Barry the Hatchet
New member
ok, its a long story but the short of it is me and a buddy are having a pimp my sled contest. winner gets 200 bones so its a welfare pimp job but i wanna win. so far ive got a cheesy hot rod flames paint job and all the fake chrome i can find, if i get the bogey wheel spinners to work i think ive got her wrapped up. then today whilst browsing the local princess auto i came across a whole wall of neon led light accesories. purple was on sale so i got 4 flexible 6 inch light strips, twenty feet of light rope and a black light for under 15 bux. i wanna wire the blacklight under the hood and the light rope up under the tunnel and ill think of something for the strips, anyway...
how do i go about wiring up this lighting? is it as simple as finding a hot wire from the instrument cluster and a decent ground?
would grounding to the frame work or do i need a system ground.?
could i tap into the +/- for my handlebar warmers?
and does anybody know what happens when you run a dc 12 volt system in series or in parallel?
also, has anyone ever put a stereo on a snowmobile, wouldnt make much sense on my loud *** baffleless triple, but might be doable on one of those quiet *** 4 strokes.???
how do i go about wiring up this lighting? is it as simple as finding a hot wire from the instrument cluster and a decent ground?
would grounding to the frame work or do i need a system ground.?
could i tap into the +/- for my handlebar warmers?
and does anybody know what happens when you run a dc 12 volt system in series or in parallel?
also, has anyone ever put a stereo on a snowmobile, wouldnt make much sense on my loud *** baffleless triple, but might be doable on one of those quiet *** 4 strokes.???
boondoctor
New member
You gotta post some pics of this, i almost feel sorry for that Yamaha.
FuzzButt
New member
Your kidding right?
Well if your serious about lighting up some 12v stuff keep in mind that the entire sled runs on AC voltage not DC like a car would have. If you have electric start then there is some DC stuff (namely a rectifier and a voltage regulator) just to charge the battery. If you don't have electric start you can forget about an easy way to hook up any aux lighting. If you do have a battery then install a 5 amp fused lead off the battery and wire it up. You can ground to the chassis.
Like I said above the sled is all AC. The hand warmers run on AC as does all the lights, ignition, etc... So no you can't tap into the warmers or the dash lights.
Putting a little electrical theory (from Electricity and Basic Electronics textbook) in play to answer the series/parallel question. I have no idea what you mean with your question but here is the simple answer. In a series circuit the load from each device runs thru all the devices in the chain. For instance 2 lights wired in series would have the + going to the first light connector 1 then from connector 2 to the second light connector 1 then connector 2 to ground. If both lights were 50 ohm the total resistance for the series circiut would be 100ohm. In a series circuit Rt=R1+R2. In the Parallel circuit the same 2 50 ohm loads would place a 25 ohm load. In a parallel circuit Rt=R/N. So to answer your question what happens when you run a system in Series or Parallel. Well most electrical systems use a combination of both. Your PC's power supply has many different parallel and series and combination (called Network) circuits and it works correctly. For instance the circuit that powers your hard drives is a series circuit. However if you have a quality power supply then each of the different leads for the hard drives will be run parallel to each other. This is primarily because you can only run so much amperage thru a given wire size.
As far as a radio goes. Where would you put it? There is no real room for the head unit let alone a speaker. Plus the sled is so loud you may not even hear the output.
I hope this helps some. Keep in mind hacking on a sleds wiring is not recommended. It's not worth the risk. Reliability is your objective. The severe environment our sleds operate can cause issues you might not be able to plan for if you modify the electrical system. It is a balanced system capable of about 300 watts for your model year.
Well if your serious about lighting up some 12v stuff keep in mind that the entire sled runs on AC voltage not DC like a car would have. If you have electric start then there is some DC stuff (namely a rectifier and a voltage regulator) just to charge the battery. If you don't have electric start you can forget about an easy way to hook up any aux lighting. If you do have a battery then install a 5 amp fused lead off the battery and wire it up. You can ground to the chassis.
Like I said above the sled is all AC. The hand warmers run on AC as does all the lights, ignition, etc... So no you can't tap into the warmers or the dash lights.
