Hi everyone, I have a no-name XM-500 clone with a headlight issue. They do not come on at all. All the other lights work properly, but when the headlight switch is turned on all of the lights on the bike "flash" like the hazard lights on your car would (including the headlight bulbs). I thought maybe something in the wiring was messed up but upon full diagnosis, found that the bulb sockets are receiving 12v each. I then tried unplugging one of the headlight bulbs. When I turn the switch on, the one light illuminates but the battery indicator immediately drops to zero and the other lights (turn signal, brake light, etc) act erratically. The bulbs are 12v/35w halogen bulbs. I'm wondering if there is a problem with the DC/DC converter not being able to supply enough power. I tried "rigging" some extra 12v/10w bulbs I had as spares for my turn signals to the headlight sockets. When I do this, they both light and power on just fine and the battery indicator only drops a tiny bit (as would be expected). Also, the turn signals and stuff work properly. Basically I'm wondering if any body has experienced this. It seems everything works fine when pulling 20W, but when trying to pull 70W the system shuts down. Is the "flashing" of all the lights a safety mechanism in the DC/DC converter when it's being overloaded? Any help or ideas would be appreciated. Thanks!
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Yes, it is very likely that you are overloading the D.C converter. Change back to the same wattage lamps as supplied by the manufacturer, or power them from a 20 ampere-hour lithium Iron Phosphate battery. Even with a new, more powerful converter, 2 headlight lamps at 35 watts, plus other loads (tail lights, tag light, brake light, horn, turn signals, etc.) would equal around 100 watts, with peaks possibly ecceeding 150 watts!-This much power draw will considerably shorten your range. --150 watts @ 12-14 volts is over 3 amps at 48 volts! This is about 1/3 of the power taken by the 500 watt motor, so your range could decrease by 1/3! (If you go 30 miles with stock lights, you may only go 20 miles with the higher power lights, and a bigger D.C. converter, but if you add a separate 20 ampere-hour lithium battery, just for the 12 volt headlights, you will actually INCREASE your range! Good luck, be careful!-Bob Curry
Robert M. Curry
Thanks for the advice Bob. I was thinking the same thing. I couldn't see how the setup was supposed to work at around 100W when most stock DC/DC converters are barely rated at that. The funny thing is that these are the stock light bulbs and the bike is less than 2 months old. Like I said, this is a no-name bike with absolutely no markings on it whatsoever except some Chinese symbols on some of the components (a $100 craigslist purchase that just needed new batteries). I have also not been able to find another one like it online anywhere (even searching on Allibaba for hours). What I was planning on doing was getting some of the H1 LED car fog light bulbs they sell on eBay and modifying them to fit my bezel. Each bulb would only draw about 8W bringing the total headlight draw down to only 16W instead of 70W. I know they won't be as bright as halogens, but I just need something that works. I need to get this problem solved so I can move on to the solar panel modification I was planning for this bike all along. Any other input appreciated.
My XB600 has 2X 12V/20W bulbs. The double 35's were probably what the factory had on hand, not what was specc'ed for the scoot.
Another path for reducing lighting wattage is LED's. There are several threads on this subject.
MF