Wiring auxillary back up lights

[crispyboy]

This is a good thread, I have been wanting to do this project for a long time.
I am still trying to figure out the diagram. Where are you putting the relay?
Chris, maybe you could make the diagram just a little more complete when you finish your project and some info on the relay and switches you will be using.
Thanks

 

[CCiatteo]

So I picked up the switch and actuator yesterday. Nice piece, two LEDs (amber / green), ON OFF ON, Icon graphic on top portion of switch and light bar at bottom of switch......8 terminals on the back.

the switch part # CEL/VJD17NHB-00000 SWITC and sells for $6.21 - this is actually a very good price for the switch
the actuator part #WWS/7830-3513 ACT-R and sells for $39.90 - this is highway robbery for the actuator. You could get away for about $6-$8 buying a generic actuator on EBAY or amazon. Not sure if the quality is identical, but for the huge price difference its worth a shot.

So what I haven't found, or if I found I didn't recognize it, was a wiring diagram for the 8 terminals on the back of the switch. Is there an industry standard for this or do I need to dig deeper?

Looking at the back of the switch in the pic. The terminals are numbered as follows:

8 7

1 4

2 5

3 6

Thanks

 

[mwilson]

Chris, I'll check when I get to work tomorrow on two things...

(1) The price of that frigin' actuator...... I never checked the price as they are usually quite cheap. Can you return it??

(2) How to wire it. ......I believe the schematic is in that Western Star link on the previous page. I'll print it out
and draw what goes where...

 

[Deleted member 995608]

Stupid question - What's the actuator for?

 

[CCiatteo]

Stupid question - What's the actuator for?

The actuator is the face plate for the switch. The switch body (electrical connections/mechanical contacts) is separate from the actuator so that a single switch body and serve multiple uses by simply installing a different faceplate (actuator.)

The pic on the left is the faceplate, the center pic is the front of the switch body, the right pic is the rear of the switch body.

 

[Deleted member 995608]

The actuator is the face plate for the switch. The switch body (electrical connections/mechanical contacts) is separate from the actuator so that a single switch body and serve multiple uses by simply installing a different faceplate (actuator.)

The pic on the left is the faceplate, the center pic is the front of the switch body, the right pic is the rear of the switch body.

Got it, thanks!

 

[mwilson]

Chris,

I am so sorry that I did not check pricing on the actuator. I forgot that some of the special ones are pricey due to low demand..........I am surprised that the dealer didn't bring that up before they ordered it.
A cheaper alternative would be the one that I used, should have showed you that one instead of getting all fancy.....

I used WWS 7830-3406 which would sell for about $4.00 on a bad day.....can't believe that I didn't check that for you...

So for others watching this thread, two things...

(1) NEVER Trust a parts guy...sorry..

(2) Use WWS 7830-3406 for your actuator......

 

[mwilson]

I'll work on the wiring at lunch time.

 

[mwilson]

Here's the picture, I will add what goes where the next time I get a chance...

 

[CCiatteo]

Chris,

I am so sorry that I did not check pricing on the actuator. I forgot that some of the special ones are pricey due to low demand..........I am surprised that the dealer didn't bring that up before they ordered it.
A cheaper alternative would be the one that I used, should have showed you that one instead of getting all fancy.....

I used WWS 7830-3406 which would sell for about $4.00 on a bad day.....can't believe that I didn't check that for you...

So for others watching this thread, two things...

(1) NEVER Trust a parts guy...sorry..

(2) Use WWS 7830-3406 for your actuator......

Don't sweat the details. The parts guy mentioned prices, I just ASSUMED he had the switch and actuator prices mixed up. How could a switch with two LED's go for $6, but he actuator for for $40, that's what I thought in my head and he was busy and was digging deep in the system to find the stuff, so I didn't press as much as I should have. Live and learn, but yeah don't use the actuator I did. I picked out a few different ones and they were all out of stock, and lucky me picked that one and it was in stock so I jumped. What did PT Barnum say.........

 

[mwilson]

Ok, home but no decent scanner. So in short here is some of what I know and some of what I think..

Using the numbers on the switch case....

# 8 Illuminate Power In....either dash light feed or the ever easier keyed 12V. This will turn on the Amber LED which illuminates the upper "Floodlight" legend on the actuator.

# 7 Ground....this is ground for both the Amber and Green LED.

# 2 Live 12V In..

# 3 Jumper wire to #6

# 4 Factory Back-up outbound

# 5 Floodlight out

# 6 To Terminal 30 on relay

Relay Connections by Number

# 87A Factory Back-Up Feed

# 30 Factory Back-Up Out (Spliced to terminal # 4 on switch)

# 86 Ground

# 85 Terminal # 6 of switch

All based on the one relay drawing shown in Post #43 of this thread.

The bar at the base of the actuator will illuminate in green when the Floodlight only position (up) is selected.

 

[mwilson]

Again, I'm very sorry. It's all based on popularity so the actuators that are common to most Western Star builds are cheap where so many are made at once. The more custom actuators cost more as fewer are molded at a time...

These are a very versatile switching system, I just love these Carling switches.

My truck is still in storage and I can't find the pictures that I put on here years ago of the switches I installed.

 

[mwilson]

This are a few shots of the switches in my Can Am, illumination is similar as these are Carling as well. The second and third switches in from the right are a knock off, those were installed by the PO (I had to rewire them to make them illuminate as they should).....What can I say.......

 

[Jim W]

Nice job Mike, you just need to charge for your engineering time!

I went another way with my Auxiliary lighting for backing up. I just purchased the White Knight lights that Genoe's Garage sells with the auxiliary trailer wiring kit they also sell to wire them into vehicle wiring harness. The lights will turn on when backing up and can be turned on independently also, there is a toggle switch at the lights that can be turned off full time. I have had them on the truck since 2009 and have used them when we have hooked up the trailer. If I remember correctly they are 50,000 watts each.

 

[CCiatteo]

I haven't forgotten about this project, just got side tracked. I tried running the single relay option yesterday and had limited success. I couldn't get the aux lights to come on by themselves with the truck off and in Park. Looking at the diagram I think its because the power for the aux lights was coming in from the terminal 30 (the factory feed) and with the truck off, there was no power in that feed. The other two positions did seem to work as intended.


Skip to last post for follow-up......

 

[mwilson]

Chris, in the middle of stock orders so will study your diagram later on.

Just wanted to mention the one relay set-up does require a constant hot 12V feed to the switch. That's what energizes the pull in coil of the relay forcing 87 to contact 30 instead of 87A which is then disconnected, that isolates the floods from the stock wiring.

So that requires a keyed power (or dash light feed) 12V for LED illumination and then a constant hot 12v for the floods with key off.

does that help??

 

[mwilson]

Here is some inspiration...

Western Star, key on illumination

 

[mwilson]

Clearance lights turned on, notice Green bar illuminated.

 

[mwilson]

Now with the Exterior Running Lights (Chicken Hauler Lights) on......

 

[CCiatteo]

That interesting that everything is on its own switch. I guess that makes troubleshooting and upfitting options easier, because every build could be adapted for who knows what purpose?