Rigid Light Bar - Trigger by High Beam Switch

[jasonmb]

I thought I had this down in my head, but not sure sure... looking at all these wires my brain has hit the wall.. before I blow something up I hope somebody can make this easy for me..

Rigid 6 inch light is mounted. I have the wire harness that came with it neatly routed. I have a positive and negative terminal rings and the 2 wires that go to the switch (rigid switch).

If I want to have the High Beam Switch turn the light bar on, can somebody suggest the easiest way to do this with the wires above? I would like to tap into (if possible) all the wires near the battery.
4

Thanks!

 

[Motoadv]

You could tap the "high" beam wire at one of the headlights and run it to a relay, with a switch acting to "arm" the lights. In other words, if the switch is armed, then hitting the high beam would cause your new lights to come on. If the switch is in the off/disarmed position, then only the stock high beam comes on when you trigger the stock headlight high beam. This is the same setup I'm doing with some Rigid D2's as soon as I have time...

I will be using a common 12v relay (Single or Double Throw) and will:

Tap headlight high beam and run wire to pin #86 of relay.
Connect one end of a 14ga wire to a pole on whatever 12v switch laying around (maybe the Rigid switch?)
Connect other end of 14ga wire to ground.
Connect 2nd 14ga wire from 2nd pole on arming switch to pin #85 on relay.
Connect Rigid harness black wire at battery ground post.
Connect Rigid harness red wire to pin #87 of relay.
Connect 12ga wire from battery positive post to fuse, from fuse to pin #30 on relay.

This is how I usually wire my driving lights. The end result is I "arm" my driving lights, but they remain off. Flipping on the stock high beams kicks them on. However, if the driving lights are disarmed, the factory high beam setting doesn't trigger them. I like the ability to slave the driving lights to the stock switch, but being able to also have them totally off too.

 

[jasonmb]

I believe the rigid already has a relay in the stock harness.. no?

 

[jasonmb]

Specifically, this is the harness.

 

[erenet]

This is how I usually wire my driving lights. The end result is I "arm" my driving lights, but they remain off. Flipping on the stock high beams kicks them on. However, if the driving lights are disarmed, the factory high beam setting doesn't trigger them. I like the ability to slave the driving lights to the stock switch, but being able to also have them totally off too.

I like that too.

 

[Motoadv]

Hmmmm. We did several sets of Dually and Dually 2's in the last week. I honestly don't remember seeing relays in the boxes, but you pic clearly shows one....

No biggie... If it were me, I'd pop the terminals off the relay and assuming the pins are numbered, I'd modify the harness to follow my previous notes. The only thing I didn't consider is the Rigid switch is lighted so there is a 3rd pole on the switch which lights the switch when on. As such, I suspect they have it wired so the 12v+ triggers the relay instead of 12v- in my notes.

As long as 86 & 85 (East & West) see 12+ on one pin or the other and 12v- on the other pin, then 87 & 30 connect (North & South). I prefer to use ground as the switched trigger for relays as it's pretty hard to short ground...

 

[Motoadv]

Just got a text from one of my techs and he says they do come with relays. Sorry, must be the Scotch this evening...

That said, we've been running our own harness for the installs due to their custom nature. Same principle as I outlined above however, and have ran multiple bars and light heads in similar fashion. 1 master "on/off" switch, but each head/pair of heads/bar armed by itself on it's own switch. All lights armed come on when the master switch is turned on.

 

[jasonmb]

Thanks for the help . My dream setup would be to eliminate the switch all together .. And simply have the high beam be the only on/off. Could this be done ?

 

[Motoadv]

Yep, easy too...

Tap headlight high beam and run 14g wire to pin #86 of relay.
Connect a 14ga wire to pin #85 on relay and other end to ground.
Connect a 12ga wire to 12v+ wire from lights and other end to pin #87 of relay.
Connect a 12ga wire from battery positive post to fuse, from fuse to pin #30 on relay.

This setup with cause the relay to only trigger from the #86 pin any time the stock high beams are switched on. Same as before, when triggered, pins #87 & #30 connect allowing current to go to your driving lights.

