HLS wrote:
>
> "Steve" > wrote in message
> ...
> > Frank wrote:
> > > A simple switch that would turn the lights on with the wipers would
> > > help. It wouldn't be perfect, but at least most people in those
> > > vehicles wouldn't keep driving around in heavy rainstorms without
> > > lights.
> > >
> >
> > No, a simple connection between the driver's brain and reality is what
> > would help.
> >
> > Turning on headlamps with wipers would cause the same stupidity I see
> > already with ambient-light based automatic headlamps: the idiot driver
> > doesn't pay ANY attention to his headlamps, so when they come on at dusk
> > they often are on high-beam (last used the night before) and the idiot
> > keeps driving around blinding everyone while not even aware that his
> > lights are on.
>

I seem to recall a dimmer switch design that operated as follows: The
dimmer switch, a stalk to the right of the steering wheel was a
momentary contact device. Push it forward and it engaged a latching
relay to select high beams. Pull it back and it released the latch. When
the headlights were turned off, the latching relay (powered from the
same source) dropped into the low beam position.

This was many years ago on some European car and I've never seen this
setup since. Too bad.

If one needs tactile feedback from the position of the dimmer switch, it
shouldn't be too much trouble to incorporate an electromagnetic latch to
hold the dimmer switch position.

--
Paul Hovnanian
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