Hi! If you think this video is long, well I’ll have you know I cut two entire sections from it! Including this bit about hyperflashing: When I was setting this demo up, I was surprised to learn that the thermal flasher doesn’t change speed depending on how many lamps are in-circuit. I thought that this was just a thing all flashers have always done. But once I worked out how this particular flasher functioned, I realized that of course it doesn’t hyperflash with a bulb out because that’s just not possible with its design. Same goes for the capacitor-based model shown here. I had honestly been assuming the Figaro had a thermal flasher, and finding out that it has a more-complicated flasher than the LED-compatible electronic one was quite the discovery! There probably are some thermal designs out there which will change speed based on the current flowing through them, but I don’t know the particulars. If you do, let us know!
I was wondering about hyperflashing the whole time too - if anything, it seems like a lamp out would run the flasher slower, since less current would be available for the heater (or at least adjust the duty cycle.) I wonder if any flasher modules used neon relaxation oscillators. Maybe it's just wishful linking, those neon bulbs are just so damn cool.
Yeah, the 35 year old flasher in my project truck was fucked and I swapped it without giving a thought to what had made it work in the first place and why it wasn't working now. Nice to learn why on both counts. (Also cool to see that A.C. watches T.C. too.)
"For fun I've tried to see if BMW used the same flash frequency as GM, but I've literally never had an opportunity to check for some reason." Fantastic BMW driver joke.
Do you know what is really funny? My BMW was recalled to have all the exterior lights replaced for some reason. Yeah, they replaced them with cheap, aftermarket LED bulbs.
With over 9 and a half THOUSAND comments, I'm mostly leaving this comment for my own sense of justice. THANK GOD FOR THIS CHANNEL AND VIDEOS LIKE THIS ONE! I sometimes think I'm the only person who thinks about topics like this and details like these. I love the fact that I'm not alone... and almost two million people have watched this!!! I feel validated. Thank you for this outstanding piece of research.
I know it gets said a lot, but I genuinely don't understand how you make seemingly dull topics so exciting and engaging even with lengthy videos. Cheers!
I was actually able to abandon this one... as it's the very firstest of first world problems...something I probably gave 90 seconds of thought when I was a kid... But I'm sure I'll revisit it next time I'm stuck on the throne.
No joke - this question and observation has been stuck in my head ever since I was a kid and noticed it. And I CAN NOT BELIEVE, 15+ years later I’ve finally found a TH-camr that answered my question with a 37 minutes long video. Cheers to you!
. Yeah! I didn't think it anyone else paid attention to this or tried to sync up theirs. I have been staring at turn signals since I was a kid too. (I'm 32 now) Since I never talked about it and never heard anyone else talk about it, I thought it was just another random, insignificant thing that my ADHD liked to pay attention to. It's super cool to know that I'm not the only one that's thought about this way more than just once or twice. Maybe I'm not so strange after all! haha But then again, "normal" is relative and entirely subjective.
I have been working on cars for 50 years, and next year I am an electric engineer for 40 years. I know the thermal flasher all too well. But I never saw the capacitor/relay flasher. One is never too old too learn. You run a very informative channel.
But you know you can make a relay oscillator without any components but the relay itself? Just wire the relay coil through normally closed contacts and it will turn itself off when energized, then on again because there is no current through the coil now, and so on. You will even produce some high voltage across the contacts because of the inductive kickback.. The capacitor is just delaying this cycle so it is not zzzzzzz but something like 0.5 hz lol
I admire how a seemingly trivial question is rewarded with lots of clever engineering solutions and historic details. This really is the essence of the greatness of this channel!
Lukas Pfeifenberger This is not clever engineering, just do it as cheap as you can! You sell Germans cars in the US, frankenstein levels of green cars, DIESEL fuckers, LOL!
"look, I'm going down this rabbit hole so you don't have to." most understanding and considerate thing I've ever heard in a youtube video. I feel seen.
@@Simoneister I'll give him a pass on that one, because he clarified that it was a pair of pairs, which is just the miracle of buying two of two of them. The odd number is harder to forgive. ;)
33:55 Being able to adjust the volume of warning sounds is such a nice feature! I have sensitive ears, and I rarely drive at highway speeds, so loud alerts can be so startling that it worsens my reaction time. I will definitely be testing whether the volume of the turn signals is impacted by that setting.
I'm quite the opposite, it'd be nice to make the generic "SOMETHING IS BROKEN" chime on my mid 00s Ford louder. And turn signal click, if it could be made speed-variable anyway (not a quiet car on the highway). Though the "hey gramps, you've had your turn signal on for over a mile" dinger works.
Update: our Honda (made within the last 5 years) does *not* change the turn signal noise when changing the system sound. The turn signals still click when the car is off. Also, there’s a separate option for “do you want the volume to increase as speed increases?” on a scale of 0 to 4, where 0 is “no, don’t do that” and 4 is “make it comparatively much louder as speed increases”. Mine was already set to 3, which explains why I didn’t have any issue on the rare times I drive at highway speeds. Shoutout to the designers for caring about these little details so much that I never even noticed them until Technology Connections brought it up.
@@scout8145 Seems like it's either, "you'll like this thoughtful design choice that's satisfying," or, "this is as cheap as possible and barely works in a way I want it to."
I love this channel, you discuss seemingly mundane concepts that everyone has wondered about at one point but never cared to research, but you explain them in an interesting and easy to understand manner and I also love how you delve into the history of the technologies at play. This is the pinnacle of youtube, being interested in a 40 minute educational video about turn signals
I think the reason your videos are so soothing is because they're effectively elaborate grounding methods: they focus on some small part of our physical environment and go into as much depth as possible.
As a German, I was completely speechless when you made that BMW joke. It’s a really well-known stereotype over here: BMW drivers hardly use their turn signals. But I had no idea it made its way to the USA! What is it about these BMWs?!
from my experience its worse in the US compared to europe/germany. and the reason is simple: bmw driver are superior. you dont have to see the blinker, you already know where the bmw driver is going.
Brit here: I drove an F30 BMW 3-Series a few years ago; BMW turn signals are (were?) shite. When you move the stalk it doesn't lock into position and always returns to centre. To have the indicator remain _on_ you need press and hold the stalk up or down for a second; to cancel it you push the stalk up or down again. Of course, they also have lane switching lights (the three flashes). People either don't bother using the turn signal because it's unintuitive and clunky, OR they think it's active when in reality they've only activated the lane switching light.
Another reason turn signals were so imprecise in the past was because of the refinement level of the fluid used in them. Blinker fluid used to be a natural product that was roughly based on mineral oil, and the formulation wasn't consistent. However, in the early '90s, Valvoline patented a synthetic blinker fluid that was incredibly consistent batch-to-batch. They began supplying it to OEMs, and the rest was history. That's the main reason why BMW drivers never use their turn signals: because their blinker fluid is usually dried up.
Now imagine this: since cars these days are always connected to the internet and have pretty accurate clocks, a manufacturer could make all of their cars flash their turn signals completely in sync. All the time.
@Tim Forget the manufacturer, a clever enough hacker could simply take control of a lot of your cars features like signals, radio or even switch the motor off.
@@KitOkunari Like the GPS functionality on aircraft warning lights (used on high buildings) - they can be set to flash in sync without having a physical connection between them!
Or use beat detection on the audio system and make them flash some even fraction or multiple of the BPM between 60-120 flashes, so it’ll sync up with your music!
By analysing the laws around vehicle lights over here in Belgium I actually found out that rear indicators are allowed to be red, just like in the US, but the front indicators are actually allowed to be white. So I got held up during my yearly car inspection for over an hour because the people inspecting the car didn't want to accept it was actually allowed. They eventually let me go and I felt happy with my victory :) only to switch them back to amber because everyone got confused by the weird white flashing light on my car
Another fun indicator-related oddity: for a few years, it was legal in Australia to have no reversing (reverse gear) lights. The reasoning was to make imports from the US, which did not have space for separate turn signal bulbs, easier by allowing the reversing light spot to be fitted with amber bulbs for turn signals instead.
Someone I worked with once told me: "Yeah, I use turn signals when others are around. But when there is no one around, why should I?" I never understood that mentality - just always wiggle the finger to make a turn signal, and you never have to worry or think about it anymore, since it's just automatic
You're not wrong, but some of us get bored with going through the motions of driving and so coming up with little tricks to keep the mind focused on driving is important for safety. After all, distracted driving is a strong contender with drunk driving for causing accidents; even if distracted accidents tend to be less disastrous. By paying attention to if there are cars around, that is one more thing that causes the driver to focus on driving. And even better if you can remember what cars are in what position around you, and the possible intent that each driver is making. And of course, the answer is yes you always need to use turn signals even when there are not apparent cars around. Because what if you're wrong about there being vehicles around? People seem to have trouble seeing motorcycles sometimes for one.
“I’ve tried to see if bmw might use the same flash frequency as GM but I’ve literally never had an opportunity to check for some reason”. Oh that’s gold
I'm binge watching this channel, so far I haven't seen one I didn't like yet. You have a gift to explain away complexity in a way that makes the most mundane subjects interesting. Thank you for the content!
Jays2001, I'm a BMW owner/driver and it made even me chuckle a bit... But I'm worried that there's something seriously wrong with me, cause I actually use my indicators... 🤣
@@kevinjokipii4260 please tell your coworkers that having the signal stalks return to their neutral position even after the turn signal has been fully activated is a STUPID idea.
