I am about to add some Hella reverse lights under the rear bumper of my truck. I plan on wiring them totally independent of the truck's system, getting power from under the hood and operated only by a switch (not tied into factory reverse lights).


I also have a wig/wag relay I had on a previous truck. Not a whole box just simple relay. I am thinking of adding this relay to the reverse lights so they will wig/wag when I want them to (in case I am following equipment, etc).


My question is this: What is the best way to wire this thing in?


Can I just basically "wire it twice" with seperate two switches? Wire it once with my normal switch and then again with the wig wag relay on another switch. Will that hurt anything? I plan on keeping the whole system independent of the trucks wiring so it won't hurt anything. I plan on using a relay with the regular reverse wiring, also.











Now, here is the question.Edited by: DuckhunterInTN

Do you want the wig wags on the OEM reverse lights or on your hella lights?


How does your wig wag work? Is there a controller for it? Does it use a flasher of some sort? Do you have a wiring diagram you can post for it?


It is going to be relatively easy to do the wig wag is the only thing I am uncertain of.


I would hook it up with some kind of 4 way switch or two seperate switches.


IF I had a 4 way switch I would hook it up so that one position is allows your hellas to come on when the your trucks back up lights are one, position two turns them on while in position 2, position 3 is wig way and position 4 is off. Of course those could in any order.


With 2 switches you could have something like one switch with 3 positions. position 1, on with reverse, poistion 2 off, possition 3 on.


The the 2nd switch would would be wig wag on.

Ok, help the people that led sheltered lives! What the heck is a wig wag?


MaxRock

Max,



wig wags are the alternating blinking lights LE/Rescue vehicles use, it grabs attention when seen.

Most commonly seen on police car headlights.

The wig wag flasher resembles a relay, not a whole controller with a switch and wires all that. It has 3 tabs like on a relay on the outside of the box They are like this:


Tab 1: Left light


Tab 2: Right light


Tab 3: Power





Would it be as simple as wiring in another switch and relay and tie the wire that would normally go to the lights into "tab 3" on the flasher relay? The splice wires from "tab 1" and "tab 2" into the wires running from the regular switch?





On a side note, where is the best place close to the cab to tie into the factory reverse lights?





Edited by: DuckhunterInTN

Better check with local laws on the legality.....

cid,


Thanks!!http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/smiley9.gif

There are several ways to do it. One involves a couple relays and a switch or two, the other would be to find out how many amps the lights draw by using a digital volt meter and measure amps. Another way would be to use a heavy double pole switch. Which way would you prefer? The relays is probably the easiest providing you can find a source for them.

Rat,


Good point. I researched the laws and it seems like they would be legal for the average person. But either way, I probably be ok as I am a LEO.





Max Power,


Of the three ways you described, the only one I understood was the one involving relays and switches...http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/smiley36.gif


What would the other ways involve?


See, I don't really have that great of an understanding as far as relays and what all they accomplish. Will they keep any power from backfeeding into factory wiring?

Ahhh, you have diplomatic imunityhttp://www.dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/smiley16.gif No worries then.


Even the average joe dont get hasseled most times if they arent doing anything stupid but one *can* get busted for up to impersonating and that is a big deal. I have clear strobes in my light bar and technicly its not legal but I dont try to pull people over(all though for some reason people do for the amberhttp://www.dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/smiley5.gif).


I started trying to explain a relay and started confusing myselfhttp://www.dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/smiley9.gif the12volt.com has lotsa descriptions of stuff and is really helpfull.

Yeah, the funny thing is I don't want lights on the truck so I can use them for anything police related. I just want them in the truck so I can use it when I am on the side of the road or following farm equipment. But I still want to be totally legal, regardless of my "immunity" http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/smiley1.gif


Our laws in TN seem to prohibit any wig wags or strobes on anything other than an "emergency vehicle." But every construction truck (aka 3/4 ton diesels) I see working the highways (private construction companies) have strobes in their head and tail lights. So I don't know if there is a loophole I am not finding or they just ignore the law (like you said, they aren't doing anything stupid with them).