If it were me, I'd disconnect the wires from the Rigid relay, cut off the switch and fuse. Then I'd reuse the wire, relay, and fuse per above. No reason to waste it and simple to rewire for your needs...

 

[jasonmb]

Im on it, thanks..

When you said "to ground" .. a grounding point on the bike frame or neg post on battery?

 

[Tippo]

The "best" ground is the negative battery post but you could find a good ground some place on the frame.

When I installed my aux lights I tapped the high beam wire as follows:

Start at the high beam switch on the left handle bar. Follow that bundle of wires down to the the area of the fuses and ECU. (Under the right upper fairing.) Split and peal back the plastic tube that covers the wires and tap the Yellow wire. You can get a tap at Radio Shack or NAPA.

Jeff

 

[Motoadv]

Tippo is right. Whenever possible, always take your "ground" needs back to the battery. I learned this many years ago when doing car audio installs as the big negative then was ground loops that induced alternator whine through the speakers...

It's not required, and it means a little more wire, but I always do it to limit possible issues. Plus, if/when you sell a bike it makes it so much easier to remove farkles when the wiring points are common. That said, I wire all my personal bikes with Eastern Beaver's PC-8 (http://www.easternbeaver.com/Main/Wiring_Kits/Fuseboxes/PC-8/pc-8.html). Farkles are easy to add, remove, modify with everything running to one area...

 

[pluric]

Thanks for the help . My dream setup would be to eliminate the switch all together .. And simply have the high beam be the only on/off. Could this be done ?

Here is how I did it. Works completely off the OEM high/low switch.

http://advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=592384&page=188

 

[terrysig]

LIke the Rigid lights and the functionality of the Baja incremental mode. The ability to be 50% in low beam and 100% in high is attractive.

Anyone given thought to using the Baja harness with the Rigid lights?

 

[baja designs]

LIke the Rigid lights and the functionality of the Baja incremental mode. The ability to be 50% in low beam and 100% in high is attractive.

Anyone given thought to using the Baja harness with the Rigid lights?

The modes are built in to the Baja Designs custom circuit boards the mode switch just activates it. Unfortunately Rigid boards don't have the same features.

Why not go with the OnX and have the modes ;D Nothing comes close to the light output, quality, components used, fully American Made, the user adjustability like no other bar, and backed by our lifetime warranty.

Thanks
Mike
BD

 

[jasonmb]

Yep, easy too...

Tap headlight high beam and run 14g wire to pin #86 of relay.
Connect a 14ga wire to pin #85 on relay and other end to ground.
Connect a 12ga wire to 12v+ wire from lights and other end to pin #87 of relay.
Connect a 12ga wire from battery positive post to fuse, from fuse to pin #30 on relay.

This setup with cause the relay to only trigger from the #86 pin any time the stock high beams are switched on. Same as before, when triggered, pins #87 & #30 connect allowing current to go to your driving lights.

If it were me, I'd disconnect the wires from the Rigid relay, cut off the switch and fuse. Then I'd reuse the wire, relay, and fuse per above. No reason to waste it and simple to rewire for your needs...

This relay work?

http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3020762&utm_source=Google&utm_medium=PPC&utm_term=4505486&utm_content=Exact&utm_campaign=PLA&cagpspn=pla#

 

[Motoadv]

Yep. Should be just what ya need... ::008::

 

[erenet]

Specifically, this is the harness.

A month later I finally received my Rigid 6" 90661- Driving, I like it, but I thought I was going to get a harness like the one above with a relay, plug for the relay and a nice black sleeve to protect the wires. On the instructions I do see the one above.

The second picture below is the harness I got, do you guys have the one with a relay and black sleeve or the same as the one I have?

I don't know what is the black or the blue wire on my harness, it also came with a 15AMP fuse! on the instructions I see a 5 AMP for a 6" (10AMP for 10",15AMP for 20" and so on) long light.

I'd like to wire it the way Motoadv described.

 

[jasonmb]

My dually d2's has the harness with the relay.. The light bar did not..

 

[Motoadv]

Erenet, can you post a better pic of the harness you got with your bar? I can walk you through the wiring but want to be sure what you have there...