I have two 5prong rocker switches for a 120 watt lightbar and 2 18 watt light pods. When i first got the first rocker switch i had it powered by an acc on fuse with an add a circuit fuse. After a couple days of having it hooked up like that the original 5 amp fuse blew. I replaced the fuse and it did the same thing. Anyone know why is was blowing the fuse? I now have the 2 switches powered by a small fuse block. But that is just powering the top light on the switch to show the when the switch is turned on. If i had the bottom light connected the same way i have to top light, the light would be on even when the truck is turned off. Is there any other way besides splicing into a wire that would allow the light to only come on when i turn the key or truck on?

 

You are sending too much power through that rocker switch. Remember how we talked about relays in the other thread? Well the idea behind a relay is you use a LOW CURRENT to turn the relay ON, which feeds that HIGH CURRENT power to your light.

If you are trying to use a switch to MAKE or BREAKE that high current power, you will overheat the switch, blow the fuse on the switch, etc...

Thats what it sounds like to me... too much power through that switch. You need to use a relay.

I have a feeling you are sending the complete power for the light bar through your switch and not just illumination for the light on the rocker.

On my truck I have 3 switches... but we'll focus on one switch.

It has a built in LED.

So I have a dedicate power and ground going to my switch JUST for the LED part of it (and I made sure I hooked it up properly by following the instructions)

I then have the SWITCHED part of it going to a relay... which sends very little amperage to the relay, which in turn makes/breaks the light bars 15Amp power line.

 

Both the switches have a white wire coming from their relay. The switches also have a red wire. (2 red wires from each switch) that's going to the fuse block I have installed. And a black for the ground. That powers the top led for when the accessorie is on. Since the switch is a 5 prong that leaves 2 prongs left (+ and - for the bottom led which are not connected to anything right now). Are you saying a need a relay for those red wires?

 

Where did you get the switch from? Your harness should have a switch installed already OR have instructions. Doesn't your harness have a built in relay already, similar to how this one looks:

 

Yes. both of my harnesses are like that except I have a 5 pin rocker switch instead of that one.

 

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/...jL._SY355_.jpg This is the switch I have

 

Okay I have the same switches, only I don't use mine (i used a different style).

Turn the switch so the back is towards you.

Now, the way I'd wire it is so that the lights on the switch only come on when the switch is in the ON position. You can opt to have the bottom portion lit at all times, but i chose not to...

Top left pin: GROUND (-)
Middle left pin: BATTERY (+)
Bottom left pin: CONNECT TO YOUR RELAY'S TRIGGER (NO, Normally Open)

If you do want the lower light on your switch lit at all times, you'll want to find a power source that comes on when your truck is on (now you know why I opted NOT to bother with this). If you do happen to find this power source, then you'll wire the light like this:

Top left pin: GROUND (-)
Middle left pin: AC POWER (+) - Meaning Positive power when truck is in AC mode, or ON
Bottom left pin: CONNECT TO YOUR RELAY'S TRIGGER (NO, Normally Open)
Top Right pin: GROUND (-)
Bottom left pin: AC POWER (+) - Meaning Positive power when truck is in AC mode, or ON


Got it?

 

Right now i have the switch wired as:
Top left pin-ground
Middle left pin-to the fuseblock
Bottom left pin-to the relay

I would like to have the bottom led on both the switches come on when in AC mode and truck ON. Could I jump the 2 bottom led power wires from each switch to one wire and use the add a circuit to a fuse that allows that? When i first hooked it up, instead up using the fuse block for the middle left pin, i jumped both the power wires (middle left and bottom right) on one switch to the add a circuit and the original fuse blew. Would the fuse still blow in the add a circuit by just those 2 small led switch lights?
Thanks for the help!

 

You can use the AC power for all your power triggers on the switch... doesn't matter where the source is from, if you use AC the lights won't be on unless the truck is on. The bottom right left pin is a POSITIVE output to your relay... basically when you flip your switch ON the MIDDLE LEFT and BOTTOM LEFT pins MAKE the connection, in other words, the bottom left pin does nothing until you flip the switch, then the middle left pin flows through the bottom left, and over to your relay.

You are also powering the LED lights from that middle left pin as well, it's shared.

That's why I chose not to light up my lights at all times UNLESS the switch was flipped, didn't want to worry about it all.

 

Okay so could I connect the positive wires to the add a circuit? If so what size fuse do I need in the top slot? If not what wire would I tap in to for the positive connection or what color wire?