The law says that they cannot be in the taillamps or brake lamps or in the grill or headlamps on the vehicle. My reverse lights are mounted under the bumper away from the tail and brake lamps so I believe I would be ok. In TN I believe your truck would be OK with strobe up there because they are not in the grill or taillamp area.

Here is my crude diagram. I never was a very good drawer. http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/smiley9.gif


http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/uploads/MaxPower/2004-11-02_085150_wigwag.JPG

Thanks a lot.


What would be wrong, though, with having one relay before the flasher instead of two?


Then one wire from it to the flasher, where it then splits off to each light?





This is my main question: Assuming I have a normal switched reverse light setup (not turned on by the factory reverse lights, only on a switch) on the truck, where do I tie in the wig wag wires?


On the above diagram, would it be just anywhere between the relays and the lights?Edited by: DuckhunterInTN

If you only were to use one relay, your wigwag wouldn't work. It would feedback through the circuit and your lights would just be on steady when you turn the wig wags on.


The wig wag wires will go to terminal 87a as the diagram shows. The box marked "wig wag" is supposed to be the wig way module.


I hope this makes sense.

One thing I should clarify with the wiring diagram. WHen the wires cross they are not to be joined unless there is a o (circle) which indicates a join.

If you only were to use one relay, your wigwag wouldn't work. It would feedback through the circuit and your lights would just be on steady when you turn the wig wags on.





It works like that right now and is basically set up that way.


Right now it has a power wire from a switch coming to the "power" tab on the wig wag and then a wire running to each light from the other two tabs....which is basically the same thing.


I believe the wig wag relay has a something built in to prevent the feedback you describe...

Can you post pictures or something? Does the wig wag module have an input that allows you to turn the lights on instead of wig wagging?


If the module works the way you descrive it and the way I think it does, I am definately right about the feedback issue.

I don't have pics of it right now. It looks just like a regular old relay but just a little bigger, and has 3 tabs for attaching wires to it. No switch or button or anything.


The only way you control its functions or whether it is on or off is by controlling the power coming to it.


And I don't see how you could be correct about as it works correctly now when wired like this:





12v power----Switch----Tab 3 [Wig wag relay] Tab 1-------Lamp 1


Tab 2-------Lamp 2


Hope you can make sense of my crude diagram!http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/smiley36.gif

It does not look like this thing:


http://www.rimindustries.com/able2/03.0771.htm





It does resemble this thing:


http://www.thaitambon.com/tambon/tesmedesc.asp?ID=100803&amp (http://www.thaitambon.com/tambon/tesmedesc.asp?ID=100803&SME=0361092110) ;SME=0361092110

Does the wig wag module require you to cut the wire going to the lights and splice it in between?

Ok if it only has 3 tabs then I am correct in my first assumption.

I will try to explain. It would be a lot easier if you would just trust me. http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/hihi.gif

Here is how it is wired now, correct?
http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/uploads/MaxPower/2004-11-02_114956_now.JPG





Here is why it won't work


http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/uploads/MaxPower/2004-11-02_115042_nowork.JPG


Here is another way you can do it:


http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/uploads/MaxPower/2004-11-02_115106_dp.JPG


And another:
http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/uploads/MaxPower/2004-11-02_115200_doide.JPG

Gotcha, excellent diagramming and explaining.


I did not realize you were saying that it would not work in conjunction with the normal reverse light wiring. I thought you were just saying that it would not work with one relay if it was "stand alone" which I was having a hard time understanding because it currently works like that now (but that is their only function, they cannot operate as normal lights).


That makes perfect sense that the switch/relay in the regular reverse light setup would cause power to get to both lights.


http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/smiley32.gif

I have another question now...http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/smiley5.gif http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/smiley17.gif





If I wanted to make the lights come on automatically with the reverse lights (and didn't care about being able to defeat that feature) then all I would have to do is simply add a relay that was switched on by the activation of the factory reverse lights and tie the power wire from that relay in anywhere in the wire (which is coming from the relay to the lights) going to the lights, correct???