Diode on Lights?

the other day i tried to hook up a diode to my alarm. i was using ti for thge lighting.

what i was trying to do was make the strobes that i have go off when u arm/disarm/auto start the car, but no have the strobes work when i turn on the lights at night

i put a diode on the wire that runs to the stobes and then hooked the 3 wires together. i went to move the and cover everything up and the diode burnt my hand and melter the solder off the wiring. what did i do wrong?

Hey   rbf351,

Are the strobes in the corner markers?  Are they hooked up to the parking lights?  Do you have it so that the parklights and the strobes come on upon remote starting?  Then your diode's cathode (band side) should be on the parklight wire from the dash switch and the other end of the diode is on the positive parklight output from the r-starter.  The strobe's positive input should be also on the r-starters positive parking light output.  Is this what you got?        

they are in the rear blinks, they aren't hooked to the parking lights, i have a separate wires running to the front of the car. i only want the strobes to light when i either remote start the car and arm/disarm the car.

the way it was wired was the following

strobes - diode - parking light wire - alarm box

it just got really hot and burnt my hand when i went to move it. is there a certain diode i need to use?

More than likely a bigger diode....i use Rectifier Diodes rated at 6 Amps - 50PIV (Radio Shack 276-1661) for my installs....a bit big but haven't had a problem with them burning up...

ALSO...is your parking light wire from the alarm box have a diode on it already right before the connection? if not, PUT one on...you dont want the power feeding from your regular parking lights into the strobe when your headlights are on.

Here is what I think you want it to look like:

(O)______________

Now, you need to make sure that the parking light wire will have enough juice to run your strobes in conjunction with your parking lights. If not, you are going to need a relay.

Ok. yeah, i would put the diode on the alarm wire for the obvious reason stated above...let me know how it all works out!!

P.S. I am ready to get yelled at for the diode size by other senior memebers... (but i was once in rbf351's shoes and used little diodes from Radio Shack for my install and 'boy oh boy'...they were a smokin'!)

i got the diodes that u said to get, and hooked it up exactly as u said, but the 1 diode going to the parking light/alarm wire is getting way too hot. in about 2 seconds it burns your fingers. the other diode stays cool

it only heats up when i remote start the car. any other time it stays cool. and the other diode on the strobe light stays cool no matter what i do. is there something i'm doing wrong? it works perfectly, just getting really hot

can it be getting hot because there is 12V going in both directions into the diode?

Hmm...lets see.

Which way did you wire the diode with the parking light/alarm wire? the diagram above looks like the cathode is facing down but it should be up...like so: (titled on side)

Do you see how the stripe is up toward the parking light wire, not the alarm unit?

Also, it only happens when you remote start? do your parking lights come on when you do that? or does your alarm unit put out a + signal to the parking lights?  Thanks...

i have the diode with the stripe going towards the parking lights, i tried it the other way and when i would turn the parking light on the strobnes would flash.

and it only gets hot when i remote start, no other time. and the parking light also come on when i remote start. the alarm put a + signal to the parking lights

anyone? i don't feel like seeing my car catch on fire