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"Project Halo" - The 159, Brera & Spider HALO DRL Project

288K views 2K replies 205 participants last post by  Solaihs 
#1 · (Edited)
2015 Stock Available :)

---- Project Update - August 2014 -----

Quick refresher for those just joining the thread....

Project Halo started as a concept to integrate BMW Angel eye style DRLs into the 159/Brera/Spider triple headlight configuration. Initial development work was completed by myself & YonasH. YonasH pioneered the first sets of Halo's in a kit form that could be bought and installed as a DIY solution, however both of our efforts to disassemble the headlights resulted in failure or breakage and the only viable solution was to cut the lenses off, install the rings and glue the lenses back on.

As this was not a viable option, development ceased for around a year before starting up again after discussions with Coxy1 on headlight disassembly. Coxy1 was able to pioneer an approach the taking the headlights apart, but only if they were new ones where the glue had not yet had time to cure fully (several years of use on a car cures them fully!!)

Once this had been solved, I restarted development on the electronic controllers for the headlights to meet UK specifications and simplify the amount of electronics & wiring needed in comparison to the approach YonasH took.

Project Halo UK headlights are now a full DIY project for anyone who wants to get involved. All parts are available online from the usual suppliers, and a full parts list is available on the wiki: http://projects.jabawoki.com

Their is a pre-order system in place for the controllers, and they are manufactured in batches of 10 sets, so once we get to 10 people who want controllers I organise a manufacturing run to have them made to order.

This is what the headlights look like on the car:

Land vehicle Vehicle Car Executive car Alfa romeo
Land vehicle Vehicle Car Executive car Alfa romeo 159

Land vehicle Vehicle Car Alfa romeo 159 Executive car
Land vehicle Vehicle Car Alfa romeo Alfa romeo 159




And this is a description of there operation:

On start-up, they run Mode 1 once, then default to Mode 2 below:

Mode 1: Fade from 0% to 100% to 80% in sequence from Led 1 (inside) to Led 3 (outside)
Mode 2: Daytime operation – all Leds at 80%
Mode 3: Night operation – all Leds at 70%
Mode 4: Indicator Mode – Outer Led & inner Led rings at 70% - middle ring off
Mode 5: Main Beam - All rings at full power

Modes 3,4 & 5 are selected by +12v signal on each of the 3 inputs to the controllers. There is a 400ms delay after the indicator stops before the rings return to Mode 2,3 or 5. This is to allow the controllers to detect that the indicator has stopped flashing. I nay yet get that down to 250-300ms but any less and it doesn't work properly.

General Q&A

1) Will the headlights come with a warranty?
- All components each come with their own supplier / manufacturer warranty. This is not a commercial venture, its a community project!

2) Will this be available in other countries
- The Halo conversion can be completed on any car in any country, So far we have Halo's in Norway, Sweden, Russia, Australia, Austria & the UK

3) Will this be available as a DIY kit to install in my existing headlights?
- Yes, instructions are available on http://projects.jabawoki.com

4) Will the units work with my factory fit Xenons?
- Yes they will

5) Will these units work with after market HID kits, LEDs and other lighting mods?
- Yes they will.

6) Will these units work with my automatic headlight feature?
- Yes, the switching between modes of operating is automatically controlled by the electronics inside the new headlights so it doesn't matter how they switch on and off.

7) How long will they last?
- The LED rings are quoted as having 20000 hours lifespan, but I can't vouch for that!! What I can say is we have done everything electrically viable to guarantee the LED's the most optimum / safe / stable conditions fully isolated and protected from the car's electronics system so they will last as long as they possibly could.

8) will they work with other vehicles?
- Technically the controller units can run up to 4 rings each, so they could easily be adapted to be used in 147, 156, & GT's. We would just need to modify the code, and measure the headlights to get the right rings. If there is enough interest I will pursue this but will need the help of some owners!

9) So how much?
- Price is TBC but around £450 covers your costs including 2 new headlights!

10) When can I buy them
- All parts are available now so get involved!

---- Project Update - August 2014 -----





This thread has been created to monitor progress and share ideas around the modification of the 159/Brera & Spider Triple headlight unit to include a Halo DRL unit. We have setup a new thread for this rather than hijack the DRL thread that started this.

The inspiration and potentially the end look of the unit can be seen here.

Current contributors to the R&D work are:

Yonash, from Poland who is way ahead on the project with a full unit ready to disassemble and a source for both CCFL & SMD LED Halo Loops.
JabawokJayUK, starting at the beginning and right now trying to source a headlight unit from a breakers yard!

Anyone can participate and the more people we have doing the R&D the better it will be!
 
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#305 ·
Out of interest, the Halo's are fitted inside of the reflector area of the lights, do they effect the 'spread' of the beam at all?
 
