Spot light wiring - Lee Celtic & Thermidorthelobster... help please!

[LiftedDisco]

Hi All

I know that there are various topics on here about wiring light bars and such like and believe me, I have done the search and then read most of the resulting threads...

I currently have two spots on the A bar and now have a further four x 55w on the light bar on the roof - these are all linked into a relay and come on with main beam...

Questions...

I want to switch the roof lights independently so need a three way switch - On with main beam, off and on 'solo'  Lee, you have referred to a three way switch, but where did you get this... I have trawled the web with no luck.  If Land Rover do something that would suit, this would be ideal as I have spare switch positions...

And now to Thermidorthelobster...
You mentioned including a diode so that you are not running main beam down the actuator wire...   

How, what, why - preferably in words of one syllable!!!  I have wired the roof lights up in pairs (also using artic cable so running one supply to outer pair, other supply to centre pair and using the earth as return), so will end up with three relays - one for everything on, and then one for each pair of switched roof lights....

Anyone else is also welcome to pitch in with thoughts and comments - pic shows Disco before addition of roof lights

Many thanks

[Jake]

Click Here for a on/off/on 3 position switch
The entire range is avalible from here too
http://www.mudstuff.co.uk/Carlingswitches.html
 :D

[Frankie-Boy]

Rob,

You could try here for your switch http://www.vehicle-wiring-products.eu/VWP-onlinestore/switches/modular.php just scroll down for the one you want.

[thermidorthelobster]

My spotlight relay is switchable so I can either run the relay off a dashboard switch, which feeds the relay exciter wire 12v, or I can switch it with full beam.  I used a nice easy way of doing this - instead of bothering tracing the switch wiring for the full beam switch, I patched straight into the 12v main beam feed.  So when the lights are on full beam, a tiny current from the feed running to the headlights is diverted off to switch my spotlight relay on.

However, I didn't use a 3 way switch;  I used two normal on-off switches.  Because of this, if both are switched on at the same time, both the dashboard switch and the 12v feed from the full beam headlight wiring goes into the relay at the same time.  The problem here would arise if I switched the headlights off full beam;  all of a sudden, instead of the headlight wiring supplying 12v to the relay, the dashboard switch would be trying to supply 12v to the headlights, and it'd either fuse it or melt the wiring pretty quickly.

So I put a diode in where I took the feed from the headlight wiring, so the current can run from the full beam wiring to the relay, but not from the relay to the full beam wiring.

It's sort of hard to explain really...  If you use a 3-way switch, you shouldn't need to bother though!  I didn't, because (a) I wanted to use switches that fitted into the spare slots in the binnacle, and LR don't do a 3-way switch that fits, and (b) I didn't get around to putting the second part of the circuitry in until after I'd done the first bit.

Maybe the attached sketch will help.  It shows how the diode stops the low-current dashboard switch from accidentally trying to power the full beam headlights if both dashboard switches are in at the same time.

[mentalmoshio sophs V8i]

arent roof lights banned for use on the road .  :-k

[Jake]

arent roof lights banned for use on the road .  :-k

Nope
As long as they are switched and treated like full beams they are fine
 :D

[mentalmoshio sophs V8i]

so its okay to have 6 extra lights on full beam on the road if there all 55w

how come lorrys with trailers type dont use them then :-k

[thermidorthelobster]

If you have the option to select whether or not the spotlights come on with full beam, then you can use them off-road and leave things as-is on-road.

[Jake]

so its okay to have 6 extra lights on full beam on the road if there all 55w

how come lorrys with trailers type dont use them then :-k

Most lorrys have dim/dip spots which work with the vehicles dim/dip system
Warn do a selection of lights in the same manor
G4 vehicles have them fitted.
 :D

[clover]

Actually the road traffic regulations quite clearly state that a motor vehicle can only have 2 forward facing dip beam lamps on at any one time. Dim/dip spotlights are illegal to use on the road in this country. You can have sidelights lit permanently (i.e. angel eye things)

IIRC you can have as many lights as you want on main beam...

I actually find that having my 4 spotlights on as well as my 2 A bar ones on main beam is a waste of time as they don't significantly add anything as far as greater visibility. I was most disappointed that as far as road use is concerned my 2 mini 55w spots on the A bar are as useful as the 4 55W above.

However the 4 above are useful when wading at night as you can leave your main headlights off and just drive by the spots. That way you don't get exploding bulbs when cold water hits hot headlight bulb!

[lee celtic]

Hi Lifteddisco.

I will endevor to draw a wiring plan and get it up on here for you asap If I can remember how I did it :roll:

I know I had a six fuse block and three relays and a butty box , with this lot I could power up the roof light as two pairs (ready for pulse lights) and the bull bar spots and some spare bits for the rear work lights.

leave it with me :D

(ps it might be in crayon as I'm not allowed anything sharp)

[karlo]

This any good Courtesy of Evilgoat?



We'll get to the fuse in a moment. Wire the main beam feed to one of the outer pins of the switch, the other outer goes to the side of the fuse you fitted furthest from the battery so the fuse is between it and the battery. You might want to add a VERY low rated fuse in here, 1A would be generous, to protect the switching circuit. Wire the center to pin 86 of the relay and wire pin 85 to ground.
Wire a fuse from the BATTERY to pin 87 of the relay. Then connect your spots to pin 30. Use an on-off-on switch and you will have:

On
Off
On with Main Beam.

The Fuse
Find out the wattage of your spots and add them up. so In my case I have 2*100W so thats 200W, simple eh?
Now divide that by the voltage
so 200/12 = 16.6.

Nearest fuse is 15A, that will blow. Also you need to allow a reasonable margin for surges and in a -V switched system, the relay too. 20A would be resonable here. With larger spots make sure your relay is up to it too!