How a spotlight/lightbar relay works (Beginner's Guide)

[@donmichaelcorbin4417]

After searching and watching dozens of videos, FINALLY, here is a video that explains it so that I can understand it. BIG THANKS!

[@Campingdownunder]

I found the same issue when I was trying to learn how it works. Everything was overcomplicated lol. Thank you so much for your support on patreon 🙏🙏🙏

[@brendancollett4624]

Idc how old the video is. You explained this perfectly and were the only video I could find after scrubbing the internet. Thank you and thank you

[@DavidWeatherall]

Brilliant explanation! Picking up a Cherokee xj and want to install spots. But always wondered the importance of relays. Your explanation was great!

[@MarnusdeWaal]

Excellent vid man, we need more proper content like this

[@raphaelurangu2167]

The best explanation on how to wire the spot lights or bar lights to the high beam switch. I have search and watch all but this is the best there is. Thankyou very much.

[@tomasbruna3972]

Best video on this subject I’ve seen Cheers mate

[@lyleroberson9857]

Finally, someone that explains wiring spottiest in plain english, Top video, well done Mate.

[@kymelefsen5276]

Beat explanation I have seen. Well done mate. Cheers.

[@mickh1402]

At last someone who explanes how to Instructions in lamen terms. Very well done mate. Thank you 👍👏

[@WalkOverHotCoal]

Thank you for this very detailed instructional video. I just bought a secondhand Land Cruiser 200, the LED Spotlights (Kings) worked fine for the first couple of trips, but last night it wont come one with the high beams. Hopefully with this video, I might be able to trace the fault. Great work you put in.

[@brian-doesnt-know]

Great explanation up front. Lost yah at the end, but I got exactly what I need for my older model van. Thanks buddy

[@rewsbert]

Thanks for the refresh course, much appreciated.

[@sflucks]

Best video on this I've come across so far!! Well done mate!! And Thank You!

[@Campingdownunder]

When I was learning I struggled to find any decent videos that I could understand so I decided to make this as simple as possible for others 👍

[@petersmith5219]

Excellent. Clear and straight to the point. I will now take both of mine apart!! lol

[@natew3241]

Thank you. This was one of the better videos I’ve found on this subject.

[@Campingdownunder]

Glad you found it helpful 👍

[@radsy5821]

Thanks mate. I bought an old Defender and was trying to diagnose why the spots and bar weren't working... turns out I didn't have it in high beam :) Saved me a lot of drama.

[@mohamadfares8743]

Best vid. I’ve watched so far. Thanks for sharing the knowledge

[@nigelduffey694]

Excellent video, thank you for the explanation. I now need to find your light bar wiring video 😉👌.

[@normtyler9678]

This was so helpfull cleared up where I was going wrong thanks heaps cob

[@chrishay1060]

Just video Paul, made me understand it all a lot better!

[@andrewk579]

Hi. Very dumbed down explanation of how a relay works. I like it. I'm wanting to wire in a light bar to a mitsubishi asx. Factory high beam is rubbish. Previously I have purchased plug and play kits but it seams the connections are different to the kits. In the fuse box I have found the high beam fuse. Can I piggy back off this as the trigger wire? Cheers.

[@thehulk7360]

ah thanks for video. now i know why one wire didnt work. will fixed it soon hopefully it works! thanks champ

[@matthowell7994]

Good job mate. Keep it up. Got a power feed issue on mr triton. My bro piggy backed off existing light bar install. Worked for about 5 minutes, then cut out. I believed a fuse at first. Now possibly stuffed a relay, or rocker switch? Just that high beam still works. Now original light bar doesn’t work or new light bar

[@Campingdownunder]

Yeah I'd run 2 new wiring looms. Then you know your covered 👍

[@bradkay2710]

Great video I have a question for you I am trying to hook up some work lights with a spotlight harness but don't want it on the high beam just inside the cab or even outside for setting up camp

[@Campingdownunder]

Then just hook the highbeam pick up wire to a 12v supply like the battery and add a switch along that wire somewhere so you can cut the power to the relay when you don't want the lights on. Or you could just run an auxbeam switch panel which I've talked about in a separate video and then you won't need a relay

[@bradkay2710]

@@Campingdownunder thanks kind sir

[@joeg2286]

If wiring into a seperate switch for light bar or reverse lights on UTV can I replace “high beam signal” with wire from independent switch for the aftermarket lights

[@Campingdownunder]

If it's not going on a car that's going to be on the road then you can take the input signal from anywhere. It doesn't have to be high beam

[@Jeenzy79]

