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Light Bar Wiring Help Please!

18857 Views 12 Replies 5 Participants Last post by  FreshStart12, 
FreshStart12
Ok so I've search far and wide on Google about how to wire up a light bar. I have found some vague instructions so I'm hoping for some more detailed ones if possible.

Right now I have an LED light bar that just came with the light bar and it has the two wires attached to it for power. Nothing else.

I started to wire it like follows.

Cut the wires to the accessory plug (behind the plug).

Spliced into those wires with new wires.

Ran wires to a toggle switch.

Ran new wires from toggle switch to light.


I keep reading about relays and fuses etc.... I'm worried that this will blow the fuse or cause problems.

Can anyone offer some insight on this? All the videos and threads dont really explain how, they just explain where people mount them.

Thanks!
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harzack223
Search ebay or amazon for led lightbar wiring. you can get a setup that would be almost plug and play for under $20.
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FreshStart12
harzack223 said:
Search ebay or amazon for led lightbar wiring. you can get a setup that would be almost plug and play for under $20.
Click to expand...
Thanks! I just ordered one for $15. Should make life a LOT easier.
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FreshStart12
Alright so I wired one up. Was very easy and works great.

However....the switch it came with has a red OFF light and a green ON light. It's wired directly to the battery...now the red OFF light stays on 24/7.

Is there a way to wire this into the key switch so it only turns on when the battery is on? Seems like even just a little red light would kill the battery if it was on long enough...

Can someone offer any advice?

Thanks!
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Sittingbull2
run the wire that makes the light stay on 24/7 like you said up to your 12 volt accessory outlet. It only comes on when the key switch is on. Hope that helps
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FreshStart12
Ok great. Sorry I'm still learning wiring.

Can you give me the cliff notes on this procedure? My accessory jack has a red and black...my switch has red, black, and green...obviously positive negative and ground but which ones should I connedt up where?

Thanks in advance!
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KSOWIN87
U can always buy a relay... you can run the power wire from the accessories thru it for the control. Essentially whenever power is running to ur accessories thru the relay it will close a normally open circuit that u can use to control ur light. I used this method to switch the main power to my LED bar so when i walked away from the quad and took the key nobody could turn the LED bar on and run my battery dead. :th_smiliethumbsup:

Here... this may help...
http://www.lunghd.com/Tech_Articles/Electrical/RelayBasics/simplerelaycircuit.JPG
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FreshStart12
Thank KSOWIN. Can you post a link of a relay I would use? There's a million different ones and it's overwhelming.

Here's the button that it came pre wired with....stupid on off lights...
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KSOWIN87
https://www.fruugo.us/radioshack-auto-relay-spst-40a/p-1493108-3524152?gclid=CjwKEAjw0q2pBRC3jrb24JjE8VgSJAAyIzAdqJQE9stbVoXzaKZHIKm27U_fh1H5iIlwItOGeWKCCRoC0Sbw_wcB

This should do it... u can probably find these at Radioshack or local electronics store... But notice the little diagram on the side of it. When power runs thru the relay (Accessory wire) it closes the integrated switch and allows the power to flow thru the secondary circuit in the relay(wire going to the light)

Oh ... and make sure the relay is rated for the Amps you will be switching with it.
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FreshStart12
great thanks! Hopefully I can figure this one out.
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FreshStart12
2
Ok I'm lost. Here are two pictures. I bought this relay at an auto parts store. I've cut the aux cable and have the connectors attached. I don't want to cut the switch wiring yet until I know what the hell I'm doing.

I would greatly appreciate any help. Could I also just cut off the switch and put a regular toggle switch on with no light in it? Wouldn't that work too? I'm so close yet so far away...

I'm literally in my garage on my phone sending this.



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mtassie
Maybe this will help

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FreshStart12
Thanks for the image that would've helped out huge!

I ended up just changing out the stupid cheap plastic switch it came with and put on a regular toggle switch and mounted it next to the display. Now I can run the lights with the key on or off and don't need to worry about it.

Thank you everyone for the help!
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