Help please for the electrically challenged

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I was wondering if anyone has installed a JEGS LED Indicator Fuse Block http://www.jegs.com/i/JEGS-Performance-Products/555/10420/10002/-1.
Unfortunately it comes with zero instructions so I'm guessing this is how I should install it. Please feel free to tell me if I'm wrong. I was going to screw the unit to the frame (to ground it) then run a cable from the unit to power side of the battery.

Thanks, Clint
 
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I would not drill any holes in the frame, as this could cause a stress point. I can't see enough of the device to determine what to do with grounding, if anything. Seems like it would need a ground connection to power the circuit that drives the LEDs.
 
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A fuze block conducts only the positive side of the wires, from battery through the fuzes to the various circuits. The ground is needed on the other side of whatever is being powered. It is better to insulate the fuze block from any ground. That way if something does wear through the insulation it won't short the circuits.

I'd probably screw it to the plastic part back under the seat (where the security lock is supposed to go).

Depending on what you are going to power with this I would also use a relay (or two) to the ignition switch to power the fuze block. You don't want to connect accessories directly to the battery. If you do, and forget to turn them off, you may return to a dead battery.
 

DirtFlier

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On a friend's bike, I just finished installing a relay + accessory fuse block under the seat in the spot reserved for the U-lock and I finished the job yesterday so it's pretty fresh in my mind!

I would not drill & screw into "the plastic part under the seat" as it's the inner fender and those holes could cause water to eventually come up from the underside in the rain. As I did on my bike, the components were mounted to a non-conductive board via machine screws and the board was then attached to the rear fender via hook & loop strips. The parts weigh next to nothing plus they're held in place by the wires so don't need anything more secure. On my bike, this setup has lasted 30k miles without any problems.

If you are using this underseat panel for a relay (highly recommended!) and fuse panel, you can find power for the relay at the wire for the license plate light. This way the connections at the fuse panel are only hot with the key in the ON position.

You can send me a PM if you need more detailed instructions.
 
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Since there does not appear to be an obvious ground connection in this device, I speculate that each led is connected in parallel with its respective fuse. Therefore relying on sufficient potential being developed by using the accessory circuitry itself as a ground. If true, I could see this particular function not working in some cases.

But I do also second the recommendation that you carefully consider whether you want all accessories to have their circuits "hot" when the bike is powered off. I used a fuzeblock, which has a relay built in and options as to which circuits are fed directly by the battery. I chose to do that with only a powerlet installed for the purpose of driving a slime pump or for plugging in a battery tender. Everything else is cut off when the ignition is off.
 
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I suggest you follow the suggestions posted by Rich. I also suggest hat you get the FUZEBLOCK if it is still available. It was developed by a outstanding member of the LD community . It is fool proof and trouble free and comes with directions. Yes it is a few $$ more but you get what you pay for. No personal connections to them however I have a a lot of respect for that rider and knew him on a personal leval. He is no longer with us but he will not be forgotten. Just my .02 cents worth

Eldon
 
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kenstone

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daler:
I know you asked me about this, but I have yet to mount the one I bought, but plan to use zip ties or sticky backed Velcro to attach it to the bike.
I'm going back in there today, but do recall looking down, with the seat off, and seeing a lot of space behind the right "side cover" area.
My biggest concern is covering up/insulating the positive terminal.
I'll post up, should I install the fuse block.
I opted to stay simple and cheap, without the added complexity and cost of using a relay to power up via the ignition.
You can consider what others have suggested, but it's not for me at this time, as I don't plan to add a bunch of electrical stuff.
I think time with the "always on" fuse block will prove whether the relay option is needed or not.
Ken
 
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Please feel free to tell me if I'm wrong. I was going to screw the unit to the frame (to ground it) then run a cable from the unit to power side of the battery.
What I see is a 4 circuit fuse block with 4 connections. And the big post could be connected to either pos (+) or neg (-). So it distributes either the pos (+) or neg (-), but not both. Am I correct? If correct, the Jegs device only solves 1/2 of the problem of trying to add circuits (ie ...grip heaters, gps, outlet for air pump, etc..), and determining how to terminate the other end of a each added circuit and routing it to the other side of the battery would need to be resolved for each new circuit.