Cheers for the vid mate… nice n easy to understand. How do I go about hooking up a override switch so I can flick my reverse camera on while I’m driving? Cheers

[@Campingdownunder]

If you can find the reverse trigger wire for your camera you can run a separate power signal wire & join it to the reverse trigger wire through a switch. So when you switch it it will send power to the reverse wire & turn the camera on. But you need a diode on the reverse trigger wire so you can't send power back to the reverse lights or else when you flick the switch it will also turn on your reverse lights

[@Jeenzy79]

@@Campingdownunder It’s an aftermarket reverse cam so finding the trigger is done. Could I use a relay and use the 87a pin for the override? Cheers for the quick reply mate. Got my subscription. Legend 👍🏼

[@Campingdownunder]

I've never actually tried it that way. I've always just used the diode and an extra power input wire for example behind the cigarette plug

[@Jeenzy79]

@@Campingdownunder Ah yep, makes sense. Cheers mate. I’ll be giving it a crack next weekend 🤙🏼

[@WillyWain-n9r]

best explanatinon ever.. understandable,,..

[@aarongrady7354]

Awesome video… I have a fault atm where my spotlights will turn on once but not the next with a spotlight switch to turn them on when highbeams are on. Now a week later my switch won’t turn the spotlights on but they stay on with the highbeams on without the switch now….? Does that mean my relay is starting to die even though I have tested it and it tests good?

[@Campingdownunder]

Something is very strange there. I'd suggest getting it checked out

[@NAT-xv1hs]

Straight to the 👉 point

[@bernardhynes1119]

Excellent explained thanks buddy cheers

[@martinbrlej7343]

Hi mate thanks for the video! I have only one question about High Beam signal..... Is it possible to get this signal from fuse box?? i mean it: Fuse box to switch and from switch to relay...Thanks and good luck ;)

[@mykelphotography]

Great explanation and video thanks Paul

[@Campingdownunder]

Thanks mate 👍

[@tokelauan69ner]

Really good simple thanks

[@bernardhynes1119]

What guage wire for positive and negative do I use to wire a old fashioned horn,

[@Campingdownunder]

I'm not sure how much power horns need sorry. I've never had to wire one

[@skyfire2558]

Can I also tap my wires using the headlights for my whip lights and for the Relay does it require to use 12v or 24v ' I'm just trying to save money , then spending $100hr to a Sparky Auto😅

[@Campingdownunder]

You can tap onto your headlights if you want to use them to trigger the relay so they only come on when the headlights are on. It's a personal choice where you want to pick up the trigger for the relay

[@skyfire2558]

@@Campingdownunder Thank you mate 😊

[@sanjeev3144]

Thanks, you explained it reall well!

2:40 THIS! I just bought some aux lights for my car and want to wire them similarly to this. However, i want to be able to engage them even if the highbeam signal is not present. Basically; I want the car's highbeam to be the 'master switch' that will power the aux lights regarless of if the 'slave switch' (user operated switch in the dash) is in the on or off position.

[@Campingdownunder]

If wired correctly the highbeam switch will cut out the spotlights regardless of what position the switch is set to. Legally the highbeam has to have control of cutting them out instantly when dimming lights. The switch is only for choosing not to use your spotlights while on high beam

@@Campingdownunder right, that's the idea; to have the highbeam signal acting as a 'master switch'. The user operated switch I wanted in-line as a way to power the aux lights and only the aux lights when needed. I live in the middle of nowhere and when storms get crazy out here, my ambers do a much better job at handling refraction than my 6k OEM lights.

[@MrItsfootball]

Can I ask question, if I lost my spot lights while driving, where do I look to see if there a fuses or something busted? And or have the lights just died? They look cheap lights and only had car for 6 months.

[@Campingdownunder]

It should be a blade fuse close to the positive terminal on the battery. Check there first 👍

[@Jimmy_Saf]

This is a great video mate

[@Campingdownunder]

Thanks mate 👍

[@Valentintamare]

Good video really clear thank you ✌️

[@NicoSwart-pv4bf]

One thing that is not explained though (which I cannot seem to find on any tutorial video) is the switch part. I want my spots to run independently from my normal driving lights. So I want to add a switch to terminal 86 of the relay. But this will mean a wire running from the battery positive to the switch and back to terminal 86, correct? A switch will not do anything with just one wire running from it to terminal 86.

