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Featured Replies

I need help with my Soob. Simple, but I'm not sure.

 

 

I wired up some lights. I chose to use a relay. The relay goes to

1. power

2. ground

3. lights

4. switch

All good.

 

 

My problem is with the switch. One wire comes from the relay, the other goes where? To ground or back to power?

 

What makes me confused is that the relay gets power. . .

 

 

 

 

(sorry if this isn't completely Soob related, but I don't know a site to go to to ask how to)

Two of the tabs on the relay are basically your switch, so just wire them up as a switch for the acces. on one side and the power on the other side.

 

Now the other side of the relay is the coil which you wire up like an accessory, so you run V+ to on tab and V- to the other side.

 

If this make no sence I am going to draw up a picture to clarify.

 

Matt

Id have to see some kind of diagram to fully understand but i think you want that to go to ground. do you have a fuse in the circuit? if not put one in (have back ups) try ground it if it blows the fuse thats not it.

 

Mike

well a relay is nothing more than an electric switch. when you wire it, it will have a power wire going in from the switch, a ground wire and a power wire going to the consuming object. so it should be wired like :

 

switch- hot wire from source, hot wire to relay

relay- ground wire, hot wire from switch into relay, other end of hot wire coming from relay going into the product.

product- hot wire from relay, ground.

 

battery+ground

% = switch

* = relay +ground

@ = light+ ground

{} = fuse

 

 

battery++{}+++%+++++++*++++++@

 

why add the relay, i could understand if you wanted them work off another device, but since it has switch already, thats like giving it 2 switches. im pretty sure this correct, as its been while since ive done one.

How many wires does the switch have?

 

I usually use a 3 wire switch. That has a ground, power, and signal. I ground the ground to something nearby. The power I usually tap off the fuse panel. Then the signal wire goes to the relay.

 

The relay is looking for a signal. So if its a 2 wire switch. One wire goes to power, and the other is the signal, that goes to the relay.

 

Hope that helps. It may also work taking it to a ground, as opposed to power. I usually take it to a power though.

Using a relay is nice because you can make sure everything gets turned off when the ignition is off, if that is what you want. I typically run a wire from an ignition switched power source to the switch, then from the switch to one of the coil terminals on the relay, then from the other coil terminal on the relay to ground.

  • Author
switch- hot wire from source, hot wire to relay

What I'm thinking.

 

The relay is looking for a signal. So if its a 2 wire switch. One wire goes to power, and the other is the signal, that goes to the relay.

What I'm thinking.

 

Thanks.

EZ

  • Author

.

Using a relay is nice because you can make sure everything gets turned off when the ignition is off, if that is what you want. I typically run a wire from an ignition switched power source to the switch, then from the switch to one of the coil terminals on the relay, then from the other coil terminal on the relay to ground.

 

I want to be able to have the lights with or with out the accesories.

the relay will have a power source for the lights or whatever. the switch wire from the relay will go to the switch, and then to +12v

 

the relay is pretty much an electrically powered switch itself

Zapar,

 

The attached schematic shows how I hook up a relay to run lights. The relay has a coil in it. You connect power to the top of the coil, and when you want to activate the relay you connect ground to the bottom of the relay by closing the switch.

 

Closing the switch allows current to flow through the coil, creating a magnetic field that turns on the switch and allows current to flow to your lights.

 

The schematic shows a single-throw relay. If you have 5 pins instead of 4 you may have a dual-throw relay. In that case connect an ohm meter to the pins and find the pair that short together when you activate the relay coil. Don't worry about which end is which on the coil, it will work either direction.

post-721-136027591208_thumb.jpg

The relay should have 4 connectors on it. They should also have numbers next to each connection. The numbers should be 30, 85, 86, 87.

 

#30 = 12 volt power source

#85 = ground

#86 = switch

#87 = to lights.

 

Let me know if that doesn't work.

 

K

thats a lot nicer than my primative attempt. thanks, for me, but where is the link at for helpful things, i cant find it.

  • Author
Originally posted by Qman

The relay should have 4 connectors on it. They should also have numbers next to each connection. The numbers should be 30, 85, 86, 87.

 

#30 = 12 volt power source

#85 = ground

#86 = switch

#87 = to lights.

 

Let me know if that doesn't work.

 

K

 

Exactly as you describe.

 

My q is what to do with the switch.

Whis is a 2 prong one btw. I also have a 3 prong one, but it just won't fit where I wanna put it. Figure'd I'd use the relay instead.

 

 

And thanks big time for all the diagrams.

Zap, i had the same problem. But when i wired mine, as soon as i flipped the switch smoke started to billow (no pour, BILLOW) out of the center console, where my switches are located.

 

A buddy of mine gave me this diagram:

wirelights.jpg

 

-Brian

Originally posted by Qman

The relay should have 4 connectors on it. They should also have numbers next to each connection. The numbers should be 30, 85, 86, 87.

If it's a Bosch. Delco relays don't use that schema. At least, the Delco ones I've seen.

#30 = 12 volt power source

#85 = ground

#86 = switch

#87 = to lights.

And wire the other side of the switch to a fused hot. Either an accesory terminal (such as, splice into the radio feed) or something similar. The switch feed is going to draw so little, that it doesn't matter what you use to feed it.

 

The 30 terminal, OTOH, will want to be 12ga or larger, and should also be fused (or use a circuit breaker). IMO, 12ga again for 87 to the lights, but I always go heavy on the wire.

 

I'm holding a Bosch 0 332 014 150, which is a fairly common 30A relay. This particular one came out of a Pathfinder, for its optional driving lights. You can buy it from many parts stores for about $8. It has TWO 87 terminals, and if you wish, you can run separate wires for each of two lights -- which is the way Nissan did it on the Pathfinder.

Eric, if the relay is wired as per McBrat's diagram, terminal 86 goes to your switch. THE OTHER END OF THE SWITCH GOES TO GROUND! Sorry for the caps, but no one so far had answered your question. Although SubSandRail had the correct solution also.

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