Guess what I'm building....
#1
08-21-2010, 01:07 PM
#3
08-21-2010, 03:04 PM
That easy huh? 
Yes Sheriff I am building my light bar finally... I'm goin with the 5 lights, and am also gonna pick up a couple smaller square lights and mount them upside down for reverse lights. Once I get it cut to proper length and drilled, I'll smooth it up with a grinder then primer it and probably spray it black... maybe chrome, is that chrome spraypaint worth a rat's ***? never used it...
I was originally planning to make it just long enough to fit between the kicker bars, which is ~ 36". So I cut my 4 foot chunk of 2" flat bar to 36", THEN decided to take the lights off to test fit it.... Well turns out it would JUST clear the top of the kicker bars when sitting on the current mounting tabs, so I could feasibly use a 48" piece with each outer light positioned outside of the kickers. If I had only tried this before cutting it it would have been the perfect length.... So now I gotta go get another piece of flat bar ughh...
Since we're on the topic, I am wondering if there are any ill effects to running 3 lights off of 2 posts on a relay... Will all 3 remain equally bright? Here's another ms paint diagram of my light bar wiring, minus the reverse lighting but I'll just wire those up the same way with a relay.... What I currently have set up is in red, and what I want/plan to do is in blue. Just wanna make sure It'll work ok like this, or should I do it another way?
Does this make any sense?? lol (I probably won't wire the lights up every other one like this, this pic is just to show 2 lights on 1 circuit and 3 on the other)
I'm goin out to start wiring it up for now since I can't finish the bar today.
Yes Sheriff I am building my light bar finally... I'm goin with the 5 lights, and am also gonna pick up a couple smaller square lights and mount them upside down for reverse lights. Once I get it cut to proper length and drilled, I'll smooth it up with a grinder then primer it and probably spray it black... maybe chrome, is that chrome spraypaint worth a rat's ***? never used it...
I was originally planning to make it just long enough to fit between the kicker bars, which is ~ 36". So I cut my 4 foot chunk of 2" flat bar to 36", THEN decided to take the lights off to test fit it.... Well turns out it would JUST clear the top of the kicker bars when sitting on the current mounting tabs, so I could feasibly use a 48" piece with each outer light positioned outside of the kickers. If I had only tried this before cutting it it would have been the perfect length.... So now I gotta go get another piece of flat bar ughh...
Since we're on the topic, I am wondering if there are any ill effects to running 3 lights off of 2 posts on a relay... Will all 3 remain equally bright? Here's another ms paint diagram of my light bar wiring, minus the reverse lighting but I'll just wire those up the same way with a relay.... What I currently have set up is in red, and what I want/plan to do is in blue. Just wanna make sure It'll work ok like this, or should I do it another way?
Does this make any sense?? lol
(I probably won't wire the lights up every other one like this, this pic is just to show 2 lights on 1 circuit and 3 on the other)I'm goin out to start wiring it up for now since I can't finish the bar today.
Last edited by Maxx_Magnum; 08-21-2010 at 03:07 PM.
#4
08-21-2010, 04:52 PM
Well I got it wired up as much as I can do.... Got the 2nd relay wired up with fuse, and another illuminated toggle on the dash. I just need to run wiring back to the rollbar but I'm gonna wait til I have the bar all built, and then take the rollbar back off the truck and spend countless hours fishing wires through it lol...
Another question about relays: How much power are they drawing through the switch? I currently have both switches powered from the power seat fuse location in the fuse panel, is this too much for 1 circuit? Or is it just a small amount of power required?
Also, I'd like to put some type of connector either between the rollbar and box( in case I have to take the rollbar off), or between the box and rest of truck(in case I have to pull the box off), or both. As it is now, I have 2 solid wires going from the relay to each light with no breaks. With my current plans, I will have no fewer than 7 wires going to the light bar, potentially more down the road. Any ideas on a type of connector? I was originally gonna use a 4 prong trailer harness, I could just use 2 (or 4) but it'd be convenient to just have 1 relatively small connector.
Another question about relays: How much power are they drawing through the switch? I currently have both switches powered from the power seat fuse location in the fuse panel, is this too much for 1 circuit? Or is it just a small amount of power required?
Also, I'd like to put some type of connector either between the rollbar and box( in case I have to take the rollbar off), or between the box and rest of truck(in case I have to pull the box off), or both. As it is now, I have 2 solid wires going from the relay to each light with no breaks. With my current plans, I will have no fewer than 7 wires going to the light bar, potentially more down the road. Any ideas on a type of connector? I was originally gonna use a 4 prong trailer harness, I could just use 2 (or 4) but it'd be convenient to just have 1 relatively small connector.
#5
08-21-2010, 08:22 PM
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I looked up what you're trying to find an answer for a while back and put it all together.
Read this and I'll explain if you don't understand my ramblings.
