Fuzeblock questions

[blakebird]

I just received my Fuzeblock, and a pair of PIAA 1100X's.

Before these pieces arrived, I had only Powerlets at the battery (3). I have the left/front that I use for my Gerbing liner, and the dual/leftrear footpeg one for the wife's liner and to run the Battery Tender through.

I'm out of stacking space at the positive terminal and a fuse block seemed a no-brainer.

I scratched my head a bit when I noted the Powerlets have a 15a fuse, and the per-circuit max on the Fuzeblock is 10a. I figured the 10a's would blow and there's no reason to hack up my fancy Powerlet harness and remove those fuses.

I came in to sort of get a reality check and dig a little more.....and am wondering now if I want to run the Gerbing (6.4a per, 8.2 w/ gloves) thru the Fuzeblock or direct to battery still. It's well under the 10a/circuit limit, but I'm reading between the lines and getting a vibe that DtoB is better.

Opinions?

(2007 btw)

 

[madmike2]

There are options...a "barrier strip" or an auxilary fuze panel.

Look at the following links (I mean, once at the links, go to the main page and look at what they have to offer), they all have much good information on "how-to" projects.

fjrtech

bikes-n-spikes.org

fjr1300.info

You could also do a search using our friends at Google...

fuse panel site:fjrforum.com

auxiliary fuse panel site:fjrforum.com

 

[kawabeemer]

I stuck my fuse block under the rear seat and ran a 10 or 12 gauge fused wire from the positive and negative terminals of the battery. This location requires more wire for things controlled from the handle bars, but fuse access is a lot easier than if they are buried under the fairing liners.

 

[madmike2]

I came in to sort of get a reality check and dig a little more.....and am wondering now if I want to run the Gerbing (6.4a per, 8.2 w/ gloves) thru the Fuzeblock or direct to battery still. It's well under the 10a/circuit limit, but I'm reading between the lines and getting a vibe that DtoB is better.

Opinions?

(2007 btw)

I have 1 circuit that runs DtoB. That is a powerlet that i use for my air compressor (and I can charge the battery through it).

Everything else is run through my auxiliary fuse block. Mine is one I found in an automotive electric place near me (that installs police and fire radios, etc., in the emergency vehicles). It's an 8 fuse panel that fits in the bottom of my glove compartment. I made a false bottom that covers and protects it, and it lets me have quick access if needed.

There are many solutions, you pick the one that makes you happy.

 

[blakebird]

There are options...a "barrier strip" or an auxilary fuze panel.
Look at the following links (I mean, once at the links, go to the main page and look at what they have to offer), they all have much good information on "how-to" projects.

fjrtech

bikes-n-spikes.org

fjr1300.info

You could also do a search using our friends at Google...

fuse panel site:fjrforum.com

auxiliary fuse panel site:fjrforum.com

Thanks. I've seen those all before, many times. I searched, and searched some more.

My search came across a few other bike forums that advised against running heated gear thru the Fuzeblock (and/or Centechs), and that's what raised the question.

Your fuse block that you mention in your second post is not a Fuzeblock, and I don't really know how it's rated for current - so it's not applicable to my situation.

My question was more along the lines of - the math looks good to run the heated gear thru the Fuzeblock, but I'm reading you shouldn't - and in search of a warm fuzzy to run one Powerlet (that does Gerbing duty solely) thru the Fuzeblock....

I forgot a couple of things at Radio Shack today anyway, so it's on hold until tomorrow when I can attack it with a clearer head. I'm in no hurry to button it up until my Osram Nightbreakers arrive and can be installed.

At this point I'm leaning towards running the Powerlets DtoB (also for Battery Tender and mini-compressor), and putting the PIAA's on the Fuzeblock.

 

[Brodie]

Blakebird

I have my dual Heat Troller hooked up to two fuse locations. It requires a 15 amp fuse, so I use a pair of 7.5 amp fuses and join the output wires within an inch of the FuzeBlock. The circuit board design does limit you to 10 amps per circuit - and 30 amps total for the panel. I mounted it on the tail section framework standing up in front of the light sockets. I pulled my power from the battery terminal through a 30 amp in line fuze right next to the battery. From there the 10 gage wire heads across the nose cone (where the fuse holder lives) toward the rear of the bike. Along the way I picked up the signal wire from the headlight relay, that way the FuzeBlock relay only activates after the engine starts.

If you are running a shelf with a lot of items you may want a second one so both ends of the bike are serviced. If you have that much potential power draw you should install a Datel to monitor your demands on the charging circuit. Too much draw and your battery never gets enough juice to charge up.

Remember, the purpose of a fuse is to protect the wires - not the device. Dont make the mistake of running an unprotected wire from your battery all the way back to the rear of the bike to hook this thing up. Master fuse it at the battery.

Good luck.

Brodie

 

[madmike2]

Remember, the purpose of a fuse is to protect the wires - not the device. Dont make the mistake of running an unprotected wire from your battery all the way back to the rear of the bike to hook this thing up. Master fuse it at the battery.
Good luck.