Putting a little electrical theory (from Electricity and Basic Electronics textbook) in play to answer the series/parallel question. I have no idea what you mean with your question but here is the simple answer. In a series circuit the load from each device runs thru all the devices in the chain. For instance 2 lights wired in series would have the + going to the first light connector 1 then from connector 2 to the second light connector 1 then connector 2 to ground. If both lights were 50 ohm the total resistance for the series circiut would be 100ohm. In a series circuit Rt=R1+R2. In the Parallel circuit the same 2 50 ohm loads would place a 25 ohm load. In a parallel circuit Rt=R/N. So to answer your question what happens when you run a system in Series or Parallel. Well most electrical systems use a combination of both. Your PC's power supply has many different parallel and series and combination (called Network) circuits and it works correctly. For instance the circuit that powers your hard drives is a series circuit. However if you have a quality power supply then each of the different leads for the hard drives will be run parallel to each other. This is primarily because you can only run so much amperage thru a given wire size.
As far as a radio goes. Where would you put it? There is no real room for the head unit let alone a speaker. Plus the sled is so loud you may not even hear the output.
I hope this helps some. Keep in mind hacking on a sleds wiring is not recommended. It's not worth the risk. Reliability is your objective. The severe environment our sleds operate can cause issues you might not be able to plan for if you modify the electrical system. It is a balanced system capable of about 300 watts for your model year.
Barry the Hatchet
New member
ya ill get some pictures for you guys when shes all pimped out.
ac system on a snowmobile? really? cant be.
im looking at the wiring diagram in the owners manual and i know the headlight is twelve volts and it leads back to a rectifier which i believe converts ac to dc? so as long as i am on that side of the rectifier it should be 12 volts. im 100% positive the headlight is twelve volt so maybe i'll just tag it off there.
what i was getting at with the series/parallel question was all three of the lights are twelve volt with a cigarette lighter plug on the end and if i just cut those ends off and twist all the positives together and all the negatives together (parallel) and hook them up im still only trying to draw 12 volts. right?
and then do i need to connect the negative end to a black ground wire or will a ground to the frame work?
oh and don't feel sorry for the yamaha shes got well over 17,000 kms of hard riding on her. shes been through willows and wires, more hoods than liz taylors had husbands and been rolled over more times than a greek prostitute. shes bulletproof, i'm convinced i'm gonna die before she does, definately no trailer queen but shes probably enjoying her makeover.
ac system on a snowmobile? really? cant be.
im looking at the wiring diagram in the owners manual and i know the headlight is twelve volts and it leads back to a rectifier which i believe converts ac to dc? so as long as i am on that side of the rectifier it should be 12 volts. im 100% positive the headlight is twelve volt so maybe i'll just tag it off there.
what i was getting at with the series/parallel question was all three of the lights are twelve volt with a cigarette lighter plug on the end and if i just cut those ends off and twist all the positives together and all the negatives together (parallel) and hook them up im still only trying to draw 12 volts. right?
and then do i need to connect the negative end to a black ground wire or will a ground to the frame work?
oh and don't feel sorry for the yamaha shes got well over 17,000 kms of hard riding on her. shes been through willows and wires, more hoods than liz taylors had husbands and been rolled over more times than a greek prostitute. shes bulletproof, i'm convinced i'm gonna die before she does, definately no trailer queen but shes probably enjoying her makeover.
kysledneck
New member
Barry the Hatchet
New member
f'n rights thats what im talkin about.
im so winning this thing, that looks wicked.
hot wire back to a wire ground or just chassis?
im so winning this thing, that looks wicked.
hot wire back to a wire ground or just chassis?
kysledneck
New member
I grounded to the chassis because all my wireing went upfront screwed right into the tubing up front!Barry the Hatchet said:
Barry the Hatchet
New member
thanks man, what are you using there light bars or individual leds?
i found a hot wire right up near the speedo pod and tapped it into there just temporary like and got two out of three lights to work. couldn't get the rope light to work, i figured there had to be a reason i got 20 feet of it for 6 bux.
the six inch strips work good and actually change color and flash and crap. i'll go back and get more of those if i can figure how to rig them so they all follow the same pattern. color fade would be cool but a bunch of random flashing lights will just look like christmas all over again.
