12 volt Wiring - switch location

[Rusty99]

Hi folks,

Appreciate if you can look over this diagram & let me know me if it will work? My goal is to have the all my switches by the door(drivers side) but run the majority of wires along passenger side. Thank you



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[edgeau]

The diagram looks like you have them in parallel. For one switch to do them all you will need them in series.

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[GTS225]

Well, the way you are showing it, the lights will be on all the time until the battery goes dead, and there will be a dead short as soon as you throw the switch to "on".

A) You don't have a fuse or breaker protecting the circuit. That should be the first thing off the battery, and in the positive (red) wire.
B) You're showing everything in parallel, even the control switch. Run your grounds (black) to each lighting device, it does not go to the switch.
C) Run your positive (red) to the switch(es) first, then run your reds back to the appropriate terminal at each lighting device. In this manner, your switch is controlling the positive power to the load (light). You can run a single red to multiple switches, then individual reds from each switch to the lights.
D) You won't need 12 gauge wire for LED's. They don't pull enough current to warrant that heavy of a wire. I'd say 16 gauge is plenty.

Hint: Color code your wiring. Run a red to the switches, but use yellow or orange back to the lights. In that way, you will know which wire in a bundle is switched or unswitched, once the interior is all finished, and your only access is at the fixtures or switches.
And in case you don't know it, LED's are polarity sensitive. That means that they will light only when the correct wires are connected to the correct terminals.

Query; You don't really have experience with electrical wiring, or at least schematics, do you?

Roger

[rjgimp]

On a side note, is there a reason you have the door on the driver side only? Seems a rather odd configuration.

[tony.latham]

You need to run the positive wire to the switch and then to the lights.

What is this for? Is this a sorta-teardrop or a larger standie? I'm wondering why six lights?



Tony

[MtnDon]

In making a new diagram run a negative wire to each light.

Then run a positive to a switch and run the wire from the other side of the switch to any light you want that switch to control, anything from a single light to all of them. Repeat for any second or subsequent switches. But any light can only have one switch operating it unless you want to get fancy and use different switches, not just simple on or off switches.

Hope that helps.

[Rusty99]

On a side note, is there a reason you have the door on the driver side only? Seems a rather odd configuration.

For whatever reason, the manufacturer built the door on the driver side, not sure if that is a good thing or not?

[Rusty99]

You need to run the positive wire to the switch and then to the lights.

What is this for? Is this a sorta-teardrop or a larger standie? I'm wondering why six lights?



Tony

Hi Tony,

The wire I am using is 2 wire (red & black 12 gauge) wrapped in a protective sheath. It was recommended to me to have a single ground lug that all the lights/accessories connect to. The thinking was this would eliminate chasing loose or faulty grounds in the trailer. Rather just have a single negative to check. Now that I’ve bought the wire can I run it the way I’m thinking? Appreciate any guidance on this.


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[Rusty99]

You need to run the positive wire to the switch and then to the lights.

What is this for? Is this a sorta-teardrop or a larger standie? I'm wondering why six lights?



Tony

Hi Tony,

The wire I am using is 2 wire (red & black 12 gauge) wrapped in a protective sheath. It was recommended to me to have a single ground lug that all the lights/accessories connect to. The thinking was this would eliminate chasing loose or faulty grounds in the trailer. Rather just have a single negative to check. Now that I’ve bought the wire can I run it the way I’m thinking? Appreciate any guidance on this.


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[Rusty99]

In making a new diagram run a negative wire to each light.

Then run a positive to a switch and run the wire from the other side of the switch to any light you want that switch to control, anything from a single light to all of them. Repeat for any second or subsequent switches. But any light can only have one switch operating it unless you want to get fancy and use different switches, not just simple on or off switches.

Hope that helps.

Hi MtnDon,

My brain is going overtime on this, working on a revised diagram now, trying to wrap my head around this. I am using a 2 wires together in a protective sheath (basically 2 x 12 gauge speaker wire in a casing). Hoping I can make this work with this wire as I have already purchased.

[MtnDon]

The drawing shows 6 lights, three pairs. Are there to be 3 switches, so the three pairs can be independently operated?

If so then you could run a single pair of the red and black wires to the location of the switches. Then from each switch run a wire pair to each light pair. That would provide a solid ground/negative to each light as well as a switched+/hot wire to the pair. Switches all go in + wires.

