Light Connecting For Yerfdog 3203

[fenderbassfan]

So I remedied the issue of tiny front tires (Azusa Tri-Star 8" Rims and Honda Mini-Trail 50 Tires), but now put lights on it and don't know how to connect it and run them the way I want. I bought two small 12 volt batteries and want to connect each light to it's own battery and connect a switch to turnoff/run one light/ or run two lights. They are very bright lights and don't have a stator to charge the batteries so I want a way to run only one at a time for maximum battery life for long trips at night in the desert. Each light has a black and red wire, BUT they came with a connector to that connects the two wires into one wire (see picture).

 

[fenderbassfan]

Here is another view of the wiring for each light (2 from light into a single wire connector. So does anyone know how I would connect these and what kinda switch and where to get one. Thanks in advance.

 

[Valocalrep]

I bet someone smarter will chime in but i think you have to run each wire sepratly. Running them together wont make the proper circut. Just pick up any on off switch of your fancy from any auto parts place. Hook it up in your positive line (or negative line doesnt matter) then run the rest of the positive to the battery positive side and the same thing with the negative side. then the switch "Should" work to turn the light on and off and do that for each light to each battery and each one is contolled on it own.

 

[fenderbassfan]

I bet someone smarter will chime in but i think you have to run each wire sepratly. Running them together wont make the proper circut. Just pick up any on off switch of your fancy from any auto parts place. Hook it up in your positive line (or negative line doesnt matter) then run the rest of the positive to the battery positive side and the same thing with the negative side. then the switch "Should" work to turn the light on and off and do that for each light to each battery and each one is contolled on it own.

Thanks for reply. Yes. I could run them separately, but I thought there must be a three-way switch to do it the way I described as it would be great to have to install only one switch for that. It would be easier and maybe less battery draining to use one until that battery ran out and then use the other battery. It is kinda complicated but there must be some switch to use one light off of one battery then the other or both at the same time. I guess it'd have to be a 4-way switch.

 

[joekd]

They do exist but it will be world's easier to run 2 switches instead of 1 multi switch, will end up cheaper too

 

[Inventorpardue]

I can draw it up, but I need to comprehend what you want it to do...
So, a couple of questions first:

Each light has one Red and one Black wire?
Each light operates on 12 Volts?

You want to operate the lights in a total of 4 modes:
1) Light A from Battery A
2) Light B from Battery B
3) Light A from Battery A and Light B from Battery B together,
4) Off

Jon

 

[Inventorpardue]

They do exist but it will be world's easier to run 2 switches instead of 1 multi switch, will end up cheaper too

I located a six dollar rotary switch with 3 poles and 4-positions.

Drew that with dual lights, dual batteries, and dual fuses.

This gets you OFF ::: Light A ::: Light B ::: BOTH Lights and keeps the batteries independent.

 

[fenderbassfan]

I located a six dollar rotary switch with 3 poles and 4-positions.

Drew that with dual lights, dual batteries, and dual fuses.

This gets you OFF ::: Light A ::: Light B ::: BOTH Lights and keeps the batteries independent.

Thx! I ordered it plus a couple of fuse holders and a can of electrical contact cleaner that I needed for something else. Did you get that schematic from somewhere or did you figure it out yourself? Now all I need is to find or make a protective box for the switch and figure out a way to mount the batteries (I have a plan that should work well). Thx again!

 

[Inventorpardue]

Thx! I ordered it plus a couple of fuse holders and a can of electrical contact cleaner that I needed for something else. Did you get that schematic from somewhere or did you figure it out yourself? Now all I need is to find or make a protective box for the switch and figure out a way to mount the batteries (I have a plan that should work well). Thx again!

Drew that wiring diagram based on what you wanted to do. Been designing circuits a long time. Have drawn thousands of wiring diagrams on my computer, just added some for OldMiniBikes members this week such as this one and this one in the past few days, and yours...

You are welcome, and welcome to the OldMiniBikes forum. Great members here!

 

[wildman]

Inventor,

Not intending to hijack this thread, but this seemed like as good of a place as any for this inquiry.

Perhaps you can help me resolve a lighting issue with my 70s vintage Sperry Rand Tricart. I recently acquired an original headlight for this trike and I’m a little confused on the wiring. The headlight (pictured) has 3 wires exiting the assembly (obviously the wring is not original). One wire is presumably a dedicated ground due to the one-piece fiberglass body/frame and no other continuity path between the headlight and the engine. The engine (JLO L230 2-stroke) has lighting coil and those 2 wires exiting the engine housing. This engine is currently disassembled so I haven’t yet been able verify the lighting coil output. There is no battery, so the light operates directly from the coil. The only wiring documentation I have on this circuit is the pictured parts diagram of the light kit, which shows the headlight w/3 wires and the engine’s 2 wires. One of the light's 3 wires is illustrated with a ring terminal, which I believe helps to support my ground wire theory. The switch is incorporated into the headlight housing. The parts diagram also shows taillights, which I don’t have (yet). I’m guessing that the coil output is AC, so wouldn’t this require some kind of rectifier? :shrug:

Any help appreciated.

View attachment 52583

View attachment 52584

 

[Inventorpardue]

wildman,

If you or the moderators decide to create a new thread, I will follow it.

My initial take on your headlight wiring is here.

Looks like the OEM headlight may have had a dual-beam bulb because one wire appears to have a circular lug for a ground connection. I am not sure.

It appears your headlight bucket has a switch for powering the lights OFF and ON, and a tap for the tail light. See diagram.

If a member has further knowledge, I will update my diagram to reflect it.

Jon

 

[fenderbassfan]

I located a six dollar rotary switch with 3 poles and 4-positions.

Drew that with dual lights, dual batteries, and dual fuses.

This gets you OFF ::: Light A ::: Light B ::: BOTH Lights and keeps the batteries independent.

So in your diagram it looks like you just ground the black ground wire from the light together connected to both ground terminals on the battery? Also, the lights came with a connecting wire that connected both the positive and negative to one wire. Would I just abandon those connectors?

 

[Inventorpardue]

"So in your diagram it looks like you just ground the black ground wire from the light together connected to both ground terminals on the battery?"

I followed convention used on most diagrams, and showed the battery negatives, and one side of the lights, connected to the frame of the kart as "ground".

You do NOT have to do that.

You could connect one wire from light A, to battery negative on battery A,

then

connect one wire from light B, to battery negative on battery B.

You can also connect all the "ground" wires together, that is both battery negative terminals, and one wire from each light.

"Also, the lights came with a connecting wire that connected both the positive and negative to one wire. Would I just abandon those connectors?"

Follow my diagram and it will work. I do not know how those connectors you are speaking of could work to get the lights control you envision.

 

[fenderbassfan]

I followed convention used on most diagrams, and showed the battery negatives, and one side of the lights, connected to the frame of the kart as "ground". You do NOT have to do that. You could connect one wire from light A, to battery negative on battery A, then connect one wire from light B, to battery negative on battery B. You can also connect all the "ground" wires together, that is both battery negative terminals, and one wire from each light.

Ok. Thanks. One more thing then. If I ground each black wire from the light to the frame (and of course connect each light's red wire to the positive terminal on the battery), your diagram would then indicate I would ground the [-] terminal of each battery to the frame with a wire, right ?

 

[Inventorpardue]

Yes that is correct. The metal frame of the kart carries power through it.