Here in Germany, you have to do exactly that in order to pass the regular car safety test. And a policemen or similar person can stop your car and set it out of order until you fixed that.
@@ShenLong991 Unfortunately, the Cro-Magnons that we call politicians and policy makers that run the US aren't/weren't smart enough to have made a law that requires road vehicles to be checked for compliance on a regular schedule.
@@acywei You have to get your car inspected every year in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. I couldn't believe I didn't need an inspection when I moved to Colorado a couple years ago.
I came here to say that. Thank you. There is currently crackdown on LED lamps where I live, especially "angel eyes" BMW's and loud exhausts. It seems that government doesn't realize, that "angel eyes" isn't a priority, and those who do have them mounted on their cars, most likely have everything else in check, as lamps isn't usually top item on BMW owners to-do list, meanwhile a gray civic with a rusted out floor is acceptable. Also, for those who think they don't need new headlight assembly when switching to LED, you're missing out. Might as well stay with incandescent bulbs.
@@MrC0MPUT3R here in North Carolina there’s a dude downtown Brevard that will pass your vehicle no matter what, ain’t got a working horn? No problem! Seatbelts get stuck? No problem! Seriously it’s nice but kinda bad at the same time…
Honestly the most impressive portion of this video is that he managed to make a 37 minute video on turn signals and refrained from making a bmw joke for 30 of those minutes
I was just thinking that Doug once wondered why the sound of the door opened was overwriting the sound of the blinker. He even said: "maybe Ford thought this was priority" or something like that.
I was at a stoplight today, noticed the person in front of me was synced with mine, and started thinking about everything in this video, even was at the light long enough to notice is drift out of sync. Then the next time I opened TH-cam a few minutes later, This Video was in my recommended feed!!!! I know your phones listen to you, but now it's reading my mind too!!
"the longevity of the turn signal flasher is at the forefront of every driver's mind!" No joke my grandfather (who was an electrical engineer) refused to use his turn signals because it would wear them out. I'm not sure why it mattered if he wasn't using them in the first place, but he was adamant.
@@MCarrick-ss7xc no joke, using the engine to brake is extremely important if you're trying to go slow downhill. Your brakes will overheat and turn into butter
For 40 years, I have been wondering about that... And here is the man that I trust to provide us with the explanation. 37 mins is nothing compared with how many years I have been wondering about...
as an electronics technician, professionally, i absolutely love this deep dive into turn signal circuits. go ahead and laugh, i'm used to it. also, years and years ago when i learned what the hyperflash meant in my old VW GTI, i was kind of impressed with that bit of simple but effective design. anyway, love the videos. cheers! edit: omg, that BMW driver snark was just beautiful..well played.
I guess this is why I like Alec - there's always logic and reasoning behind his suggestions, rather than a blind "always do x" that might miss corner cases like this
@@williamreynolds6132 I did, so now I will check it out (been subscribed for less than a year, and only discovered him from the more popular videos like how vhs and CRT televisions work).
But the question still remains. Why did he not bring up the stupidity of how so many carmakers in 2021 still use incandescent bulbs to begin with? OEM LEDs don't suffer from the light distribution problems that aftermarket bulb replacements have and yet so many manufacturers refuse to use them
28:13 Fun fact: in a 1990s volvo v40 (mine is a 98) the warning light for the driver seatbelt icon uses the turn signal flasher as audio and visual que to put your seatbelt on. It does so at hyperflashing speed. If turn signals are then used the warning light slows down to normal turn signal speeds. Moreover, the locking and unlocking of the car via key fob also activates the green arrows and click noises in the car. Would love to see the frankenstein circuit they designed there. :)
I've come to inform this thread (as much as it pains me to do this) of the following search query: Blinker type beat. You're welcome, and I'm sorry on behalf of all type beat producers that the end results aren't better 🤣
On the other hand: It seems that syncing the indicators on the dashboard with the sound and the turn signals is not done. While the CAN bus is a real time system, it does not have that kind of synchronization I guess.
It has literally never occurred to me to do this, and I've been driving for fifty years. OTOH, my current vehicle is an '07, so it probably has an independent flasher control anyway...
Only change one bulb first... You give THE BEST life pro tips! The bit about how to use the pre-rinse feature in one of your dishwasher videos changed me life. I am humbled by your common sense and ingenuity! 🤩
People with early Teslas complained about the out of sync blinkers, blinker sound, and blinker indicators to the point where Tesla pushed an OTA update to force everything into sync
And they still haven't fixed how a drone can hack your whole car over wifi, even after we sent them the source code for the exploit. But then again you can hack his rockets with a $50 ham radio so what do I expect
Pretty much every modern vehicle has some sort of speed sensitive volume. It's an absolutely awful feature, but a funny way of trying to compensate for poor sound deadening.
My understanding of subaru drivers in UK is that they are generally going flat out and never use their turn signals. I suspect any of them that read your comment will be momentarily surprised
More often than not these days, it seems like at least half the cars on the road must have “like new condition” or “totally broken” turn signal arrays because so many drivers apparently view them as optional equipment. My husband occasionally likes to remind me that despite over 30 years of marriage, he still can’t read my mind. Unfortunately, far too many drivers seem to be under the faulty impression that I can read their minds.
@@tanya5322 Quite popular is also the good old “I’ll start signaling once I’m already turning/switching lanes” move. Thanks, I actually could tell that you were switching lanes because you are already are halfway in mine. But go ahead, start signaling now and not beforehand.
@@JustJustSid That's just being considerate. I literally saw someone stop and then turn into a side road yesterday, with no signalling, and THEN turn on the indicator as they were straightening up to go down the new road to, you know, inform the world of the maneuver they just performed.
@@JustJustSid I think most people do that because they are afraid you'll cut them off. I swear, most people don't understand that you're supposed to be courteous to other drivers.
reading the title I thought "how is he going to talk about the transition from relays to microprocessors for over 30 minutes?" and yet you still managed to make it entertaining and sneak in new information.
@@andy02q I've noticed that in small towns a very large number of residents don't use the blinkers. It could be because in small towns the pace of everything is very slow and so they mostly also drive too slowly that they can fail to use the blinkers and not run a high risk of being rear-ended
@@hydrolifetech7911 It's partly because of the same thing that causes people to end up in accidents closer to home; they're comfortable so they let their guard down.
I've been watching this channel for quite a while now and it still mesmerizes me how his videos can keep me entretained for thirty plus minutes on the most seem-boring topics... hands down one of the best channels I follow...
On older vehicles that used the old-style flashers, you had to install a heavy-duty flasher (especially on pickup trucks) when you were towing a trailer due to the extra load from the trailer lights. If you did not install the heavy duty one, your turn signals would flash very fast. Similar to what you see when a bulb burns out.
I used to "tune" the turn signals in my truck by using "heavier" switches. I always hated "fast" signals, they sound like they're powered by caffeinated Jack Russell terriers.
I'll have you know I've used the indicators on my BMW so much that I burned out the controller. Clearly BMW didn't anticipate them being used twice in the same month.
@@naamadossantossilva4736 They're expensive and have status. I don't consider myself a douchebag, I just wanted an affordable used 400hp toy. I put way more miles on my grandpa car daily driver though.
I daily drive a 95 bmw 4cyl with over 200k miles on it. Parts are cheap and repairs are easy, though I can't give accolade to their power window systems in the 90's cars(e36). Enthusiasts like them because of the way it FEELS to drive! Can't say I'm into new models however, just like any car these days, they are just glorified computers.
TC: "I'd like a steering wheel with the stalks, 2 front light units, 2 rear light units, 3 flasher units, oh and some wire and stuff." Car breaker: "Hmm, sounds like your car has got a few issues" TC: "Oh no, I don't get out much and just want to play with this stuff in the house."
@Tip Toe "A car breaker yard is another term for a scrapyard. It’s where old, broken or end-of-life cars and vans are collected, stripped, resold, broken down or, in some cases, destroyed."
For many years, I found it interesting when flashers would synchronize for a short while. I had a pretty good idea why it didn't last. What I didn't know is that they now can stay synchronized, AND I know why. Once again learning just to learn and nothing more. Sometimes it's fun and you've got a knack for making it so.
I would love to see a connextras following this video: - I appreciate the warning about lights being too dim but since you were talking about aftermarket lighting, it is worth mentioning that it can be too bright too. Some pillocks install xenon lamps in their cars thus blinding oncoming traffic. This, if not as bad, is worse than signalling lights being too dim! In Russia they can even deprive you of your driving license if you are using incorrect aftermarket lights - Some might be wondering how blinkers automatically disengage once the turn is complete (i.e. steering wheel is straight again). Again, a slightly different topic and a completely different mechanism but it's interesting to see how one action is performed thanks to the harmony of two unrelated mechanisms. And you've got the magic of not having to buy extra props since you already have them!
Automatically disengaging turn signals: my guess is a sort of rachet mechanism. As you turn the wheel you hear a click at certain points where the signal turns off when you turn back from that point.
Older turn signal switches are actually very complicated devices, especially once you add the headlight switch, hazard lights that need non-interruptable power, and trailer lights that are also used as brake lights. Source: Spent a few hours trying to reverse engineer the turn signal switch from a 99 Ford.
