DTSFab.com (Desert, Trail and Sand)
UTV's Off Road ( RZR, YXZ, Mini Buggy, Carts,etc.) => UTV Controls and Electrical => Topic started by: Jerry on January 18, 2009, 07:44:16 PM
-
Lets say we are wiring in three lights (headlights). Because three will show things better and it will be easy to remove one and still the differents. How would you wire the circuts, and what are the +'s , -'s of each?
-
Series: one item after the other. ie: the current must pass through each item to get to the next. If one item electrically fails the chain is broken and the whole chain will not operate. Draws less current from the power source.
Parallel: all items share a power rail. no one item can break the chain. Draws more current from the power source.
For 3 lights, in series they would be figuratively 1/3 the brightness, they may appear not to work at all. In parallel they can operate at their full potential (pun intended) brightness.
-
I do not believe you would ever want to wire lights in series. Connet the red or + of each light to the power (switch wire or whatever), and connect the black - wire of each light to ground. This would be parallel, and unplugging one light will not affect the rest.
If you were to wire in series, you would connet the + of one to power, then the black of that one to the + of the next one, and so forth until the last one's black is connected to ground. Don't do this on lights or any other 12 volt device. In fact unless you are using a resistor, I can't think of a single application of series wiring on a buggy.
-
Anyone got an old set of Christmas lights? Series BS to the max!
-
series lights are always a no no. If you are doin some high speed cruising and a bulb burns out or goes bad for any reason, suddenly you are in the dark and can't see where you are going. :o
-
Christmas tree lights!!!
-
Series on a 12 volts sytem might be OK if you HAPPEN to have a pair of 6 volt lights (I dunno where you are gonna get them but maybe?) But as stated if one goes out you are in the dark so they best not be your only soruce of light.
Somtimes you see 6 volt stuff in JC Whitney catalogs. For old cars. You might get light there or maybe 6 volt horns. Thes would be the only real place for series wiring and not something you would stake your life on.
-
Thank you all for the explaination.