[tony.latham]

Rusty:

In making a new diagram run a negative wire to each light.

Then run a positive to a switch and run the wire from the other side of the switch to any light you want that switch to control, anything from a single light to all of them. Repeat for any second or subsequent switches. But any light can only have one switch operating it unless you want to get fancy and use different switches, not just simple on or off switches.

Do what MtnDon says. He knows his juice. I think it's time to set that 12AWG cable aside and get a roll of 14 ga mulit-stranded black (single wire) and another one that's red.

T

[Rusty99]

The drawing shows 6 lights, three pairs. Are there to be 3 switches, so the three pairs can be independently operated?

If so then you could run a single pair of the red and black wires to the location of the switches. Then from each switch run a wire pair to each light pair. That would provide a solid ground/negative to each light as well as a switched+/hot wire to the pair. Switches all go in + wires.

Hi Don,

My aim is to have all 6 lights operated by a master single switch located at the door. I should mention that each dual bulb LED light fixture has a 3 position slider switch on it (both bulbs on/ one bulb on/ both off). My hope is that I can use the slider switch to select how much light each dual LED fixture will give. Then use the master switch to control it all. Is this workable?





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[MtnDon]

OK. One switch operating everything and all six lights have their own independent switch as well.

There will be a fuse at the battery, right? (In the + wire)

Is there some real reason to run the wires down the side opposite the switch? That means more wire un-necessarily. Simpler.

What I would do?... Run twin wires (red and black) from the battery/fuse down the switch side to the switch. The red (+) feeds into the switch. The output side of the switch runs a red/black pair to the pair of lights towards the front. Another red/black pair runs to the middle pair of lights. A third red/black pair runs to the third pair of lights.

The red/black wires run from the first light in each pair to the last light in a parallel configuration. That way even if you turn the first light off with the fixtures switch the power continues to the second light in the pair. Depending on how those lights are made you may have to figure out how to connect to the first light and on to the second. You may need space behind the light for the splitting of the red/black to the first light in the pair and on to the last. Wire nuts, whatever.

If the wiring must be on the side opposite the switch, that can work; just uses more wire. But the need to feed the switch first from the battery/fuse is still a necessity. Then the red/black pair can feed whatever lights you want. In other words, in your diagram run the red/black from the battery/fuse directly to the switch. Pass the red through the switch. Then ren red/black to all the lights, one after the other in a parallel configuration. You should be able to remove a light completely or have it fail, and the power (red/black) should still be available downstream.

Seems like a lot of lights unless that is a very big trailer.

[Rusty99]

OK. One switch operating everything and all six lights have their own independent switch as well.

There will be a fuse at the battery, right? (In the + wire)

Is there some real reason to run the wires down the side opposite the switch? That means more wire un-necessarily. Simpler.

What I would do?... Run twin wires (red and black) from the battery/fuse down the switch side to the switch. The red (+) feeds into the switch. The output side of the switch runs a red/black pair to the pair of lights towards the front. Another red/black pair runs to the middle pair of lights. A third red/black pair runs to the third pair of lights.

The red/black wires run from the first light in each pair to the last light in a parallel configuration. That way even if you turn the first light off with the fixtures switch the power continues to the second light in the pair. Depending on how those lights are made you may have to figure out how to connect to the first light and on to the second. You may need space behind the light for the splitting of the red/black to the first light in the pair and on to the last. Wire nuts, whatever.

If the wiring must be on the side opposite the switch, that can work; just uses more wire. But the need to feed the switch first from the battery/fuse is still a necessity. Then the red/black pair can feed whatever lights you want. In other words, in your diagram run the red/black from the battery/fuse directly to the switch. Pass the red through the switch. Then ren red/black to all the lights, one after the other in a parallel configuration. You should be able to remove a light completely or have it fail, and the power (red/black) should still be available downstream.

Seems like a lot of lights unless that is a very big trailer.

Hi Don,

I must say a big thank you for your input so far it has given me hope that I can get this done. My project has been stalled since 2015 & I am determined to get it done by spring.

From you advice above when I run the twin red/black pair from the battery/fuse to the switch. What do I do with the black on both ends (input & output) side of switch? Do I connect black to something or is it not used?

Also wondering when connecting the lights together where does black connect on each of the 2 wires on the LED lights?

Attaching new diagram for feedback please.

Thanks


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