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YOLO110



Member Since: 14 Feb 2015
Location: Perth Oz and Stansted UK
Posts: 1645

Australia 
Power for rear Scenelight..
I am a self confessed 'luddite' when it comes to electrical 'stuff'!!

Having successfully fitted my LED 'Scenelight' to the rear of my Defender, I am trying to find a power source, to connect the positive and negative Scenelight wires to!

I will route the power through a seperate switch in the rear load area! I need a permanent live to run the light with the ignition off.

Another option is the rear 'cabin light'??

I have read up here on the infamous 'purple power' wire but am not sure as the one visible has a green strip on it..? Also, is the black wire negative?

Photo attached showing all the wires behind the rear speaker panel!

Many thanks,

Pete. Smile


Click image to enlarge
 YOLO... You Only Live Once...
Post #493548 18th Jan 2016 2:11am
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CDN38



Member Since: 14 Nov 2014
Location: Courtenay, BC
Posts: 729

Canada 2000 Defender 110 Td5 SW Bonatti Grey
Yes, that's the famed purple wire in the photo.

From what I understand, anywhere you see a purple wire on your truck, you will have permanent power, regardless of ignition position.
Post #493550 18th Jan 2016 4:15am
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ericvv



Member Since: 02 Jun 2011
Location: Near the Jet d'Eau
Posts: 5816

Switzerland 2009 Defender 110 Puma 2.4 SVX Station Wagon Santorini Black
Post #493552 18th Jan 2016 4:36am
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YOLO110



Member Since: 14 Feb 2015
Location: Perth Oz and Stansted UK
Posts: 1645

Australia 
Thanks for the replies! Thumbs Up

WHAT a day! Now I again know why I did not become an auto electrician!

Got it sorted today. Went to the afore mentioned auto electrician and he suggested that the purple wire to the rear demister was a 'switched' live. He suggested as the SceneLight is LED with a low current draw, to use the cabin light as the source!

I had already take off the rear side trims and the rear roof trim, but not the headlining. How to feed a wire from the rear cabin light backwards Rolling with laughter ! Finally I struck on using my metal wind up tape measure as a 'mouse'... and after much swearing and some grazed knuckles, I managed to grab hold of it, tape the twin core to it and pull it through!

A few more hours later, all done! Switch installed and a nice Scenelight all working!

Well chuffed!

Pics will follow, promise! Cool YOLO... You Only Live Once...
Post #493610 18th Jan 2016 10:18am
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Enid_Puceflange



Member Since: 25 Oct 2014
Location: edinburgh
Posts: 1172

Scotland 2002 Defender 110 Td5 DCPU Baltic Blue
Hi Yolo,

So you have wired it to the interior light for power with a switch inside to turn power on?

Good idea. I was going to wire mine to the reverse light power with a switch, you way seems a bit less labour intensive. Thumbs Up

G My confidence has been writing cheques that my abilities can't cash for years.
Post #493846 18th Jan 2016 8:18pm
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Alexke



Member Since: 03 Jan 2011
Location: Antwerp
Posts: 113

Belgium 
YOLO110 wrote:
Thanks for the replies! Thumbs Up

WHAT a day! Now I again know why I did not become an auto electrician!

Got it sorted today. Went to the afore mentioned auto electrician and he suggested that the purple wire to the rear demister was a 'switched' live. He suggested as the SceneLight is LED with a low current draw, to use the cabin light as the source!
....

Well chuffed!

Pics will follow, promise! Cool


You do know the interior light is switched by the AS10 Alarm ECU!
http://www.toine-hendriks.nl/hobbies/AS10.h3.jpg

If you draw to much current it can cause damage to it! or start other electrical gremlins! Discovery 4 SDV6 Landmark
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Post #496454 26th Jan 2016 12:48am
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YOLO110



Member Since: 14 Feb 2015
Location: Perth Oz and Stansted UK
Posts: 1645

Australia 
OMG!

No I did not know that Big Cry

I have wired a Scenelight...

http://www.labcraft.co.uk/product/scenelite-si7/

Can you advise if you think this is too much current to draw?

