Wednesday, 4 Feb 2009
I’ve three things connected to my battery and wanted to add more. Three was my self imposed limit. Time to add some type of external junction box. I selected the Fuzeblock for its size and function. An order was placed as the items were on back order. This wasn’t a problem as I wasn’t in any hurry. The end of January the product arrived.
Fuzebox
components
inside the box
The unit is compact. The price for that is a maximum current handling capacity of 30 Amps total, 10 Amps maximum per output. This is OK for my use, but could be a limitation for some. The plastic plate on the right in the 2nd and 3rd pictures, above, is an optional mount to protect the bottom of the unit. If it is to be installed you’ll need some #6 machine screws and nuts. I also needed to pick up some extra fuses.
battery + lights + sae pigtail
This was my starting point. My fog lights and a fused SAE pigtail was connected to the battery in addition to the bike’s power connections. I wanted to add an additional SAE pigtail that could be used when the first was connected to the controller for my heated gear. While I was at it I’d change the heated gear connection from a direct connect to the battery to a switched connection.
Power input to the unit will come directly from the battery. Relay control will come from the low beam. That way switched power won’t be supplied until the engine is started. I was already using the low beam to control the fog light relay.
start wiring
Installing on bike
I wired up my second SAE cable to the unit such that it will be a constant connection to the battery. This will be used for things like my battery charger or my air pump. I used the fused connector that I clipped off this cable as my power input with a 30 Amp fuse to protect the device.
Because I wanted to keep the ability to switch my fog lights on and off I kept the fog light relay (the switch controls the relay trigger), but powered both the relay and the switched relay trigger from a switched output of the Fuzeblock. The fog light extra wiring and relay are coiled up in the tool tray, under the bike’s user manual.
clean up
No problems with saddle
The first image shows what it looked like after the wiring was cleaned up, the fuzeblock cover installed, and the box cable tied to the battery retaining strap. The second image shows why I have plenty of room to mount the unit at this location. I long ago cut the saddle position adjusting rod to give me extra room for modifications such as this.
constant power
And this was my goal. A constant connection to the battery at the same time heated gear controller was connected. Making the heated gear controller active only when the bike is running was an extra benefit.
I’ve still two free positions for future devices if needed. My GPS, radar detector, and tire pressure monitor are directly connected to the bike’s aux power socket. I’ll not change that as I like the fact that they keep power for up to 15 minutes after the ignition is turned off.
Wiring Diagram
Fuzeblock wiring schematic