You could run fused power directly from the battery to a switch without having to use a relay but the only way to turn the lights on or off is with the switch.

A relay draws power directly from the battery so it doesn't stress the factory wire when running high powered or multiple sets of lights. It also allows you to activate the relay with whatever "trigger" you want. For example, if you want something activated when you open the door...you tap into the dome light wire and use that as a trigger...if you want something activated when you put the truck in reverse..you tap into the reverse light wire and use that as a trigger.....or you could use a relay and a switch (powered by a key on hot) and use that as a trigger.

Another thing you can use a relay for is turning a negative polarity "trigger" into a positve trigger as shown below:



Here is an example where it comes in handy...I was wiring up some undercarrage lights in my buddy's Nissan Titan and his dome light wire was negative polarity, but he also wanted a seperate switch inside the cab that would activate the undercarrage lights without having to open his door or turn on his dome light. So we had to convert the negative polarity trigger to a positive polarity in order to activate the second relay which activated the undercarrage lights:

 

Our of curisioty do you reverse sensors even work that high off the ground?

I like the lights. Did they come with mounting brackets at all?

 

PERF.. yep the sensors work just fine... I was surprised. Yeah, the lights came with brackets.

 

Thanks.
I may run down to Autozone tonight after work and take a look at them.

 

Here is some better day shots, you can see them a little better:

 

Nice Kevin, really nice. I appreciate you taking the time to explain the wiring. And the light's look great. A very stealth install, indeed!!

RCI huh?? Nice.....

 

Very cool setup Bear Hunter, nicely done.

One word of caution, when you release the switch, the coil in the relay will generate an inductive kick. In your case, the way that it is wired, the cathode of your diode will be pulled below ground. How far down it gets pulled depends on the inductance of the coil, and any load is has to drive while going negative. It may or may not be a problem for you, depending on what else your reverse light circuit is connected to.

The solution is simple, you can put another diode across the coil terminals of the relay, with the anode to the ground side, and the cathode to the switched side. This is pretty standard practice when working with relays. It will clamp any voltage spike that the coil generates when the switch is turned off.

 

These lights look fantastic, Bear! And the price is right!!

I logged on to Autozone and it looks like they take orders from Canada. Phew!

Regarding the part number, it doesn't come up on Autozone's online catalog. If fact when I browsed their foglight selection I didn't come across it. "Ultra White" came up empty too.

Any advice on how/where to find them online?

Cheers!

Keith

 

Metal... thanks bro

Kel... thanks for the info man... I did not know that

Kanuck... I threw the box away, but others have said this:

It doesn't look like anyone has had any luck finding it on the web.

 

I have been a lurker here for the last month but I had to post and say GREAT JOB! Any idea who the mfr is? and no i don't drive a chevy.

 

hey Bear, very nice! thanks for the idea!
here are 2 that I found on ebay...

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/HELLA...mZ230112599582



and this is the one im bidding on....

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...m=230112535863


-Junior

 

Bump has anyone found these lights they are so stealth Autozone does not even know
where to gety them.

UGGHHH! I wanted to have it done before this weekend.

 

I found em on the first call to Autozone. Went and bought them too.

I am actually going to go with another light from Hella Optilux.

I would sell you the ones I got, but headed out of town until Friday. Keep trying, they do stock them.

 

I too was able to find these with one call to the local autozone. Just ask the clerk to look up the part number uw3435.

 

I found them at my local AZ as well but they wanted 42 bucks for them. They are damn small light thou. I was expecting a little bigger then that.