LED Light Bar Wiring Question

[Muddzz]

So if I cut the harness at the switch on both the pods and the 12-inch, I can just hook both harnesses up to the correct wires on the switch right? Doesn't matter that two harnesses are touching or anything like that?

You can run them in series from a switch without the relays.

However, I would run them in a series using the LED relays from a POS+ switch.

One reason is you need to run large enough power and ground wires into your dash into switch and then out to the LEDS. It's sort of redundant ... You don't want to tap into your OE harness to power the LEDs ... potentially creates a mess down the road and causes other problems.

(Alternate method - run them in series switching them to ground / NEG- switch)

When using relays you normally have four wires

1. Battery source - Pos+ (12 volt power for lights)
2. 12 volt source - Pos+ (12 volt pwr for relay)
3. Neg - (ground for relay __ frame gnd)
4. Power to LEDS

5. LED NEG- Ground (ground to frame or battery neg-)

Grounds for aux. lighting devices in vehicles often use a common frame ground. You would need to install a ground wire from the LEDs to the frame ground, unless the led case is grounded .

(Some types of devices, because of their electronics, noise and interference, may use a separate ground wire to the battery.)

Not sure how your exactly how relays are wired to 85, 86, 87, 30, 87a ... 85 / 86 power the relay ... 30 / 87 are used to power NO (Normally Open) Circuits.

 

[Muddzz]

I would wire and fuse all the lighting devices according to the manufacturer's instructions. There may be electrical design and safety reasons for relays, wiring and installation.

If not installed correctly may void the manufacturer's warranty.

Here's another cable size length with voltage drop calculator.

http://www.solar-wind.co.uk/cable-sizing-DC-cables.html

 

[thatxjguy]

Thank you for the useful input guys!

 

[Lowrange2]

So, they sent you 3 relay harnesses for 2 pods and a 12" light bar?

To me that seems like an aweful lot of wasted wire. There's absolutely no need for 2 seperate relays for 2 pod lights.

 

[thatxjguy]

So, they sent you 3 relay harnesses for 2 pods and a 12" light bar?

To me that seems like an aweful lot of wasted wire. There's absolutely no need for 2 seperate relays for 2 pod lights.

No the pods have their own wiring harness. 1 relay and 2 plugs on the same harness.

The 12-inch light has its own harness and its own relay.

 

[Lowrange2]

Ok, that makes sense.

 

[thatxjguy]

The plan is to just daisy chain both harnesses to the same switch so that the switch triggers both relays.

 

[Lowrange2]

Yup. That's fine.

If your harness is like the one I recieved with my light bar you have some little round pushbutton crap for a switch. There's 2 wires going to that switch. Just make sure you grab the correct wire. One splices back into the main power wire that runs from the relay to the battery and the other one goes to the trigger circuit on the relay.

 

[thatxjguy]

So I went ahead today and connected the LED pods to the same switch that controls the 12-inch LED light bar on the bumper:

I actually just put it touching the same wires that are controlling the 12-incher, so hopefully that's fine and won't cause problems down the line. Everything works as far as I can tell, and no smoke.