The problem with aftermarket led headlights is that many of them don't get the leds in the right position to simulate the original filament, and so the reflector doesn't get it focused into a nice beam. The led design needs to be different between a projector headlight and a reflector headlight, and each headlight housing has a slightly different design. If you don't get the correct match then you will blind everyone. I needed to upgrade my semi truck to leds (halogen was too dim for safety, and I got tired of paying for the short lived and expensive High Brightness Krypton ones, so I decided to go with led). It took me quite a while looking at articles and reviews and TH-cam video reviews showing the beam patterns of different brand leds in different headlight housings before I finally settled on a couple of brands that looked like they might work, and then I pulled my truck up to a white dock wall and used a sharpie to mark the outline of the beam pattern with the halogen bulb. Then I put an led in one side and compared the beam pattern etc, and then tried the other brand. I found one of them matched every point on my markings EXACTLY, while the other one was a bit wonky. So I put the good one in the low beams, and put the one with poor beam control in the high beams where it won't effect anyone, and I am happy with the results. I also carefully re aimed the headlights afterwards, and parked on a level street and walked to the other end of the block to check for glare, etc, and I never have anyone flash me in complaint lol But most people don't go to that much work, and don't even know there is a difference, and so blind everyone.
Yeah, I really hate that. If I can't see your turn signals or brake lights very clearly, I'll most likely still figure out what you're doing. If I can't _see_, well, that's a much bigger problem.
It is much easier to upgrade for those who drive cars with round headlights - Jeep Wrangler, Land Rover Defender (older one), Lada Niva, UAZ Hunter etc. There are aftermarket LED headlights that replace entire assembly.
Re: Turn signal noises - My EV, a Renault Zoe, has three different clicking noises to choose from! Weirdly, it’s also linked to what style of display you want on the dashboard. Unfortunately, the best turn signal noises are paired to the ugliest dashboard display.
For years I have complained about turn signal synchronization. This video finally explains a phenomenon that I honestly thought only I cared about. The best part of this video is its sheer existence. I never knew so many other people cared about synchronization! Great content!
Well done! Thank you. As a little boy I called the turn signal a *dee-burr* because mother's old car bi-metalic turn signal can made that sound. Have seen brake lights which appear only a quarter-sized dot because the filament bulbs wereplaced with LED. Old turn signal flashers were cleverly made to speed up when a bulburned out.
I liked the older blinkers because when you had enough ahead of you it was like one of those physics demonstration pendulums waves. All the lights going in and out of sync where sometimes they are all matched up and sometimes they are opposite.
I know what you mean, LEDs are pretty much directional and can't take advantage of the reflector inside the housing. It's not just the colored piece that is a Fresnel lens (like a convex lens but broken down into smaller lenses that "flatten" it out sort of like a mosaic), but that reflector is made to spread the light from the wire element (at the reflector focal point) of an incandescent bulb, and spred it to each tiny Fresnel lens segment. So it's hard to make a single LED, or even a few pointing at different directions to emulate a bright glowing wire radiating light in all directions. However, if your replacement LED assembly replaces the ENTIRE old assembly (that used a refector and Fresnel lens) with a flat array of say, 100 LEDs (in a 10x10 matrix), they work together just like the original. Nowadays, LEDs can be addressable like the WS2812 LED. These work with only 3 wires and are "daisy chained" from one to the next so only 3 feed wires can control 100's of LEDs. This allows not only individual control of all the LEDs' brightness, but color too. I designed a demonstrator rear lighting panel for cars that used a 144x8 WS2812 LED array. I used it to show "progressive" brake lighting, the harder you step on the break, the more LEDs go red. If an LED is not being used at the moment for say, a break light, the controller can turn it yellow for a turn signal. And even make the turn signals progress like is popular these days. It can even display text like "TOO CLOSE" or "CALL 911", like I showed in my demo. In reverse, ALL of the LEDs go white to really light up behind you, but as soon as you step on the break, the controller Instantly reassigns some of those white LEDs to become red for the stop indication and still have plenty of LEDs still white. It's all very innovative and adaptive - it makes use of the entire array for any indication condition. WS2812 LEDs are very bright, but because you can control each one individually to thousands of color and brightness levels, they work better than any traditional light scheme from the past.
That's why i hate the old turn light reflectors, you can only see them right in front of you, so only other cars can see them. Just remove the reflecting mirrors, LED is better ! We need better turn light, so AI can see what it is, bikes, modern users! never replace them, just replace the car!
@@lucasrem The system that I designed had the LED array on a "flex board" so the edges could wrap around the car a little. Since all the LEDs can be set to any color/brightness on command, I could make those "edge" LEDs do whatever is needed for side observers (human or AI). For example: At night, the edge LEDs are dim red to act as side markers, but as soon as the turn signal is turned on, some of those are reassigned to flashing amber. That is the beauty of my system... it takes advantage of all LEDs available for any indication and reassigns them as needed. I can update the LEDs at 20 times a second, that is faster than a traditional incandescent lamps that you can barely update at 6 times a second.
100% on your PSA! I can’t believe they sell those replacements. Hitting your brakes is almost subconscious and doing anything that gets in the way is just stupid!
I suspect that explains why so many people complain that “LED lights are too bright”: it might be that those are new lights slightly off-center, and the Fresnel focuses them just a little too high and it blinds drivers.
This is something - non-sync - that I always accepted as "it's impossible to sync these things". Now I understand why. Just today I was at a traffic stop and there were 3 cars ahead of me and all the lights were in sync ! As always, a very good and informative video explanation with the added dose of well placed humor.
One thing GM does that I’ve always hated is using the reverse lights for area lighting. Makes you think they are about to back up, when they’ve just unlocked their car.
To be fair that’s part of the function of reverse lights, to allow you to see when you’re reversing as your rear lights don’t really give you any visibility. I can see how some engineer came up with the idea but someone from safety should have told them it’s a stupid idea. However it wouldn’t be an issue if people parked correctly and reversed into bays 😎
My car uses the headlights for this, but it's a setting that can be turned off. I don't know how newer vehicles are, but I'm guessing most people never bother to RTFM when they buy a car to learn about its functions.
@@NashvilleUK I have never seen anything in my entire life that said the proper way to park in a parking lot is to back into the spot. Particularly interesting that you think that's a thing when considering that unless you are parking on a street somewhere that most of the time the parking lot is private property and thus not subject to regulation to that degree that you could be required by law to back into a parking space. I get that the point you are trying to make is that you don't like the idea of people backing out into an area of traffic rather than pulling forward into it, but that simply isn't how real life works.
My biggest annoyance about modern cars and indicators etc, at least in Australia, is you cant see half of them because they dont use the coloured housing, they coat the bulb in film but unless you are directly head on you cant see the inticator, a real PITA on roundabouts etc. I wish the ADR (Australian Design Rules) would ban clear Indicator housings and mandata visibility of each inicator to a much wider angle, or at least enforce it because it seems to have given way to "fashion over function"
I don’t know how you do it, but watching your videos has made me realize you’re actually one of the voices that has lived in my head for the last 40 years. You are tackling every pet-peeve of mine. Keep up the great work.
Every time you upload a major video, the extent to which I thought the "I can't believe I spent X minutes watching a video about Y and was this enthralled by it" effect can be pushed reaches new heights
Haha quality Makes some sense when you imagine there is a duty cycle for the voltage being applied to the cap. It never gets the chance to charge above probably 13 volt before being discharged.
Given the drop across the coil you could easily design that to stay inside the rating of a 10v cap, only time it'll ever se the full (potentially 14.4v) voltage of the charging battery is if the relay jams or contacts cease making through corrosion or contamination, in which case it's dead anyway & the cap failing won't make it any deader.
@@sparqqling compared to the thermal flashers they were replacing, they must certainly WERE long life! Lol They also could handle trucks lots of lights, trailers, etc, unlike the thermal style.
The bimetallic strip is also used in some old Lionel train stations as their "Automatic train control" station stop system. I manage a Lionel layout with two of these stations at the Wisconsin Auto Museum, and when people ask how the train stops then restarts, I explain the technology, and how that is the same technology as early car turn signals, which ties everything together there nicely.
12:34 So it's a "long life" flasher based around a capacitor rated for 13V, meant for use in a circuit that will usually run around 14 to 14.5V. Brilliant.
The relay probably turns on long before the capacitor reaches 13V. If I would guess, probably 8V or so, so that it can function with an empty battery as well. After switching on, the capacitor discharges again. Therefore, 13V actually seems fine to me. But once the relay goes, then so does the capacitor.
@@marco23p hilarious the “long life“ module had a capacitor inside. Which makes it much more susceptible to failure than the standard module. That Will be dead long before the unit mechanically fails. It will become leaky Long before the “relay” fails mechanically. Just to clarify…when it comes to capacitors…the term “leak” is usually referring to the fact that as it ages, the internal resistance decreases, and leakage current increases. But sometimes they can actually become physically leaky as well… meaning they leak their electrolyte fluid out of the casing. Electrolytic capacitors are usually the weakest point of any circuit… Especially in a situation where they could get really hot…..in the summertime up under the dash of a sealed automobile in the sun.
@@hullinstruments A filament that heats and cools constantly will fail long before a capacitor. If you ever dealt with incandescent light bulbs and had old electronics you'd know which lasts longer. Not sure where you get your info about capacitors being the weak point and not lasting, especially where they get hot. I have a 39 year old vehicle that utilizes electronic ignition that has a few capacitors in it and it's still working - not age or heat has killed it yet. Can or will the capacitors in the electronic ignition fail? Yes they can but even if they failed tomorrow 39 years is 38 years longer than I've gotten out of an incandescent light bulb so which has the longer life is clear.
