Post by dexameth on Dec 3, 2017 8:29:44 GMT -5
So yesterday I was bored and decided to hook my underglow LED lighting direct to the battery and a switch rather than having it hooked up direct to the ignition switch. When I turn my key, all of my lights light up and I'd rather have them available at-will.
Harbor Freight, $20, I have all my connectors, wire, solder, etc.
Unwrap everything (my harness is an electric tape job from Hell trying to make everything look clean on a naked scoot). I already have two LEDs on the back of the scoot with the wiring running up to the front of the scoot. I install two more under the floor/foot area of the scoot and wire them up together to a main wire feeding up and splicing into the two LEDs on the back. Test, all 4 work.
My handlebar headlight switch is not being used, and is a simple on/off switch. I figure why not use this? So here's my setup: Main wire from both battery terminals running up to the front of scoot, with the ground attached to the ground of the LEDs. The positive of the battery is on one lead of the switch and the positive of the LEDs is on the other lead of the switch. Everything hooked up, tested, works.
Now I start wrapping, folding, making wires look clean by bundling them together and taping them into a bunch, then I zip tie them onto the side of the headtube of the frame. Looks cleanish.
I tap the button, nothing. NOTHING! Turn the key, get headlights. ARGHHH!
I unwrap everything and do this process 4 times. Yes, I got the same results 4 times but let me back up...
The solder would not adhere to any of the wires I tried. I would hold the soldering iron tip to the wire until hot enough to melt the solder, and start to bead the solder to the wire and every time it would just drip off the wire and collect on the tip of the iron. WTF? Dirty wire, greasy fingertips, oh well.
Bust out the wire connector crimps, they are too big. I found this out when my first wire job wouldn't work after I got it all wrapped up. The main positive came unhooked from the switch lead.
I reverted back to the "twist wires together and tape" like I always have. Only a bigger problem now.
Each time I would wrap up all the wires and zip tie it to the frame, I would get smoke! I had battery terminal loose to pull it off in case of fire... each time I would untape after the smoke it was the two little leads coming from the switch. They would heat up and melt together and start to melt into neighboring wires.
I ripped everything back apart. Completely frustrated at this point, I remove all the work I had just done, and I'm now 3 hours deep. I connect all four LEDs together, hard wire them to the harness that the ignition key switch is hooked to and they all come on with the turn of my, like they always have. No hot wires, no smoke, so I go for a ride and get dinner. All is well except I want these LEDs on a switch!
Harbor Freight, $20, I have all my connectors, wire, solder, etc.
Unwrap everything (my harness is an electric tape job from Hell trying to make everything look clean on a naked scoot). I already have two LEDs on the back of the scoot with the wiring running up to the front of the scoot. I install two more under the floor/foot area of the scoot and wire them up together to a main wire feeding up and splicing into the two LEDs on the back. Test, all 4 work.
My handlebar headlight switch is not being used, and is a simple on/off switch. I figure why not use this? So here's my setup: Main wire from both battery terminals running up to the front of scoot, with the ground attached to the ground of the LEDs. The positive of the battery is on one lead of the switch and the positive of the LEDs is on the other lead of the switch. Everything hooked up, tested, works.
Now I start wrapping, folding, making wires look clean by bundling them together and taping them into a bunch, then I zip tie them onto the side of the headtube of the frame. Looks cleanish.
I tap the button, nothing. NOTHING! Turn the key, get headlights. ARGHHH!
I unwrap everything and do this process 4 times. Yes, I got the same results 4 times but let me back up...
The solder would not adhere to any of the wires I tried. I would hold the soldering iron tip to the wire until hot enough to melt the solder, and start to bead the solder to the wire and every time it would just drip off the wire and collect on the tip of the iron. WTF? Dirty wire, greasy fingertips, oh well.
Bust out the wire connector crimps, they are too big. I found this out when my first wire job wouldn't work after I got it all wrapped up. The main positive came unhooked from the switch lead.
I reverted back to the "twist wires together and tape" like I always have. Only a bigger problem now.
Each time I would wrap up all the wires and zip tie it to the frame, I would get smoke! I had battery terminal loose to pull it off in case of fire... each time I would untape after the smoke it was the two little leads coming from the switch. They would heat up and melt together and start to melt into neighboring wires.
I ripped everything back apart. Completely frustrated at this point, I remove all the work I had just done, and I'm now 3 hours deep. I connect all four LEDs together, hard wire them to the harness that the ignition key switch is hooked to and they all come on with the turn of my, like they always have. No hot wires, no smoke, so I go for a ride and get dinner. All is well except I want these LEDs on a switch!