Brodie

Yep.

I have a master fuse at the battery w/ 10 gauge wire running to my fuse block. Admittedly, my fuse "bank" is much more heavy duty than anything you can buy at Radio Shack. I made my own wiring harness, actually 6 leads that spent a good deal of time coiled in the nose with their attendant fuse holder empty until I added different electrical farkles: Dual Star heat troller (my gloves and liner are controlled separately), GPS, Radar Detector, AutoComm, Soltek driving lights, etc. The DtoB powerlet is wired w/ 12 gauge wire through a 30 amp circuit breaker.

Brodie is correct (I'm no electrical guru, so I tend to "overbuild"): Protect the circuit, not the device.

 

[blakebird]

Along the way I picked up the signal wire from the headlight relay, that way the FuzeBlock relay only activates after the engine starts.

I like that idea.

Is the headlight relay easily identified?

Got a picture or a brief description of what to look for and where it's located? ....and which wire?

I've searched thru install pictures, and if I were to guess which component it is I'd probably be right....but as long as I'm asking questions...

I assume a relatively light gauge wire tapped into this relay is sufficient?

If you are running a shelf with a lot of items you may want a second one so both ends of the bike are serviced. If you have that much potential power draw you should install a Datel to monitor your demands on the charging circuit. Too much draw and your battery never gets enough juice to charge up.

No shelf full of items...I'm a paper map guy and not into GPS (yet), gave up on radar detectors a decade ago....

Just between the heated gear (x2) and PIAA's, I realize I'm getting close to the edge, and a voltage meter has always been in the plan. The Datel is nice, but I also like the Heads Up single LED. I had one on my R1150GS Adventure that had a ton of stuff (heated Corbin, grips, Gerbing x2, PIAA 540's, etc) and liked it.

BTW, 12ga is the largest gauge wire I thought I would need from initial searches, now I see 10ga mentioned.

Thanks for the detailed responses. I know this is old hat for oldtime farklers....but in 38 bikes over the last 40 yrs, this is my first fuse block install.

 

[Brodie]

Blakebird,

The headlight relay lives behind the top left access panel, attached to the sub frame. I tapped into the output wire and ran a 12 gage wire to the back of the bike where my FuzeBlock lives. Yes, 12 gage because this is the headlight circuit running a heavy load, so the fuse protecting it is rather large. You may be switching miliamps with it but in this case you want to size the wire to the fuse protecting the circuit.

Since you have a non AE model you probably don't have the factory heated grips. Instead of tapping into the headlight relay wire, find the unused pigtail for the non existent grip heat controller living behind the glove box and use it. It shares the same circuit and is switched by the headlight relay - that is it does not come on until the motor starts. The theory is to not draw needed amps away from the high demand starter - it needs all the power available to do it's job.

I chose 10 gage for the wire from the battery to the FuzeBlock because of the distance involved. Any wire will cause voltage drop with greater distance. The bigger the wire (for the same distance) the less resistance - voltage drop (just remember to in line fuse it right next to the battery). This wire will power all 6 circuits provided by the FuzeBlock, hence everything you wire up to it.

To recap...

Usa a non switched 10 gage red wire to feed the FuzeBlock circuits.
Us a a switched 12 gage (non red non black) wire to signal the built in FuzeBlock relay.
Isn't this fun? :yahoo:

Along the way I picked up the signal wire from the headlight relay, that way the FuzeBlock relay only activates after the engine starts.

I like that idea.

Is the headlight relay easily identified?

Got a picture or a brief description of what to look for and where it's located? ....and which wire?

I've searched thru install pictures, and if I were to guess which component it is I'd probably be right....but as long as I'm asking questions...

I assume a relatively light gauge wire tapped into this relay is sufficient?

If you are running a shelf with a lot of items you may want a second one so both ends of the bike are serviced. If you have that much potential power draw you should install a Datel to monitor your demands on the charging circuit. Too much draw and your battery never gets enough juice to charge up.

No shelf full of items...I'm a paper map guy and not into GPS (yet), gave up on radar detectors a decade ago....

Just between the heated gear (x2) and PIAA's, I realize I'm getting close to the edge, and a voltage meter has always been in the plan. The Datel is nice, but I also like the Heads Up single LED. I had one on my R1150GS Adventure that had a ton of stuff (heated Corbin, grips, Gerbing x2, PIAA 540's, etc) and liked it.

BTW, 12ga is the largest gauge wire I thought I would need from initial searches, now I see 10ga mentioned.

Thanks for the detailed responses. I know this is old hat for oldtime farklers....but in 38 bikes over the last 40 yrs, this is my first fuse block install.

 

[blakebird]

Thanks to those who responded, and to those who have stuff out there in install threads....it was very valuable.

I checked connections earlier, and it all worked fine. Now to tidy up the wiring.

For the Fuzeblock, I tapped into the green wire at the heated grips blue connector so it would be hot only after the engine's running.

