Ken the electrical guy Q n A

Thanks Ken. Going to work on it this weekend.

 

I'd like to get some advice on what wire gauge I should use for my relay triggers. I'll be making up a power distribution panel to hook up to a bunch of switches fairly soon. I'm looking to tap the power from an ignition fuse inside the cab which will be ran to each of the switches in order to close a handful of relays. The relays have a listed power consumption of 1.5W, so at 12 volts that means they should consume 125mA. The switch panel has 10 holes, so I'll be prewiring each one. If I were to be drawing on all of them at once, this would only be 1.25A. If I were to run these wires for about 15ft, what is the smallest gauge I could get away with? I'm thinking 18 probably, but I'd like some insight from someone with a bit more experience. The smaller the better since it's being routed up through the A pillar and headliner haha. On this note, where could I find a source for x gauge, 12 conductor wire? I feel like it would be more convenient than buying 12 different colored rolls of wire, not to mention it would be a lot easier to route. I can only seem to find it in very large lengths for industrial uses. Thanks in advance.

 

It would be 125mA * 10 switches, but yeah, a pretty small current. I shouldn't have any issues picking the proper fuse out of the panel. Already did it once for a charger, shouldn't be too hard to find another one.
Edit: I just realized these would be independently carrying 125mA so they can be very small, there would just be one slightly larger cable jumping to each switch to supply the triggering power.

 

the cheapest route is going to be probably two cat 6 cables which would give you 16 conductors 23-24 AWG. I use it all the time for switch panels mounted inside of the vehicle. It’s a little tedious to work with but not impossible.

if you have the option you can grab some 12 conductor “communication” cable. This is a bit pricey and you’ll have to try to shop around. You can also make yourself some 12 conductor cable with some spools of wire and DR-25 heat shrink. Let me know if you hit a road block we’ll regroup and see if we can’t figure out something

 

I hadn't even considered cat 6 cable. I didn't know I could use such thin wires, but that definitely sounds like the way to go. Especially because I can get a 50ft ethernet cable for about $10 compared to the $40+ 18/12 wire I've been looking at. Thanks for the idea! Hopefully I can get this going in the next couple of days.

 

Here is another option. You can buy it in whatever lengths that you desire. \/ \/ \/
PVC Jacketed 22 Gauge Wire - Five Conductor Power Wire | Super Bright LEDs

I've purchased material from this supplier. They have super fast delivery.

 

Hey there, noob electrical question.

got an arb single air compressor (just to air up, no air lockers) and a trigger six shooter wireless controller. The compressor has a 40A fuse in its wiring harness but the largest circuit in the controller is 30A. Apparently trigger makes a little relay so you can mitigate immediate over amperage in the initial turn-on of the compressor that could fry the circuit if the fuse isnt fast enough.

I’m wondering if using that relay really only matters if I had a larger compressor or if I were airing up to really high PSIs? I ran it directly off the circuit today (before I noticed the fuse difference) with no issue. Seems like cheap insurance, but just curious.

thanks!

 

I'll keep them in mind if I need any other types of wires in the future, but an $8 flat 50ft ethernet cable is hard to beat

 

yeah with a draw of 125 milli Amps we can use pretty small stuff. Good luck with your project

 

The ARB comes relayed already. There a purple wire in the harness that runs to the switch they give you. This is your trigger wire. Hook up
The power leads with the fuse to the battery and then run the purple wire to your 6 shooter switch unit. If you get a chance look at the wiring diagram from ARB. You don’t hook it up directly to your switch.

 

was thinking about this given the relay included, thanks a bunch!

 

Oh and one other question. The trigger has an accessory wire that is supposed to be connected to a fuse or wire that is only on when the truck is on, so you dont have the controller using the battery when the truck is off.

thinking of using an add-a-fuse, but think that would mean drilling a small hole in the fuse box cover for the wire to go through which would make it no longer water proof. Any ideas? Thanks a bunch!

 

depending on the fuse box/ fuse box lid you can either drill a small hole and put the appropriate sized grommet. I’ve seen fuse blocks that actually have openings which allow you to go through the fuse box and come out of the bottom. You can also exit the side. Most of the time it’s plastic so you can get creative. I’ve seen guys notch the lids too. It really depends on where you live and the environment the fuse block/ truck is in. If you live in an area with high humidity or rain then you probably want to put more effort into a water tight set up.

