Power Distribution Questions

[Bounce]

I could also go with 8-position barrier strips but was worried that my GPS might get zapped since it requires a 2-amp fuse. Or do you guys add the fuses inline from the barrier strip?

I put a master fuse from the battery to the PdB. Then each line to each device has it's own fuse based on what it requires.

 

[Randy]

BrunDog, Yours is the second reccommendation I heard on the Blue Sea. When I look on the mcmaster.com website, it shows a plastic cover - do you not need/use this?

More (probably) dumb questions...

To hook this up, can you go straight off of the battery or do you need some type of large in-line fuse box (i.e. 80 amp) in front of it? If so, how do you know how big of a fuse to use?

Is 12 guage wire sufficient for all of this?

For individually fused circuits, how do you know what size fuse to use?

Thanks for the replies. I really appreciate all of the responses.

 

[MixedUpMitch]

Randy,

I'll dig out my pics of the Blue Sea I installed under the pillion seat and post tomorrow. I'm not that far away if you need some help. I wired all kinds of things on my FJR. No problems since even after a 3000 miler to Nova Scotia, many miles in the rain!

MixedUpMitch

 

[BrunDog]

BrunDog, Yours is the second reccommendation I heard on the Blue Sea. When I look on the mcmaster.com website, it shows a plastic cover - do you not need/use this?
More (probably) dumb questions...

To hook this up, can you go straight off of the battery or do you need some type of large in-line fuse box (i.e. 80 amp) in front of it? If so, how do you know how big of a fuse to use?

Is 12 guage wire sufficient for all of this?

For individually fused circuits, how do you know what size fuse to use?

Thanks for the replies. I really appreciate all of the responses.

Trust me when I tell you that the quality of this thing is VERY high. It does come with a plastic cover, but I am not using it. It is too damn big with it, and it is unnecessary as it does not provide any sealing or anything.

Your questions aren't dumb - that is why we have this forum.

If you go straight off the battery (or through a relay off the battery), you should add a big fuse at the battery terminal. This would prevent any problems if a short were to occur in the wire leading up to the fuseblock. I personally am running mine off the ignition bus, so mine goes through the 50A MAIN fuse of the bike. To pick the fuse size, add up all the normal maximum current draws of all the circuits. Multiply that number by 1.5 or 2 and use the resulting sized fused (round up to next size). For individually fused circuits, do the same thing. For example, if you have a GPS that draws 1 A, use a fuse of 2 A. Worse comes to worse, you will pop the fuse without damage to the unit, and then go up (3A, 5A, etc).

I used 12 AWG wire, but in hindsight I would have used 10 AWG. I have my Magnum blasters, my Audiovox cc, my digital function meter, my scorpion alarm, and my powerlet outlet hooked up to my block. Most are low current, but I still would have liked more copper.

By the way, you can also by resettable fuses. These are essentially circuit breakers that fit in the fuse (ATC) spots. These don't need to be replaced when a short occurs, but they are sometimes not recommended for sensitive electronic equipment. Check out DigiKeyfor these.

-BD

 

[MixedUpMitch]

Randy,

It already is tomorrow Here you go. I had an extensive description on the old site about how I installed this. It really is not that difficult. Send me a PM and maybe a phone call will be easier than typing the whole thing out.

 

[Randy]

Thanks again, fellaz. I really appreciate all of the insight.

Mitch - Thanks - I just might take you up on your offer.

Time to put my parts list together.

 

[Rogue]

Randy,
It already is tomorrow  Here you go.  I had an extensive description on the old site about how I installed this.  It really is not that difficult.  Send me a PM and maybe a phone call will be easier than typing the whole thing out.

I'm sorry but anyone who does shrink wrap over crimp connectors has way too much time on his time..... Do you live up north? :bleh: :bleh: :bleh: :bleh:

 

[MixedUpMitch]

Rogue,

I live near Reading, Pa.

Looks like you missed the fact that I also soldered the crimp on connectors too! Not much else to do in Feb. in PA!

Hey Randy,

Some more info for your parts list. I used 10 ga. wire to feed the Blue Sea block. Inline fuse holder from Radio Shack and a automotive relay from Pep Boys, costs less than Radio Shack. 14 ga wire to feed the accessories: Heated grips, xm radio, stebel man horns and a spare. I run my GPS off the tank bag power.

I have plenty of high temp wire loom left over if you need some. This covers the wires running through the engine area.

We have a great place near Reading, Deka battery. Not only do they have an outlet store for all types of batteries, they also have dirt cheap automotive wire and connectors. 50 ft. of 10 ga for around 6 bucks! let me know if I can pick something up for you.

Mitch

 

[Bounce]

Looks like you missed the fact that I also soldered the crimp on connectors too! Not much else to do in Feb. in PA!

You mean everyone doesn't crimp and solder their connections?

 

[JimLor]

Let me ask this - what's the purpose of a "relay?" If it's ok to run wires directly from the battery (-) and (+) to the block, why put a relay in the circuit?

 

[Randy]

Thanks, Mitch. I'll take you up on your offer for the wire loom. I'll let you know when I'm ready for it.

I just ordered the 6-circuit ST Blade Fuse Block here for $23.29. They have a $25 minimum order, so, I got some fuses, also.

I'll check a few sources around here for wire and let you know if I'll need you to pick some up for me.

Thanks again, everyone.

 

[Randy]

Let me ask this - what's the purpose of a "relay?" If it's ok to run wires directly from the battery (-) and (+) to the block, why put a relay in the circuit?