The headlights aren't lit in the one picture, as the bulbs are pulled...a pair of Osram Nightbreakers should arrive any day now.

I'm picking up plugs at Advance Auto tomorrow, so it's coming a bit more apart before it gets buttoned up.

Also have a Signal Dynamics single-LED voltage meter coming, I have no idea how fast they ship....so I got ways left to kill a chunk of Thanksgiving weekend

 

[RiderX]

As promised, I've revived this thread as folks are getting their fuzeblock FZ-1s in the mail over the next week from the Group Buy (Still going for five more days).

I like the spot blakebird's ended up in. You can see that the aft positioning allow access to the FZ-1 sideports and the device fits in their quite nicely without requiring taps into the plastic. Well I have an McCruise Cruise Control installed there so I sought a similar location:

I used a chunk of 3/4" plywood that just puts the terminals above the plastic. I have it here without the optional bottom cover. It would appear that the seat would slide on in either configuration (with or without bottom cover). I left it off to provide a 1/4" or so of clearance (above). The built in FJR strap secures it nicely and I don't plan on using any other connectors. Small wood screws could obviously secure it to the wood if that's your bag. Could also use 1/2" for a little more clearance or if you like the idea of a bottom cover, but that may lower the terminals into the void.

Unfortunately, I gotta wait for some basic wiring items to come mail order to continue with installation, just thought I'd share this location. For me, part of the reason for getting this is to have less stuff under panels A-D up front. I already have Magnum horns relay and HID ballasts that are still going to go to the battery. All those relays, ballasts, exciters are taking up space in the front. I don't mind following cruise control wiring to the back for all the lower draw farkles. Also A good location for any seat or clothing heating IMHO. If you don't have any of those concerns (or you have it all well forward in the nose cone, it will also fit in the dash panel to the right of the LCD display, to me that makes that area even more well travelled and busy. Pros/Cons to both.

If wire products and other lighting doesn't show up in a few days, I'll have to wait a 2-3 weeks to come back to this.

 

[karstenp]

Another possible install location to consider for those getting their new Fuzeblocks.

Relays can be installed under the seat as well permitting quick access and troubleshooting.

 

[gixxerjasen]

Good Lord, that's a lot of wires!

 

[karstenp]

Good Lord, that's a lot of wires!

Understatement.

 

[gixxerjasen]

And while that under seat is a mess, I really don't see how it could possibly be done any nicer. Very nice job.

 

[RiderX]

I like that location a lot.

What year is your fjr? Mobile forum doesn't show me! So the fz-1's are sitting on top of the black computer? Did you use the bottom plate? If so are the bottom plates velcroed to the computer?

I just put it there and seat goes on of course. Wanted to learn your technique!!

Thanks for posting

 

[phroenips]

Another possible install location to consider for those getting their new Fuzeblocks.

According to this FAQ entry on fuzeblocks.com, it looks like you might have those two overloaded. They say it can handle up to 30A concurrently, with each circuit not to exceed 10A.

However, given your IBA number, and the state of your bike, looks like you know what you're doing

 

[RiderX]

If you're referring to the fuze ratings, he is just fine. If you go look at your fuze panel (or likely CB panel) in your house, you will find the sum of the fuze or CB values exceeds the panel rating, this is normal.

The actual current going through the FZ-1 is not rated to exceed 30A. You always fuze a step up from the current a device is expected to draw. (A device draws 2.4A so you might put a 5A fuze on it. 4.2A draw you might put a 7.5A. There are start up taxes and other things to consider, especially if a device has a motor (or ballast).

Remember you are fuzing to protect the wiring and the bike in case of some catastropic device failure or wire binding (short), etc., not the device itself.

 

[karstenp]

If you're referring to the fuze ratings, he is just fine. If you go look at your fuze panel (or likely CB panel) in your house, you will find the sum of the fuze or CB values exceeds the panel rating, this is normal.

The actual current going through the FZ-1 is not rated to exceed 30A. You always fuze a step up from the current a device is expected to draw. (A device draws 2.4A so you might put a 5A fuze on it. 4.2A draw you might put a 7.5A. There are start up taxes and other things to consider, especially if a device has a motor (or ballast).

Remember you are fuzing to protect the wiring and the bike in case of some catastropic device failure or wire binding (short), etc., not the device itself.

Correct!

Something else to consider....each Fuzeblock is rated at 30A or approx. 400 Watts. Total electrical capacity for two Fuzeblocks would be ~ 800 Watts. However, the total available electrical capacity for the Gen II is only 590 Watts. The electrical wiring on my bike is not what I would consider "normal". In my wiring design, failure of a single relay, fuzeblock, fuze etc would not take out all my lighting, GPS capability etc. The mutiple Fuzeblocks, lots of wiring etc is not for required wattage capacity but rather for reliablity and redundancy that I deemed important for long distance rides/rally participation. I acknowledge that it is definitely "over the top" for normal use but has performed flawlessly in an Iron Butt Rally, Iron Butt 5000 and numerous 1-2 days rallies.