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Wiring switches up question

jeepfreak1020

jeepfreak1020

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Thornton
Ok so since I have so many switches for different thing now I finaly decided to make a custom plate to go where the ash tray was and it looks pretty cool. Im going to have a total of 5 switches. My question is can I ground one switch to another, so just ground all 5 together then just run one wire out and ground that one wire. So all 5 will still be grounded but so I dont have to run 5 different wires out?

Could I do this with the power one to? The wire to the battery or no?

Im just trying to use as little wires as I can so I dont have a huge cluster under the dash.
 
This is going to depend a bit on what you're wiring up. If it's all just basic lighted 12V on/off switches and they all require the same output (+ or -), then yes, you can share wires. One shared 12V+ for the input, one shared 12V- to ground the indicator lights, and a separate 12V+ output for each switch. This will give you a total of 7 wires. To give you an idea, here's the wiring for my panel of 8 switches:

100_7665.jpg


I used all Carling switches with dual lights. This is why each switch has two grounds, and two 12v+ inputs. As you can see though, they are all still wired directly to each other. Blue is my 12V+ ignition switched input and is shared by all 8 switches. Orange is my variable 12V+ dimmer signal for the back lighting and is shared by all 8 switches. Black is my ground and is shared by both grounds on each switch for a total of 16 (it's also just tapped into a nearby ground that happened to be handy). The Cat5 wiring is the 12V+ switch outputs and are the only ones that need to be separated as they will each trigger a separate relay.

Now if you have some circuits that require a switched 12V+ and some that require a switched 12V-, then that is a different story. You can still share wires, the switches just need to be linked to each other differently.
 
What are you trying to switch !!!!!!! If its just relaty,OK! If your try to switch "heavy loads" then "no way"
 
fyrfytr1717 said:
All the pics are still missing from those links..
Click to expand...

No they are not(well yes not there),READ and follow thru the thread.It takes you to some original links.
 
RCP Phx said:
What are you trying to switch !!!!!!! If its just relaty,OK! If your try to switch "heavy loads" then "no way"
Click to expand...

Of course I'm switching relays... If you're switching "heavy loads" via dash mounted switches, then relays are the only way to do it properly.

And hey, you're the one that just provided the link to the FitchBox thread. The way I wired my switches is essentially how FitchVA wires up his "Switch Box", even down to the Cat5 wiring for the outputs that you seem to be so concerned about. Mine's just in my OHC instead of a fabbed up box.

100_8412.jpg


RCP Phx said:
No they are not(well yes not there),READ and follow thru the thread.It takes you to some original links.
Click to expand...

I can READ, thanks. The pics are available in his gallery as well as in the write ups on his site. If you were really trying to be helpful, why didn't you just provide one of those "original links" instead of searching here for "fitch box" and posting up a link to the first thread that looked good? I was just pointing out that since his site went down, all the pic links in those NAXJA threads have been broken.

And OP, here's the link to the above mentioned site http://fitchva.com/jeep/. Click on "Electrical" under the "Writeups" menu for a bunch of good information...
 
You can use a bus bar for your ground and you could also use a bus bar for the hot as long as all your loads are run off of relays and the bus bar is well insulated.
 
fyrfytr1717 said:
This is going to depend a bit on what you're wiring up. If it's all just basic lighted 12V on/off switches and they all require the same output (+ or -), then yes, you can share wires. One shared 12V+ for the input, one shared 12V- to ground the indicator lights, and a separate 12V+ output for each switch. This will give you a total of 7 wires. To give you an idea, here's the wiring for my panel of 8 switches:

100_7665.jpg


I used all Carling switches with dual lights. This is why each switch has two grounds, and two 12v+ inputs. As you can see though, they are all still wired directly to each other. Blue is my 12V+ ignition switched input and is shared by all 8 switches. Orange is my variable 12V+ dimmer signal for the back lighting and is shared by all 8 switches. Black is my ground and is shared by both grounds on each switch for a total of 16 (it's also just tapped into a nearby ground that happened to be handy). The Cat5 wiring is the 12V+ switch outputs and are the only ones that need to be separated as they will each trigger a separate relay.

Now if you have some circuits that require a switched 12V+ and some that require a switched 12V-, then that is a different story. You can still share wires, the switches just need to be linked to each other differently.
Click to expand...

I give you high points for organization and layout. But cat5 cable? Seriously? LOL
 
jeeperjohn said:
He's running relays. Cat 5 is ideal for this setup :thumbup:
Click to expand...

I don't care if he is running relays - non-stranded wire is just a bad idea because vibration will kill it. That 24ga stuff is only good for about half of an amp and it has about 4x the resistance of a nice stranded 18ga. It was designed for data transmission, not current capacity. Bad choice.
 
DieselSJ said:
I don't care if he is running relays - non-stranded wire is just a bad idea because vibration will kill it. That 24ga stuff is only good for about half of an amp and it has about 4x the resistance of a nice stranded 18ga. It was designed for data transmission, not current capacity. Bad choice.
Click to expand...

I can't argue your point on vibration, especially in a JeepSpeed application like you'd be wiring for. JeepSpeed seems to have a way of vibrating things to pieces. :shiver:

As for Cat5's intended use. Sure, it was designed for data transmission. But copper is copper and half an amp of capacity provides a 3x safety margin for the ~0.16 amps that a standard Bosch relay draws.

I used Cat5 for a few reasons:
1. I got the idea from FitchVA's write ups
2. Space savings under my already crowded A pillar trim piece
3. Easy to make quick disconnects using RJ45 plugs so my OHC is easily removable
4. I could only find 18g sprinkler wire in a 7 conductor flavor, Cat5 had the 8 I needed

Will it hold up in the long run? I guess time will tell. I'm not the least bit worried about it's current carrying capacity though.
 
jeepfreak1020 said:
The 5 switches I have are;

bumper lights which are Hella 500's,
my roof lights which are the same
my aux fan that I run on a switch
back-up lights
and my rock light

The switches I was run are just round rocker whitches with a LED light. Like these
http://www.jeepforum.com/forum/f11/my-new-switch-panel-632664/
Click to expand...

If you're running the switch panel in the link you provided (with a 5th switch added in), then it appears the LED's are independent of the switch operation. They're just there for back lighting of the switch labels. Assuming you're running relays for each of those accessories (which you should be if you want your switches to have any chance of holding up), you can wire it up as follows:

1 ignition switched 12V+ wire into the ashtray pocket either bused or linked to one leg of each switch and the red wire on your LED array

1 ground wire into the ashtray pocket connected to the black wire on your LED array

5 individual wires out of the ashtray pocket connecting the second leg of each switch to its respective relay

(If by chance you used my aux fan wiring write up, you need to make a minor modification as it requires a switched ground rather than a switched 12V+.)

I'd suggest wiring an inline plug under your shifter bezel to make it easy to diconnect the wiring the next time you need to remove your center console. You can pick up a 9 pin plug pretty cheap at Radio Shack. I didn't use my ashtray, but here's what I did to give you an idea:

100_7692.jpg


100_7698.jpg


100_7693.jpg
 
fuzzydog said:
THIS:

is one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen. :yelclap: on doing a good job! I only wish I was that meticulous.
Click to expand...

Thanks! I appreciate the compliment as it's just one of those little details that are hidden away and never seen (or appreciated) by the passengers in my Jeep.
 
xcm said:
just because the thread got swayed to wiring porn, heres a pic from shannon cambels 4wd class-1 for no apparent tech reason.
Click to expand...

You're right, no reason for that post in this thread, but WOW! That's impressive... :worship:
 
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