Hey guys, I'm planning on installing additional lighting around the truck for off-road, loading and working in the dark purposes. These questions may seem basic for some, but I'm not experienced with creating new circuitry. I'll be using a seperate mini fusebox I pulled from an old car and illuminated switches to complete the setup. I thought it was simple at first but now I'm realizing that this may be a bit more difficult than previously imagined.

All lights are rated at 12 volts but, how can I figure out what amperage will be needed for each light? I need to make sure I'm selecting the right fuses and the right switches to perform this. And how cn I control that amperage?

thanks

 

Get a fire extinguisher. Not that it will help too much with an electrical fire, but still, get one.

 

Well, come on, i'm not an idiot either. I know what kind of cable I'll need, the worst that can happen is end up with a wad of blown fuses.

 

Are the bulbs new? There should be some paperwork describing what size fuse should be necessary to protect that ciruit. Try posting this in the Stereo and Electronics section and I bet you'll get more hits. Also, search for a website called "the12volt.com" (I think that's it, not sure, but if you type 12volt.com into google I bet you'll find it). That website has a wealth of info about electrical mobile installs...A good digital multimeter is a tool that I'd recommend to you, even with something as simple as installing auxilary lighting. If this is your first time dealing with electrical circuits, do some homework first, a poor electrical install can cause a miriad of problems in the future, worst case scenario being an electrical fire lol.

 

amps=Watts/Volts

 

amen. I wired my old ranger up and had problems every day afterwards. then again I was 16 when I did it.

 

hahaha me two it took me and a friend like 3 months to figure out what went wrong when we installed my stereo in my truck,.. electrical still boggles my mind. because the only thing i know about it is red (+) black (-) hahaha and ohms/watts but other than that im dumb ha

 

You should be sure to wire the lights to relays, not directly to the switches.

 

Lol...oops, yeah I suppose posting in the right forum would probably work better next time. I'll link it to electronics. I actually have a couple really good multimeters and a load of car wiring as I've very often replaced already existing wires in vehicles before. I've done a lot of car stereo work. Car stereos are easy as all you need is to wire directly from a 12V positive and Ground wires, then send wires from your Deck to all your speakers and receiver to the Antenna. Fuse is already installed for you. But creating new circuitry from scratch without a guide seems a bit tricky...

This website you provided really seems great for this stuff. I'll definitely read that through right away. Thanks!

 

what lights are you planning to install?

Most, you can run a dedicated line from the + terminal, to a fuse then a switch, and you are golden. If you have multiple sets, and arent going to pull an assload of current, you can also put in a small distribution block, like you would for multiple car audio amplifiers.

Now, if you only want them to come on with high beams, etc, you can also put in a relay.