regulator for light bar

[blackvalkyrie]

I bought a  accessory switch for my 97 valk ( installing engine guard lights) and I may want to install a light bar later... the web site says if I am going to draw more than 2amps I should get a relay. the vendor, cruiser customizing  does not have the relay, told me to call Big Bike Parts, their source for this switch. They too don't know much about it. I found a Rivco 30 amp electric relay on cruiser customizing, but it looks like it's more for an air horn. Does anyone know where I can pick up a relay? Will an auto parts store work? Also, where the heck does it plug in?
Thanks!

[hubcapsc]

relay demystification:



trigger your relay with your accessory wire, when the relay is triggered, power flows
directly from the battery through your relay to your accessory. Triggering the relay
is a negligible draw... relays can be had the the autoparts store for $5 - $10...

-Mike

[blackvalkyrie]

WOW!!!! thanks so much   do you recommend any particular brand?

relay demystification:



trigger your relay with your accessory wire, when the relay is triggered, power flows
directly from the battery through your relay to your accessory. Triggering the relay
is a negligible draw... relays can be had the the autoparts store for $5 - $10...

-Mike

[hubcapsc]

I looked around at different brands at autoparts stores and on Amazon recently
when I needed a couple.

I thought this $17 solid state ceramic  Hella one looked like the bomb:



... but I ended up using el-cheapo looking ones from the autoparts store...
It seems wrong to buy something that is dirt cheap and has as
many little tiny moving parts as a mechanical relay, but they still work 

-Mike

[Gryphon Rider]

Any pair of driving lights 55W each or less is going to draw less than 10 amps, so virtually any generic off-the-rack 12V 20A-40A cube relay will be fine.  Auxiliary lights are not a mission-critical, so I wouldn't be fussy about brand name, but Bosch, Tyco, Potter & Brumfield, Siemens, Omron, and Hella all have well-known names and reputations to uphold, so I would be fine with any of them.  If you're not getting a sealed relay, be sure to put it somewhere less likely to get wet.  As for plugging it in, you can buy relays that come with a socket with pigtail wires, or you can buy terminals for your wires that fit the 1/4" tabs that come out the bottom of the relay.

Any relay that looks like this will be easy to find:



An example of a pigtail socket:



Or skip the pigtail socket and just use these on the ends of your wires to connect to the relay:



As far as "many little tiny moving parts" goes, relays are almost as simple as any electrical device can be.

[blackvalkyrie]

thanks!

I looked around at different brands at autoparts stores and on Amazon recently
when I needed a couple.

I thought this $17 solid state ceramic  Hella one looked like the bomb:



... but I ended up using el-cheapo looking ones from the autoparts store...
It seems wrong to buy something that is dirt cheap and has as
many little tiny moving parts as a mechanical relay, but they still work 

-Mike

[blackvalkyrie]

thanks... all you folks are the best..i appreciate it!

Any pair of driving lights 55W each or less is going to draw less than 10 amps, so virtually any generic off-the-rack 12V 20A-40A cube relay will be fine.  Auxiliary lights are not a mission-critical, so I wouldn't be fussy about brand name, but Bosch, Tyco, Potter & Brumfield, Siemens, Omron, and Hella all have well-known names and reputations to uphold, so I would be fine with any of them.  If you're not getting a sealed relay, be sure to put it somewhere less likely to get wet.  As for plugging it in, you can buy relays that come with a socket with pigtail wires, or you can buy terminals for your wires that fit the 1/4" tabs that come out the bottom of the relay.

Any relay that looks like this will be easy to find:



An example of a pigtail socket:



Or skip the pigtail socket and just use these on the ends of your wires to connect to the relay:



As far as "many little tiny moving parts" goes, relays are almost as simple as any electrical device can be.