didn't get any more than that done today because it was friggin gourgeous outside and we went for a rip. gonna have to spend my pimpin winnings on front tunnel protectors cause my track teeth are starting to eat my front heat exchanger. would ya believe i acctually took a track pick in the *** today? went in hard for a carve and actually slid up over the high side and down the track side. thats a new one for me.
i found a hot wire right up near the speedo pod and tapped it into there just temporary like and got two out of three lights to work. couldn't get the rope light to work, i figured there had to be a reason i got 20 feet of it for 6 bux.
the six inch strips work good and actually change color and flash and crap. i'll go back and get more of those if i can figure how to rig them so they all follow the same pattern. color fade would be cool but a bunch of random flashing lights will just look like christmas all over again.
didn't get any more than that done today because it was friggin gourgeous outside and we went for a rip. gonna have to spend my pimpin winnings on front tunnel protectors cause my track teeth are starting to eat my front heat exchanger. would ya believe i acctually took a track pick in the *** today? went in hard for a carve and actually slid up over the high side and down the track side. thats a new one for me.
Barry the Hatchet
New member
oh yeah forgot to ask, if by some chance my picks do eat through my front heat exchanger and i loose all my coolant will the water temp light come on or does there actually have to be fluid in there to get a high temp warning?
T.S.U.Filmz
Member
light will go on with or without fluid in sled
Concept Carbon
New member
this is gona be crazzy lol, you shoul dtake the seat off and cover it in blue velvet just rap a yard around it and hold it on with 2 sided tape..
FuzzButt
New member
Yes. The lights will see 12v. The Frame is a ground.Barry the Hatchet said:
Barry the Hatchet
New member
thanks guys. i think i've got my head wrapped around this now. looking at the wiring diagram for my sled i believe i have wired my switch into the hot wire leading to my condenser, which i figure should be a good thing seeing as a condenser is the same as a capasitor. if i'm wrong let me know.
now with my new found wealth of knowlege in electrical engineering im going to attempt to wire 3 sets of those color changing lights to one controller so they all sync up. couple questions here and then ill see if i can figure how to load a pic of the wiring setup i think i can use.
if three sets of leds are wired in paralell they will all recieve twelve volts but 1/3 third the current each. right?
so does that mean the lights wired like this will only be 1/3 as bright?
and finally if they are wired like this after the function controller will the controller still act as normal?
thanks again
now with my new found wealth of knowlege in electrical engineering im going to attempt to wire 3 sets of those color changing lights to one controller so they all sync up. couple questions here and then ill see if i can figure how to load a pic of the wiring setup i think i can use.
if three sets of leds are wired in paralell they will all recieve twelve volts but 1/3 third the current each. right?
so does that mean the lights wired like this will only be 1/3 as bright?
and finally if they are wired like this after the function controller will the controller still act as normal?
thanks again
Barry the Hatchet
New member
one more question. will a battery charger act as a suitable power source for pre install mock up?
FuzzButt
New member
Answer #1. No each light will get 12v but will draw 3 times the current (amps) as one set would thus will be a third as bright unless you can supply more current. The sled does not have that much extra power to just start adding things without putting a drain on something else. As I said before it is a balanced system.
Answer #2. No most modern battery chargers must see voltage present before they start the charge cycle. I know mine needs 9V or so. This is a safety mechanism to prevent sparking/arcing when you connect the leads to the battery. (Batteries under charge outgas hydrogen gas and can be potentially a fuel source with the spark providing the ignition.) Pick up a small lead acid tractor battery if you can. Also a pair of 6V lantern batteries wired in series would provide you 12V as well.
Do you have electric start on that 700? If so you would already have the battery. If so yes a charger connected to that battery will provide power while the sled is not running.
As a final thought don't forget to put an inline fuse in there right after you tap off what ever circuit your stealing the power from. A high amperage capable diode might be a good idea as well to prevent back feeding incase something goes wrong.
Answer #2. No most modern battery chargers must see voltage present before they start the charge cycle. I know mine needs 9V or so. This is a safety mechanism to prevent sparking/arcing when you connect the leads to the battery. (Batteries under charge outgas hydrogen gas and can be potentially a fuel source with the spark providing the ignition.) Pick up a small lead acid tractor battery if you can. Also a pair of 6V lantern batteries wired in series would provide you 12V as well.