Cheers,

Pete. Rolling Eyes YOLO... You Only Live Once...
Post #496462 26th Jan 2016 7:11am
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Ranger



Member Since: 17 Nov 2011
Location: United Kingdom
Posts: 75

United Kingdom 2003 Defender 110 Td5 G4 LE Zambezi Silver
I had the same idea but decided to run all ancillaries from a separate fused feed. I used the Mudstuff UK Bluesea fusebox rather than start cutting into the vehicle wiring. Each ancillary is separately fused and switched, with the battery protected by a magefuse. It also makes tracking down any faults easier.



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Click image to enlarge
Post #496469 26th Jan 2016 7:44am
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Cupboard



Member Since: 21 Mar 2014
Location: Suffolk
Posts: 2971

United Kingdom 2011 Defender 110 Puma 2.4 HT Corris Grey
Alexke wrote:

You do know the interior light is switched by the AS10 Alarm ECU!
http://www.toine-hendriks.nl/hobbies/AS10.h3.jpg

If you draw to much current it can cause damage to it! or start other electrical gremlins!


Sort of yes... the interior light feed has a permanent live (nothing to do with the 10AS and also feeds some other things like the clock), permanent ground (nothing to do with the 10AS) and switched ground (everything to do with the 10AS and should be avoided for this sort of thing).

I don't know what the current sinking capacity of the 10AS is, but my interior light was using about 700mA (engine off) before I changed it, and in a 110 CSW you could have three, so I'd guess something around 2.5A.
I doubt you'll have issues with the permanent wiring to the interior light, it's fused at 10A. The purple (permanent live) is 1.0mm2 cable, the earth starts at 0.5mm2 then grows to 1.0mm2, I guess they're assuming you're not going to have all the interior lights on manually at once or something. Although actually 0.5mm2 would be OK for 3A.

If I've read the diagram correctly, the fuse in question also does the diagnostics socket, something on the dash (although those two are listed as 5A instead of 10. It's definitely 10), the clock and permanent to the CD player.
Post #496483 26th Jan 2016 8:09am
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YOLO110



Member Since: 14 Feb 2015
Location: Perth Oz and Stansted UK
Posts: 1645

Australia 
As you can see, the Scenelite draws 1.25A.

I have also replaced both standard interior Festoon bulbs with LED versions... much lower current drain.

So, I think I will be ok on this even if they are all on? ... as you say it's fused at 10 Amps.

Question, given your comment about the cable width being 1.0mm reducing to .05mm, I have used twin core 2mm for the feed... is that ok? Or should I re-do this with smaller wire?

Time to learn some proper stuff about auto electrics I think! Rolling Eyes

Many thanks! YOLO... You Only Live Once...
Post #496504 26th Jan 2016 8:38am
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Cupboard



Member Since: 21 Mar 2014
Location: Suffolk
Posts: 2971

United Kingdom 2011 Defender 110 Puma 2.4 HT Corris Grey
The bigger the better Thumbs Up

Big cable means lower resistance so you waste less energy heating the cable up and more gets to the light.
The disadvantage is it costs and weights more.

Something like the Labcraft Scenelight (and you can tell by the fact it's rated for something like 9-32V) is regulated, meaning it will be just as bright at 30V as it is at 10V. The flip side of that is that as the voltage drops, in order to keep taking the same amount of power the current goes up.

P=IV, that is Power=Current*Voltage
Also V=IR, that is Voltage=Current*Resistance.

Rearrange them, and P=I*I*R, so in order to get twice the power you need four times the current, or if you double the current you get four times the cable losses.
Post #496600 26th Jan 2016 12:55pm
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YOLO110



Member Since: 14 Feb 2015
Location: Perth Oz and Stansted UK
Posts: 1645

Australia 
Thanks!

I can now replace all the trims knowing they won't have to come off again soon! Laughing YOLO... You Only Live Once...
Post #496605 26th Jan 2016 1:05pm
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