I've been wanting to help out the community for a while now and just haven't had the exact product to do so, until recently. I've been working on a hi-beam/lo-beam/tail/brake fuse/relay box and it's ready for you all. It's a thought-out product and certainly an up-level from those cheap internet/auto-store boxes. It's a circuit board with some state-of-the-art electronics which is just a plain good thing for your hot rod. Times are always changing and this technology is only getting more reliable and capable, so why not use it? No more blown fuses, stuck relays or burnt switches. This replaces four relay blocks, four fuses holders and all the associated wiring and crimp terminals while giving a clean wiring layout. This makes wiring your basic hot rod needs a breeze. https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/no-more-fuses-or-relays.1246721/ I have pricing from a local manufacturer at $150/unit + shipping/tax. I have zero plans to make money from this and only want to cover manufacturing costs. More importantly, I want to help out a community with some safe technology and hopefully lower the bar of entry for some folks getting into the hobby. I personally did all of the electronics design and mechanical layout - so if you have any questions, please let me know. I have plans on integrating a turn signal flasher and some USB charging ports into a larger version of this, but that'll come at a later date with a steeper build cost. Send me a message if you're interested. Tom
Is this compatible with an LED system ? I ask because many of the successful LED systems require a module and heat sinks , or is a simpler LED all around vehicle lighting system available which is compatible with your power system ?
Think of this as a simple on/off power switch with some smarts to keep it safe. This isn’t a LED driver which almost always requires a heatsink and an individual driver, just as you describe.
I like your technology for Hot Rod power routing board . With 3 builds going right now this coming summer I will be in the system building process so I will be in touch with you after the holidays so have a really nice Christmas
Might I suggest just making a simple block diagram that show input and output connections? I’m not speaking of a schematic of what is inside, but you might garner some more intrest by showing folks how it needs to be hooked up and what it is capable of doing(outputs). Best of luck!
Tom: A great idea for hot rodding. I do have some questions about the unit: 1) According to the link, the unit can power up to 75 watts and 65 watts for the headlights, correct? Assuming these figures are for one side, does that mean you would need 2 units for the vehicle? 2) The S+, S-, and L+ are for the 2 switch terminals and to the light, correct? 3) Is the unit only for negative ground vehicles? 4) Is the unit only for 12v vehicles? Off topic, 2 trailer converters could be used and provide same outputs, and are capable of 96 watts of power for each output. Lastly, most LED tail/ brake/ turn light assemblies are already setup for just regular 12v inputs. No LED drivers needed.
This would be for two lamps per channel per unit. 75W/lamp = 150W total maximum for channel 1. 65W/lamp = 130W total maximum for channel 2. 40W/lamp = 80W total maximum for channel 3. 15W/lamp = 30W total maximum for channel 4. Exactly. L+ is load assuming a local chassis ground at the lamp. Yes. For now. Yes. If there are enough folks wanting a 6V version I can make it happen.
Curious, what current rating on battery + & - connector terminals? If only 15 amps, 2 high beams @ 150 watts plus 2 brake lites @ 40 watts will exceed the current rating @12 volts or more.
This looks like a really clean and safe way to add the basic lighting circuits on a "non-stock" vehicle project. And no relays, fuses or circuit breakers involved. Kind of like having auto re-setting GFIs for each lamp circuit? Would it be possible to design another box with similar circuitry for things like engine cooling fans, gauge clusters, radios, power ports, etc.? Or is there just too much variation in these circuit loads from one vehicle to the next?
