Fuze Block Gone Wrong

idevourcows

Guest
I'll open by telling you guys that I have no experience or skill with electrical work. I want to install a charger for my iPhone and an Autocom system (neither of which seemed like a big deal). After reading lots of posts here I decided that I should install a Fuzeblock now, when a little extra work would pay off in a lot of future-proofing. I read every post I could find here on the subject, went from ignorant to confidant to befuddled to determined, and decided to start.

I tore the bike down and thought I had the Fuzeblock installed, but couldn't get the charger to work running from the Fuzeblock ? whether set up as switched or constant. After messing with this most of the afternoon, I took the Fuzeblock back out and put everything back together the way I found it. I'm going to regroup and try again next weekend.

Here are some questions:

1) Fuse between the FZ-1 and the battery. What spec fuse should I use, and are there any special considerations for the way to install this? I saw some mention of a circuit breaker. Is this substantially better ? if so, what type is appropriate and are there any special considerations for the installation of this?

2) Switched power. *sigh* Conceptually I get this, but I have had a hard time interpreting the pictures here to figure out *which* wire is the tail light wire. Ultimately, I pulled one of the tail lights out of the housing and tapped the red wire leading into it using a posi-tap. Is this a reasonable approach?

I'm pretty sure that the switched power line wasn't the problem since the charger wasn't working with the fuse (on the FZ-1) in the constant power position either. Right now, my plan is to get my hands on the basic wiring book recommended in another thread and get my hands on a multi-meter so I can try to determine where the problem is. Ultimately, I really want to learn to do this myself and not have to break down and pay someone else to do it for me.
 
Bear

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San Jose,
Don't be too down on yourself--wiring can be quite unnerving. You have to deal with different guage wires, colors, etc. You are on the right track by getting a book on wiring and a multimeter. I have to have my wife double check all my wiring on the boat and the bike because I am colorblind. Withour her help, we could have some great light shows. Hang in there. Incidentally, my daughter lives in San Jose.
 

elizilla

Guest
I used a 20amp fuse between the Fuzeblock and the battery. I just got a waterproof fuse holder off the wall at the auto parts store. The circuit breaker is nice, but IMHO it is overkill for this, since if I blow this fuse more than once, I'm doing something so wrong that I'd rather leave it alone, do without accessories until I get home, where I have plenty of fuses and can troubleshoot without tearing my hair on the roadside.

The red wire is only hot when the brake lights are on. For the switch wire, you want to use the WHITE wire.

What kind of charger are you trying to install? It's simplest to install a cig lighter plug and plug in a car charger for the phone. If you're trying to do anything more elaborate, please tell us your plan so we can critique it. :)

Don't try to do any more of this stuff until you have a multimeter. It's an essential tool and not expensive. I have a nice pocket sized one from Radio Shack that I love; I think it cost me under $20.
 
Frosty

Frosty

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How are you going to connect the charger to the FuzeBlock?
I just ordered a Fuze Block to connect a GPS. I had to order a hard wire connection setup (appropriate plug and inline voltage transformer). Usually the voltage change is done within the outlet plug, some fused as well.
I would think the first step would be checking 12v + between positive and negative sides on the FuzeBlock with a multi meter ($4 @ Harbor Freight).
(Don't know much about electrical things beyond the mistakes that I have already made...... never touch the ends of two wires at the same time)
 
Bear

Bear

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Rick,
I ordered the generic Honda Manual from Helm. Has that manual been helpful in reference to electrical hookups?
I have done DC wiring for a long time even though I am colorblind. I label all my wires by color with my wife's help. Then I label the wire spools by color--after that I am fine.
 
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