For those bright sparks out there.....

Thanks for that dodger.

I'm with you on this regarding light output as the normal jobs are pretty much useless.

Did you wire the light via a solenoid or off the direct reverse light feed???

Thanks for the input.

Direct off the reversing light and have had no probs.

Cool!!!

Job for Sunday morn...

Ciao

I wouldn't worry about the legalities but if you're going to use a lamp which _Affordable_Storage_Drawers.aspx another 4 or 5 amps of current I would suggest using a relay - they are cheap and may save you a new reversing switch in a year or two.

Mike Harding

Dodger, as Mike said a switch is a good idea... I believe it's also a legal requirement as I was pulled over buy a cop a few years back after reversing out of a bay at Coles... Wanted to know why I had a spotty on for reversing. He said it required a switch to be legal so I put one in. As we all know, some cops are less than up to speed with actual requirements but will cost little to incorporate.

Cops these days wouldn't know what a reversing light looks like....

I got busted with one a few years ago and was told to remove it there and then on the side of the road.

If coppers are going to get on my back about a reversing light then how about getting onto all those meat heads out there with spotlights on roof racks and roll bars !!!!

Have had the same on my patrol straight off the reversing circuit for 5 years and still works a treat.

You could always put it on a seperate dash mounted switch that you could turn on on those dark occasions. This way it can also be used as a worklight.

Marn
Point taken!!!!
I would probably mount the work light high enough tho so that it could be rotated and pointed at whatever took your fancy. For convenience tho I would probably have the switch either on the worklight, or isolated inside the canopy or cab as you suggest.

Ciao

I have mine switchable from the cab from an illuminated Cole-Hersee (not a battery isolator) heavy duty dash mount that fits neatly into the standard switch blanks. All looks very factory.

Mine telescopes and swivels up to 3m, so when I have the Kaymar swung open it doubles as the general camp / cooking light. It is a home made one spray painted satin black and looks like a bought one. I ran a curly cable off an old spotlight down the centre so the wiring is concealed.

It has copped a hammering over heaps of dirt, never misses a beat and the Ol' Bill can go wee up a rope IMHO.

Bill,

Isn't your Poron camera an infared jobbie?

G'day mate,
Yes the Poron is an infrared, but at night the field of vision is limited to about 6 feet around the back of the vehicle and is fairly dull/black & white. When the rear lights are turned on, it's like daytime!
Cheers
Roachie

John

I worked on my mates rear pole camp light the other day. Took a little to work out the wiring but it was a simple and good idea. It was set up with a switch in the cab on the dash “ON/ OFF” and also had a switch on the pole “ON / OFF” so you could independently switch the work light on from the cab or at the light. Very simple circuit once I figured out what they were up to.

The previous owner had run a twin flex wire from under the dash, were the dash mounted switch was, The first wire on the flex (A) was run through the Dash switch connected to 2nd battery (fused), The second wire on the twin flex (B) was connected straight + un-switched side of the dash switch (giving one switch and one un-switched +). At the light end of the flex the “A” wire was connected to the + side of the light the “B” wire was run through the local rear switch then to the + side of the light. The – Neg side of the light was wired back to the body for local earth.
If I was going to do it I’d choose 3 core flex and run the earth back to the battery or to the heavy duty power to a rear trailer plug to the Neg - there.
it would be easy to incorporate a relay off the reverse switch to the switched + to add the reverse option.
As you say lots of ways to get that cat fur, but I liked the extera local rear switch and it only took one cable run.

have fun with the crimps

Jugs

Jugs

It would seem that I have now answers to not only reversing the beast but the work light as you describe.

The ability to switch on-off at the light as well as the cab has a fair amount of appeal as it's a pain in the neck to be going back to the cab whenever you want to switch a work light on yet also convenient to have when you are about to put your foot down in some unknown terrirtory.

There was a post here a while back with a circuit for a two way circuit which I thought I had saved, but as usual seems to have disappeared inside the confines of the Puter.

Roachies idea would also be the go where you make it reversing selectable from the dash so perhaps a three way can be accomplished.

Then I will need to work out I suppose wether this will be dependant on power from the Acc/Ign side of things or the house power when camped.

Decisions....Decisions...Decisions.....

But it all will become clear I am sure when I attack the job.

Thanks for the info

John

Hope my verbal description of the circ. is ok, happy to do a digram if you want. Let me know if you want it. I liked the sound of Raoches addition as well. My mate went of the 2nd batt incase he flattened it during camp set up, starting would still be ok

Jugs

Jugs,

Will give it a go this we and see how I go.

If I get in triouible will get back Monday.

Ciao JG

I think the system Jugs described is the same way that light switches might be wired-up at home.....you know, where you have a switch on either side of a room that can turn the same light on or off?

Roachie

I think the home switches are a little different, you can turn on / off from the oppsite switch. The circ I described you have to turn off from the same switch you turned on.

Roachie

I suppose the more you think about it the simpler it all seems to become.

Being DC should make it easy.

Forgetting the earth - as that simply requires a chassis lead, we can probably get power to the light from several sources - that is of course if the trailer fairy doesn't rear its ugly head. Had the odd wiring conundrum where the power from one source tracks down one of the other input wires and causes all sorts of interesting pyrotechnic effects.
As we all know, trailer wiring can keep you entertained for hours.

Think I might try a combination of the Jugs-Roach technology here and see what the WE brings.

As for the WE - Have a good one.

Look forward to hearing the upshot

Fun Fun Fun

Jugs