I have never commented, but I just wanted to say thank you for all these videos you produce. I have been watching for a long time, and thoroughly enjoy it all. Technology Connections is such an apt channel name for your production style. Please don't change your writing and production style. (may it echo into future creation)
This thought has occurred to me for so many years. And you have literally answered every single thing I wanted to know. So random but now it all makes sense 🤣
And here I always thought the sync drift was due to some kind of safety feature meant to make it easier to distinguish which vehicles lights are on in inclement weather or ambiguous situations!
![[MV] A leap of faith...ความเชื่อใจครั้งสุดท้าย (From "Petrichor the series")](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/U1piZH2CNXA/mqdefault.jpg)
Hi! If you think this video is long, well I’ll have you know I cut two entire sections from it! Including this bit about hyperflashing:
When I was setting this demo up, I was surprised to learn that the thermal flasher doesn’t change speed depending on how many lamps are in-circuit. I thought that this was just a thing all flashers have always done. But once I worked out how this particular flasher functioned, I realized that of course it doesn’t hyperflash with a bulb out because that’s just not possible with its design. Same goes for the capacitor-based model shown here. I had honestly been assuming the Figaro had a thermal flasher, and finding out that it has a more-complicated flasher than the LED-compatible electronic one was quite the discovery!
There probably are some thermal designs out there which will change speed based on the current flowing through them, but I don’t know the particulars. If you do, let us know!
no, its not long enough, now i gotta wait forever for the next video :(
Oh man I would have liked to see that bit. I’d watch a whole 25-minute video just on hyperflashing.
Dig the hair bro
We want longer videos, 3 days long at a maximum.
I was wondering about hyperflashing the whole time too - if anything, it seems like a lamp out would run the flasher slower, since less current would be available for the heater (or at least adjust the duty cycle.)
I wonder if any flasher modules used neon relaxation oscillators. Maybe it's just wishful linking, those neon bulbs are just so damn cool.
37 minute video about turn signals; Time well spent.
Yeah I didn’t expect it to be that long about turn signals. Still need to finish it later lol.
Yeah, the 35 year old flasher in my project truck was fucked and I swapped it without giving a thought to what had made it work in the first place and why it wasn't working now. Nice to learn why on both counts.
(Also cool to see that A.C. watches T.C. too.)
Yay, Andrew, …….go watch his channel guys, it’s great 👍
This video was lit….
This man can make the most mundane subjects fascinating. I love it.
I for one am thankful the engineers worked so hard to satisfy my deep internal need for blinker synchronization.
It is a primal need shared by all of humanity.
So am I!
I love your videos, by the way :-)
Blink-ronization for short.
No, it's kind of dumb. Why should they synchronize?
Cool to see you in the comments, I love your videos!
"For fun I've tried to see if BMW used the same flash frequency as GM, but I've literally never had an opportunity to check for some reason."
Fantastic BMW driver joke.
I instantly thought, 'What are the odds of him never once being behind a BMW using their turning indicat--' before I got the joke, haha.
Do you know what is really funny? My BMW was recalled to have all the exterior lights replaced for some reason. Yeah, they replaced them with cheap, aftermarket LED bulbs.
It's interesting that this jokes exists in the US as well, not just in Germany :D
I didn't get the joke until I read this comment. I don't drive in Chicagoland anymore and the trauma has faded.
It took me a second but it was fantastic once it clicked
-Unlike a BMW's blinker-
With over 9 and a half THOUSAND comments, I'm mostly leaving this comment for my own sense of justice. THANK GOD FOR THIS CHANNEL AND VIDEOS LIKE THIS ONE! I sometimes think I'm the only person who thinks about topics like this and details like these. I love the fact that I'm not alone... and almost two million people have watched this!!! I feel validated. Thank you for this outstanding piece of research.
Its interesting to read what people feel like somtimes.
I felt the exact same way! I feel a little less weird today
Jesus loves you alot trust in His death 4 salvation and be saved from eternal hell
I love that at 43 years old I can still listen to an educator give a lesson about something I learned about 25 years ago
I know it gets said a lot, but I genuinely don't understand how you make seemingly dull topics so exciting and engaging even with lengthy videos. Cheers!
I genuinely don't understand how you get so interested in it.
Nevermind. I'm getting sucked in and I just can't muster the will power to leave. Its so damn hypnotic!
It's the acerbic wit
I was actually able to abandon this one... as it's the very firstest of first world problems...something I probably gave 90 seconds of thought when I was a kid... But I'm sure I'll revisit it next time I'm stuck on the throne.
@@control_the_pet_population sitting on the throne for 37min? You might need more fiber in your diet.
No joke - this question and observation has been stuck in my head ever since I was a kid and noticed it. And I CAN NOT BELIEVE, 15+ years later I’ve finally found a TH-camr that answered my question with a 37 minutes long video. Cheers to you!
My sentiment precisely. Thanks for writing it out. And thank you Alec
Exactly!
. Yeah! I didn't think it anyone else paid attention to this or tried to sync up theirs. I have been staring at turn signals since I was a kid too. (I'm 32 now) Since I never talked about it and never heard anyone else talk about it, I thought it was just another random, insignificant thing that my ADHD liked to pay attention to.
It's super cool to know that I'm not the only one that's thought about this way more than just once or twice. Maybe I'm not so strange after all! haha But then again, "normal" is relative and entirely subjective.
Same!
At this point it feels like there's a TH-cam video for every obscure question I had but no one knows the answer to.
"I'm going down this rabbit hole so you don't have to" should be the motto of the channel.
21:51 And we appreciate him for doing so. These videos are addicting.
I felt that in the dishwasher episode when he showed what happens when you use dish soap instead of detergent
I have been working on cars for 50 years, and next year I am an electric engineer for 40 years. I know the thermal flasher all too well. But I never saw the capacitor/relay flasher. One is never too old too learn. You run a very informative channel.
But you know you can make a relay oscillator without any components but the relay itself? Just wire the relay coil through normally closed contacts and it will turn itself off when energized, then on again because there is no current through the coil now, and so on. You will even produce some high voltage across the contacts because of the inductive kickback.. The capacitor is just delaying this cycle so it is not zzzzzzz but something like 0.5 hz lol
you're 90?
@@petterlarsson7257 They can be 2 things concurrently.
I admire how a seemingly trivial question is rewarded with lots of clever engineering solutions and historic details. This really is the essence of the greatness of this channel!
Lukas Pfeifenberger
This is not clever engineering, just do it as cheap as you can!
You sell Germans cars in the US, frankenstein levels of green cars, DIESEL fuckers, LOL!
"look, I'm going down this rabbit hole so you don't have to."
most understanding and considerate thing I've ever heard in a youtube video. I feel seen.
"The magic of buying…three of them"
You've betrayed me
"Through the magic of buying…four more of them"
You continue to weather my already weakened trust
@@Simoneister I'll give him a pass on that one, because he clarified that it was a pair of pairs, which is just the miracle of buying two of two of them. The odd number is harder to forgive. ;)
@@ZGryphon IT'S MAGIC! IT'S FRIGGIN MAGIC! NEVER SAW IT COMING! MIND = *BLOWN*
nooo, you spoiled the moment for me! :(
As soon as I saw two completely assembled flashers I knew the magic of buying three of them was coming. Love it!
33:55 Being able to adjust the volume of warning sounds is such a nice feature! I have sensitive ears, and I rarely drive at highway speeds, so loud alerts can be so startling that it worsens my reaction time. I will definitely be testing whether the volume of the turn signals is impacted by that setting.
skill issue
I'm quite the opposite, it'd be nice to make the generic "SOMETHING IS BROKEN" chime on my mid 00s Ford louder. And turn signal click, if it could be made speed-variable anyway (not a quiet car on the highway).
Though the "hey gramps, you've had your turn signal on for over a mile" dinger works.
@@jpassa9093 lmao
Update: our Honda (made within the last 5 years) does *not* change the turn signal noise when changing the system sound. The turn signals still click when the car is off.
Also, there’s a separate option for “do you want the volume to increase as speed increases?” on a scale of 0 to 4, where 0 is “no, don’t do that” and 4 is “make it comparatively much louder as speed increases”. Mine was already set to 3, which explains why I didn’t have any issue on the rare times I drive at highway speeds.
Shoutout to the designers for caring about these little details so much that I never even noticed them until Technology Connections brought it up.
@@scout8145 Seems like it's either, "you'll like this thoughtful design choice that's satisfying," or, "this is as cheap as possible and barely works in a way I want it to."
I love this channel, you discuss seemingly mundane concepts that everyone has wondered about at one point but never cared to research, but you explain them in an interesting and easy to understand manner and I also love how you delve into the history of the technologies at play. This is the pinnacle of youtube, being interested in a 40 minute educational video about turn signals
Amen
I think the reason your videos are so soothing is because they're effectively elaborate grounding methods: they focus on some small part of our physical environment and go into as much depth as possible.
tako je
As a German, I was completely speechless when you made that BMW joke. It’s a really well-known stereotype over here: BMW drivers hardly use their turn signals. But I had no idea it made its way to the USA! What is it about these BMWs?!
BMW are marketed to ✨ specific ✨ type of humans xD
from my experience its worse in the US compared to europe/germany. and the reason is simple: bmw driver are superior. you dont have to see the blinker, you already know where the bmw driver is going.
