Puppypunters idea hole

Well now I have a hankering to buy a lot of wire. Thanks for the links!

 

I’ve converted to prowire first and 4R as backup. I like 4R’s product a little better but prowire prices and selection are tough to beat.

 

@ljh824 has a 20" Rough Country light bar he wants to hook up to the DRL circuit to supply the backlight.

20" Rough Country light bar doc

@Puppypunter got any thoughts on this? He'd use a SPST switch for the light bar itself, ditch the 3 way switch, but I'm thinking we may need to employ one or two extra relays to ensure it's either DRL or light bar but not both at the same time? The 3 way switch seems to only provide one feed at any time, though I'm not sure from the diagram if it's power switched or ground switched. Looks like it already has the relays so that part is nice. Any ideas on how to simplify the final setup so he can just plug in a switch to green JAE connector and he's good to go?

 

We can convert it to a SPST. That switch could turn it on anytime, and when it’s “off” the backlight would come on if the DRL is on. We would need two relays though. One NO/NC and one NO. Could fit it all in a small package with a few plug and play harnesses. Would need a 12V+ supply from a battery or fuse block though. That assumes the switching is positive. If it’s negative, I think it could still be done as well, but I’d want to sit down and sketch it out to make sure I am not missing something.

 

That’s sort of where I’m at. Seems nuts to add relays to fire the relays. Maybe one relay from the light bar switch which feeds two things. One being the light bar itself and the second being the power to the backlight relay which is switched off the DRL signal. Maybe that’s what you are thinking?

@ljh824 I think maybe just send me the wiring harness and I’ll dress it up for you with JAE connector for the switch and a DRL T harness? Let me know how long of a feed for each arm. I can test it out and send it back to you ready for action.

Maybe I can do bullet connectors for the switch so you can fish it through the firewall easier? Fitting a green JAE connector through a rubber boot will be annoying.

 

I think he wants it DRL only, not DRL or Parking Light, but that part I figure I can handle at the T tap if needed.

I was thinking two relays.

First relay fed from the switch, positive output.

Feed that positive to the LED light bar as LED signal, ground light bar to frame. But then, use the 87A from that same relay to feed power to the DRL relay, switched off DRL output from the T harness.

That way, if switch off, relay goes to normally open position which connects 87a to power, allowing the DRL relay to receive power and function but only if the DRL is on.

Yeah? I should draw it.

 

DRL turns OFF when Low beams are selected...

 

Maybe I'm confusing the two guys asking for DRL relays. But, yeah, I know that part. I can handle that with diodes as mentioned and stuff, no trouble on that aspect. The question is, can this setup be done with 2 relays? Lemme try to draw it and you can tell me how my design doesn't work

 

C11 tap with DRL and PARK wires bridged (with diodes)?

 

Nope, juice to drl is part of headlights.

 

Just need to identify my poles on the relays.

 

Works? Or doesn’t work?

 

Works

 

You guys are awesome. Dave, can't thank you enough for helping me out

 

You know.... Since we're tapping DRL anyway... Assuming we feed into the cab for the switch... We can get the illumination done too.

I think I can build the entire harness, just don't know how the 3 wires connect into the light bar itself. This might be a fun project. I'll try to lay out out tonight.

 

Yeah, this makes a ton of sense, just one wire through the firewall, very nice!

Also I'm thinking of adding an H9 T harness and trigger the LED relay off that _or_ the switch (with diodes) so the LED's are auto-on with high beams _if_ the high beam T harness is connected (otherwise they wouldn't be). Seemed like a nice option.

Johnny, the GEP mini relays are SPST right? And I need the 87a from the LED relay for my 2 relay setup so I can't go GEP here as I see it? Would be cool to have fuse + 2 relays in one sealed box with one mounting bolt but seems like inline fuse + 2x sealed relays works best (and would do 40amp vs only 30 for the minis?)

 

Hey gang, I don't want to hijack this thread since it's an idea hole and not "BudFriendguy's beginner electrical Q&A thread"...

I just wanted to know if maybe any of you knew about a thread here that is good for someone interested in getting started with wiring/electrical stuff. Mainly which tools you'd need to properly crimp, and what sort of accessories are involved like plugs for the ends of wires, rubber gaskets for where the wires plug in, etc.

These deutsch connectors seem like a good way to have a more OEM-ish way to expose things like a tap for 3rd brake light rather than plumbing the harness through some half-assed hole in the bed liner, but I have no idea where to start in terms of basic tools and supplies.

Thanks in advance, and apologies for derailing this thread a bit to serve my own purpose

 

I think the deutsch flange is going to see a "puppypunter approved" solution in the near future. The deutch connectors are a bit specific, though they can be used anywhere and are high quality, but I am not sure I would start there.

I started with 090IIU which is what the head unit in my truck uses, then moved on to 090II sealed (what's used in the headlights and taillights and most of the intercepts). If you want to just jump into 090II sealed crimping that would make sense. Do you have LED headlights already? Building your own OEM LED headlight conversion harness would be a great place to start. DIY thread here.

 

You're not going to draw in the H9 connector feed to the lower relay 86 terminal w diodes?

The sick part of this is that it'd use 4 diodes. That would be a record for me.

Ahh, Lou says he'd prefer independent control. So the existing diagram I believe is the final final. I'm thinking simple bullet to connect the feed through the firewall and hook it up inside the cab so no need for a seal either.

 

This will be my last off-topic post here. Those plugs look cool, but don't seem to be exactly what I'm looking for.

I have the PuppyPunter brake light t-harness already and would like to flush mount an interface on the bed liner to plug the 3rd brake from the canopy into it, rather than fishing a wire through a hole drilled into the bed; that way I could maintain water tightness and also have the wiring for the brake be super easy to dis/connect as necessary without fussing with fishing a wire through a half-assed hole drilled into the bed liner.

This is what I am trying to do, and wondering what connectors/tools would be helpful in achieving it.