You can also tap into an existing fused key on circuit. If you want to only be able to control your compressor with the truck key on. I have my switch input on constant because it’s not like I’m going to forget. Anyone who has an ARB compressor can tell you if you left it on you’d know. It’s really up to you. Just make sure you protect your circuits with fuses or some other safety device.

Sizing fuses is simple. What’s my draw ?

watts = volts x amps

600 watt light bar = 12volts x amps

amps = 50

we would have a 50 amp draw and I would probably put a 60 amp fuse to allow for some breathing room. Some times situations happen where we have temporary voltage drops or current spikes which aren’t an issue but can prematurely pop a fuse. I normally put the next size up fuse in my circuits to allow for this. I also never ride the lower end of a wires ampacity rating. If it’s close I normally just go up. This allows for a buffer and my own piece of mind. The only time I differ from this is with competitive race applications where every little bit of weight helps.

if you have any questions about anything keep posting we all learn together including me

 

Thanks for the useful info Ken, really appreciate you sharing your experience.

I live in western washington, so water is all too common hah! I think I saw some small slits in the side of the fuse box, so I’ll see what I can rig to keep things dry.

thanks again!

 

no problem bud. Let me know if you run into any problems. Happy I can help.

 

I got all of the parts I need to start on the project tomorrow, but I'm working out what my buttons will control now. Everything will draw a small enough current to run through the aforementioned relays, except for my air compressor. It says it draws a maximum of 46Amps, so I think I'd need a solenoid for something that large, especially because I'll need a 4 gauge or thicker wire for it. I can't seem to find any specs for the solenoid's power or amp draw required to switch, but is it safe to assume that it would probably blow out a CH4x4 3Amp switch? Would this mean that I should use a relay to trigger a solenoid? Seems like a redundant way to do things, but I'm not very familiar with solenoids.
Edit: Is the switching amperage found from the coil resistance and voltage?
Ex) Coil resistance=16Ohms Voltage=12V
I=12V/16Ohms=750mA
I would have expected it to be more, but is this how the triggering current draw is found?

 

@Kens04Taco Hey brother I have a question for you. I hooked up rock lights to my DOME (-), added a relay and fused everything. The relay buzzes when the rock lights fade on and fade off. Is there any risk to this method? I know I could go Solid State but I like the fade on fade off. Thanks for your input!

 

Hello @Kens04Taco I am trying to figure out the best way to wire up an ignition source under the hood. I have a dual battery setup using a Redarc 1225D. I am going to run solar and want it to be able to trickle charge back to my primary battery when the auxiliary is full. Here is the diagram from Redarc. (*Note - I modified the original diagram and eiliminated the connection to the BCDC using the blue wire because I do not have a smart alternator in my 2015 Tacoma Offroad. Any idea the best fuse to use under the hood? I really do not want to run another wire through the FW (at least not until I decide I want to jump from the spare also, in which case I will run one for the switch)

Here is the diagram:



*Note - I did find a thread over in t e3rd gen forum noting that INV (for the inverter) and Batt (Battery Charger for Towing Trailer. Provides power to charge a battery inside a towed trialer/camper.) I was thinking about using one of these likely "Batt" since the usage is similar and its supposed to be tied into ignition power.

Thoughts? If so any idea on how to connect it the Batt circuit?

Here is the layout I have:

 

I have a winch installed and wires/cables routed up the battery area but not connected. I had planned to install an ANL fuse and disconnect switch as close to the battery as possible. I talked to a rep for the winch company to ask about max current draw and he said they do not recommend any fuse or breaker on the winch power and that it has built in protection for overload and temp. Some googling seems to bring up others that do not recommend any circuit protection on the winch outside of the manufacturer install instructions which is basically nothing before the winch relay box on the + side of the circuit. Why is that? I do not feel great about having 5' of 0 gauge wire unprotected electrically. Chafing and abrasion isn't a big worry since I routed things intelligently but what happens if the winch relays fail closed while pulling or worse yet, a front end collision causes damage to the cable and shorts to ground?

I think I will install a cutoff switch rated for 900amp/30 sec 500amp/5min 300amp/continuous so I can at least isolate everything from the battery when not needed unless there is a good reason not to but wanted to understand better why they do not recommend a fuse or any type of circuit protection near the battery. Any enlightenment is appreciated and thanks for making this thread and offering advice and your time!

 

---> https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/winches-and-pumps.723611/#post-25770039