where do you mount your accessory fusebox?

[Dr. Strangelove]

under the seat, right, but with the curved rear "fender" there are few flat spots.
Any tricks you've found?
Got a picture?

tia
John

[deilenberger]

Mine is mounted on the inside of the rear fender about where the stickers for tire pressure and stuff are. It has 4 standoffs that it mounts on so the curving inner fender isn't a problem.

[Dr. Strangelove]

The eastern beaver pc8 is flat but I could heat, carefully, and bend the tabs to fit. What do u use for the triggering source? I was thinking using the accessory plug??

Did you screw it in? Is there anything behind the plastic there that you have to worry about hitting?
Thanks

[roger l]

When I installed my fuse block I cut the power leads from my accessory plug and used it to power my relay for the new fuse block. I then rewired my accessory plug from the new fuse block. Now I have a power outlet that is not controlled by the CanBus. Also with this the fuse block is powered for about a minute after the key is turned off because that is what the power outlet did.

Roger L

[deilenberger]

The eastern beaver pc8 is flat but I could heat, carefully, and bend the tabs to fit. What do u use for the triggering source? I was thinking using the accessory plug??

Did you screw it in? Is there anything behind the plastic there that you have to worry about hitting?
Thanks

That's unfortunate - but you might look for some sort of spacers to put under the mounting points. That eliminates any bending. I used the parking light in the headlight for the trigger source - so the relay switches off immediately when the ignition is turned off.

I'd strongly warn against using ScotchLok connectors. These are the blue POS with the metal blade that cuts into the wires. It has the disadvantage of not only damaging the wires, but also has the potential for bad electrolysis if it gets wet. I've had to replace entire wiring harnesses that were destroyed by someone using these things. What is good practice is to solder connections, using what's called a "lineman's splice" (Google it) where some insulation is stripped back, and the wire being spliced in is wrapped around the bare conductor on the wire it's being spliced to. It's then soldered, and the entire splice is covered with good quality electrical tape. Anyone who has done soldering for electronics should be able to handle this. If you can't solder or can't find someone who can (look for a ham-radio operator) - then something like a "Posilock" which Eastern Beaver sells is probably OK. The design is less damaging to the conductor being connected to, but to make it a reliable connector, I'd wrap the joint with a triangular pattern of electrical tape (provides some protection against weather and provides physical support for the wiring.) GOOD electrical tape is hard to find now. I only use Scotch. Much of the cheap stuff is worthless and will unglue itself in short order.

I also am a fan of bundling wiring using cloth tape like BMW uses for their harnesses. This provides physical protection for the wiring and generally makes things tidy. Scotch again makes the best IMHO. Done right - your add-on wiring can look like it came from the factory, and be as long lasting. To further make good wiring - you might look at a marine supply store (on line, or near you if you're near water) and get marine grade wire. It has superior insulation, and fully-tinned conductors. What this does is keeps water from wicking up the conductors and corroding them. It's not cheap, but in the long scheme of things, it's economical since you're not having to redo the wiring. I have three spools I bought many years ago to re-wire a sailboat, and I'm still using it (for bike stuff.)

That's it for hints.

Oh - one accessory/farkle I recently added from Burns Moto - a USB power port. This is a nice little self-contained goober with a weather cap that can be tie-wrapped to the frame (Steve doesn't show it that way, but it can be, I'll have to post a photo), and it has wiring about 30" long on it so you can run it wherever. I mounted it right above the port side throttle body, where a USB cord can easily reach up into my tank bag to plug my phone or iPod in. I have it on a switched circuit - but it only draws 2mA when not in use, so it probably could live on an always-live circuit. I put it on an always-on circuit when we were without power for 10 days due to hurricane Sandy - and used it to charge my cell phone.

Oh#2 - forgot your question. I used small screws and nuts to fasten mine.. the nuts are on the inside of the fender (toward the tire). Just don't make them so long that the tire can hit them.

[roger l]

I just installed a BurnsMoto USB socket on my bike to power my GPS. I hard mounted mine to the handlebar risers. The wires were just long enough to get back to the fuse block. Below is a link to BurnsMoto. The shipping was very fast. I ordered my socket on Sunday and got it Wednesday.

http://www.burnsmoto.com/usb-power-sock ... rproof.php

Roger L

[Dr. Strangelove]

Man! thanks for the tips!

I used the parking light on my 1150...to get to it I had to remove the tank. I hate removing the tank not matter how "easy" some believe it to be

Can I get to the parking light lead w/o drama on the 12? That is the main reason I looked to the accessory outlet. It's right there and it's switched. I like that it stays on for 30 seconds after ignition is off.

