What's your preferred way for adding relays & wiring?

J

jeegro

Adventurer
I don't have any lights yet on my truck and am ready to do it up. 2x bumper lights, 2x rear worklights, rock lights, cargo lights, and maybe: front rack lights, driver SPOT light, side rack lights


I already have Blue sea fuse panels mounted throughout the truck. If I didn't, I'd probably go with the Cooper Bussmann fuse & relay combo blocks.

Relays:
A. I'm not a fan of the sockets w/ wire pigtails. Not very clean (butt connectors galore) and you're stuck with whatever wire gauge your given. Cleaner if you use terminal blocks, but why add all those components
B. A relay panel. I can't really find any besides the Hella unit, which has mixed reviews. And bulky. It doesn't do any bussing either, so seems pointless
C. (what I'm leaning towards) KISS and screw a bank of relays into a panel, use quick disconnect connectors, daisy chain the grounds (powered from engine bay fuse panel)

Fusing Switches:
A. Give each switch a fuse on the fuse panel (wasteful, but I do have enough)
B. Inline fuses. Harder to diagnose, messy
C. (leaning towards) use one fuse on the panel called "switches", and make a pigtail that daisy chains to the switches on the binnacle. (powered from under-steering-wheel fuse panel)

What is your preferred way?
 
D

ducktapeguy

Adventurer
My favorite way is to go buy an underhood fuse box/relay box from a junkyard car. Already pre-wired and labeled, and if you keep to the same brand as your vehicle it looks factory.

I think the easiest one I hooked up was from a mid 90's jeep cherokee. One ground wire and one 8 gauge wire connected the entire fuse box and powered all the relays which made everything much easier. The later model cars have more than enough fuses and relays for most uses, some of the Euro cars (BMW, Porsche, Mercedes) had fuse boxes with about 50 circuits.
 
VanDominator13

VanDominator13

Observer
If it's just for lights you might want to consider a Trigger Wireless accessory controller.
It has 4 circuits, 2x10 amp and 2x30amp with built in solid state relay's.
The best part is that the controller uses RF with the remote so you don't need to drill or run any wires through your firewall.
Just connect the controller to the battery, connect the lights to the controller and you're off to the races.
 
Cummins_expo

Cummins_expo

Adventurer
Oh now, this is slick!

VanDominator13 said:
If it's just for lights you might want to consider a Trigger Wireless accessory controller.
It has 4 circuits, 2x10 amp and 2x30amp with built in solid state relay's.
The best part is that the controller uses RF with the remote so you don't need to drill or run any wires through your firewall.
Just connect the controller to the battery, connect the lights to the controller and you're off to the races.
Click to expand...
 
J

jeegro

Adventurer
VanDominator13 said:
If it's just for lights you might want to consider a Trigger Wireless accessory controller.
It has 4 circuits, 2x10 amp and 2x30amp with built in solid state relay's.
The best part is that the controller uses RF with the remote so you don't need to drill or run any wires through your firewall.
Just connect the controller to the battery, connect the lights to the controller and you're off to the races.
Click to expand...

Those systems are slick, but I don't want to mess with having a remote. It's just one more thing that can go wrong or lose. I like good ol' wires. My binnacle (discovery 2) has at least 5 switch blanks available, so I'm going to pick up cruise control switches (they are the only ones that are on/off) and go that way. Plus, I'm no stranger to drilling holes in the firewall... it's already well on its way towards swiss cheese.
 
VanDominator13

VanDominator13

Observer
jeegro said:
Those systems are slick, but I don't want to mess with having a remote. It's just one more thing that can go wrong or lose. I like good ol' wires. My binnacle (discovery 2) has at least 5 switch blanks available, so I'm going to pick up cruise control switches (they are the only ones that are on/off) and go that way. Plus, I'm no stranger to drilling holes in the firewall... it's already well on its way towards swiss cheese.
Click to expand...

I like the looks of using the manufacturers switches as well. But I thought I'd give the wireless a try.
Good luck with your build!
 
J

jeegro

Adventurer
Verkstad said:
Fwiw,
If one is willing to get a correct crimper and terminals, just make up your own sockets. Clean, no splicing pigtails & so on.
Put the individual relays wherever best suited.
Click to expand...
Right... of course, why didn't I think of that! I knew I was missing something obvious when I started this thread. Always love adding another crimper to my collection.

VanDominator13 said:
I like the looks of using the manufacturers switches as well. But I thought I'd give the wireless a try.
Good luck with your build!
Click to expand...

Thanks!
 
AaronK

AaronK

Explorer
Any project that justifies another tool is a win in my book

Sent from my A0001 using Tapatalk
 
R

romz26

Observer
You can go to del citi(I think that's what it's called) and get the relay sockets without wires

Sent from my SM-G930U using Tapatalk
 
Hillbilly Heaven

Hillbilly Heaven

Explorer
Yes it does. I would risk betting LittleFuse supplies BlueSea with one built to BlueSea specs. Private label and cover change in material and color.
 
J

jeegro

Adventurer
Hillbilly Heaven said:
Yes it does. I would risk betting LittleFuse supplies BlueSea with one built to BlueSea specs. Private label and cover change in material and color.
Click to expand...

You might be right. I always thought bluesea made all of their own stuff, but comparing the company sizes suggests Littelfuse is a much bigger fish. I have a safetyhub 150... got it for like $80
 
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