LED WIRING with 12awg wire vs RELAYS??

[Pilot2016]

I think Ive wasted money on the 3 harnesses Ive purchased .
I’m installing DOME, Roof top, and green hunting LEDS on my 2018 P700-4.

Cant I just wire them simply with 12 AWG tinned copper wire through a 20amp rockerswitch???


I’ve built a 100 amp fused distribution panel
(Pictured below) with a 80 amp Circuit Breaker and Stinger (switched) all of a 2nd battery for up to 12 accessories.

The 3 MicTuning relays I bought for the LEDS are too Short by design and I will have to extend them with the same 12ga wire... so what’s the need for them???

THANKS

 

[Admin]

 

[farmtimpioneer]

I think Ive wasted money on the 3 harnesses Ive purchased .
I’m installing DOME, Roof top, and green hunting LEDS on my 2018 P700-4.

Cant I just wire them simply with 12 AWG tinned copper wire through a 20amp rockerswitch???


I’ve built a 100 amp fused distribution panel
(Pictured below) with a 80 amp Circuit Breaker and Stinger (switched) all of a 2nd battery for up to 12 accessories.

The 3 MicTuning relays I bought for the LEDS are too Short by design and I will have to extend them with the same 12ga wire... so what’s the need for them???

THANKSView attachment 188094View attachment 188095

The relays are there for protection also, it would be hard to effectively run 12 ga. Wire to all switches, it is more likely You could develope a short or parasitic draw thru a switch remember the amperage will be flowing thru the switch all the time verses relay, switch will get hot and break down the correct relay is designed to accommodate that amp flow and You really would not have that much more involved in installing the relays,,,,

 

[Vikes79]

I make those choices by total amp draw of the load.

Personally I see little value in having a relay if the total draw of your lights is less than 50% of the rated switch on a fused circuit.

 

[Pilot2016]

The relays are there for protection also, it would be hard to effectively run 12 ga. Wire to all switches, it is more likely You could develope a short or parasitic draw thru a switch remember the amperage will be flowing thru the switch all the time verses relay, switch will get hot and break down the correct relay is designed to accommodate that amp flow and You really would not have that much more involved in installing the relays,,,,

Thank you
I’m a rookie at this.
Reading about these LEDs... I thought they draw way less than 5 amps (for each pair) so thought a 20 amp switch would have no problems .....PLUS each switch circuit would have a 5-10 amp fuse. Am I missing something???
THX

 

[Glock21user]

One could do whatever one would like to do, relay or no relay in the end it is your machine so wire it however you like.
With that being said the proper way to wire them is to a relay.
A relays sole job is to transfer battery power to the accessory and the switches only job is to switch a relay on or off.
Just my .02

 

[Bastardchild]

I think Ive wasted money on the 3 harnesses Ive purchased .
I’m installing DOME, Roof top, and green hunting LEDS on my 2018 P700-4.

Cant I just wire them simply with 12 AWG tinned copper wire through a 20amp rockerswitch???


I’ve built a 100 amp fused distribution panel
(Pictured below) with a 80 amp Circuit Breaker and Stinger (switched) all of a 2nd battery for up to 12 accessories.

The 3 MicTuning relays I bought for the LEDS are too Short by design and I will have to extend them with the same 12ga wire... so what’s the need for them???

THANKSView attachment 188094View attachment 188095

I did exactly what you said. I did away with the relay and installed thick wire to and from the switch with an inline fuse coming off the switch. I hate relays. I cant remember what amperage the light bar draws, but the switch and wire is rated for way more than the light, and the fuse is whatever size the lightbar manufacturer recommended. From the auxillary battery to the switch is only about a foot or so away, and then the wire leaving the switch going to the lightbar is like 4 or 5 feet long up inside the rollcage tubing, I didnt think that was a long enough run to worry about overloading the circuit. Im not an expert though, and yes, relays are the righy way to do it, I just dont like relays. Good luck!

 

[Pilot2016]

I did exactly what you said. I did away with the relay and installed thick wire to and from the switch with an inline fuse coming off the switch. I hate relays. I cant remember what amperage the light bar draws, but the switch and wire is rated for way more than the light, and the fuse is whatever size the lightbar manufacturer recommended. From the auxillary battery to the switch is only about a foot or so away, and then the wire leaving the switch going to the lightbar is like 4 or 5 feet long up inside the rollcage tubing, I didnt think that was a long enough run to worry about overloading the circuit. Im not an expert though, and yes, relays are the righy way to do it, I just dont like relays. Good luck!

Thanks
Still makes sense to this rookie me😂
I went on and used the relay harnesses I could not return. I still had to extend them to work. They sure take up a lot of space to power 3 sets of 5-10 amp LEDS and cigarette lighter socket in a small hood space of the P700-4😩

 

[Pilot2016]

One could do whatever one would like to do, relay or no relay in the end it is your machine so wire it however you like.
With that being said the proper way to wire them is to a relay.
A relays sole job is to transfer battery power to the accessory and the switches only job is to switch a relay on or off.
Just my .02

Thx
I appreciated your .02 cents👍👍
I used the relays