Brit here: I drove an F30 BMW 3-Series a few years ago; BMW turn signals are (were?) shite. When you move the stalk it doesn't lock into position and always returns to centre. To have the indicator remain _on_ you need press and hold the stalk up or down for a second; to cancel it you push the stalk up or down again. Of course, they also have lane switching lights (the three flashes). People either don't bother using the turn signal because it's unintuitive and clunky, OR they think it's active when in reality they've only activated the lane switching light.
What's the difference between BMW's and porcupines? Porcupines have pricks on the outside!
Bmws turn signals are a pain to use really so people dont bother
Today I learned that NOT all things that act like timing relays, are relays.
This is like the highway equivalent of waiting for the DVD screensaver to perfectly bounce off the corner of the screen.
Did we just become best friends?
@@Anonymous-mx9dh Yep! Do you wanna go do karate in the garage?
Oh man I fell my age but reminisce on the good old days
If that happened, I'd just have to follow them to see if I can make it happen again.
I think that went pretty well.
Another reason turn signals were so imprecise in the past was because of the refinement level of the fluid used in them. Blinker fluid used to be a natural product that was roughly based on mineral oil, and the formulation wasn't consistent. However, in the early '90s, Valvoline patented a synthetic blinker fluid that was incredibly consistent batch-to-batch. They began supplying it to OEMs, and the rest was history.
That's the main reason why BMW drivers never use their turn signals: because their blinker fluid is usually dried up.
I can't 😂😂😂
Yes bmws are vastly known for blinker fluid leaks
They miss out on other key maintenance features as well, unless it's the grocery getter and they regularly service it (rare for a beamer).
Don't forget BMW requires a special blinker fluid replacement tool to access the blinker fluid reservoir and that costs extra money!
Jesus loves you alot trust in His death 4 salvation and be saved from eternal hell
Now imagine this: since cars these days are always connected to the internet and have pretty accurate clocks, a manufacturer could make all of their cars flash their turn signals completely in sync. All the time.
They could also use a radio receiver to synchronize the clocks without internet.
@Tim Forget the manufacturer, a clever enough hacker could simply take control of a lot of your cars features like signals, radio or even switch the motor off.
@@KitOkunari Like the GPS functionality on aircraft warning lights (used on high buildings) - they can be set to flash in sync without having a physical connection between them!
Or use beat detection on the audio system and make them flash some even fraction or multiple of the BPM between 60-120 flashes, so it’ll sync up with your music!
It might be real if cars were using GPS. GPS is built into every modern car and it provides really precise clock.
By analysing the laws around vehicle lights over here in Belgium I actually found out that rear indicators are allowed to be red, just like in the US, but the front indicators are actually allowed to be white. So I got held up during my yearly car inspection for over an hour because the people inspecting the car didn't want to accept it was actually allowed. They eventually let me go and I felt happy with my victory :) only to switch them back to amber because everyone got confused by the weird white flashing light on my car
Another fun indicator-related oddity: for a few years, it was legal in Australia to have no reversing (reverse gear) lights. The reasoning was to make imports from the US, which did not have space for separate turn signal bulbs, easier by allowing the reversing light spot to be fitted with amber bulbs for turn signals instead.
Technology Connections: "Turns out there's a very simple explanation"
Me: *Looks at the length of the video*
Simple is a relative term.
It is just one video.
@@forgiveman one so far....although we can say it's a sequel of the brake/turns combo ran-...video....do i smell a new series 🤔
Ah, the attention span of our modern world (myself absolutely included) means 40 minutes to explain something is too long to qualify as "simple".
I don't need sleep, I need answers!
Someone I worked with once told me: "Yeah, I use turn signals when others are around. But when there is no one around, why should I?"
I never understood that mentality - just always wiggle the finger to make a turn signal, and you never have to worry or think about it anymore, since it's just automatic
That's some next level laziness
You're not wrong, but some of us get bored with going through the motions of driving and so coming up with little tricks to keep the mind focused on driving is important for safety. After all, distracted driving is a strong contender with drunk driving for causing accidents; even if distracted accidents tend to be less disastrous.
By paying attention to if there are cars around, that is one more thing that causes the driver to focus on driving. And even better if you can remember what cars are in what position around you, and the possible intent that each driver is making.
And of course, the answer is yes you always need to use turn signals even when there are not apparent cars around. Because what if you're wrong about there being vehicles around? People seem to have trouble seeing motorcycles sometimes for one.
@@TheTheninjagummybear you know what they say about lazyness
I typically answer: I'd rather forget that I'm alone than forget I'm not, so it's better to get used to using them without thinking about it.
Also: pedestrians are road users and you can't always see them. That's why you should always use them.
“I’ve tried to see if bmw might use the same flash frequency as GM but I’ve literally never had an opportunity to check for some reason”. Oh that’s gold
I'm binge watching this channel, so far I haven't seen one I didn't like yet. You have a gift to explain away complexity in a way that makes the most mundane subjects interesting. Thank you for the content!
Same! More bingeable than many tv shows
"Turns out there's a very simple explanation for why you can't get two indicators to flash in sync"
*37 minute video*
Edit: I am not complaining btw
Simple and Time-Efficient don't always correlate
Sure, but the actual explanation is just 2 minutes.
You just made me toot. For 37 minutes. But I told you in two. Twooot. If you read slowly. So read slowly smarty farty panties
snyc
It's simple but his explanation isn't.
An interesting addition to the Technology Connections Bimetallic Strip Cinematic Universe.
What is this, a crossover episode?
"There is no way I can be interested in a video about turn signals for 37 minutes"
(37 minutes later) "Well, I'll be damned."
I confess to fast-forwarding a bit through the PSA, as someone with no desire to replace my lamp bulbs
@@cloudkitt I usually replace them when they're out of service, as I don't have the funds to replace the car every time that happens. 😉
You must be new here lol
A driver of 19 years, I’ve only ever had this happen once and the signals matched up exactly. Great information, thanks for sharing!
The BWM joke made my day, all this time I thought indicators were an optional extra on European BMWs but it turns out it's global!
Jays2001, I'm a BMW owner/driver and it made even me chuckle a bit... But I'm worried that there's something seriously wrong with me, cause I actually use my indicators... 🤣
Came to the comments looking for the BMW joke appreciation, was not disappointed.
@@TheTronder007 I have coworkers who design the blinker switches for BMWs so they'll be glad to hear SOMEone is using them.
Savage. Brutal. Rekt. And I loved every second of it.
@@kevinjokipii4260 please tell your coworkers that having the signal stalks return to their neutral position even after the turn signal has been fully activated is a STUPID idea.
If you want to replace your incandescents with LEDs, also replace the lamp assemblies with ones designed to magnify the LEDs correctly.
Here in Germany, you have to do exactly that in order to pass the regular car safety test. And a policemen or similar person can stop your car and set it out of order until you fixed that.
@@ShenLong991 Unfortunately, the Cro-Magnons that we call politicians and policy makers that run the US aren't/weren't smart enough to have made a law that requires road vehicles to be checked for compliance on a regular schedule.
@@acywei You have to get your car inspected every year in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. I couldn't believe I didn't need an inspection when I moved to Colorado a couple years ago.
I came here to say that. Thank you. There is currently crackdown on LED lamps where I live, especially "angel eyes" BMW's and loud exhausts. It seems that government doesn't realize, that "angel eyes" isn't a priority, and those who do have them mounted on their cars, most likely have everything else in check, as lamps isn't usually top item on BMW owners to-do list, meanwhile a gray civic with a rusted out floor is acceptable. Also, for those who think they don't need new headlight assembly when switching to LED, you're missing out. Might as well stay with incandescent bulbs.
@@MrC0MPUT3R here in North Carolina there’s a dude downtown Brevard that will pass your vehicle no matter what, ain’t got a working horn? No problem! Seatbelts get stuck? No problem! Seriously it’s nice but kinda bad at the same time…
"a quirk only Doug could appreciate"
I appreciated that
but you're sean not doug
@@leaf9974 maybe "a quirk only Doug and his 4M followers could appreciate" ?
Same here.
This wasn't a Doug-less Quirk :)
Who is Doug?
"a quirk only Doug can appreciate"
We will now be shown the quirks and features of modern turn signals!
I don't get it. (Really, I don't need to.) (I think.)
Doug DeMuro is a car reviewer here on TH-cam. You can tell he's rather popular from the number of TH-cam Poops cs188 has made featuring him.
_This_ is a turn signal relay
Honestly the most impressive portion of this video is that he managed to make a 37 minute video on turn signals and refrained from making a bmw joke for 30 of those minutes
He implied it once 👀
He did though!
@@leaf3002 He’s saying not throughout the whole video, but for at least 30 minutes straight
“A quirk only Doug could appreciate” lol
I was just thinking that Doug once wondered why the sound of the door opened was overwriting the sound of the blinker. He even said: "maybe Ford thought this was priority" or something like that.
Is Doug now required to mention blinks per minute?
Wonderful...! Many thanks to all who use my name!
I hope Doug sees this video
Who is this Doug you speak of?
I was at a stoplight today, noticed the person in front of me was synced with mine, and started thinking about everything in this video, even was at the light long enough to notice is drift out of sync.
Then the next time I opened TH-cam a few minutes later, This Video was in my recommended feed!!!!
I know your phones listen to you, but now it's reading my mind too!!
