Where to connect boost controller positive and negative?

[IM-32-FK]

Hey all, 

with the lockdown in effect, I thought I’d fix some things in my car. I was trying to get the light around the cigarette lighter rim to work, but it kept shorting out. I figured out that the previous owner connected the blitz dual sbc boost controllers positive red and ground black wire straight to the positive and negative wire of the cigarette lighter socket. I guess when I now connect the light to the socket it’s shorting out because it’s going over amperage(15A).

so I was wondering where to connect the positive and negative for the boost controller. I was thinking maybe to the head deck radio loom.

cheers

 

[GTSBoy]

  On 03/08/2021 at 7:26 AM, IM-32-FK said:

I guess when I now connect the light to the socket it’s shorting out because it’s going over amperage(15A).

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Unlikely. That globe will draw 3/5ths of f**k all current. The problem is more likely to be that the current (added onto) wiring is f**ked up or your attempt to reinstate the light is f**ked up in some way.

  On 03/08/2021 at 7:26 AM, IM-32-FK said:

so I was wondering where to connect the positive and negative for the boost controller. I was thinking maybe to the head deck radio loom.

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You could do that. There's plenty of power there to run something as small as a boost controller - although keep in mind that the power for the solenoid passes through the controller and is not a negligible amount for some solenoids. Unless you have lots of other stuff running off there or a massive amp in the headunit, it should be fine.

[IM-32-FK]

  On 03/08/2021 at 7:50 AM, GTSBoy said:

Unlikely. That globe will draw 3/5ths of f**k all current. The problem is more likely to be that the current (added onto) wiring is f**ked up or your attempt to reinstate the light is f**ked up in some way.

You could do that. There's plenty of power there to run something as small as a boost controller - although keep in mind that the power for the solenoid passes through the controller and is not a negligible amount for some solenoids. Unless you have lots of other stuff running off there or a massive amp in the headunit, it should be fine.

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How sure are you? I checked the wiring, the pos and neg of the boost controller are directly bridged to the pos and neg of the cigarette socket. I’m also trying it with a t5 led globe not those standard halogen t5 bulbs. The socket for the light housing and cigarette housing are seperate. The light housing grounds onto the cigarette housing with a large pin that pushes against the cigarette housing. If I’m grounding it after turning the key to ON, will it cause it to short?

id like to mention that the cigarette lighter socket still works, like I can put a USB charger in it and it’ll work, but as soon as I put the light in the socket it shorts out.

Also I’m running nothing but the reverse camera directly to accessory wire for the head deck

Edited August 3, 2021 by IM-32-FK

[GTSBoy]

How sure am I? As sure as I can be from here. Have you got the wiring diagram? Get it out** and look to see that the wiring for the light is part of the lighting circuit anyway, has separate wires that don't connect with the lighter socket itself, so the problem you describe sounds more and more like a f**ked up wiring situation.

 

** This is snipped from the R32 wiring diagram. I don't have the R34 drawing here. Separate plugs, from separate places. The light has just one wire coming from the lighting circuit. The ciggy lighter has power from the ciggy fuse and earth from somewhere logical.

[IM-32-FK]

  On 03/08/2021 at 11:07 AM, GTSBoy said:

How sure am I? As sure as I can be from here. Have you got the wiring diagram? Get it out** and look to see that the wiring for the light is part of the lighting circuit anyway, has separate wires that don't connect with the lighter socket itself, so the problem you describe sounds more and more like a f**ked up wiring situation.

 

** This is snipped from the R32 wiring diagram. I don't have the R34 drawing here. Separate plugs, from separate places. The light has just one wire coming from the lighting circuit. The ciggy lighter has power from the ciggy fuse and earth from somewhere logical.

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Yes, you are right. The cigg socket has a power and ground wire going to it whereas the cigg light got just has a power wire and a prong that grounds itself to the cig socket when it’s pushed against it. The cig light is always turned on because it turns on when the key is on the ON position, just like the screen for the climate control on r34. 
 

