ok so i have been thinking about a toggle switch and i want to combine 2 into one so i would need one that has four modes do they make such a thing?

 

huh?

 

Based on what you wrote, if I have this right, you want a single toggle switch that would have something like an off, low, medium and high setting all on one toggle switch, right? I think that would be a quadruple (4) pole, quadruple throw. I don't know if there is such a switch though.

I just looked and found a 4PDT. That is a 4 pole, double throw. Essentially, center off, up turns one thing on, down turns the other thing on. It's at the following web address. Their part number for it is 35-143 and it's $14.83

http://www.action-electronics.com/switches.htm#Standard

Google "switch" and you'll find a lot of interesting alternatives.

 

its for my fog lights what i would like to do is have 2 on and 2 off the other set 2 on and 2 off and finally all 4 on or if there is a way to have 2 on and 2 off and then all 4 on an then finally the all 4 off switch

 

I don't think so friend. You could probably use a 4PDT to determine one set, the other set or both sets and then use a SPST to actually turn on power to the 4PDT switch but that would defeat the purpose of only one switch. :( Look around online, there *may* be a switch out there that would work but it would have to be a 4 Pole, 4 throw or 4P4T switch and based on the size of the one I linked to, such a switch would be huge on the back side. Can you go with a turn type switch kind of like an old TV station selector? I'm sure you could find one of them with 4 "throw" positions (one being off) but I don't know how big or small it would be...

Either way, driving/fog lights are a big draw on power. Make sure you use relays to actually turn them on or you will fry switches regularly.

 

You could do it with a single-pole/quadruple-throw switch and two relays.

The input of the switch would be connected to +12V. You don't need it to be a heavy wire, since it will just be used to turn on relays.

The first output "throw" would be left unconnected - this would be the "OFF" position.

The second throw would be connected to a relay that would power the first set of lights.

The third throw would be connected to a second relay that would power the second set of lights.

The fourth throw would be connected to BOTH relays, and would turn on both sets of lights.


Let me know if you need any more details.

 

i just bought the palo uber light bar and it has 3 wires per switch would this still work?

 

im leaning more towards the single pole tripple throw switch is there on out there?

 

Well, there are a lot more single-pole/triple-throw switches than there are single-pole/quadruple-throw. To do what you want with a SPTT switch, though, you would also need a single-pole/double-throw switch to act as an "ON/OFF" switch.

The SPDT switch would supply or remove power to the SPTT switch, and the three positions on the SPTT switch would be "first pair on", "second pair on", and "both sets on".

Whichever way you go, you would also need two diodes to keep one set of lights "off" when you only want to have the other set "on". Once you decide what kind of switch you want to go with, I can go into more detail regarding the actual wiring.

 

http://www.performanceunlimited.com/...eswitches.html

would one of these work?

 

i think i want to go with the 3 throw one because then ill have an -
off- one set on- both sets on

 

Yes - one each of the first two "round" switches would work. You would wire the DPDT switch as a SPDT to serve the "ON/OFF" function, and then one of the SP3T switches to select between "first pair on", "second pair on", and "both pairs on".

The switches seem heavy-duty enough to power the lights without relays, but I would still recommend using relays so that you don't have to run heavy-gauge wires all the way to the switches. With relays, you can use thinner wires from the switches to the relays, and just use thicker wires from the battery to the relays and from the relays to the lights.

 

I thought you originally wanted:

1) OFF
2) Pair "A" on,
3) Pair "B" on,
and
4) Both pairs on.

Has that changed?

 

i have 2 of these in the wireing harness that was provided http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/2-BOS...QQcmdZViewItem

i have no clue what they do but they plug in to it

 

originally i did want that but i figured if i had the highbeams on i would probably want the fog ones on as well

 

Yep - those are the standard Bosch SPDT relays. You'd be using them as SPST relays, so one of the terminals (marked "87a") would be unused.

If you wanted the three positions to be (OFF/One set on/Both sets on), you would still need a diode to keep the one pair OFF when you had the other pair "ON". I don't know if the Palo kit already comes with the diode - if not, any Radio Shack will carry them.

 

do you want me to take a picture of the wiring harness?

 

If he used 2 relays, one per pair of driving lights, and a SPTT switch, why would he need a diode? *scratches head* Or are you talking about putting the diode on the switch end?

 

ok first pic is of the power line it shows 2 power wires that have 2 fuses with a ground
second pic is of the 2 relays i guess it looks like there are 2 different sizes of wires the smaller ones go to the switches and the bigger ones go to the lights

third pic is of the switches 3 wires per switch both have red and black and then an off color in between the switches and the relays are another red wire for power i presume

in the fourth picture shows the wiring for the lights and the ground

in 5th pic shows the diagram from bottom up is ground 2 power wires with intergrated fuses and top is 2 relays

6th pic shows from bottom up ignition power wire and then finally the switch wires

 

another question that i have is what size fuses should i use because it is not in the directions

 

The third switch position (all lights on) is connected to the trigger wires for both relays. This means that there will essentially be a permanent direct connection between the triggers for both relays.

Because of this, when you use position 2 of the switch (one set on), the connection between the two relay triggers (via pole 3 of the switch) will cause the other set of lights to come on as well, which he doesn't want.

The diodes are to make sure that the relays are only triggered by the switch itself, and not by each other.

 

Those pictures are only about 1" X 1.5" on my monitor, and I can't click them to get a larger version, so I really can't make anything of the diagrams.

If you want a single switch to control all four lights like you're talking about, you're probably going to have to chuck the supplied harness anyway and make your own. You can keep the supplied relays, and you might be able to re-use some of the wiring and connections, but it will be a LOT less confusing to just begin over and make a harness yourself.

 

could you make a diagram so i could build one?

 

Sure - give me a day or two to get it written up and posted. Just to confirm, you want to use a three-position toggle switch, where one position is OFF, the second position turns on one pair of lights, and the third position turns on both pairs of lights, correct?

Do you want the lights to be able to be turned on with the car off? That might be handy sometimes, but it would also increase the possibility of accidentally leaving your lights on. I could also design the circuit so that the driving lights will only come on with the headlights, if that's what you want. Either way, it won't change anything about the wiring, except for where the toggle switch gets its 12V input.

Also, if you could tell me the wattage ratings for the lamps, that will help me choose the correct size wire for the relays.

 

yeah thats correct the wattage ratings would be 2 hella 500 and 2 Hella Optilux Angel Eyes since i have to have my liscense plate