Know about relays? I need some help - urgently

**rapid van cleef** · 22nd July 2011, 17:51

HI guys. ive found this site and a detailed and easy to follow instructions for making an accessory relay. Im almost done except i need to find which wire is hot when ignition on, and dead, when ignition off. The article suggest using the tail light feed. but bugger me, if i can uss out which cable/ colour it is on my spaghetti filled bike.

bike is a zx10r with led tail lights

can someone suggest an alternative to using the tail light or help me find the correct cable to tap into for the switch aspect of the relay

heres the link to the relay design

http://www.canyonchasers.net/shop/generic/relay.php

any help appreciated

im not an electrician but i am quite confident and can follow instructions no probs as long as they are in laymans terms

thanks

**rapid van cleef** · 22nd July 2011, 19:02

well, i just had a thought. to use a suitable power source/ switch signal to turn on the relay can i use the cable that comes out of the back of the fuse block connected to the tail light circuit?

the cable that comes out out of the back of the tail light fuse runs up the harness to the nightmare of cables that go to the led taillight.( but this cable runs stright into the taillight and bypasses all of the resistors etc) can i tap into that for a suitable source to switch the realy?

or can i simply push the same cable from the relay switch terminal into the socket where the tail light fuse sits in then fuse back in? doesnt look as good but way easier

will that trigger the switch aspect of a relay and switch off when the ignition is off?

im really struggling to get access to enough cable as the wiring is very tight

heres hoping for some help. ive fond ive got the bug for electronics.....just need some hlep thats all

thanks guys

**glegge** · 22nd July 2011, 19:46

You can just take a feed from the fuse box.use a test lamp.one side grounded.turn key on, probe fuses until you find a live one.turn key off and make sure test light goes off.if it does, take the fused side...pull the fuse turn key on and find the dead pin where the fuse goes.take a wire from the re to the coil side of your relay.plug fuse in.ground other side of relay cool.turn key on, relay will click.of course if you can get wiring diagram for your bike life will become simpler.

**glegge** · 22nd July 2011, 19:49

Look at your other thread I mentioned the same thing there.our give me a call.0274418337

**FJRider** · 22nd July 2011, 19:58

Originally Posted by rapid van cleef

heres hoping for some help. ive fond ive got the bug for electronics.....just need some hlep thats all

thanks guys

Electronic's may be your Forte ... but the English language (as written) ... is not ...

But ...

Hook into where there IS power ..... when the ignition is ON ...

**glegge** · 22nd July 2011, 20:01

I blame my phone I am posting from.still better than no help at all?

**rapid van cleef** · 22nd July 2011, 20:04

thanks for the criticism, that really helped a lot.

**rapid van cleef** · 22nd July 2011, 20:06

Originally Posted by glegge

I blame my phone I am posting from.still better than no help at all?

yeah, thanks so much for that. im just having dinner then back to the shed and i'll get onto it

thanks very much for your detailed answer.

**FJRider** · 22nd July 2011, 20:07

Originally Posted by rapid van cleef

thanks for the criticism, that really helped a lot.

It comes with/AS the site "fee's"

**rapid van cleef** · 22nd July 2011, 20:27

'You can just take a feed from the fuse box.use a test lamp.one side grounded.turn key on, probe fuses until you find a live one.turn key off and make sure test light goes off.if it does, take the fused side...pull the fuse turn key on and find the dead pin where the fuse goes.take a wire from the re to the coil side of your relay.plug fuse in.ground other side of relay cool.turn key on, relay will click.of course if you can get wiring diagram for your bike life will become simpler. '

ok, er. i have not got a test lamp. i do have circuit tester though. im no electrician but i know how to set it to see if there is a complete circuit, which i do with the audio alert to confirm the circuit is complete.

so can i just use that instead of a test lamp? the relay is a 4 pin 12v auto relay.

so the wire will have to go into the pin/terminal that goes dead when the ignition is off. that means im going to have to try and get a wire into the back of the fuse block.....hmm

i'll go have a lookat it.

the actual instructions say to tap into the tail light feed on the way from the fuse box to the tail light. there is only 1 wire coming out of the back of the fuse holder for the tail light. is that the wire i could tap into?

when the buggers at kwaka wired up me bike they left no bloody room for manouvering the cables at all. its very tight and tied and shrink wrapped up. dam them for being so neat and tidy. but an extra few cm of cable would have helped

**glegge** · 22nd July 2011, 20:43

ok, on a real computer now, so barring typo's i hope this is a little better.

As for your circuit tester, it sounds like it may help, but you can set it to volts, ground one side and then look for 12volts on the fuse. this will do the same job as a test lamp - when the volt meter says 12 volts (or there abouts) the lamb would be glowing. just make sure you ground (battery or bike frame/engine) the black negative wire to the meter.

ok, it sounds like you may have already found the wire from the fuse box to the tail light so yes, thats the one. but just to be on the save side, put your meter on the wire you want to tap into (somehow) and make sure when you pull the fuse and then turn on the ignition, that the meter shows 0 volts still, (and the tail light does not go now), of course plugging the fuse in should make the tail light go, and the meter show 12 volts or there abouts.

so from there yes, your ok to somehow tap into that wire (if you look closley i find you can usually push a small tab inside the fuse holder and the socket will come out, then you can attach your wire to it and re-insert it back into the fuse holder. this makes a neat job).

so take that wire to the one of the coil pins on the relay, the other side of the coil (the other coil pin on the realy) to ground (bike frame, battery negative terminal or engine block). then you can try it. it should click when you turn on the bike and click again when you turn it off.

then you can run a wire from the positive battery terminal, to a FUSE (important) then to one of the relay 'switched' terminals, the other side will go to the distribution block which was shown in the picture you linked too.

i hope this helps.
i'm happy to chat on the phone (i talk better than i type) if that helps at all. so no worries there.
good luck.
cheers
Gavin

**glegge** · 22nd July 2011, 20:51

oh yeah, i was just thinking, if you look at the color of the wire to the tail light as it goes into the actually tail light, you can probably check the wire at the fuse box is the same, there not always, but if it is then thats a good sign you brobably have the right one.
also for joining wires, if you cannot get into the back of the fuse bot or anywhere else that you can connect to at an existing join, you can strip away some of the insulation, solder a wire on, and then tape up the join. it's tricky but possible. try on some old bits of wire first.

**pete376403** · 22nd July 2011, 20:52

You can get a test light from supercheap that has a lead with a crocodile clip, and the body of the test light has a sharp pin point that you can push through insulation.
The one shown is from Snap-On, which means it's priced right up there (solid gold contacts or something) but the cheap ones are just as useful.

The clip goes to earth and you probe around till the light comes on and you find the powered wire you're after.

**DEATH_INC.** · 22nd July 2011, 20:56

Use the power feed to the rear brake switch, it's easier to find....

**FJRider** · 22nd July 2011, 21:06

Originally Posted by glegge

oh yeah, i was just thinking, if you look at the color of the wire to the tail light as it goes into the actually tail light, you can probably check the wire at the fuse box is the same, there not always, but if it is then thats a good sign you brobably have the right one.
also for joining wires, if you cannot get into the back of the fuse bot or anywhere else that you can connect to at an existing join, you can strip away some of the insulation, solder a wire on, and then tape up the join. it's tricky but possible. try on some old bits of wire first.

OR ... you cold look at the wiring diagram in the workshop manual ... and KNOW what SHOULD go where ... AND WHERE IT IS ...