Insert a controller within a circuit without splicing/cutting cables

Hi there people,

I have been investigating all over the internet, but I seem to hit the same wall over and over again. Since I am not subscribed in many other forums, I have decided to come to you with my enquiry. I hope I am able to explain well what I want to achieve!

I am currently using my parking lights as DRLs. That's because in Switzerland, it is mandatory to drive during the day with the headlights on, if your car is not equipped with LED DRLs. Since I don't want drive all day with the pop-ups of my 348 on, I decided to replace the stock parking lights with some high intensity Philips LED bulbs. They do the trick in terms of intensity, etc.

Unfortunately, during the equivalent of your MOT test, I was told that DRLs should decrease in intensity when the headlights are turned on.

To achieve that, I have bought a DRL controller that does exactly that. It's a nifty black box that has as input the 12V for the parking lights, and also the 12V from the headlights.

My goal is the following: I would like to be able to install this controller without making ANY permanent modification to the original wiring of the car. By that I mean, no cutting/splicing/etc.

To achieve that, I had the following idea: I would locate the fuse that protects the circuit for the parking lights, and I would "replace it" with the controller. The problem that I have is that I haven't found any fuse-shaped part that allows me to insert a whole circuit (i.e. my controller) in place of the original fuse.

The only thing that I have found are fuse taps that allow plugging a SECOND circuit, in addition to the original circuit that is driven via the fuse. But my requirement is that the original circuit via the fuse must be cancelled, and instead, the current must be re-routed through my controller, before returning to the output of the fuse box.

I can always use individual fuse pins soldered to cables, so that one is inserted in the input of the fuse socket, and the other one in the output... but I'd prefer to use some fuse-shaped component if possible, so that the installation is a bit tidier.

Any idea of whether anything like that exists?

I apologize beforehand for the misusing of all the different terms... apart from having two left hands when it comes to electronics, English isn't my mother tongue. So please, bear with me on this one

Thanks!!

Fer

 

I thought about that too. But then the original problem still remains... how to get a cable out for each pin of the blown fuse, so that the new circuit can be inserted in between.

There must be something that I am missing here... I admit electrical installations aren't my strongest suit, but I have the feeling that something like this must be one of the most basic things that can be done.

Thanks a lot for the brainstorming, though!

 

Hi! That's the component I was talking about before, which allows tapping on existing circuits via fuse. Unfortunately, if I understand correctly, this will do two things:
- Keep the original circuit working
- Add a second circuit in parallel to the existing one via the cable that pops out from the plastic structure

Instead of parallel, my goal is to insert my controller in a series circuit, using the existing fuse socket.

I'd need something similar to what you posted, but instead of having a single cable, it should have TWO cables... one for input, and another one for output, each connected to one of the pins (if that makes sense).

 

Just for reference, what I have in mind would be something similar to the following item, except that the plastic frame and the orientation of the pins should be similar to a fuse.

https://www.solidrop.net/product/two-cables-wire-leads-mini-female-pal-fuse-holder-inline-car-fuse-box-socket-10-pcs-wire-length-8-5cm-for-automobile-vehicle.html

 

Fantastic! That's more what I was thinking about. Sorry if I had not visualized correctly what you meant.

Thanks for the idea, I'll give it a shot!