Airbagit Electrical Relay User Manual

Relays - electrical, Back to store, Relays how they work & how to wire it up

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RELAYS - ELECTRICAL

RELAYS - ELECTRICAL

Switches Must have Relays !!

3-Position On/Off/Neutral

FBSS Switch, use with

relay to power

Quantity Prices can be

even lower than shown

for larger quantites and

higher volume purchases

Email:

joe@chassis-

tech.com

for lowest pos-

sible prices

.

RELAYS how they work & how to wire it up..

Many Installers do not know how relays are used.....

what is a relay?

-a relay is a device that allows you to control a high-current electri-

cal load with a low-current electrical 'signal'. they are usually electro-
magnetic, but are also available in solid-state forms. they can be used
with a switch (to allow control of a high-current load with a small
switch) or they can be hooked up to a switched power source in the
car like the ignition or accessory power circuits (to allow power to be
switched on/off automatically with the ignition key).

Why do I need a relay?

-when hooking anything up to a car's factory wiring, it's important to

remember that factory wires are designed to carry the load of only the
factory installed components. they are not 'general use' power circuits
like the power outlets in your house. for example, the ignition (IGN)
circuit is designed to power the car's ignition system and nothing else.
hooking up a high-current device to this circuit can create a fire haz-
ard. by using a relay, you can use the IGN circuit to control a high-cur-
rent device without directly powering it from the IGN circuit itself.

Is a relay hard to hook up?

-no... most relays require only 4 wires.

I bought a relay, but I don't know how to hook it up.

Weird numbers and strange symbols, what do they mean?

-a standard relay will have 4 or 5 numbered leads (30, 85,

86, 87,& sometimes 87a). why they picked those numbers, I
have no clue; but I can tell you what they hook up to.

-30 = constant [positive (+)] power wired direct to battery)
-85 = coil ground (wired to the negative (-) battery terminal

or any grounded metal panel in the car)

-86 = coil power (wired to the control source. could be a

switch, or it could be the car's IGN or ACC circuit.)

-87 = switched [positive (+)] power output. (when relay coil

is powered, lead/pin 87 is connected to lead/pin 30)

-87a = [on 5 lead/pin relays only] this lead/pin is connected

to lead/pin 30 when the coil is NOT powered.

here is the bottom view of a standard 4-lead relay

Back to

Store

I want to use the relay to turn on/off with the car. how do I hook that
up?

-connect lead/pin 86 to the car's IGN, or ACC circuit. these circuits can be
tapped into in the wiring harness that goes to your car's key switch. the ACC
circuit can also be tapped into at the fuse box or in the stock radio harness.

What is the difference between ignition (IGN) and the accessory (ACC) circuit?

-they are both powered when they key is in the 'RUN' position, and they are
both not-powered when they key is in the 'OFF' position.
-the 'ACC' circuit is powered when the key is in the 'ACC' position, but is not
powered when the key is in the 'START' position. when the key is turned,
power to the relay will turn on as the key passes the 'ACC' and 'RUN' posi-
tions, then turn off in the 'START' position, then turn back on as the key is re-
leased (springs back to the 'RUN' position. this is not an issue if you're using a
manual on/off switch, or have a delayed on startup controller.
-the IGN circuit is powered when the key is in the 'START' position, but is not
powered when the key is in the 'ACC' position. this circuit avoids the issue
stated above, but requires that the key is left in the 'RU' position if you want to
use the carputer with the engine off. on some cars, this can burn out the igni-
tion coil.

I bought a 5-pin relay, can I still use it as a simple on/off switch instead of a
changeover switch?

-yes. simply leave pin 87a disconnected.

My relay has more than 5-leads/pins?

if your relay has more than 5-leads/pins then it is most likely a DPDT, MPDT, or
MPMP relay (M=multiple). it will work the same way, it simply has two or more
separate switched inputs/outputs inside it. regardless of the number of
switched contacts, it will still use a single coil, so it will still be controlled by a
single power source.

does a relay take the place of a fuse?

-no! a relay provides no protection from overload or short-circuits.

do I need to use a fuse if I use a relay?

yes! you must still fuse your power wires!

here is what happens inside the 4-lead/pin SPST relay. on the left, the coil is
NOT powered. on the right, the coil IS powered. notice the switch changes
positions when the coil is powered. when the coil is powered, pins 30 and
87 are connected. when the coil is NOT powered, then pin 30 is not con-
nected to anything, therefore it is in the 'off' position.

Pressure Switches do not go bad, but

they burn up when you hook them up

without a relay. ALSO.. IF YOU HOOK

IT UP WRONG, THE PRESSURE

SWITCH WILL NOT SHUT OFF!!

typical setup to control power to a accessory via the car's ACC/IGN circuits.

25-AMP 40-AMP

50-AMP

Circuit Breaker

75-AMP

60-AMP

80-AMP

Used between Large Compressor

(DC7500) and Car Battery

Used on small

Compressors

for overload

protection

3-Positions

ON/OFF/NEUTRAL

Returns to center au-
tomatically. Must use

Relays

3-Positions

ON/OFF/NEUTRAL

Returns to center au-
tomatically. Must use

Relays

Momentary on, re-

turns to off when

button is released

Stainless Steel Used

for Shavedoors, etc

2-Position

On/Off

Switch for many

uses

Digital Sendors

used with Digital

Gauges and our

Smartride

Analog Sendors

Wiring Harness

for 8 Valves and

Pressure Switch,

with Molex Snap-

in

Connectors

10 Gauge Wire #30, & #87

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