb is required for the application and the equivalent number should be 7440NA which is rated at 12 volts 21 watts. Although if you plug in 7443NA or 7444NA dual filament bulb it still works due to the design of the contacts within bulb socket. It is just that the lower wattage filament will never be used. If you plug in 7440/NA into a 7443/NA or 7444/NA bulb socket it also works but you lose lower wattage application as 7440/NA is a single filament bulb. Equivalent LED light bulbs will have different results depending on car manufacture wiring by the way.

Click to expand...

So 7444NA is the one used in US Mustang (amber parking and amber turning) and 7443 led switchbacks are the ones that US guys use to obtain switchback functionality with white parking and amber turning.

I was just thinking: ok, we can use 7443 switchback, with some sort of adapter.. but our are really different!

EU
Front direction indicator. PY21W (BA15S) (similar\identical to 1156 socket)

Our turning light uses a 'Y'ellow filament bulb and the connector isn't compatible at all with 7443.
After thinking at how much adapters\connectors I should buy and solder, I just did a simple search on ebay and found that the solution already exists!!



http://www.ebay.it/itm/271603385411...49&var=570436738525&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT

It's perfect! It connects to the existing BA15S socket, the lamp has a rubber that should go in the existing hole and has the load resistor.
The amber turning light function is assured, and for the white parking light we simply need to connect the spare wire to the + wire of the nearby parking light.
I send a message to the vendor to be sure these are type 2 switchbacks (Edit: just replied, yes! Type 2 switchbacks!)

I'm searching for a W5W socket extender so I avoid modifying the other harness to steal power

Other auctions:


http://www.ebay.it/itm/281762614277?_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT



http://www.ebay.it/itm/161725818796?_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT



http://www.ebay.it/itm/161762291425?_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT



http://www.ebay.it/itm/331605225601?_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT



http://www.ebay.it/itm/311466924819?_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT


These are a bit different, don't know if that spare wire could exit correctly from the socket:


http://www.ebay.it/itm/151533076677?_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT



This could be a very simple solution :clap2: :cheers:
I'll try to order one of these set and try!

Next, will be the tribar led drl.. addle:

Nice!

Keep us informed!

Tell me what type you exactly need and i will stock them. I have best switchback that can be also dimmed for running lights, most market are to bright for running lights. I just need different socket because i use 3157.
I sell them for 25, they are custom made, they dont wait 1s after first turn on.

Btw, you over complicated your post

If you order my drls, them you dont need switchback, since drl will change into sequential turn but Thats another topic.

we need the type that goes into the mustang
I wouldn't mind a 1s delay at turn on, and better if they are the same brightness as parking lights (of course parking lights need to be replaced with led bulbs)

With yours we of course need to connect to parking lights wire for the white parking, right?
Can you post some pics?

Yes I definitely need the tribar dlr, yours or DD ones, but I'm not yet sure if I want to completely remove the stock turning lights (for aesthetics or for law)

Yes, of course if you want parking light in my drl, cable needs to be connected to original parking harness.

Tommorow i install sequential turn with drl so i can check what bulbs are there, but looks this is typical eu bulb. No problem with such socket. But you need to modify stock socket or change one to new that has 2 channels.

I prefer to not change stock socket, so in future I could always set back to stock. You need some sort of harness like these ebay kits!
These are complete of male BA15S socket that goes in stock female socket, resistor and lamp with rubber body that goes in sotck light hole.

I dont think i would need to make switchback because of this

https://www.facebook.com/hdcustomspl/videos/vb.237607802985646/917488644997555/?type=2&theater

Also i don't prefer to add resistors when it's possible to not add.

True on resistors. They get lava hot. Not safe near wires. You'd have to drill them to the car to avoid meltdowns or fire....

Yes but we are talking to different things.
Tribar led drls are a must have, I agree, but I am not sure that our laws allow the complete removal of standard turning lights. And as Stefan said, those small parking lights are really ugly.

I plan to have tribar drl (with sequential turn) installed, but also want switchbacks on regular turning lights.

Low dont allow you to put any bulb that has no eu homologation, so what you want to do is already illegal

I got news for you guys. The turn signal is not P21W. At least not mine. Gonna upload soon photos
Ow and it might be easy to make switchback with our socket.

Lsstefan said:

I got news for you guys. The turn signal is not P21W. At least not mine. Gonna upload soon photos

Click to expand...

:eyebulge: The instruction manual reports PY21W

Look at the connector's ass. I believe there is still room for 1 wire, don't you think? Maybe a little switchback wire perhaps ^^

And here's the perpetrator.


It's a Toshiba bulb.
Specs: 12 V 21 W and the type is WY21W (Y for amber).
To be this looks very much like a switchback socket, just with one filament, like 7440.

What I dislike a lot is that I have to take off the damn bumper or the mud protection plastic from the wheel arch if I want to check it out better. The cable is too short and there is no room to wiggle...

:eyebulge:
I'm really upset because the manual reports different specs!!!
Hopefully I haven't ordered anything bulb related yet, but this is a nonsense.

However, no panic... there's a solution at this too


http://www.ebay.it/itm/271603385411...49&var=570436738525&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT



We need to be sure that the width of the connector is the same.

I'm still not sure if the load resistor is needed...

The connector's width is the same as the bulb. The bulb is 20.5 mm.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/SOCKET-BA...098886?hash=item19f60b01c6:g:So0AAOSwBahVW9vs
This one has 25.4 mm or even 30 mm for the pins that secure the lock...
Thing is, if we manage to add a wire to the connector, we don't need anything else. The 7440 connector is 7443, but with only 2 wires instead of 3.