Basic Electrical Question

[Red Dog]

Called and talked to a Kuryakyn representative about their brake and clutch reservoir mounted three place accessory switch housings.
He told me that the switch housings have a total of five wires.
A positive and a negative wire that connects to the battery positive and negative posts that supplies a completed positive and negative loop for the switch housing.
The three other fused wires come from each individual switch to supply power to an accessory.
Each individual accessory is then grounded to the frame or battery.
It seems to me there should be three more wires. One for each of the three switches to take advantage of the negative side at the housing.

Now the question.
Why is there a negative wire ran to the housing if each accessory has to be individually grounded?
What purpose does the switch housing negative wire serve?

Yep. Pretty dumb.

[Patrick]

An individual fused power lead goes to an accessory. Then that accessory is either grounded thru its mounting bolts/screws or a separate ground wire from the accessory. As long as it is grounded, it is grounded. There is no need to route an extra wire back to the switch.

[hubcapsc]

I would view the switch housing as an accessory... it needs hot and ground.

Your other three accessories need hot and ground too... their hots are one of the
three wires (hot or not, depending on the associated button) and you find
some place to ground them.

-Mike

[Gryphon Rider]

Red is fused from the battery and provides power to your accessories via the switches, AND to the LEDs on the switches.  White (grey?), yellow, and blue wires are the switched hot wires to your accessories, which are each grounded to complete the circuits.  The black wire provides the ground for the LEDs that indicate that the switches are on.

[Red Dog]

Now I get it. The switch LEDS need a ground because they can not carry a 10 amp load?

[big poppa pump]

Now I get it. The switch LEDS need a ground because they can not carry a 10 amp load?

The switch LED's need a ground because the LED's won't light up without a ground wire! The 10A load is carried by the switched hot wires.

[Gryphon Rider]

Now I get it. The switch LEDS need a ground because they can not carry a 10 amp load?

Maybe.  But more likely because the end device determines whether current is actually flowing through the circuit.  Say the switch is for a power outlet, like a cigarette lighter receptacle.  If there wasn't anything plugged into it and turned on, there would be no current passing through the wire between the Kury switch and the receptacle, thus the LED would be off.  Presumably, you want the LED to be lit if the switched circuit is hot, regardless of what's going on at the end device, so the LED is wired with its own ground.

[Mn. Norseman]

My three switches each turn a relay on or off so there is minimal amps going through the switch. the relays are cheap and easy to replace, let them carry the load.

[hubcapsc]

My three switches each turn a relay on or off so there is minimal amps going through the switch. the relays are cheap and easy to replace, let them carry the load.

 

[Red Dog]

Thanks everyone for your replies and info.
GR, your answers seem to turn the light on for me. So to speak.
MN, thanks for the reminder about including relays.
Believe I am back on track now.