"the longevity of the turn signal flasher is at the forefront of every driver's mind!" No joke my grandfather (who was an electrical engineer) refused to use his turn signals because it would wear them out. I'm not sure why it mattered if he wasn't using them in the first place, but he was adamant.
The flasher in my '90s Ford Fiesta (probably one of the electronic types shown) failed after about 10 years
Yep this is why I never use my brakes.
@@MCarrick-ss7xc no joke, using the engine to brake is extremely important if you're trying to go slow downhill. Your brakes will overheat and turn into butter
@@AvenDonn and then your car will hit something at great speed and turn into a sandwich. Yum!
@@AvenDonn no brakes no engine no dethottle.
My favorite magic system is "buying n+1 of them, where n = however many you've shown so far"
his bank transaction ledger must be full of "+1"
The "Ambiguity of American Turn Signals" - or whatever it's called - was my introduction to Technology Connections, so thank you!
Have you seen the fully mechanical jukebox video? That one got me hooked, tho I don't think it was the first I ever watched, that was a while ago.
I’ve always seen his obsession over this as his falling victim to the dangers of “but sometimes”
"The US Electrical System is Not 120 V" is a masterpiece
The SENSELESS Ambiguity of North American Turn Signals
@@catfish552 😂 Yeah, I left out an important keyword!!!
For 40 years, I have been wondering about that... And here is the man that I trust to provide us with the explanation. 37 mins is nothing compared with how many years I have been wondering about...
"I wanted to see if I could sink my flasher to a BMW; but have literally never had the opportunity" had me lmfao
Best gag of the episode
I guess I don't understand that joke. And isn't it written "synched"?
Edit: Oh, now I get it. :}
@@kryzethplays because BMW drivers don’t use blinkers.
i spit out my drink on that
BMW drivers will not get this joke. They are entirely too important to bother with humor, or listening, or learning things.
26:30 “a quirk only Doug could appreciate”
Now we just need Doug to review the Volt and mention this 😁 The ‘circuit’ of life would be complete.
I'm glad someone else got that hidden gem
"I've literally never had the opportunity to check for some reason."
Damn, that shade was darker than the lights from a tinted taillight.
Master ruseman, hard at work
Got a chuckle out of me. Could have been audi drivers too
It took me a second to get it, lol
@@jmacd8817 I feel stupid, but I still don’t get it.
@@1dareu2mov3 BMW drivers don't use turn signals.
as an electronics technician, professionally, i absolutely love this deep dive into turn signal circuits. go ahead and laugh, i'm used to it.
also, years and years ago when i learned what the hyperflash meant in my old VW GTI, i was kind of impressed with that bit of simple but effective design.
anyway, love the videos. cheers!
edit: omg, that BMW driver snark was just beautiful..well played.
I never thought I'd see the day when technology connects would say "use an incandescent bulb instead of an led bulb," but here we are.
You must have missed his rants about the Christmas lights.
It's for a good reason...
I guess this is why I like Alec - there's always logic and reasoning behind his suggestions, rather than a blind "always do x" that might miss corner cases like this
@@williamreynolds6132 I did, so now I will check it out (been subscribed for less than a year, and only discovered him from the more popular videos like how vhs and CRT televisions work).
But the question still remains. Why did he not bring up the stupidity of how so many carmakers in 2021 still use incandescent bulbs to begin with? OEM LEDs don't suffer from the light distribution problems that aftermarket bulb replacements have and yet so many manufacturers refuse to use them
The blinker bulbs are the ‘resistor’ part of the RC timer circuit. Hence, when one of the blinker bulbs burn out, the blink rate increases.
Also why you need to add a resistor when "upgrading" to LEDs.
just add some blinker fluid and it will be fine
@@WillThat well, or just replace the blinker relay to a load-free one
Ahhh, how about that
@@WillThat Or use a full electronic blinker relay, that doesn't care about load and lasts several car's lifetimes.
"I'm going down this rabbit hole so you don't have to." - Alec's mission statement in a nutshell
How can I delegate my rabbit hole spelunking??
Pretty sure his real name is Alice.
28:13 Fun fact: in a 1990s volvo v40 (mine is a 98) the warning light for the driver seatbelt icon uses the turn signal flasher as audio and visual que to put your seatbelt on. It does so at hyperflashing speed. If turn signals are then used the warning light slows down to normal turn signal speeds. Moreover, the locking and unlocking of the car via key fob also activates the green arrows and click noises in the car. Would love to see the frankenstein circuit they designed there. :)
The clicking sound of blinkers is absolutely lovely and one of the best sounds in life.
It would be a good base line for a Hardstyle remix
I've come to inform this thread (as much as it pains me to do this) of the following search query:
Blinker type beat.
You're welcome, and I'm sorry on behalf of all type beat producers that the end results aren't better 🤣
It's funny how people say that love the clicking sound of blinkers, yet finds it annoying after awhile.
@@automation7295 I know people who will drive for miles down the express way with their blinkers turned on because they tune it out.
Being able to sync your flasher with the car in front:
- probably the most obscure and least appreciated advantage of putting microprocessors in cars
not syncing the audio track to the video:
probably the most obscure and most infuriating things to do in editing
On the other hand:
It seems that syncing the indicators on the dashboard with the sound and the turn signals is not done.
While the CAN bus is a real time system, it does not have that kind of synchronization I guess.
It has literally never occurred to me to do this, and I've been driving for fifty years. OTOH, my current vehicle is an '07, so it probably has an independent flasher control anyway...
TC really has the market cornered on questions I’ve secretly had since I was a child.
I can’t tell if you spend your childhood inseparable from _How it Works_ by David Macaulay or if I’m about to blow your mind.
@@bertilhatt I’m the first one for sure.
I'm still waiting for him to explain quicksand.
I can't wait for him to explain "how they get the streetlights to turn on remotely"...
@@scythal Light detector. Street light light up when it's dark enough.
Only change one bulb first... You give THE BEST life pro tips! The bit about how to use the pre-rinse feature in one of your dishwasher videos changed me life. I am humbled by your common sense and ingenuity! 🤩
People with early Teslas complained about the out of sync blinkers, blinker sound, and blinker indicators to the point where Tesla pushed an OTA update to force everything into sync
the best thing elon told his engineers to do
That's kind of awesome that Twitter complaints can turn into car improvements lol
@Les Agreed.
And they still haven't fixed how a drone can hack your whole car over wifi, even after we sent them the source code for the exploit. But then again you can hack his rockets with a $50 ham radio so what do I expect
@@alakani Do elaborate? Got a cve?
On the topic of the clicking sound: Our 2019 Subaru will vary its volume based on vehicle speed. I thought that was a nice touch.
meh bmw did that earlier
Pretty much every modern vehicle has some sort of speed sensitive volume. It's an absolutely awful feature, but a funny way of trying to compensate for poor sound deadening.
@@Quoi.Phoque thats cancer and youre propagating it.
My understanding of subaru drivers in UK is that they are generally going flat out and never use their turn signals. I suspect any of them that read your comment will be momentarily surprised
@@Hawk7886 on some cars at least... Mine being one that adaptive volume is adjustable including being able to turn it off.
Remember, if your turn signal bulb is burned out, simply "borrow" one from a BMW. They always seem to be in like new to unused condition.
More often than not these days, it seems like at least half the cars on the road must have “like new condition” or “totally broken” turn signal arrays because so many drivers apparently view them as optional equipment.
My husband occasionally likes to remind me that despite over 30 years of marriage, he still can’t read my mind. Unfortunately, far too many drivers seem to be under the faulty impression that I can read their minds.
@@tanya5322 Quite popular is also the good old “I’ll start signaling once I’m already turning/switching lanes” move. Thanks, I actually could tell that you were switching lanes because you are already are halfway in mine. But go ahead, start signaling now and not beforehand.
@@JustJustSid That's just being considerate. I literally saw someone stop and then turn into a side road yesterday, with no signalling, and THEN turn on the indicator as they were straightening up to go down the new road to, you know, inform the world of the maneuver they just performed.
@@JustJustSid I think most people do that because they are afraid you'll cut them off. I swear, most people don't understand that you're supposed to be courteous to other drivers.
@@annihilator247x This is exactly it.
The fact that I've wondered why my 2005 wrx doesn't match up with others wrx of the exact same make and I come across this video is amazing
reading the title I thought "how is he going to talk about the transition from relays to microprocessors for over 30 minutes?"
and yet you still managed to make it entertaining and sneak in new information.
I love how you push proper driving etiquette! It almost feels like a forgotten knowledge and a lost art.
Great videos.
I recently moved to Oberursel and the divers here are hyper nice and patient with cyclists (which I like) but damn do they rarely use the blinker...
@@andy02q I've noticed that in small towns a very large number of residents don't use the blinkers. It could be because in small towns the pace of everything is very slow and so they mostly also drive too slowly that they can fail to use the blinkers and not run a high risk of being rear-ended
@@hydrolifetech7911 It's partly because of the same thing that causes people to end up in accidents closer to home; they're comfortable so they let their guard down.
I've been watching this channel for quite a while now and it still mesmerizes me how his videos can keep me entretained for thirty plus minutes on the most seem-boring topics... hands down one of the best channels I follow...
You couldn’t have described the feeling any better. 😅
Someone: what are you up to today?
Me: watching a 37 minute video about turn signals.
Someone: ...
He "deep dives" into SEEMINGLY boring topics and we find out.....It's not REALLY boring at all.