Jim,

You can run it directly if you want the power strip to be hot all the time, however, anything wired into it will result in a power draw when the bike is turned off. And if you've ever seen where they tuck the battery, the last thing you want to do is go through the hassle of trying to get jumper cables in there when your battery goes dead.

The relay, when wired into a circuit that is only on when the bike is running (headlights, running lights, license plate light, etc) allows the power strip to only have juice when the bike is running.

 

[BrunDog]

...I just ordered the 6-circuit ST Blade Fuse Block here for $23.29...

Great price! ~$6 less than I paid!

-BD

 

[JimLor]

Randy - thanks, that makes sense. I was thinking folks were saying to wire the relay between the battery (+) and the BlueSea. Wait a minute, still confused. If you wire the power side to a "key on" wire (ie, I wired my heated grips to my headlight wire) then why put in a relay - the circut won't be hot until the engine (in this case) is on. BrunDog mentions running from the battery thru a relay...won't that keep it hot all the time also?

 

[MixedUpMitch]

I was thinking folks were saying to wire the relay between the battery (+) and the BlueSea. 

You do place the relay between the battery and the BlueSea. This way, the BlueSea is only HOT when the bike is running. Several different ways to trigger the relay on, I think I used the front running lights as many here have done. Also, since the relay is up front in the dash, it was convenient to do so.

Some devices (like XM SkyFi) draw power when turned off. :angry: If the BlueSea was hot all the time you could risk draining the battery.

 

[JimLor]

EUREKA - I figured it out between my 3d and 4th set of bench presses.

Wires run:

1. Battery (-) to BlueSea (ground)

2. Battery (+) to "relay"

3. Out of "relay" to BlueSea

4. Here's the part I figured out the "why" about -- from a switched source to the relay. The relay contains an electro-magnetic switch that requires an outside power source to close! Even though you connect the battery to the relay, the switch is "open" and no power flows. Wire #4 powers the switch which closes the circuit which allows power to flow from the battery to the BlueSea; wire #4 doesn't provide the power to the BlueSea per say. The light finally came on when I figured out that the relay was really a switch.

Hope this helps some other dummies like me, and I sure hope I'm right!

Even though I've only added an intercom, heated grips, and a powerlet outlet, this is the most electrical work I've ever done on a vehicle and I surely appreciate all the expertise and guidance from these pages!

 

[Randy]

EUREKA - I figured it out between my 3d and 4th set of bench presses.
Wires run:

1. Battery (-) to BlueSea (ground)

2. Battery (+) to "relay"

3. Out of "relay" to BlueSea

4. Here's the part I figured out the "why" about -- from a switched source to the relay. The relay contains an electro-magnetic switch that requires an outside power source to close! Even though you connect the battery to the relay, the switch is "open" and no power flows. Wire #4 powers the switch which closes the circuit which allows power to flow from the battery to the BlueSea; wire #4 doesn't provide the power to the BlueSea per say. The light finally came on when I figured out that the relay was really a switch.

Hope this helps some other dummies like me, and I sure hope I'm right!

Even though I've only added an intercom, heated grips, and a powerlet outlet, this is the most electrical work I've ever done on a vehicle and I surely appreciate all the expertise and guidance from these pages!

Believe me, Jim - I appreciate all of the feedback also. This has been a great learning experience for me, and hopefully others.

Here's a link to a diagram I mentioned in my original post that gives a nice visual depiction of one of the ways it could be wired. As was confirmed with other responses, there are variations on how the relay can be wired.

 

[JimLor]

Thanks Randy, just printed the diagram. What slows me down sometimes is that I like to know the "why" in addition to the nuts and bolts of the "how." It is a lot of fun though! Now I have more stocking stuffer stuff to ask for. Good luck with your install. Jim

 

[Bounce]

EUREKA - I figured it out between my 3d and 4th set of bench presses.
Wires run:

1. Battery (-) to BlueSea (ground)

2. Battery (+) to "relay"

3. Out of "relay" to BlueSea

4. Here's the part I figured out the "why" about -- from a switched source to the relay. The relay contains an electro-magnetic switch that requires an outside power source to close! Even though you connect the battery to the relay, the switch is "open" and no power flows. Wire #4 powers the switch which closes the circuit which allows power to flow from the battery to the BlueSea; wire #4 doesn't provide the power to the BlueSea per say. The light finally came on when I figured out that the relay was really a switch.

Hope this helps some other dummies like me, and I sure hope I'm right!

Even though I've only added an intercom, heated grips, and a powerlet outlet, this is the most electrical work I've ever done on a vehicle and I surely appreciate all the expertise and guidance from these pages!

Exactly! And the reason for using such a configuration would be?

Class?

Class?

Beauler?

You can run a heavy gauge wire (10 ga) through the feeder side of the relay to handle the load placed on the device (lights, heated gear, PdB, etc.). You can then run a lower gauge wire for the energizer circuit (#4 above) to activate the relay. That means you can activate the relay with the smallish wires that most OEMs use on their main harness (like the auto-park jumper of the windshield). You don't risk overloading your bike's main wiring harness when adding large loads or multiple, smaller loads that eventually lead to a large load.

 

[TWILKIN650]

Mitch, did you use the stock rubber strap under the rear seat to hold down the Blue Seas box, or is that a longer strap that you show in the pix? Stock strap would seem to be pretty tight if my fitting this afternoon is any indication! But I guess you could use a pair of needlenose pliers to reset the end of the strap over the catch?