[@Campingdownunder]

Rather than picking up power from the highbeam signal wire just pick a live wire running a switch between it. Same as a normal wiring harness if you were running through your highbeam. All you are changing is the switch power location from highbeam to a live wire so it will switch on or off anytime. Not just when highbeam is on

[@kayone8571]

How many lights can be powered from 87 say if you ram two wires from pin 87 to light bar and of course they would be grounded at the light end

[@Campingdownunder]

I personally never run more than 2 lights per wiring harness. Just to be safe. I've never tested the limits

[@deanatkinson-o1c]

I've just wired spotlights(Hella 500 FF) to my FJ Cruiser as per Hella instructions to my high beams, however when i turn on the ignition the spots come on with the lights in off position and high beams turned off, if i flash the high beams they then turn off, not sure what i've done wrong

[@Campingdownunder]

Follow these instructions and also my second video explaining how to wire up a lightbar. Not spotlights but they wire up the same

[@AlfredGill-x9s]

Looking good

[@Australian_Outdoor_man]

Well explained mate. Good video and info. 👍🇦🇺🍺❤️

[@Campingdownunder]

Cheers mate 👍 I'd been meaning to make this video for quite a while

[@SinisD-d7d]

my issue is on my motorcycle my brake light comes on with my high beam light can it be a relay or switch or wire connected wrong

[@Campingdownunder]

They must be linked together somewhere

[@JIGSTA78]

Thank you very much!! Easy to understand & has helped me a lot! 🙏🏼✌🏼😎

[@marioserafimidis3133]

do i need to put relay??....i want to put more lights on my car can i just conect them with my headlights and when i turn my headlight on it turn them all on???

[@Campingdownunder]

No you can't pull power directly from your lights or else you will blow your headlight fuses straight away. You can only pull a signal from the headlights but the actual power for spotlights needs to come directly from the battery. That's why you need a relay

[@marioserafimidis3133]

@@Campingdownunder that means i will need to put a extra switch or is it posible some how to make them turn on when i turn my headlights?

[@Campingdownunder]

@marioserafimidis3133 that's what the trigger wire is for. I did a separate video explaining how to wire up spotlights

[@shmuk]

Thanks mate.

[@matthewcoggins7288]

Does one relay work 2 halogen spot lights? Do you just run 2 wires from the bottom post??

[@Campingdownunder]

You need to check the output of the lights and make sure the relay can handle it. Your better off using a rated wiring harness that's already pre made. Then you know your covered

[@Honeyb_357]

My LED Bar in my Kia has stopped working all of a sudden after working well. Have disconnected then reconnected but nothing. Could this be the relay? Battery is fine.

[@Campingdownunder]

If the relay is still working correctly you'll hear a clicking noise inside the relay when you turn the lightbar on. If it doesn't make any noise then it's no good

[@joshdiack2817]

hey mate how do connect theese to my reverse lights? is it safe to slice the reverse light and wire that to the high signal wire?

[@Campingdownunder]

Are you attempting to wire up a reverse lightbar? Yes it's safe to solder onto a reverse light as long as it's not a newer vehicle. In that case check with your dealer on a suitable pick up location. You are only using it to send a signal to the relay to allow it to pass power through it from your battery so it won't draw much from your reverse lights

[@joshdiack2817]

@@Campingdownunder oh sweet thanks i think i’ll splice the red and black cable and just run it to the relay or is only the red cable necessary?

[@Campingdownunder]

The red positive for the pick up on the relay will go to the positive on the reverse light and the black negative can go to a negative on the reverse light or any body earth including negative on the battery

[@REJ509]

Dumb question. Since the relay has a ground wire does the relay itself need to be mounted to a ground. Curious as I’m trying to install on a atv

[@Campingdownunder]

There are no dumb questions mate. No you don't need to mount the relay to a ground as the wiring is already grounded

[@jar7166]

Great job thx

[@hotlams]

Great thanks

[@TheDakotaFrazier]

So basically the relay allows the switch to work without taking on the heavy load of the lights?

[@Campingdownunder]

Yes

[@anthonybagnato7894]

How would you wire camp lights on roof rack

[@Campingdownunder]

Most camp lights will come with a wiring harness. You should still wire it the same as this except you don't need the highbeam trigger. Just connect the highbeam trigger directly to the battery or a live wire so you can turn the lights on anytime without needing the highbeam on

[@darcywhite4216]

My ford courier got spotlights wired up on a switch and looks like it wired into the headlights bit just can't seem to get them to work

[@Campingdownunder]

I've made a separate video explaining how to wire up spotlights/ lightbar

[@turtleeggs261]

Hi … i was driving with led lights on, and when i dimmed lights down from high beam, led lights never came back on, I’ve checked,, power to switch is there..check fuses, check head light connection, everything is all good … power is all good except two front led lights aren’t coming on

[@Campingdownunder]

Have you checked if there's power directly to the back of the light's? It's a process of elimination of checking absolutely everything you can think of. Check you also haven't popped a highbeam fuse on your car

[@iqnill]

Why not put the switch on the ground connection? Seems like easier wiring.