On older vehicles that used the old-style flashers, you had to install a heavy-duty flasher (especially on pickup trucks) when you were towing a trailer due to the extra load from the trailer lights. If you did not install the heavy duty one, your turn signals would flash very fast. Similar to what you see when a bulb burns out.
I used to "tune" the turn signals in my truck by using "heavier" switches.
I always hated "fast" signals, they sound like they're powered by caffeinated Jack Russell terriers.
I'll have you know I've used the indicators on my BMW so much that I burned out the controller.
Clearly BMW didn't anticipate them being used twice in the same month.
Kek.good one.What is with german car brands and douchebags?
@@naamadossantossilva4736 Probably all that "ubermenschen" nonsense
@@naamadossantossilva4736 They're expensive and have status. I don't consider myself a douchebag, I just wanted an affordable used 400hp toy. I put way more miles on my grandpa car daily driver though.
I daily drive a 95 bmw 4cyl with over 200k miles on it. Parts are cheap and repairs are easy, though I can't give accolade to their power window systems in the 90's cars(e36). Enthusiasts like them because of the way it FEELS to drive!
Can't say I'm into new models however, just like any car these days, they are just glorified computers.
They do. They are required to tell people to move over on the Autobahn.
TC: "I'd like a steering wheel with the stalks, 2 front light units, 2 rear light units, 3 flasher units, oh and some wire and stuff."
Car breaker: "Hmm, sounds like your car has got a few issues"
TC: "Oh no, I don't get out much and just want to play with this stuff in the house."
Ever since TH-cam was created this is not even the weirdest thing by a long shot.
@Tip Toe
"A car breaker yard is another term for a scrapyard. It’s where old, broken or end-of-life cars and vans are collected, stripped, resold, broken down or, in some cases, destroyed."
TC: "Could I also get 3 hurricane lamps, 1 traffic light and two dishwashers?"
@@lanswipe While we're at it, give me please that stylish chrome toaster there! I have two of those already but it's never too much!
@@matthew8153 I remember a time Linus went to a junkyard and took an old Heater core to use as a PC radiator in a custom liquid cooling loop lol
For many years, I found it interesting when flashers would synchronize for a short while. I had a pretty good idea why it didn't last. What I didn't know is that they now can stay synchronized, AND I know why. Once again learning just to learn and nothing more. Sometimes it's fun and you've got a knack for making it so.
I would love to see a connextras following this video:
- I appreciate the warning about lights being too dim but since you were talking about aftermarket lighting, it is worth mentioning that it can be too bright too. Some pillocks install xenon lamps in their cars thus blinding oncoming traffic. This, if not as bad, is worse than signalling lights being too dim! In Russia they can even deprive you of your driving license if you are using incorrect aftermarket lights
- Some might be wondering how blinkers automatically disengage once the turn is complete (i.e. steering wheel is straight again). Again, a slightly different topic and a completely different mechanism but it's interesting to see how one action is performed thanks to the harmony of two unrelated mechanisms.
And you've got the magic of not having to buy extra props since you already have them!
Automatically disengaging turn signals: my guess is a sort of rachet mechanism. As you turn the wheel you hear a click at certain points where the signal turns off when you turn back from that point.
Older turn signal switches are actually very complicated devices, especially once you add the headlight switch, hazard lights that need non-interruptable power, and trailer lights that are also used as brake lights.
Source: Spent a few hours trying to reverse engineer the turn signal switch from a 99 Ford.
The problem with aftermarket led headlights is that many of them don't get the leds in the right position to simulate the original filament, and so the reflector doesn't get it focused into a nice beam.
The led design needs to be different between a projector headlight and a reflector headlight, and each headlight housing has a slightly different design.
If you don't get the correct match then you will blind everyone.
I needed to upgrade my semi truck to leds (halogen was too dim for safety, and I got tired of paying for the short lived and expensive High Brightness Krypton ones, so I decided to go with led).
It took me quite a while looking at articles and reviews and TH-cam video reviews showing the beam patterns of different brand leds in different headlight housings before I finally settled on a couple of brands that looked like they might work, and then I pulled my truck up to a white dock wall and used a sharpie to mark the outline of the beam pattern with the halogen bulb.
Then I put an led in one side and compared the beam pattern etc, and then tried the other brand.
I found one of them matched every point on my markings EXACTLY, while the other one was a bit wonky.
So I put the good one in the low beams, and put the one with poor beam control in the high beams where it won't effect anyone, and I am happy with the results.
I also carefully re aimed the headlights afterwards, and parked on a level street and walked to the other end of the block to check for glare, etc, and I never have anyone flash me in complaint lol
But most people don't go to that much work, and don't even know there is a difference, and so blind everyone.
Yeah, I really hate that. If I can't see your turn signals or brake lights very clearly, I'll most likely still figure out what you're doing. If I can't _see_, well, that's a much bigger problem.
It is much easier to upgrade for those who drive cars with round headlights - Jeep Wrangler, Land Rover Defender (older one), Lada Niva, UAZ Hunter etc. There are aftermarket LED headlights that replace entire assembly.
Re: Turn signal noises - My EV, a Renault Zoe, has three different clicking noises to choose from! Weirdly, it’s also linked to what style of display you want on the dashboard. Unfortunately, the best turn signal noises are paired to the ugliest dashboard display.
On the Outlander PHEV I have a choice between two different sounds. My wife couldn't almost drive when I switched it 🤭
Phones have had custom ring tones for years. Why can't we load custom flasher sounds into our cars yet?
I want this as my turn signal noise: th-cam.com/video/dQw4w9WgXcQ/w-d-xo.html
@@TiberentenTV Cant fool us with that XcQ
it happens to be a renault, sooo... would you expect anything else ?
29:02 "...all just a little out of sync. It's great. Definitely not bothersome to the kind of person I am."
I feel this so much.
Great, now I can never unsee this...
That moment made me laugh
In the UK, the turn signal flasher (relay) is called an audible repeater 😊
The best moments are when your signals match the BPM of the music you've got playing on the audio system.
This should be a feature you can enable
@@jscott1000yep
“Did you really think I could turn it around that fast?”
Honestly Alec… yes. Yes you could
Could or would?
@@reginaldsafety6090 both
For years I have complained about turn signal synchronization. This video finally explains a phenomenon that I honestly thought only I cared about. The best part of this video is its sheer existence. I never knew so many other people cared about synchronization! Great content!
I am watching a video about car turn signal lamps at 2 am
I feel like this episode had a lot of connections to technology discussed in other episodes and contexts. I love it!
""connections to technology" Hah, I see what you did there! :')
Here in Tucson we have this joke: Do you know the biggest difference between a BMW and a cactus? The cactus has its pricks on the outside.
You ever feel useless? Think about the guy testing the indicators in the BMW factory and you should feel better.
They are also pricks in Europe.
WHEN I get my new custom sissy-bar, I'm going to have it decorated to display PROUDLY "30 HP"... JUST so every BMW I pass gets to see it. ;o)
my mom drives a BMW D:
I've usually heard this joke with porcupine in lieu of the cactus.
This guy would make a great comedy villain lol. He's just the right level of clever and sarcastic
I can just see his Volt exploding, leaving a huge mass of amber muscle behind shouting:
BLINKY TURNY FLASHY NO LINE UP ARRRRRGH SMAAAAAASH!!!!!!!!!!
This guy is the Riddler's secret identity, through the magic of buying two of them.
His plans would definitely be very thought-out.
"oh, you think you have me bested, mr. bond?"
"well, through the magic of buying two of them.. I expect you to die!"
@@vigilantcosmicpenguin8721 Very thought out in the most seemingly mundane but surprisingly devastating ways
Well done! Thank you.
As a little boy I called the turn signal a *dee-burr* because mother's old car bi-metalic turn signal can made that sound.
Have seen brake lights which appear only a quarter-sized dot because the filament bulbs wereplaced with LED.
Old turn signal flashers were cleverly made to speed up when a bulburned out.
I liked the older blinkers because when you had enough ahead of you it was like one of those physics demonstration pendulums waves. All the lights going in and out of sync where sometimes they are all matched up and sometimes they are opposite.
32:25 LOL that one took me a second. I was confused as to why you would even mention that, then realized it was a joke
Stand up comedian: Audio drivers are the worst.
Some audience members: *boo*
Stand up comedian: Oh, things are changing... now you are indicating!
Oooh. Me too though it’s sooo damn true.
@@bohican Well, audio drivers are bad in indicating by design... 😉
Same for me, I was confused for a second but then I had to stop the video as I burst into laughter for a couple minutes. Amazing.
Maybe I'm dense, but I dont get the joke. Explain? edit: oooh its because they dont use their flashers, right? ha.
“A quirk only Doug could appreciate” and the features!
