LED Wiring Diagram

[whaler7626]

Hello!!

I'm going to be adding LEDs to the interior of my boat, but have never done any kind of electric work so it all seems like a foreign language to me. Each of the LED strips have two wires, and then it comes with a fuse, switch and remote control receiver. How in the world do I wire this up? Any help would be much appreciated, and if anyone has a diagram from a previous install it would help immensely (I've tried to make a diagram but I don't think it would work)

Thanks!!

 

[txav8r]

Wiring these things is pretty easy...if you have connectors or can solder. Each strip, whether single color, or RGB (3 colors), has a ground and "control" to each light circuit. The controller just triggers connection with the "control circuit". If these are single color, you don't really need a controller, just a fuse and switch. Just put the red wire on the + side of the strip and black on the -. If you use the controller and remote, then you need a connector to plug into the controller for power and then your strip conductors run from it to the strips. Consider it like a wiring harness. And lay out your strips and power them as efficiently as possible. But don't run all the power down one lead. Run a lead around the boat and attach your strips to the main lead as you would side streets to the main blvd. Here is an old diagram of how I laid my boat out the first time. I pulled it all out and installed RGB the second time around. And I sold that boat. Just got a new SX240 yesterday and will be doing it all again. So I can provide some detail but it may be a few months before I get around to doing it. Here is my old diagram on the 230, and I would do it the same on the 240. Oh, your controller as an IR (infrared) eye that communicates what your select off the remote. It is line of site and has to be visible. Some guys leave it in the helm compartment and just open the door to turn it on/off. I drilled a small hole between the dash and the floor pan, and siliconed the IR eye in that seam. Virtually invisible and clear to the remote when aimed at the dash.

 

[whaler7626]

Thank you so much, this helps a lot. I had a diagram similar to that, showed a friend but he said there needed to be a main wire running around the whole boat, like you said, did you add one to your old boat? Or did it work in just a line like in the diagram? Thank you very much for all the help, and congrats on the new boat!!

 

[txav8r]

@whaler7626 , if you look closely at the diagram, the yellow line represents the main trunk line. It is actually two lines. Behind the dash, in the helm compartment, was my junction, controller, and lead that then ran over to my switch. When I first built it and used this diagram for myself, I didn't have a switch panel, and had just tapped onto my courtesy light switch. Notice that each individual strip is connected to the main trunk line by an orange line. Those conductors were wired directly to the strip with enough length that I could solder the end to the main trunk without being up under a compartment. Once all my connections were made and tested, I would slide the heat shrink over and waterproof them, and finally secure the wiring in the wire loom I used, and secure that up and out of sight in the upper gunwale area along the sides, along the forward wall of the engine compartment, and along the back wall of the engine compartment. The diagram is crude and was for planning so I could lay out what I needed. I obviously had to run my wiring where it could be secured and attached, but the main concern for me, was not soldering while standing on my head inside a cramped compartment. Thanks! The new boat is a blank canvas!

 

[txav8r]

This is my single color red LED fixtures I created.

These are my RGB fixtures I created.

The lights are very bright, so in the second install, I did them inside speaker rings behind the speakers, inside my cupholders, and under the combing pockets and under the swim deck setbacks. And on this boat, I won't use speaker rings...they too are too bright, and time consuming too. Simplify it for both economics and ease of install, and that will probably result in a better ambiance as well. This is an example of the results...
If you decide to add lighting to the courtesy switch, be aware of amperage limitations on the circuit breaker that protects it. I changed my 10W incadecent lights that the switch and breaker protected to LED, so all of my initial lighting was about the same as the two bulbs I originally had. I had to buy a switch panel for the RGB's, because I used all but a foot or so of an entire 72 watt spool. Also, a controller will only handle about that amount.

 

[whaler7626]

Haha sounds great!! Thank you so much for all of the pictures, this really helped! So when I tap into the power system, let's say running to the courtesy lights, do I just strip that part if the positive wire and the negative wire and then wrap the LED main line to the positive and negative (respectively) and then electrical tape over that? Sorry for all the questions I just have no experience with this. And do I need all the LEDs to connect to a circle of wire that runs around the boat? Or can it all just be in a single line with an LED at the end? Thanks so much again for all the help.

 

[txav8r]

No circle. You can connect a single + and - lead to the switch or controller and everything else off of that, or you can connect several to the controller with multiple runs from there. But it doesn't come full circle. If your going to tap the existing courtesy lights, do the math and make sure your at about 80% of the circuit breaker. Also, the easiest way to tap the existing courtesy feed, is to use crimp connectors. Don't ever cut the stock Yamaha harness if you can help it, with possible exception of changing out the stereo head unit, and even then, cut on the stereo side of the connector, not the stock harness side. So a crimp connector lets you straddle the existing wire with the connector, tapping it with a small metal piercing barb and snapping it tight, the second side of the connector is where you pierce the new wire your running. You can tape these up after you get it tested. There are better ways to do this, but if your going to use an existing switch and circuit, this is a way that many Yamaha owners have done...until they modify it to be a more substantial setup, then they usually get a switch or panel of some sort and take power for this entire panel direct from the battery with fuse protection.