I Mounted the pc8 where you did, Don, and I did use spacers, cut from some plastic tubing I had around and used the self tapping screws. Prev Owner has a mud guard, so no chance of the pointy end of the screws hitting the tire, no where close. And it is secure. It is still flexed, VERY SLIGHTLY so I have to look at that, though the design of the EB PC8 has a plastic enclosure top and bottom. So, the circuit board is removed from the very slightly flexing bottom part of the enclosure. I think it's prob fine, and the screws have decent purchase to keep it secure.

That Burns Moto USB socket sounds cool. I was going to electrify my Givi topcase, did that on my 1150's Hepco Becker, but that sounds tempting, just because you can! I have used the EB PosiLock in the past w success, and will look at a linesman's splice. I try to use shrink tubing as often as possible, but my elec tape is scotch and it doesn't come loose.

Re the cloth tape "that BMW uses," a forum member in the past said that the tape used as a grip on hockey sticks is a match for that and can be had at sporting goods stores for cheap. But, in south Louisiana not much hockey is played so finding the tape may be a problem, or not...I haven't looked.

Roger wrote

When I installed my fuse block I cut the power leads from my accessory plug and used it to power my relay for the new fuse block. I then rewired my accessory plug from the new fuse block. Now I have a power outlet that is not controlled by the CanBus. Also with this the fuse block is powered for about a minute after the key is turned off because that is what the power outlet did.

Ha! Good idea! with it always hot you can run your trickle charger through it, right? What amperage fuse did you give it? And gauge of wire feeding it? Speaker wire should be plenty I think?
I was thinking about adding another socket just to keep one hot for charging, but didn't see a good place to attach it. I like neat and sparse appearing.

Re the surgery on it...Did you cut the leads...splice the original Can-bus hot to the relay...attach the original Can-bus ground somewhere on the bike, or to the ground on the accessory fusebox? And simply run an unswitched circuit to the accessory plug?
A ground is a ground is a ground, even on the can-bus system, is that right? Does it matter that the former circuit for the accessory plug is complete--via the relay-- when the ignition is on? Does the relay still draw only milliamps? I guess my question is will the full available power that formerly went to the accessory now flood the relay for the accessory fusebox?

Thanks again for the help; y'all addressed my concerns exactly. Look forward to your responses. However, yesterday I managed to cut the tip of my thrid finger left hand enough to need stitches, so my attack on the 12 is on hold for a little while, though I am tempted and can prob work around the bum finger.
In the meantime

Happy Thanksgiving!

John

[BigEasy]

Give the Posilock/Positap connectors a try. I'm with Don in the soldering is best department but for simply getting power to a relay the Positap is quick-n-easy and works a treat.

I used these connectors to install a set of heated grips on my Buell last winter and so far the weather resistance and duribility have been great. You can also source them from Racer Parts Wholesale in Indy.

[SF_Hooligan]

Can I get to the parking light lead w/o drama on the 12? That is the main reason I looked to the accessory outlet. It's right there and it's switched. I like that it stays on for 30 seconds after ignition is off.

I hooked my block to the parking light with this doohickey, and wish I hadn't. I've been thinking of switching it to the accessory plug.

It turns out to be a pain in the ass. If you ever have to do anything with your head light, for example replace your headlight lens, you'll regret it. I wouldn't do it again, that's for sure.

[deilenberger]

Can I get to the parking light lead w/o drama on the 12? That is the main reason I looked to the accessory outlet. It's right there and it's switched. I like that it stays on for 30 seconds after ignition is off.

I hooked my block to the parking light with this doohickey, and wish I hadn't. I've been thinking of switching it to the accessory plug.

It turns out to be a pain in the ass. If you ever have to do anything with your head light, for example replace your headlight lens, you'll regret it. I wouldn't do it again, that's for sure.

Indeed - that TwistedThrottle doohickey was ordered by me, tried, and returned to them. It is not a good solution. Instead I used a lineman's splice on the + feed to the parking light inside the headlight shell, and ran it out a small hole I drilled at the back of the headlight housing through a rubber grommet. That's worked reliably for many miles.

[SF_Hooligan]

Indeed - that TwistedThrottle doohickey was ordered by me, tried, and returned to them. It is not a good solution. Instead I used a lineman's splice on the + feed to the parking light inside the headlight shell, and ran it out a small hole I drilled at the back of the headlight housing through a rubber grommet. That's worked reliably for many miles.

I actually don't mind the connector so much - I wanted to avoid drilling a hole in the bucket so I ran the wire through a vacant spot in the plug. The whole arrangement just seems so much more ridiculous than just hooking into the accessory plug.

[Dr. Strangelove]

I accessed the accessory plug just now. Two wires run to it and the brown one is ground, so the other, green/red stripe iirc, must be hot. I am going to tap it. Decision is: do I want to keep the accessory plug on the can-bus and simply tap it, or, disconnect the accessory plug from the can bus and wire it to and unswitched port on the eastern beaver, to use for simple battery trickling and any always hot app?