Looks like August is turn signal month 22:39
I know what you mean, LEDs are pretty much directional and can't take advantage of the reflector inside the housing. It's not just the colored piece that is a Fresnel lens (like a convex lens but broken down into smaller lenses that "flatten" it out sort of like a mosaic), but that reflector is made to spread the light from the wire element (at the reflector focal point) of an incandescent bulb, and spred it to each tiny Fresnel lens segment. So it's hard to make a single LED, or even a few pointing at different directions to emulate a bright glowing wire radiating light in all directions. However, if your replacement LED assembly replaces the ENTIRE old assembly (that used a refector and Fresnel lens) with a flat array of say, 100 LEDs (in a 10x10 matrix), they work together just like the original. Nowadays, LEDs can be addressable like the WS2812 LED. These work with only 3 wires and are "daisy chained" from one to the next so only 3 feed wires can control 100's of LEDs. This allows not only individual control of all the LEDs' brightness, but color too. I designed a demonstrator rear lighting panel for cars that used a 144x8 WS2812 LED array. I used it to show "progressive" brake lighting, the harder you step on the break, the more LEDs go red. If an LED is not being used at the moment for say, a break light, the controller can turn it yellow for a turn signal. And even make the turn signals progress like is popular these days. It can even display text like "TOO CLOSE" or "CALL 911", like I showed in my demo. In reverse, ALL of the LEDs go white to really light up behind you, but as soon as you step on the break, the controller Instantly reassigns some of those white LEDs to become red for the stop indication and still have plenty of LEDs still white. It's all very innovative and adaptive - it makes use of the entire array for any indication condition. WS2812 LEDs are very bright, but because you can control each one individually to thousands of color and brightness levels, they work better than any traditional light scheme from the past.
That's why i hate the old turn light reflectors, you can only see them right in front of you, so only other cars can see them.
Just remove the reflecting mirrors, LED is better !
We need better turn light, so AI can see what it is, bikes, modern users!
never replace them, just replace the car!
@@lucasrem The system that I designed had the LED array on a "flex board" so the edges could wrap around the car a little. Since all the LEDs can be set to any color/brightness on command, I could make those "edge" LEDs do whatever is needed for side observers (human or AI). For example: At night, the edge LEDs are dim red to act as side markers, but as soon as the turn signal is turned on, some of those are reassigned to flashing amber. That is the beauty of my system... it takes advantage of all LEDs available for any indication and reassigns them as needed. I can update the LEDs at 20 times a second, that is faster than a traditional incandescent lamps that you can barely update at 6 times a second.
100% on your PSA! I can’t believe they sell those replacements. Hitting your brakes is almost subconscious and doing anything that gets in the way is just stupid!
I suspect that explains why so many people complain that “LED lights are too bright”: it might be that those are new lights slightly off-center, and the Fresnel focuses them just a little too high and it blinds drivers.
I've always found it soothing to watch the cars signals in front of me, fade into and out of, synchronicity.
Me too, and I am soo elated to see I'm not alone!
many miles away there's a shadow on a door of a cottage on the shore of a dark Scottish lake.
@@madbradmadbrad 3 thumbs for most meaningless meaningful reference 👍👍👍
@@madbradmadbrad Nessie?
I'm the exact opposite. Watching lights go in and out of sync makes me acutely uncomfortable and I have to look somewhere else.
This is something - non-sync - that I always accepted as "it's impossible to sync these things". Now I understand why. Just today I was at a traffic stop and there were 3 cars ahead of me and all the lights were in sync ! As always, a very good and informative video explanation with the added dose of well placed humor.
This man is incredibly good at making me think I'm about to watch a boring video, then proving me wrong.
"some sort of eccentric person, or I guess you live in Japan"
- Hey, I'm both of those!
Hideo Kojima is that you?
impossibru!
Everyone in Japan is eccentric XD
One thing GM does that I’ve always hated is using the reverse lights for area lighting. Makes you think they are about to back up, when they’ve just unlocked their car.
To be fair that’s part of the function of reverse lights, to allow you to see when you’re reversing as your rear lights don’t really give you any visibility. I can see how some engineer came up with the idea but someone from safety should have told them it’s a stupid idea.
However it wouldn’t be an issue if people parked correctly and reversed into bays 😎
GM seems to be the worse on lighting. there's always a GM vehicle with a headlight out LMAO
I HATE this. I *constantly* stop short in the parking lot before yelling “oh, it’s just a god damn TAHOE!!”
My car uses the headlights for this, but it's a setting that can be turned off. I don't know how newer vehicles are, but I'm guessing most people never bother to RTFM when they buy a car to learn about its functions.
@@NashvilleUK I have never seen anything in my entire life that said the proper way to park in a parking lot is to back into the spot. Particularly interesting that you think that's a thing when considering that unless you are parking on a street somewhere that most of the time the parking lot is private property and thus not subject to regulation to that degree that you could be required by law to back into a parking space. I get that the point you are trying to make is that you don't like the idea of people backing out into an area of traffic rather than pulling forward into it, but that simply isn't how real life works.
I love how you can go on for so long about issues I never even thought about, never would I have ever thought about turn signal synchronization
Totally. I never thought about it before yet I chugged through 37 minutes of video without even blinking
My biggest annoyance about modern cars and indicators etc, at least in Australia, is you cant see half of them because they dont use the coloured housing, they coat the bulb in film but unless you are directly head on you cant see the inticator, a real PITA on roundabouts etc. I wish the ADR (Australian Design Rules) would ban clear Indicator housings and mandata visibility of each inicator to a much wider angle, or at least enforce it because it seems to have given way to "fashion over function"
I don’t know how you do it, but watching your videos has made me realize you’re actually one of the voices that has lived in my head for the last 40 years.
You are tackling every pet-peeve of mine. Keep up the great work.
Every time you upload a major video, the extent to which I thought the "I can't believe I spent X minutes watching a video about Y and was this enthralled by it" effect can be pushed reaches new heights
"Long Life" flashers using 13V rated electrolytic capacitors on a 13,8V+ circuit, very good.
Haha quality
Makes some sense when you imagine there is a duty cycle for the voltage being applied to the cap. It never gets the chance to charge above probably 13 volt before being discharged.
I've never seen a 13V rating on an electrolytic capacitor. All my junkbox capacitors in that range are either 10V or 16V.
As soon a product has printed "Long Life" or 'Heavy Duty" on it, you can expect crap.
Given the drop across the coil you could easily design that to stay inside the rating of a 10v cap, only time it'll ever se the full (potentially 14.4v) voltage of the charging battery is if the relay jams or contacts cease making through corrosion or contamination, in which case it's dead anyway & the cap failing won't make it any deader.
@@sparqqling compared to the thermal flashers they were replacing, they must certainly WERE long life! Lol
They also could handle trucks lots of lights, trailers, etc, unlike the thermal style.
The bimetallic strip is also used in some old Lionel train stations as their "Automatic train control" station stop system. I manage a Lionel layout with two of these stations at the Wisconsin Auto Museum, and when people ask how the train stops then restarts, I explain the technology, and how that is the same technology as early car turn signals, which ties everything together there nicely.
HPPP: “What is that mysterious ticking noise?”
Alec: “That’s a great question! It all starts with the bi-metallic strip….”
The bimetallic strip, in conjunction with latent heat and the refrigeration cycle......
Wow, a HPPP reference is not something I expected to see, but I'm glad it's here
hppp?
I didn’t realize pipe bobs could be detonated that way
@@Xfade81 (Harry) Potter Puppet Pals
12:34 So it's a "long life" flasher based around a capacitor rated for 13V, meant for use in a circuit that will usually run around 14 to 14.5V. Brilliant.
The relay probably turns on long before the capacitor reaches 13V. If I would guess, probably 8V or so, so that it can function with an empty battery as well. After switching on, the capacitor discharges again. Therefore, 13V actually seems fine to me.
But once the relay goes, then so does the capacitor.
@@marco23p hilarious the “long life“ module had a capacitor inside. Which makes it much more susceptible to failure than the standard module. That Will be dead long before the unit mechanically fails.
It will become leaky Long before the “relay” fails mechanically.
Just to clarify…when it comes to capacitors…the term “leak” is usually referring to the fact that as it ages, the internal resistance decreases, and leakage current increases. But sometimes they can actually become physically leaky as well… meaning they leak their electrolyte fluid out of the casing.
Electrolytic capacitors are usually the weakest point of any circuit… Especially in a situation where they could get really hot…..in the summertime up under the dash of a sealed automobile in the sun.
It's probably intentional planned obsolescence.
The voltage across the cap is not very high. Anyway, a 13v cap is very odd vintage
@@hullinstruments A filament that heats and cools constantly will fail long before a capacitor. If you ever dealt with incandescent light bulbs and had old electronics you'd know which lasts longer. Not sure where you get your info about capacitors being the weak point and not lasting, especially where they get hot. I have a 39 year old vehicle that utilizes electronic ignition that has a few capacitors in it and it's still working - not age or heat has killed it yet. Can or will the capacitors in the electronic ignition fail? Yes they can but even if they failed tomorrow 39 years is 38 years longer than I've gotten out of an incandescent light bulb so which has the longer life is clear.
I have never commented, but I just wanted to say thank you for all these videos you produce. I have been watching for a long time, and thoroughly enjoy it all. Technology Connections is such an apt channel name for your production style. Please don't change your writing and production style. (may it echo into future creation)
Automotive Electrical Engineer (Auto Electrician) here, I knew all this, and still watched all the way through, great content mate!
This thought has occurred to me for so many years. And you have literally answered every single thing I wanted to know. So random but now it all makes sense 🤣
My ‘thought’ that still worries me is…what if all my lights fail? In the night…on a dark, unlit lane…
And here I always thought the sync drift was due to some kind of safety feature meant to make it easier to distinguish which vehicles lights are on in inclement weather or ambiguous situations!
you know it's gonna be a good one when the question is answered 7 minutes into a 35 minute video
One time I saw two Ford Fusions, bith white, both the same year, blinking in sync. That was an incredible moment.