I would like to mention, when I make it sit naturally like in the pic, the light doesn’t turn on or react. Only when I ground it to other parts of the metal cigg socket, will it turn on for a split second before shorting again. What does this mean?

Do you think the issue is the socket for the light bulb itself? Maybe it is f**ked? Maybe I should order a new one.

 

Edited August 3, 2021 by IM-32-FK

[GTSBoy]

Well, next, what do you mean by "shorting"? What actually happens? Does it blow the fuse?

[IM-32-FK]

  On 03/08/2021 at 10:24 PM, GTSBoy said:

Well, next, what do you mean by "shorting"? What actually happens? Does it blow the fuse?

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Yes the cigarette lighter fuse blows a split second after it lights on

[GTSBoy]

So measure the resistance of the bulb. If it's only like a 1W or 2W globe (surely they can't be more than that!) then it would want to have a resistance of ~100 ohms. If it's really low resistance (like single digits or less), then it will flow too much current and blow the 15A fuse. The lamp or its holder would then be suspect.

[Dose Pipe Sutututu]

  On 04/08/2021 at 1:46 AM, GTSBoy said:

its holder would then be suspect.

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I would say this.

 

[IM-32-FK]

Just reviving a dead topic, but after removing the boost controller wires from the ciggarette lighter wires, the rim light on the lighter is working. 

[IM-32-FK]

  On 03/08/2021 at 11:07 AM, GTSBoy said:

How sure am I? As sure as I can be from here. Have you got the wiring diagram? Get it out** and look to see that the wiring for the light is part of the lighting circuit anyway, has separate wires that don't connect with the lighter socket itself, so the problem you describe sounds more and more like a f**ked up wiring situation.

 

** This is snipped from the R32 wiring diagram. I don't have the R34 drawing here. Separate plugs, from separate places. The light has just one wire coming from the lighting circuit. The ciggy lighter has power from the ciggy fuse and earth from somewhere logical.

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Read the post above, my man😊

Edited October 20, 2022 by IM-32-FK

[GTSBoy]

Ah, the joys of discovering other people's crack pipe wiring.

[IM-32-FK]

  On 20/10/2022 at 11:10 PM, GTSBoy said:

Ah, the joys of discovering other people's crack pipe wiring.

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How? It’s common for people to use the cigg wires for live ignition. It’s no different to connecting it to another ign wire. In this case, connecting it to cigg wires made the cigg socket work, but wouldn’t light up the light rim.

[GTSBoy]

The very idea that having the boost controller powered from the ciggy lighter socket's power wire would prevent the socket's lighting ring from working is pure crack pipe. What the actual f**k? The lighting is a separate circuit!!!!!

[IM-32-FK]

  On 21/10/2022 at 1:50 AM, GTSBoy said:

The very idea that having the boost controller powered from the ciggy lighter socket's power wire would prevent the socket's lighting ring from working is pure crack pipe. What the actual f**k? The lighting is a separate circuit!!!!!

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Hmm… because controller power was connected to socket wire and ground was connected to light wire. Maybe that’s why. I mean if both the wires are live, then why would previous owner connect controller ground to live rim light wire? And even then, why would boost controller work?

Edited October 21, 2022 by IM-32-FK

[GTSBoy]

The boost controller was earthing through the light's power side and the light. It's really somewhat fortunate that there wasn't a fuse problem or a fire, is what I think.

[IM-32-FK]

  On 21/10/2022 at 2:31 AM, GTSBoy said:

The boost controller was earthing through the light's power side and the light. It's really somewhat fortunate that there wasn't a fuse problem or a fire, is what I think.

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Ah I see, the earthing was travelling through the lights wire, passing through the globe and and grounding where the grounding prong makes contact with the cigg socket.

also I did have a fuse problem, as it would blow a fuse as soon as I changed the blown fuse lol

[niZmO_Man]

lucky you didn't have a fire problem... hahaha