Read this and I'll explain if you don't understand my ramblings.
i just googled a question and found an answer.
i've been wondering about the watts vs amps vs wire size because i'm going to put my headlights and my off road lights on relays.
what i found out is:
to get the amp draw you divide watts by volts.
i plan on running 2 off road lights and 1 high beam on each relay and both low beams off one relay as well.
my 2 100 watt off road lights and my 65 watt high beam will draw 265 watts.
so i divide 265 watts by 12 volts (battery) and i get 20 amps. or if i divide 265 watts by 14 volts (battery with the engine running) then i get 18.92 amps.
so that's good, my relays are 40 amp and i'll put a 25 amp fuse inline since the high beams are going to draw 19-20 amps when they are on.
the low beams relay will be drawing 90 watts (7.5 amps with the engine off and 6.42 amps with the engine running). so that relay will get a 15 amp fuse and the 40 amp relay is overkill.
now for wire size vs amp draw, i found a table for wires used in automotive applications:
for wire length, you need to measure the wire from the battery, to the accessory and back to ground.
i planned on using 16 gauge wires to go from the relay to each light and i now know that its overkill.
the 100 watt (off road), 65 watt (high beam) and 45 watt (low beam) lights only need a 18 gauge wire each.
i planned on using a 12 gauge wire to go from the battery to the relay but i only need a 18 gauge also.
i figure less than 3 feet from the battery to the relays and less than 7 feet from the relays to the lights, so that is how i got the 18 gauge figure from the chart.
cool, now i know that my lights won't be drawing too much power and as soon as it warms up a little (or i warm up a little, soco ftw) then i'll be putting the new wires and relays in my truck and i'll be able to see a little better.
the main reason i want to do this is because i like running my off road lights on back country roads but i hate having to reach down to the knee blocker to flip them off every time a car passes. its going to be nice to have all the lights on the front of my truck operated by my multifunction switch and the headlight switch.
i've been wondering about the watts vs amps vs wire size because i'm going to put my headlights and my off road lights on relays.
what i found out is:
to get the amp draw you divide watts by volts.
i plan on running 2 off road lights and 1 high beam on each relay and both low beams off one relay as well.
my 2 100 watt off road lights and my 65 watt high beam will draw 265 watts.
so i divide 265 watts by 12 volts (battery) and i get 20 amps. or if i divide 265 watts by 14 volts (battery with the engine running) then i get 18.92 amps.
so that's good, my relays are 40 amp and i'll put a 25 amp fuse inline since the high beams are going to draw 19-20 amps when they are on.
the low beams relay will be drawing 90 watts (7.5 amps with the engine off and 6.42 amps with the engine running). so that relay will get a 15 amp fuse and the 40 amp relay is overkill.
now for wire size vs amp draw, i found a table for wires used in automotive applications:
for wire length, you need to measure the wire from the battery, to the accessory and back to ground.
i planned on using 16 gauge wires to go from the relay to each light and i now know that its overkill.
the 100 watt (off road), 65 watt (high beam) and 45 watt (low beam) lights only need a 18 gauge wire each.
i planned on using a 12 gauge wire to go from the battery to the relay but i only need a 18 gauge also.
i figure less than 3 feet from the battery to the relays and less than 7 feet from the relays to the lights, so that is how i got the 18 gauge figure from the chart.
cool, now i know that my lights won't be drawing too much power and as soon as it warms up a little (or i warm up a little, soco ftw) then i'll be putting the new wires and relays in my truck and i'll be able to see a little better.
the main reason i want to do this is because i like running my off road lights on back country roads but i hate having to reach down to the knee blocker to flip them off every time a car passes. its going to be nice to have all the lights on the front of my truck operated by my multifunction switch and the headlight switch.
#6
08-22-2010, 01:47 AM
thanks sheriff, ya I remember reading that. Lottts of numbers in there lol
I think I have my gauges all correct, I haven't had a problem with how it is now, and I'd be adding a separate system with the same gauge wiring, 12 from batt to relays and 16 to each light
Are the 87 and 87A terminals connected on this relay I have? All the diagrams I see show that powering it switches from 1 to the other, but I have a light on each 1 and they both turn on and off fine.... just wondering if I hook 1 light to terminal 87, will it be brighter than the other 2 which would be connected to the other terminal 87B? or does it even matter? This is how I plan to do it as soon as I get the bar done
I think I have my gauges all correct, I haven't had a problem with how it is now, and I'd be adding a separate system with the same gauge wiring, 12 from batt to relays and 16 to each lightAre the 87 and 87A terminals connected on this relay I have? All the diagrams I see show that powering it switches from 1 to the other, but I have a light on each 1 and they both turn on and off fine.... just wondering if I hook 1 light to terminal 87, will it be brighter than the other 2 which would be connected to the other terminal 87B? or does it even matter? This is how I plan to do it as soon as I get the bar done