 

[whaler7626]

Thank you so much!!! This last post made it all come together-- it's all much easier now, and makes so much more sense!! Thanks again, will post results hopefully after next weekend (boat delivery sometime this week!!)

 

[txav8r]

Take your time, you can't do every mod in a day! And the lights are something you want to work when you flip them on. So make sure you get them right. You may need to find a service manual and look at the wiring diagram to see what color wire on the courtesy lights is + and which is ground. I don't remember the color coding from my 230 and don't know that it hasn't changed. You won't hurt anything with the LED's if you get them backwards, they just won't light. So you can switch the wires and get it. Oh, forgot to mention, just take the helm courtesy out of the hole, and pull enough wiring in to tap with the crimp connector. Don't let it pull back into the hole and lose it!

 

[whaler7626]

Haha sounds great!! Thank you again, and I most certainly will take my time, I gotta get it right! So I came across one last question, my LED set comes with a airplane-esque rocker switch (stainless steel, 1 in in length etc) and I don't quite want that on the dash, but I still want to use it, and then I got thinking, I don't really want the white courtesy lights on while I have the LEDs on, now the dealer installed underwater LEDs, which he may have added a switch for, it would be great to be able to run both at the same time so I said why not wire up to that? Then I realized I wouldn't want the interior LEDs going while underway.

Would it be possible to tap the underwater LED power, and then add the stainless steel switch after that tap, allowing me to have the interior LEDs on only at anchor? Or is there a problem that the underwater ones may draw more power?

Then should I set up a bus to connect each LED back to or just run a main line to tap off of?

Now I realize I've got one last question (for real this time I promise haha) what type wire should I use to connect all this?

Thank you again for all the help, sorry for dragging this on for so long! I really do appreciate it!

 

[txav8r]

Two entirely different sets of lights. The underwater light is going to be a higher power fixture on its own and I doubt you want all of your cabin LED's on the same circuit as the underwater light. They may not play well together. I have to run, I will look back at your thread here and see if you have any more questions tomorrow.

 

[whaler7626]

I just had two last unresolved questions, thanks so much for all the help!

"Then should I set up a bus to connect each LED back to or just run a main line to tap off of?
Now I realize I've got one last question (for real this time I promise haha) what type wire should I use to connect all this? "

Thanks again!!

 

[txav8r]

The cabin LED's are 12V and low amperage. Many of us have used from 18 to 24 gauge wiring. If your using single color, it would be 24/2 (for 2 conductors) and of course, if you have 3 color RGB, you need 4 conductor wiring, or 24/4. I would do a helm ground bus bar, they are cheap. I would also add a switch panel so that it provided circuit protection as well as master switching for my lights, not as cheap. Even a single rocker switch similar to your other switches will be half as much as the switch panel. The choice is up to you and how you want it to work.

 

[whaler7626]

Sounds great, thank you so much for all the great help!!

 

[Julian]

I'm not a fan of crimp connectors....I learned of these connectors in my fume detector install days...


Available here... http://www.wiringproducts.com/index1.html

 

[whaler7626]

@Julian so what is the concern with the crimp connectors? Do they cause fires?

 

[txav8r]

To be honest, I don't like the crimp connectors much either, but jot from a danger standpoint, but from more of a professional install standpoint. The jumper @Julian shows is a piggyback jumper from one spade connection to add room for a piggyback. It works well, provided that the circuit you wish to tap is directly downstream of the switch with a connector. I am not sure if the courtesy lights had one, but I assume they must have.

 

[maboat]

This is called a "tap" connector...

This is a "crimp" connector...

I believe the previous statement of "not a fan of crimp connectors" was meant to refer to the "tap" connector, not the "crimp" connector. I'm not a fan of taps either, but I do have a box of them and do use them at times. They are handy when you need a quick and easy solution. The trailer wiring is loaded with them.

The "crimp" connectors are preferred, and there are many styles. The one Julian listed is a special piggy-back spade which is really handy and my dash has several of those from the factory.

 

[txav8r]

@maboat ...volts...amps...power...current...so many words, so many meanings! Sometimes what is correct terminology isn't what you find the supplier calling them and certainly not google! But you know search engines...they go for every name they can draw in. But agreed that the connector that actually pierces the wire to "tap" it is less desireable, even if it is quick and easy. If it will work on trailer wiring that gets dipped in water, it will work to tap the courtesy lights. But it is not the most professional way to do it, nor is it as troublefree or permanent! Mark, you keep after me...I do pretty good most of the time, but the wrong term just slips out from time to time!

 

[maboat]

No worries @txav8r I knew what you meant. I just didn't want @whaler7626 to get the wrong message about "crimp" connectors.

I actually used the "tap" connectors on my original single-color courtesy led update. But I will be using "crimp" connectors on my forthcoming rgb led upgrade.