My biggest concern is covering up/insulating the positive terminal.
Connecting it the ground (-) side of the battery should eliminate that concern. Still need a method and material to route new devices back to positive side of the battery though.

The Jegs fuse block can certainly be made to work. But it certainly is giving me a headache thinking about how I would install it. In the end, I would have to buy another termination block, wire, fuses, spade connectors, maybe a relay.....determine where to mount each item......headache. The only advantage I see to the Jegs fuse block over a FUZEBLOCK is higher amp capacity. There may be a $$$ savings, but not much after buying extras. Sorry fellows, just my opinion.
 

DirtFlier

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[...Connecting it the ground (-) side of the battery should eliminate that concern....]

Having a fuse on the negative side is counter to normal electrical practice.
 
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What I see is a 4 circuit fuse block with 4 connections. And the big post could be connected to either pos (+) or neg (-). So it distributes either the pos (+) or neg (-), but not both. Am I correct? If correct, the Jegs device only solves 1/2 of the problem of trying to add circuits (ie ...grip heaters, gps, outlet for air pump, etc..), and determining how to terminate the other end of a each added circuit and routing it to the other side of the battery would need to be resolved for each new circuit.



Connecting it the ground (-) side of the battery should eliminate that concern. Still need a method and material to route new devices back to positive side of the battery though.

The Jegs fuse block can certainly be made to work. But it certainly is giving me a headache thinking about how I would install it. In the end, I would have to buy another termination block, wire, fuses, spade connectors, maybe a relay.....determine where to mount each item......headache. The only advantage I see to the Jegs fuse block over a FUZEBLOCK is higher amp capacity. There may be a $$$ savings, but not much after buying extras. Sorry fellows, just my opinion.

Not really. Typically you ground each device as close as you can to the device. The frame of the bike is the ground so that is a simple process. For example a 12V outlet would have the neg side terminated and bolted to the closest point on the frame. The pos side would go to the fuse block.

There is no reason to put fuzes in the negative side of a circuit unless you have an older system that uses a positive ground.

The advantage of the FUZEBLOCK is that it comes with both switched and unswitched circuits. You can do the same thing with two of these cheap versions and a relay.

And the only reason to add additional fuzed circuits if for additional current capacity. I did quite well on my NT without an additional block. The Honda ACC circuit handled aux LED driving lights, heated grips and phone/tablet chargers without any issues.
 

kenstone

Guest
daler:
Here's what I ended up with,(fyi) I always run a ground wire back to the battery, and never use the frame, as every factory electrical device has a ground wire back to the battery.
I left the inline fuse in the positive connection, because it was there, and added a terminal block for furture ground connection, should I deside to add anything else:shrug2:.
It's not attached to anything and I just moved it to be in the pic:eek:

I cut the positive connection post on the fuse block shorter and then covered it by stretching a 400x18 over it.
The fuse block just rests in top of the rear edge of the battery and is not attached to anything (for now).

Ken
 
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You will have less resistance in the ground circuits if you attach to the frame nearest your electrical component instead of running long lengths of wire.
 

DirtFlier

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[...you will have less resistance in the ground circuits if you attach to the frame nearest your electrical component instead of running long lengths of wire...]

True but the lengths in question are so short on a motorcycle that they don't create any meaningful difference in resistance. Conversely, using a frame bolt as a ground point can be fraught with all sorts of problems due to corrosion, neglect because of location, etc.
 

RedLdr1

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Conversely, using a frame bolt as a ground point can be fraught with all sorts of problems due to corrosion, neglect because of location, etc.
Some bikes have separate frame sections made out of differing materials, like aluminum, and that can really screw you up.... I prefer to run a ground "buss" bar where all the grounds for a particular section, nose or tail, are grounded together and then back to the battery.
 
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You will have less resistance in the ground circuits if you attach to the frame nearest your electrical component instead of running long lengths of wire.
If you examine the wiring diagram for the NT (or any other bike for which I've acquired a diagram), you'll find that there is a single ground point for almost the entire bike, with a few ground wires attached to this ground point that feed all the lights, electronics, etc., branching into more ground wires as necessary to feed individual light fixtures and whatnot. The only exception to this in the NT is the high-amp user (the starter motor), which is internally frame-grounded via*the engine case.

I have minimal electrical farkles and they either mimic (fuzeblock setup) or leverage (hyperlites) this approach.
 
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