WTF..Turning off Rigid Aux lights turns on My Rostra Electronic Cruise

[rfulcher]

I have a 2013. I have had the Rostra Electronic Cruise control for several years without problems. It is powered thru a relay activated by the switched power wire of the 3-pin Aux light plug. I installed a 6" Rigid Aux light this week end. It is also powered off of a relay activated by the same switched power source, the switched power wire of the Aux light plug. Current from the switched power for the lights is controlled by a switch on the handlebars.

Here is the problem. When I turn the Aux lights off the Cruise Control is powered up but not engaged. The cruise control can be turned off normally. If I use the switched power lead (Blue/black) from the 4-pin heated grip connector the same thing happens. If I power the relay directly from the battery and thru the handlebar switch everything works fine. I can turn the lights off and on with the switch without the cruise control being powered. I would prefer to use switched power so that the circuit is dead when the bike is off. I have not tried to pick up switched power from another source such as running light or headlight circuit.

Hope this is clear as mud. My next step is to try a running light circuit for switched power.

Any ideas what is going on?

 

[patrickg450]

grab a meter and start looking for 12VDC. My guess is you have a bad ground or a "floating neutral" which means ground in DC. The DC is going where it ain't suppose to.........like a back feed.

Same switched power source goes to both relays?


questions:

you say current from the switched power is controlled...........do you mean that after the bike is on and switched power is available that you turn on your lights from a separate new installed switch on your bars?

does it effect you cruise control if engaged? how so?

 

[WJBertrand]

Sounds like some back current from one circuit to the other. Relays can cause a bit of havoc sometimes. When the coil is de-energised, the field collapse can generate a new current (much like an ignition coil) somewhere else. A diode connected across the coil leads to the relay can prevent this. Make sure it's oriented the right way or it'll be a dead short and blow whatever fuse leads to that relay. I had a similar problem where my added-on horn relay was causing my radar screamer to go off whenever I released the horn button. Putting a diode across the relay coil fixed it.

 

[rfulcher]

I Just finished further problem solving. It continues to be a puzzle but I am closer to an answer. I tried a lot of different things to narrow the problem down.

Using switched power from the stock 3-pin connecter always powered up the cruise control when I turned off the lights. The combination that worked best was switched power from the right running light and triggering the relay by shorting the relay trigger wires instead of using a switch. This worked most of the time but not always.

A diode did not seem to do much but I was unsure exactly where it was best placed in the circuit.

However I had some good luck. ::014::

For neatness I originally routed the relay triggering wires underneath and through the right side electronics. When I rerouted the triggering leads to the "switch" on top of the right side electronics instead of under/through it worked 90%. It even worked 90% when I used the original switch to trigger the relay. It seems to work even more reliability (maybe 100%) when I moved the relay to the bottom of the right side fairing. Could a pulse of current through the triggering wires and/or the relay itself cause interference due the physical proximity?

I will try to put things back together tomorrow and will see if I have found the right installation.

 

[WJBertrand]

Could a pulse of current through the triggering wires and/or the relay itself cause interference due the physical proximity?

I think so, and that's my theory of what's going on. To snuff any back pulse at its source (theorizing that it's indeed the relay) you want to put the diode as close as possible to that.


-Jeff

 

[patrickg450]

do a good inspection of your relay and all wiring. you could have a cut in the insulation or (depending on how you wired it) the relay could be finding a ground and causing it to energize.

If you have power sitting on the relay and the crappy chinese made relay is not sealed or damaged, then the DC will be looking for a ground. Bouncing around as you go down the road it finds a ground and energizes without you activating the control voltage. Current always takes the path of least resistance.