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Baja Designs S8 owners - Amber backlight question

Discussion in 'Lighting' started by Ceriksson, Mar 10, 2019.

  1. Mar 10, 2019 at 9:04 AM
    #1
    Ceriksson

    Ceriksson [OP] Well-Known Member

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    Has anyone wired the switch for the Amber backlight to work automatically with the headlights?

    If so, how?
     
  2. Mar 12, 2019 at 6:42 AM
    #2
    littlefish

    littlefish Buzz, your girlfriend...

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    The one who dies with the most stuff wins.
    I don't have an exact answer for you, but I know the green wire that comes out of the bar is for the backlight. I would think you could tap into the positive wire on the low beam circuit. Or you could use an add a fuse and run it to the tail light circuit (it would stay on with the highbeams this way too though).
    I plan on wiring up the wire for my backlight this weekend, but I want it to come on all the time as a running light of sorts. My plan is to use an add a fuse to tap into a circuit that comes on with the ignition (thinking of using the washer fluid pump circuit).
     
  3. Oct 24, 2020 at 8:21 PM
    #3
    SuperTaco556

    SuperTaco556 Member

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    King Shocks, BAMF armor (Pelfreybilt), RCI Bed Rack, CVT Tent, Thousand of dollars worth of other things IDK
    Did anyone find a solution that worked yet? Plan on doing this tomorrow so I can run the amber backlight whenever the truck is running.
     
  4. Oct 24, 2020 at 8:43 PM
    #4
    paranoid56

    paranoid56 Well-Known Member

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    if you want it on when the truck is running grab any acc hot lead from under the hood.
     
  5. Dec 22, 2021 at 2:23 PM
    #5
    092trfe4x45sp

    092trfe4x45sp Active Member

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    Day late and dollar short but I tied my S8 backlights (30” and 40”) into the marker light circuit. I also swapped in LED markers so the overall load is below the factory marker circuit and also fused/relayed through the stock harness.
     
    mOjO_Taco likes this.
  6. Dec 29, 2021 at 3:45 PM
    #6
    TheGreatWhiteBuffalo

    TheGreatWhiteBuffalo Well-Known Member

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    You can either just tap it straight into the wire for your headlight/marker light, or run it to a relay. Relay option would be battery to relay to power the backlight, then wire from relay to headlight wire as the "switch" to turn it on. Honestly though, it's probably less than 1 amp draw, you'd probably be fine tapping into the headlight/marker light wire.

    Mine is connected to Switch-Pros and I can set it to auto turn on with headlights that way
     
    airmax233 likes this.
  7. Jan 2, 2022 at 4:56 AM
    #7
    AtomAnt

    AtomAnt Well-Known Member

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    I like the idea of wiring the S8 backlight to come on with the marker lights, but what happens when you turn on the S8? Does the backlight stay on or shut off when the light bar is powered on?
     
  8. Jan 2, 2022 at 8:18 AM
    #8
    toledoupsguy

    toledoupsguy Well-Known Member

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    I bought a dual s8 kit but decided that it didn't want to tear the front off the truck to install it. I can tell you the backlights are not that bright. Also looked to see if anything in BDs information says 1 way or another. If you have the green (backlight) wire attached to say your parking or DRLs it will be on whenever they are. If you have it wired to a switch you control it. I will say if you look at these Toyota pictures I found for you I'd think you'll agree that whether they stay on or not you aren't going to see them.
    IMG_6594.jpg IMG_6595.jpg 03.jpg 04.jpg
     
  9. Jan 2, 2022 at 8:37 AM
    #9
    toledoupsguy

    toledoupsguy Well-Known Member

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    If you already have them this doesn't matter but if you're thinking about buying them it might. This is only one of the 10" S8s hooked up but wasn't really impressed with the output.

    20210813_044823_026d55e4068ee56bd6119e0b9d79147705adad14.jpg 20210813_045035_5b6f47fabe7a48f47c92b63a4355c533b9d3101b.jpg
     
  10. Jan 2, 2022 at 11:08 AM
    #10
    092trfe4x45sp

    092trfe4x45sp Active Member

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    The back-lights are a separate and independent circuit within the electrical system internal to the S8. The functionality of the backlights and primary LED’s are completely dependent on how you wire and toggle the switches.
     
    Last edited: Jan 2, 2022

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