#306 ·
Not that has been noticed in any of the testing
 
#307 ·
That's right folks, your eyes are not deceiving you...... that is in fact the first set of circuit boards and power supplies connected to a full set of rings :)
 

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#308 ·
Drum roll please !
 
#310 ·
That's the 2 x dev sets built and ready for installation when Coxy is feeling better.

Get well soon Fella!
 

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#311 ·
If all else fails I'll just suck it up !

We'll get them on the cars if it kills me, if I break myself properly they'll just have more to fix when I'm back in hospital later in the month.

Commitment to the cause baby ;)
 
#316 ·
Hi mate, we are still thinking around £495 for a brand new set of headlights with the rings installed + all associated wiring etc.

Just a quick question. Will these lighy up when the doors are unlocked using the key? Or will it only come on when the key is inserted and the ignition comes on?
That's an interesting one. We are unable to get a switched live from any of the feeds into the headlights themselves so have to run a power and earth from each headlight to a switch live source under the bonnet to power the units. If we can find one that comes on when the car is unlocked (probably the fuel primer circuit) we can use that rather than the ignition so they come on when you unlock the car.


The new power supplies arrived today as well :)

Electronics Electronic component Technology Electronic device Electronic engineering


These bad boys are 3 x the power rating of the original individual supplies I intended to use so can run a pair of lights of a single PSU. This was due to the lack of switched live in the headlight (hoped the ancillary plug for the xenons had one in but it didn't :(), combined with the fact I was not happy of the heat generation from the PSU's under full load condition for extended periods of time (main beam on for ages).

They are also IP rated for use in the engine bay so I don't have to use such a big enclosure for the circuit boards which suits a single power source to run both circuits/lights :)
 
#318 ·
Warranty is a tough one to predict and is why progress is slow. At every step of the way we have had to over engineer things to reduce the likelihood of failure, as there is a cost with building the units ay kind of warranty is problematic, but equally I understand the need for basic investment protection as a consumer, so if your patients is good, once we have them on the cars we will know what likely warranty is viable.

So far, along the way I have identified many different issues with aspects of the electronics that would have resulted in an early failure. The latest of these was in the power supplies that despite calculations stating they would cope with the load, real life testing had them overheating. The latest PSU's have been on test for 24 hours now at full power with varying input voltage from 6-12v and are still only warm to the touch rather than smoking!!

The final test is the extra heat and changing conditions that a car brings. extreme heat and cold + the constant change from one to another is hard to predict.

Typically in product development warranties are decided through a combination of predictions and testing. From an individual component perspective each original item from the headlight units to the LED rings has a warranted life, but as a complete unit that has been modified all those warranties are invalid, so any warranty we provide is "on us" so to speak.

The last thing we want to do is bring a crap product to the community, and equally end up being out of pocket for the privilege, so you can wait a while and have a warranty of some kind, or be an early adopter with none!

Its not like we think these things will fail, but a warranty is a tough one to get right
 
#319 ·
|Well the units have been on a "burn in" test for 3 solid days now and the PSU, circuits & rings are all stable and happy :) that's 72hours continuous use at 100% load :)

#LookingGood
 
#320 ·
Thats good news !

I have run 55 watt HID's with the rings fitted for 5 days solid to see if there were any issues.

No issues found with either the LED rings or the shield modifications.

We're getting close to a full on release now !
 
#322 ·
Yes, you have to remove or at least drop the front bumper but its a lot easier than you think!!! An installation guide will come with the units, but if your not mechanically minded, you could get a local indie to do the install for you.
 
#323 ·
Its a really easy job, a hung over ham fisted gorilla could do it in under 5 minutes.
 
#326 ·
you could buy a kit, but we have tried to take apart the OEM lights and its not easy. The factory glue is stronger than the plastic itself! The new OEM headlights we use seem to have a slightly softer glue that is still very difficult but doable.
 
#329 ·
It would come with all the bits you needed to make it work and some basic instructions, but you would be on your own in terms of getting your headlights apart or cutting the lenses. Price would be a lot less as it would be minus the cost of 2 x headlights and labour. Not sure exactly how much as I would need to think it through.

Leave it with me.
 
#351 ·
Any decision on a price for this yet? I am VERY interested in getting it on my car like yesterday:inlove: and quite comfortable with deconstructing and reconstructing headlight units (fitted similar kits to others makes and models)

Also, is there a "power down" sequence in the programme, maybe "start up" in reverse?
 
#332 ·
We did look at specifc HID kits that had very small ballasts that we could hide either inside or under the headlight where the OEM ones go so that MOT's etc would not see them as "after-market" but as HIDs can fail, the last thing you want is to take the bumper back off to replace the ballasts.

Still it could be an option if someone wanted to.

Personally, I am looking into next generation Full LED driven main & full beam options, but that's a different storey to follow ;)
 
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