You have my attention. I appreciate your confidence level. Any chance you can help locate a diagram I can use to follow along?
Let's see your reverse lights (jackass blinders)
- Thread starter JP13
- Start date
I couldn't find anything pre-drawn, so I cribbed this up by hand:
Fuses omitted for clarity. Bottom left SPST is your auxbeam switch. When its not "on", the relay will rest as shown with LOAD1 energized. When the SPST is closed, the relay will switch to the NO terminal, thus energizing LOAD2 and de-energizing LOAD1.
Hope this makes sense...
Fuses omitted for clarity. Bottom left SPST is your auxbeam switch. When its not "on", the relay will rest as shown with LOAD1 energized. When the SPST is closed, the relay will switch to the NO terminal, thus energizing LOAD2 and de-energizing LOAD1.
Hope this makes sense...
While Zorba's solution definitely works, assuming your Auxbeam output handles enough current to drive the auxiliary reverse lights, you don't need a relay - the Auxbeam has a solid state relay inside it already. All you have to do is wire your auxiliary lights to the reverse light wires at the taillights and to the Auxbeam output (both in parallel). That way, your auxiliary backup lights will illuminate with either the lead from the taillights or from your Auxbeam. Easy peasy:
Unless I'm missing something...
I have had several of my clients request that. I have steadfastly refused because I won't do anything that will get them in hot water with law enforcement. To date they have been gooberish enough to turn on the valance lights on the street and forget to turn them off which is a ticket magnet. I also did not hook up the red halo ring around their headlights for the same reason.
The only thing we do is hook up an output from the Switch Pro to a relay in the valance area to defeat the valance lights when they need to in parking lots and similar.
You two are smart enough to turn them off when you get on the street and highway.
86 - reverse trigger
85 - ground
30 - to the lights
87A - switched power from dash switch
87 - battery power
When your switch is on, it will send power straight through the relay as the normally closed side connects 87A and 30.
When your reverse is on, it will trigger the relay and connect the lights from 30 to 87 which provides battery power.
Obviously don't drive with them on.
True, but I hadn't thought about blinding someone in a parking lot (even though that'd be very infrequent, since this is a backcountry rig for me.) I do try hard to treat my fellow humans the way I'd like to be treated (the "Golden Rule"). As usual, Mr. Blaine's already thought of something I missed. Doh!
I'm going to re-think my plan. I'll likely forego tying into the reverse lights and just run the Baja Designs lights through the Switch Pro. I have Mr. Blaine's BMB taillights, which should be plenty of light in most nighttime backing situations.
Oh, I thought that's what you meant by:
Can you explain what this relay in the valance area does, and why it's installed? I took it to mean it was for ensuring no one's blinded in a parking lot, but now I'm curious...
It is just a standard change over relay with the OEM reverse light wire powering up the aux. reverse lights via the NC contacts. The trigger power is from the SP, ground to the body and nothing hooked up to the NO contact. Reverse works as normal, SP activates the relay to defeat the lights. There is no option to turn them on manually.
The BD lights don't draw enough to run a power wire back to them. They work just fine being powered up by the existing reverse light power wire. We just break that circuit to defeat the lights.
Thanks for the explanation - now I understand completely!
Well that's convenient! Of course, if I do have a manual switch, I'll have to run from the SP to the lights anyway. Decisions, decisions...
I've pondered most of the scenarios where one might want to activate them manually and none satisfied my logic enough to justify it.
My reasons for the manual switch were hunting/camping related, not wheelin' related. Setting up camp in the dark (it's usually directly behind the vehicle), loading camp or meat into the back of the LJ at night. I'm always tired and fumbling around with a weak headlamp, and it's a mad rush to get off the mountain, but when I get to the vehicle, I want to clean up and organize a bit. That's usually done right behind the vehicle, on a tarp if it's muddy.
