Electrical savvy folks—any alternatives to this type of switch?

[t00th]

Hey all. I just impulse bought some floods that were posted in another thread ( https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B083K86FBN/?tag=wranglerorg-20 ) because they were discounted down to $16 on amazon with a temp coupon. They got me ... what can I say.

Anyway, I need to buy the harness separately ( https://www.amazon.com/dp/B083K9T3KM/?tag=wranglerorg-20 ), but I don't like this style of switch that's a pod on the end of a "leash" almost. I'd prefer something lower profile that I can mount flush on my dash near or next to my fog switch.

The housing has one button for the floods and one switch for the orange bar light. And one of them is either half or full click. Wondering if there's anything like this, a half-click, that I could just get and wire into the harness after removing the included switch. I'm an absolute novice, but I can handle that.

 

[Abell02TJ]

Are you looking to replace the two buttons on their switch with one replacement button/switch? Or do you want to replace their two with two of your own?

 

[freedom_in_4low]

looks like it's just two switches in a housing with the power supply and ground already jumpered internally (ground is only necessary to run the indicator lights on the switch).

Any pair of switches will work. You'll just have to run the blue power wire to the common terminal on each switch and then the yellow to the NO on one switch and red to the other. And ground both if you get a switch with an indicator light.

I would probably run that blue wire to the downstream side of the fuses too, right now it's direct to battery and there's nothing to shut it down if the insulation gets damaged and shorts to the chassis. I usually run that wire into the parking light circuit so I can't accidentally turn them on.

 

[t00th]

Thanks for the replies.

@Abell02TJ I want to replace their two buttons with two buttons/switches of my own.

@freedom_in_4low That's what I thought, but the thing that threw me is that the left switch, for the warning lights, has two modes: half-click for strobe function, and full-click for solid on. Not sure if there's a simple alternative style of button/switch, or what I'd search to find that.

As for the grounds, I do feel comfortable jumpering to replicate the internals of the included switch pod. I prefer to have indicator switch lights.

Basically I just want to replicate the internals of the switch pod, but with flush mounted switches or buttons on my dash. Only thing tripping me up is a multi-position/half-or-full click button.

 

[Abell02TJ]

Thanks for the replies.

@Abell02TJ I want to replace their two buttons with two buttons/switches of my own.

@freedom_in_4low That's what I thought, but the thing that threw me is that the left switch, for the warning lights, has two modes: half-click for strobe function, and full-click for solid on. Not sure if there's a simple alternative style of button/switch, or what I'd search to find that.

As for the grounds, I do feel comfortable jumpering to replicate the internals of the included switch pod. I prefer to have indicator switch lights.

Basically I just want to replicate the internals of the switch pod, but with flush mounted switches or buttons on my dash. Only thing tripping me up is a multi-position/half-or-full click button.

To replicate the strobe/solid function you'll want to buy a 3 position switch - one position for each state, OFF/STROBE/SOLID. Any 3 position switch with OFF/ON/ON positions should work. You could also do ON/OFF/ON if you wanted.

 

[t00th]

That's really helpful. I'm familiar with those types of switches, I just wasn't sure if there was some difference between that and the full/half button style that I'd be replacing, in terms of wiring or function. Seems like something I can figure out.


I may be back in this thread asking questions once I get into it. In fact, I definitely will be.

 

[pagrey]

The modes are changed by cycling the power of the light on and off. There are only two positions for each light switch, on and off. One switch is for the yellow LED on both and one for the white section on both, any switch and relay will work. To change light mode once the lights are powered on you simply turn the light off for less than two seconds and then back on, when it goes back on it will be in the next mode. To reset you turn the lights off for 30 seconds or more. Hope that makes sense.

 

[freedom_in_4low]

@freedom_in_4low That's what I thought, but the thing that threw me is that the left switch, for the warning lights, has two modes: half-click for strobe function, and full-click for solid on. Not sure if there's a simple alternative style of button/switch, or what I'd search to find that.

hmmm. I can't really gather how they're doing that from the image you posted. Since there's only one wire coming out of the switch to the warning lights, the electronics would be in the switch but the relay would be chattering like an angry rodent.

EDIT: what pagrey described above makes sense - the strobe function is within the light itself, not the switch.

 

[Abell02TJ]

As @pagrey pointed out - I was wrong, you do not need a 3-position switch. You just need two 2-position switches, and the function is controlled by the timing of pushing the buttons, not a switch with multiple positions.

 

[t00th]

The modes are changed by cycling the power of the light on and off. There are only two positions for each light switch, on and off. One switch is for the yellow LED on both and one for the white section on both, any switch and relay will work. To change light mode once the lights are powered on you simply turn the light off for less than two seconds and then back on, when it goes back on it will be in the next mode. To reset you turn the lights off for 30 seconds or more. Hope that makes sense.

Ah this is interesting. So I'm gathering, since you said any switch and any relay will work, that the electronics for this function are actually contained in the light housings themselves. So I could get away with simply wiring in 2x two-position switches, rather than worrying about a multi-position switch for the multi-mode warning lights.

EDIT , @Abell02TJ , beat me to it. Glad to know it's this simple, because I was having a hell of a time finding three-position toggles that are also illuminated.

 

[t00th]

Since there's only one wire for each light function coming out of the switch, is it possible that this strobe/switch timer function is somehow controlled by the "power switch connector" that also has a blue wire going to the posi battery terminal?

 

[pagrey]

My opinion from reading the description and looking at the wiring diagram is all the electronics are in the light housing. A simple two position switch will work fine. The blue wire is power into the pair of switches, when one switch is on power goes to the red wire, when the other switch is on power goes to the yellow wire.

(it is a bit confusing because in the diagram the power switch connector is disconnected - sort of)

 

[Jerry Bransford]

I absolutely HATE "schematics" like that one that don't show the internal circuits of the components. They're not electrically complete enough to be used for anything but installation.