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Will a 12 volt flasher work on a 6 volt system?

My guess is it will not. A typical flasher uses a bi-metal spring/contact to make and break the circuit which results in the 'flash'.

I believe if you half the voltage then you double the current, and this is what triggers the bi-metal spring...current flow in the form of heat!

If the flasher did work, it would be at warp speed, just like when you hook a trailer up to your lighting system and don't consider the extra load and install a HD flasher...I may be wrong about this though.

Stuart

Stuart's on the right track here but Mr. Ohm says that if you half the voltage on any given load, the current will also be cut in half. My guess is that if the flasher works at all it will be very slow. I may be wrong about this also (never tried to do this) as the 6V bulbs will also be a different resistance than 12V bulbs and that may give the flasher enough current to work just fine. Give it a try and report back, we need a good electronics lesson today!

Looking at my post again and taking into consideration Waldo's comments I have come to the conclusion I don't know from where I speak!

I think I can now see that no electrical values are being changed, a different device is merely being inserted into an existing circuit.

I do think the guts of the 12 volt flasher would be designed to react to a smaller amount of current than the six volt version and therefore would flash more rapidly.

As Waldo pointed out, I may not understand all Mr. Ohm has to say about this deal and I will admit I have never gotten a true grasp on his laws so I am probably completely soaking wet on my theory.

Stuart