Need help with light bar wiring

I just installed the Baja Designs 7XL linkable light bar on my roof. The light fucntions just fine but for some reason when I wire it through my Auxbeam switch panel (AR-800) the light bar makes a high pitched whine noise. I tried wiring it direct to battery and the whine went away. Is there anything I am doing wrong or should do differently to avoid this whine noise? Because I do want to wire it through my switch panel

any help is appreciated
Thank you

 

Sounds like a ground loop issue.

 

Is it something to do with the switch panel ground?

 

Yeah, I'm completely unfamiliar with your switch panel as I've never had one.

Just speaking from an electrical experience standpoint.

 

i would definitely check your auxbeam ground. can also try grounding the light bar separately from the auxbeam unit, though it's less than ideal.

what other lights do you have on the auxbeam panel?

 

I tried grounding the auxbeam to the frame and also direct to the battery, both times the light bar still whined. I will try grounding the light bar independent from the switch panel, good idea.

right now I on the Auxbeam I have 3 other inputs (bumper light bar, ditch lights and chase lights) pulling a total of about 20amps. There is no change to the sound or light output when I turn other lights on.

 

also try a different switch output. solid state relays are weird.

 

The sound may from a DC to DC buck/boost voltage converter which would indicate there is a significant voltage difference when fed from the auxbeam control unit. It could be a grounding issue or the auxbeam does not like the large load. If it turns out that grounding is not the problem, install a 12v relay using the auxbeam switch out to trigger it. Then connect power (with a fuse inline) directly to the battery.

 

Will try this aswell and share the results. Thank you for the help very much appreciated

 

That is how I have it wired right now, through the included harness with the 7XL light bar (which has relay and is connected straight to battery with inline fuse)going through the auxbeam only for switch. Still has a whine although it seems to go away after about 10 seconds when wired like this

 

it's also entirely possible you have a defective light bar as well...

@Baja Designs

 

This is what I thought too at first. But then when I wired direct to the battery independent from the switch panel there was no whine and the light bar operated normal. So this is making me think it’s the auxbeam that might be defective. I’m well within the voltage and amperage rating of it however.

 

I still wouldn’t run a high amp circuit directly through a switch panel. Wire it so the switch panel operates a high amp relay that powers the light bar from the battery.

Are you also using the right gauge wire for the length of the wires?

 

The 7xl shows a 14amp draw. Well within then auxbeam 60 amp limit.

 

Even if the switch panel is good, I’d still have it operate separate relays. You can then feed low amp and smaller gauge wires through the bulkhead which is safer, and have shorter runs to the lights and other high amp accessories from the battery. Also, relays are cheaper to replace if the contacts get oxidized and stuck after a lot of high amp arcing, that’ll save the lifetime of the switch panel.

 

Currently using 14ga wire same as what was provided with the light bar. It’s not running a very long distance just from roof to battery area of engine bay approximately 8ft

 

Even when combined with all my other inputs I’m not more than 40amps total. I was hoping the Auxbeam would be more than capable of handling all this

 

The roof light bar is the highest output light I have so i’ll most likely keep it wired direct to the battery only going to the auxbeam for switching.

I was just hoping to avoid all the extra wiring under the hood with the separate relays and battery connections. That’s the reason I got the switch panel in the first place.

Wondering now if it is my auxbeam that might be defective or is it just because it’s a cheap switch panel in general.

 

How many amps is the light bar?

 

14Amps 182 watts