[@Campingdownunder]

You normally ground a relay close to the relay which is under the bonnet. Much more earth points under the bonnet

[@iqnill]

@@Campingdownunder OK, cheers. Electrically, would having the switch on GND work the same, or would the relay be unhappy somehow? I'm familiar with low voltage circuits, not relays...

[@Campingdownunder]

@iqnill it will still work the same because you'd still be cutting the signal going through the relay. It's just a harder way of doing it

[@bert1913]

I installed a keyed relay to the switch, now the light bar only works when the key is turned on (no dead battery)

[@seanogfn1407]

Great explanation but I’m a bit confused as my ground for my relay is on 86 and my switch is 85

[@Campingdownunder]

It just acts like a switch so as long as you have a positive & a negative it will still complete the circuit when triggered no matter which is which

[@seanogfn1407]

@@Campingdownunder thank you

[@seanogfn1407]

@@Campingdownunder Do you know if 2006 corollas are positive or negative switching ??

[@Campingdownunder]

I'm not sure sorry but you can test the headlight & see if 1 of the wires turn into a positive when highbeam is turned on. If so then it's positive switched

[@wayneboswell7740]

The negative power is a little confusing ... as I think that's what I have on the rodeo the earth connection lights up on the test light ... and the low and high beam don't ... really confusing

[@Campingdownunder]

They use 1 wire which actually changes from a positive to a negative. Rodeos are normally negative switched. You need to connect to the wire that changes to negative when high beam is on

[@thatoneguy6353]

👍👍👍

[@NullaNulla]

Careful there .. most horn relays (most common thing used) are 25amp and the toggle may be a SPST, SPDT, DPST, DPDT and illuminated or not illuminated. I thought you'd get into the magnet throwing the connection. You could throw from the light source via a 1st step relay which is then remotely controlled by your accessories line though that's a lot of mess for fault finding. A relay uses like 0.1a or so (bugger all) but can handle a decent whack of power before you go into other heavier options. Alike the toggle switch it can also have double throw, normally on or off options and more depending on the relay you get for what scenario. If you wanted to be a smartass with reds and blues, you just need a timer circuit (half second on half second off for eg) to feed your control pin on the DT relay from the timer, hook your blue strobe to normally on and red strobe to normally off. You'd be wise to run obviously a second relay on the power in side to disable this. This would mean each half second a half second power pulse/output would switch to blue and then in off time switch to red. Don't do it, I know a mate asked me to setup similar for them years ago and got in crap for it but think of this as an example of a simple but more advanced relay circuit.

[@Campingdownunder]

This is intended to be a video for beginners

[@Australian_Outdoor_man]

👍

[@Campingdownunder]

I'm sure you already knew all that info mate 👍 but hopefully it does help people out 😀

[@ryantilley-general.shenanigans]

I wish I knew this when I was 17.... My air horns and spotties slowly ruined my cars.

[@realbudgiesmugglertwohatsb2611]

If that was for beginners you lost me when spongebob square pants lost his arm and became a doorbell

[@Campingdownunder]

Mate I'm sorry but if that was too complicated for you I'd seriously suggest you don't try anything 12v yourself. 12v can be dangerous and you can literally burn your car down. Please don't attempt it & let a professional fit your lights. You don't just have a crack at 12v and hope it works. Either continue doing a lot more research before you attempt it or get someone who knows what they are doing

[@fredrikjensen3478]

Thank you so fucking much you freaking angel!

[@Campingdownunder]

No worries mate 🤣🤣🤣

[@whatathrushtv6590]

I have a Mooney for that stuff lol

[@Campingdownunder]

Not everyone has a Mooney 🤣🤣🤣

[@whatathrushtv6590]

Yea mate he has done heaps for me

[@Honky1]

Whats a mooney? My downunder brothers

[@Campingdownunder]

His mate lol

[@dB-uv7wp]

Could you make it a bit more complicated😂.

[@Campingdownunder]

If you still can't understand that then I suggest you pay a professional so you don't burn your car down. That's as basic as it can get

[@motok1d]

This is the best explanation I've seen by miles

[@Nerudah]

Also found it very confusing and talking way too fast.

[@oscar.gandara]

Not everyone is electrically inclined. Some people get it faster than others, others never get it. I agree with previous comment, if you don’t understand this hire a professional.

[@N_Burgess]

Thank you. This was really helpful and clearly explained.