John

[roger l]

I decided to make my accessory plug switched from the fuse block for two reasons. First if it was off the CanBus I could fues it to what ever I want, provided that the wire is large enough to carry the current. Second, there is no way that I can leave anything hooked up to it and drain the battery leaving me stranded.
I installed a two prong SAE connector directly to the battery for my Battery Tender.

Just my 2 cents

Roger L

[mogu83]

[I used a lineman's splice on the + feed to the parking light inside the headlight shell,

Don - did you use a 'lineman's splice' or a 'tap splice' ?
Never make a technical error on a BMW forum.


Note: I only ask because I used a tap splice and I'm sitting here bored to death waiting for company to come over.

[Dr. Strangelove]

A lineman's splice is soldered. A tap splice uses a plastic connector, if I have that right. I soldered. And shrink wrapped.
Actually what I did was cut off the accessory socket and wired it always hot--the leads seen above.
I spliced the former hot lead to the accessory socket to the trigger wire for the relay for the fusebox, and I connected the former accessory socket ground to the ground on the board--the black wire coming in from the right.
I have not yet tested it, but I think this should work because the ground is always the ground whether can-bus keyed circuits or unkeyed always hot circuits. Also, I can now use the accessory socket for my trickle charger, as I did on my 1150.

If I have somehow screwed this up and moved up the end of the world according to the Mayan calendar, please advise.

Thanks

John

PS that 30 amp fuse and the 10 to its left are spares and not going anywhere. The fuse for the entire board is 30, so I am just keeping a spare there

[deilenberger]

[I used a lineman's splice on the + feed to the parking light inside the headlight shell,

Don - did you use a 'lineman's splice' or a 'tap splice' ?
Never make a technical error on a BMW forum.


Note: I only ask because I used a tap splice and I'm sitting here bored to death waiting for company to come over.

Technically - a "knotted-tap-joint-splice" AKA "T-Splice" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T-splice

Looks like this, except, I typically bend the joining wire (the one being added) to be aligned parallel and touching the feed wire (the one being added to), and tape the entire thing. Since you don't cut the feed wire, it's usually not possible to use shrink-fit tubing to insulate it.

More then we ever wanted to know about splicing: http://www.learn-about-electronics.com/ ... wires.html

Harry: --->

[dbrick]

Looks like this, except, I typically bend the joining wire (the one being added) to be aligned parallel and touching the feed wire (the one being added to), and tape the entire thing. Since you don't cut the feed wire, it's usually not possible to use shrink-fit tubing to insulate it.

Running the joining wire parallel to the feed wire is good practice. If flexed, soldered stranded wires break first at the point the solder ends, where the flexible wire becomes inflexible. However, if the entirety of the the soldered portion of the wires (plus a little) is immobilized by taping or splinting or clamping, then flex beyond the soldered joint won't be as likely to fracture the wires, because a physically-immobilized but unsoldered wire still has a tiny bit of "give" between its strands.

[Dr. Strangelove]

I get it all together, and run a test run.

Everything works as it is supposed to except for the gerbing's. I have isolated the problem to the thermostat for it, no little red light, no continuity when turned on and when in circuit it blows a fuse. The circuit when plugged directly into the heated vest works fine.

Everything else works, I can charge through the accessory plug, and everything goes dark after about 30-40 seconds.

Took pix along the way and will try to remember to post a few pics.

BTW, the Motolight caliper mounts for an 1150 do NOT fit the 1200; new mounts are needed.

John

[Dr. Strangelove]

just an addendum

Advice from another forum member pointed out rightly that because the Can-Bus is ON during cranking, that puts a stress on the battery. My answer was to turn high draws off during cranking, but I want to get a VOM reading under the load of starting to see how real this problem is. His rec was to run the trigger wire to the low beam which is OFF during cranking. Downside to that for me is that things will not stay on for 30-40 secs after power off. YMMV on that. It's an arguable convenience for me.
Another downside is that I am tired of running wires and soldering and crimping and tie-wrapping, and I would not look forward to the surgery involved in finding the yellow wire to the low beam, though I may do that later because his advice makes sense.

I also re ran the ground that was going across the board. I was afraid it may work loose and drag across the board ultimately finding a hot home at the right side BATT terminal.

Bottom line is it works fine and is secure.

I also found a fix for the motolight brackets. I just machined them down a bit with my Dremel. Fit fine and I didn't get to spend $100 for new brackets from Motolight.

John

[Qualas]

under the seat, car dvd players right, but with the curved rear "fender" there are few flat spots.
Any tricks you've found?
Got a picture?

tia
John

Have you installed them? I have not used them so no idea