I hate to be a negative nelly, but this is a solution looking for a problem IMO. This isn't something new; MSD and American Autowire both offer similar units and if you go into the realm of offroad parts you'll find many more, some waterproof. Both integrated solid-state units like this as well as panels that use discrete replaceable components. But the perception in some quarters is that relays are some sort of 'magic cure all' for electrical issues but that's only true in a very limited sense. Relays are useful if switching currents beyond the capabilities of the control switch, performing multiple switching operations with a single switch, or their usual use by many home builders, to correct dim lights. Keep in mind in this latter application it isn't the relay 'fixing' things, it's the shortened circuit path reducing voltage drop that fixes it. In almost all cases upgrading the wire size to the fuse panel/light switch/lights would do the same thing with less complexity... and cost. Now, if you're using a unobtainium 'vintage' light switch with a possibly suspect condition, a relay may be the solution. But virtually any quality replacement switch will be more than adequate for it's designed use, just make sure the wire feeding the circuit is large enough to prevent excessive voltage drop. Every component added to a system is another possible failure point, using the KISS principle will aid reliability. With all this said, I don't care for these solid-state relay panels, for multiple reasons. First, if you do have a component failure, repairing the board may be difficult. More likely it'll just have to be replaced. Two, these are supplied with a single circuit. A problem there and now you have no exterior lighting at all. The OEMs break these circuits up for just this reason. Three, the wiring is now more complex, not less. Conventional wiring will have a single power supply to the switch, then from the switch to the device... done. With these panels, you have power to the panel, wire to the device, and two more wires to the control switch. Two other issues are connecting turn signals will be complicated, and if you need dash lights having any dimming capability will also be difficult. Another disadvantage is the solid-state relays are all SPST, simple on-off switches. If they offered a SPDT configuration like a 5-pin mechanical relay they'd have more applications. One 'advantage' noted with these is built-in overcurrent protection with faster action. Useful if protecting sensitive electronics, but for our purposes it doesn't matter if it's one millisecond or a hundred... no damage will occur in any short-duration overcurrent as long as the fuse is sized correctly. And like Willy, I'm concerned that the terminal sizes on the OP's unit are bit skimpy. If you have some longer circuit paths, the output wire size may not be big enough. I'm not saying these are useless, they have their place. The off-road guys like them as it's an easy way to add circuits without digging into the core harness. But not something I'd use as a basic part of a main harness.
If you just have to have one, here's a few alternatives.... Amazon.com: 12V Auto Waterproof Fuse Relay Box Block Kit [6 Bosch Style Relay Holder] [6 ATC/ATO Fuse Holder] [Relays & Fuses Included] Universal Relay Block Box for 12V Automotive Vehicles Cars Marine Boat Jeep : Automotive This one would be my choice as it uses commonly available parts and offers more configuration options. The relays may be a bit suspect at this price point, but at about $12 each for quality name-brand relays it'll still be cheaper than any solid-state unit. MSD 75643-HC: High-Current Solid-State Relay | 35 Amp x 4 Channel | 7-20 V Supply | LED Status Indicators | Black Finish | Sold Individually - JEGS High Performance SwitchHUB 4-Channel 100 amp Solid-State Relay – Stinger Off-Road – Jeep Audio And Electronics (stingeroffroad.com)
Just like having a GFI, and overcurrent and over temperature.. all in one integrated package. Not too much about validation for the higher loads since their behavior is very predictable. The bigger issue is the amount of current that can be passed through an FR4 2-oz copper based circuit board. 60A total is very achievable, anything more is a struggle due the I^2*R losses. Give it a couple more years!
This hobby is dying and the world is going electric. The bar of entry is as high as it ever has been. Parts are expensive, labor is expensive and that is even if you have room for a hot rod. Anything to help bring folks into the hobby is a great thing, in my opinion. I have no continuing desire to justify this. If you don't want to use it then move aside for people who do, I'm cool with that. Each to their own. The whole point of this is to make the most hard to comprehend part of this hobby as easy and as safe as possible. Happy Friday to you too. I can send you one of these to test and try out and would be thrilled to chat with you on the phone and explain these things in detail. I'm sure we'd have a lot in common. The general concept is not new but the context is totally new. Smart design is the 'magic cure', not perceptions. The best case is not having the load current pass through the control switch. It would just be another point of failure. This would replace the fuse panel while adding additional features. Win win. Quality is a hard term nowadays and is absolutely subjective. Not much quality is found on Amazon or at the parts store. I've seen relays with stuck contacts operated below rated current from inadequate back-EMF precautions. I'm a total believer of this! Integrated electronics trumps analog electronics for reliability, always. That's why we don't use vacuum tubes in our cells phones. Cool. You don't repair boards like this. I'd replace it, for free - if it would even fail.. Not accurate. Four independent circuits from a common input. No different than a current OEM implementation. ...and smoke. I don't know why people would run ~5A through a switch if they didn't have to. Those features are not the intention of this initial offering. Coming soon. Just use more switches and connect the enable pins on the integrated circuit. Easy. All fuses will operate above rated current for seconds! That does matter. Oh boy.
Cost isn't the only factor for everyone. A great entry level product. MSD are a class act. They have a great team. This is great! Just not sure that I'd want this my own hot rod, maybe on my UTV. Each to their own.
The Jalopy Journal
