wiring expert help needed....

so i have a set of hella ff75's hooked up on my ARB...





...that is currently wired up to a switch in my cab...there was a different wiring option for them to come on with high beams...

so my question is, can i set up my lights some how where i can turn them on through a switch (like how they are currently where i can turn them on and off without any other lights on), then when the switch is off, the lights would turn on with my high beams?

would i have to set up a second switch? a relay? i'm no wiring wizard but i think this would be a sweet setup if i can get it to work...what do you think?

 

So you want to be able to turn them on whenever you want and also come on every time your high beams are on? It's certainly feasible if that's what you mean... will have to think about it for a minute though...

Edit: I think you need something like this. Instead of an on/off/on rocker switch, you'd have an on/off switch and the third position would be triggered from the high beams. About 2/3 of the way down you can see how you would be able to do it with 2 relays.
http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/lighting/114262-wiring-off-road-lights-relay-help.html

 

Well i can tell you my external hid's that i have up front run when i want them i can use them as my headlights lol so yes its possible, as far as me telling you how my buddy does my wiring.

 

so you want the switch to be set up to do:
on- on
off- on with high beams

right?

 

yea i'd like them to still have the option to come on any time (lights on or lights off i can still flip the switch and have them come on)...then when the switch is off, they would be set to come on whenever i put on my high beams....

 

exactly

 

alright I figured it out. You need a relay and a switch with 3 terminals..
stand by.. i'm drawing a schematic and i'll take a pic then post it

 

Check out the thread I posted above, the diagrams are in that thread. Draw them up if you want, just trying to save you some work.

 

this diagram?

 

Yes, I'm thinking 2 relays, one where the switch power is the switch itself, the second where the switch power is a tap into the high beam power wire.

 

This website is helpful also.
http://www.mp3car.com/the-faq-emporium/117895-faq-relays-how-they-work-and-how-to-wire-it-up.html
-30 = constant [positive (+)] power (usually wired directly to car battery)
-85 = coil ground (wired to the negative (-) battery terminal or any grounded metal panel in the car)
-86 = coil power (wired to the control source. could be a switch, or it could be the car's IGN or ACC circuit.)
-87 = switched [positive (+)] power output. (when the relay coil is powered, lead/pin 87 is connected to lead/pin 30)

You'd use two of these standard 4-pin relays. The first would be the switch power is the switch itself, the second where the switch power is a tap into the high beam power wire. That website just simplifies the wiring diagrams.

 

i'll have to take a look at the current wiring to get a better grasp on the diagram, but i'm thinking there has to be a relay already in the circuit...

so i'd probably need a second relay and a new switch...the switch would have 3 positions, correct?

one position would activate the current relay drawing directly off the battery, while the second position would hit the relay that would use the second relay that i would have to set up where the lights go on with the high beams, then the third position would be off completely....

am i on the right track?

 

heres what I came up with. only 1 relay

Not the most professional, but it should work.
with the switch in the current position, it will only power the lights when the hi beams are on. when in the up position it will power the lights on reguardless of anything else

 

Pretty sure if you wire it that way the lights would ONLY come on if the switch AND the high beams are both ON. That's how my PIAA's are wired currently. Like I said, 2 relays...

 

You would need a second relay, but could keep the same switch. The way they're currently wired would remain the same (well, you'd be splicing some wires but the same function), all you're doing is adding a second way to power the lights that would work alongside the switch you have already. You'd wire the second relay the same as the first except the switch power would come from the high beam wire instead of a physical switch. I hope that makes sense, wiring is hard to describe through a forum like this...

 

I'm pretty sure it will work. the lights will get power from the relay when the hi beams are on, or they will get power from the battery when switched on.

only problem i see is that there is no way to turn them off if you have the hi beams on and dont want the lights on. without using a 3 position switch, which a 3 position switch would have 4 terminals i believe.. one for ground

 

I disagree. You're wiring the high beam power wire to the coil power. If that wire is not powered, nothing will work. Most wire this to their ignition so when the truck turns off, you can't leave your lights on. Based on that, if you replace the ignition wire with the high beam wire, when the high beam wire is not on, there's no power to the coil and the lights will not work. Therefore, unless the high beams are on, the lights can not be on regardless of the external switched based on your diagram.

 

thanks for the input guys...i'll be giving it a go this weekend and let you know how it goes...i would be curious to see how the different techniques work...JLink's version would make for less wiring and it seems like the Pugga's 2 relay version would be a solid choice but with more wiring and head scratching on my end...

if anything else pops in your heads throw it up...

 

You are over complicating things. You need to replace the switch you have with a single-pole-double-throw switch. It will have three terminals on it. They are available in on-off-on, or on-on. Decide if you want the option of having them off no matter what also. If so, get the on-off-on. It will have a center detent so you can turn them off under all conditions.

The existing wire that you have going from the switch to your relay gets connected to the center terminal of the new switch. One of the other terminals gets connected to the existing power in wire you have on your existing switch. The remaining terminal goes to your high beam circuit. You may be able to tap this under the dash somewhere, not sure. May have to run another wire under the hood to the headlights.

Couple other things:

The switch you have now is probably lighted. If so, there is a ground wire connected to it that you will not use with the new switch. Here's why: You're going to have a hell of a time finding a new switch that will be lighted and do what you are asking. I have tried and failed. You can wire a seperate pilot light if you want. You would connect that to the center terminal of your switch where you connected the wire that goes to your relay. Also, ground the other side of the pilot light (use the existing ground that went to your lighted switch).

I would recommend that you install a fuse inline with the new wire you are going to connect to your high beams. That way, if your wiring was to short out, you won't lose your headlights, just the add on lights. This fuse only needs to be a 3 or 5 amp, it's just feeding the relay coil and maybe a pilot light on the dash.

Hope this helps.

Edit: Sorry, don't know how to do the fancy wiring diagrams or I would. I've done this several times now and I know it works. Currently have aux reverse lights on my Tacoma wired to an on-off-on switch. Up position is aux reverse lights only, center is off, down is on aux reverse lights on when truck is in reverse. For the up position on the switch, I tapped the parking light circuit. This way, my add on lights go off automatically when the truck turns off the headlights and parking lights to prevent killing the battery.

Everything I have written here assumes you have a relay already in your circuit. If not, you will need to do a bit more work. The factory high beam circuit will not handle the current of aux lights without a relay.

 

hell yea...thanks man...good work on the reverse lights too...a future mod i been eying