Fog Lamp Switch Circuit

In most countries it is now mandatory or at least recommended to have a rear fog light on a trailer with the additional requirement that, when the trailer is coupled to the car, the rear fog light of the towing car has to be off. The circuit shown here is eminently suitable for this application. The circuit is placed near the rear fog light of the car. The 12-V connection to the lamp has to be interrupted and is instead connected to relay contacts 30 and 87A (K1, K3). When the rear fog light is turned on it will continue to operate normally.

Circuit diagram:

If a trailer with fog light is now connected to the trailer connector (7- or 13-way, K2), a current will flow through L1. L1 is a coil with about 8 turns, wound around reed contact S1. S1 will close because of the current through L1, which in turn energizes relay Re1 and the rear fog light of the car is switched off. The fog light of the trailer is on, obviously. The size of L1 depends on reed contact S1. The fog lamp is 21 W, so at 12 V there is a current of 1.75 A. L1 is sized for a current between 1.0 and 1.5 A, so that it is certain that the contact closes. The wire size has to be about 0.8 mm. The relay Re1 is an automotive relay that is capable of switching the lamp current. The voltage drop across L1 is negligible.