Do you have electric start on that 700? If so you would already have the battery. If so yes a charger connected to that battery will provide power while the sled is not running.
As a final thought don't forget to put an inline fuse in there right after you tap off what ever circuit your stealing the power from. A high amperage capable diode might be a good idea as well to prevent back feeding incase something goes wrong.
Barry the Hatchet
New member
from what i've been reading the average led pulls 20 mA and shouldn't be enough to interfere with normal electrical functions. i cut the leads off one controller and there is nothing but a single strand of wire not much thicker than a hair run to each bulb. can't possibly draw that much power.
i'll definately wire in a fuse. all three setups had a fuse in the cigarete adapter ill use one of them.
no electric start, if the charger is no good ill just rob the car battery for experimentations sake.
i'll definately wire in a fuse. all three setups had a fuse in the cigarete adapter ill use one of them.
no electric start, if the charger is no good ill just rob the car battery for experimentations sake.
archer
Member
In parallel, each 12v load will draw the same amps as if it was hooked up by itself. The 3 together will put 3 TIMES THE LOAD on your electrical system. If they are LEDs you probably will be OK.
A modern sealed VRLA battery does not outgas unless it is overcharged for an extended period of time or in a high temp environment.
A modern sealed VRLA battery does not outgas unless it is overcharged for an extended period of time or in a high temp environment.
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S.S.Viper
New member
Just make sure you mount the switch right...I pimped mine...well sorta..just one set of LEDs behind the dash..and on a cold run...I tried to turn it on..and it was so cold it cracked the wires..arghhh..all the work rerouting the wires and I hafta add a new switch...arghhhh..
good luck
good luck
jwiedmayer
New member
For a single headlight sled -
The chassis is on leg of the ac circuit not ground. There is a dc circuit but only 2 amps on it. You could put a bridge rectifier on the ac circuit and get dc (chopped sine wave). As long as it does not have a circuit board or relay it the device should be able to be powered by ac.
The chassis is on leg of the ac circuit not ground. There is a dc circuit but only 2 amps on it. You could put a bridge rectifier on the ac circuit and get dc (chopped sine wave). As long as it does not have a circuit board or relay it the device should be able to be powered by ac.
Barry the Hatchet
New member
oh wow your sled is pimped. like i said mines a welfare pimp, not pretty, more tacky. 
i just read somewhere that the chassis is part of the a/c system and to not use it for a ground. so can i tie into the wires leading up to the condensor? wiring diagram says the red wire is 12v and the black is ground. good to go?
also im having trouble with these freakin mult colored neons. as much as i dig them i just can't figure how wire them all to one control and im not putting a bunch of random flashing lights on my sled. although that would be hugely tacky... problem is not the what gets wired to what but more the materials its made with. to make em work id have to resolder everything with heavier wire and waterproof it all.
instead of all that i'm gonna buy simple red striplights and mount them. i bought a sample one and wired it to a car battery with no fuse and stuck it in a bucket of water, half hour and shes still workin. real easy to mount, resonable guage wire to work with, i think i found my new lights.
what i think would be really cool though is if i could figure how to wire lights through my tach so that they go from yellow to red as you gain rpms. you know, to go with the flames thing.
thanks again guys
i just read somewhere that the chassis is part of the a/c system and to not use it for a ground. so can i tie into the wires leading up to the condensor? wiring diagram says the red wire is 12v and the black is ground. good to go?
also im having trouble with these freakin mult colored neons. as much as i dig them i just can't figure how wire them all to one control and im not putting a bunch of random flashing lights on my sled. although that would be hugely tacky... problem is not the what gets wired to what but more the materials its made with. to make em work id have to resolder everything with heavier wire and waterproof it all.
instead of all that i'm gonna buy simple red striplights and mount them. i bought a sample one and wired it to a car battery with no fuse and stuck it in a bucket of water, half hour and shes still workin. real easy to mount, resonable guage wire to work with, i think i found my new lights.
what i think would be really cool though is if i could figure how to wire lights through my tach so that they go from yellow to red as you gain rpms. you know, to go with the flames thing.
thanks again guys