Im looking to wire six spots with side lights from my Kelsa high bar to my globetrotter can any of you tell me where the best and safest place is to connect it up …I obviously want them to be linked to my main beam but what relays etc do I need?
Info much appreciated
You need relays man enough to cope with the current and also the right voltage if you’re running 24V.
You need to run a feed from the battery to the feed side of the relay using sufficiently big enough wire and with its own fuse.
Assuming 100W spotlights, they’ll draw about 25 amps in total at 24V so you want cable rated at least at 30 amps so something with a 4mm diameter conductor would be more than enough. Likewise the relay. You can either use two 25A ones, feeding 3 lights with each, or find one rated above 30A.
Look at the above.
Pin 30 on the relay connects to the feed wire from the battery. Pin 87 goes to the positive wire on the lights. Pin 85 goes to ground. Pin 86 goes to one pin of a switch you put on the dashboard. The other pin on the switch you’ve installed goes to the wire on the indicator stalk that switches live when you put on the high beam.
That way you’ve spot lights that will come on when you put on the high beams or flash but you’ve got a switch on the dashboard to enable them or disable them.
is it your own vehicle ■■
if not and you only drive it, ask your boss if your local auto-electrician can do a proper installation, to cover your own bum just in case it caught fire for any reason, then they cant blame you.
A spot on explanation. Only thing I would add to that is to make sure you put the relay(s) somewhere where they dont get wet because for 1 they are not waterproof and 2, the terminals corode like hell causing resistance to build up and then heat which ultimatley burns out the wiring. You also need some good crimping pliers and some preferably ‘yellow’ female crimp conectors for that heavy wire and blue will be ok for the ‘switching’ side of the relay to your switch / high beam feed. Pin 85 (ground wire) also needs to be heavy wire like 4mm Conor mentioned. Make sure all wiring is cable ■■■■■■■ and that it wont move or vibrate and chaffe through on any metal ground.
Gembo:
Pin 85 (ground wire) also needs to be heavy wire like 4mm Conor mentioned.
It doesn’t need to be as it only acts as a ground for the relay in the coil, not the lights. It doesn’t carry more than a few milliamps of current - just what is required to energise the coil. In fact if you’re going to use a mount for the coil screwed into the metal body of the vehicle, a ring terminal connected to that screw which goes into the bodywork and a short run of thin wire to pin 85 will more than suffice.
But if you’re running a separate ground to the lights and not grounding them to the mount/body, it needs to be the same diameter as the positive cable.
Halfords do quite a nifty bit of kit as do car audio places which makes feeding power to each individual light easier. It is basically a block with one end where you can shove a thick wire in and four holes on the other end for four thinner wires.
halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stor … yId_165626
I used one for my radio gear in my car and it quite happily took a 10mm diameter feeder cable rated at 60 amps.
They also do some nifty large capacity fuse holders with fuses rated from 30-60A
thanks for the info,i could do with getting it done for me as im not comfortable with electrics lol,i did ask volvo but they said 6 hours labour wich i am not paying that amount…
#scotty#:
thanks for the info,i could do with getting it done for me as im not comfortable with electrics lol,i did ask volvo but they said 6 hours labour wich i am not paying that amount…
6 hours labour■■? 
is the bar fitted?
are the lamps wired in to the bar?
is it just a case of connecting the wires to the power supply?
Conor:
Gembo:
Pin 85 (ground wire) also needs to be heavy wire like 4mm Conor mentioned.It doesn’t need to be as it only acts as a ground for the relay in the coil, not the lights. It doesn’t carry more than a few milliamps of current - just what is required to energise the coil.
Yeah, your right mate, im getting rusty in my old age, long time since i messed with this stuff. 
i have took the bar off as i have just had a the cab painted again…there is no wiring at all yet but i was going to get the bar pre wired while its off to make things a bit easier
#scotty#:
thanks for the info,i could do with getting it done for me as im not comfortable with electrics lol,i did ask volvo but they said 6 hours labour wich i am not paying that amount…
Is it your truck? Fit the the lights and just use an auto sparky from yellow pages or something, no need to go to the exstorsionate volvo maindealer unless theres a warranty issue. Should take a good auto electrician about an hour.
family business …i will get the bar wired up and put back on and drop the wire through the top of the cab ready i think
Whereabouts are you? I’m a sparky in Essex (near Colchester) if that’s any good?
Gary
live near kettering mate,i will find what wire to use and get the bar back on with the spots pre-wired and if no one closer can do it i will give you a shout if thats ok
cheers mike
#scotty#:
live near kettering mate,i will find what wire to use and get the bar back on with the spots pre-wired and if no one closer can do it i will give you a shout if thats okcheers mike
No worries - I usually get up to Cambridge area once a week or so if that’s any help - could probably meet up somewhere if you need a hand
Gary
superb cheers mate
Anyone know what wire and how much is needed by any chance ?
#scotty#:
Anyone know what wire and how much is needed by any chance ?
shuttlespanker:
#scotty#:
thanks for the info,i could do with getting it done for me as im not comfortable with electrics lol,i did ask volvo but they said 6 hours labour wich i am not paying that amount…6 hours labour■■?
is the bar fitted?
are the lamps wired in to the bar?
is it just a case of connecting the wires to the power supply?
He best not ask you how to do it spanky 
globby 480:
shuttlespanker:
#scotty#:
thanks for the info,i could do with getting it done for me as im not comfortable with electrics lol,i did ask volvo but they said 6 hours labour wich i am not paying that amount…6 hours labour■■?
is the bar fitted?
are the lamps wired in to the bar?
is it just a case of connecting the wires to the power supply?
He best not ask you how to do it spanky
don’t know what you mean Daz, i did it right 
eventually 