Looking for feedback on alternative switch wiring for e-locker.

[nnnnnate]

I am hoping that I can get some feedback about wiring up my new locker in a non typical way. I know what I want to do in my mind, but am not sure if it is feasible or whether its a good idea to pursue it further. I can cut and splice wires as good as the next guy, I just don't know the magic behind what makes the wires work.

I just had an eaton e-locker installed in my 2013 JK sport. I need to wire up and install the toggle switch but I don't want to hack up my dash, don't have the money for an SPOD, and think it would be distracting to have it mounted on the A-pilar. I have explored all of these options and have decided I would like to do something different with this build. The above mentioned methods are all proven and there is a fair amount of documentation on getting them to work, my method not so much. There is a guy that says he did it but hasn't provided any specifics on how.

The locker uses a Carling toggle switch that looks like has 3 spade connectors on the back. I think they are: power, ground, wire to locker. I guess my question is this, is there a way I can use a smaller push button style switch so I can integrate it into some unused buttons on the dash or is it more complicated than that? All I'm asking is if I can swap out the toggle switch that comes with the locker to something else that is smaller but that is still an on/off style switch and what things I need to do to make it work. I want to leave all the other wiring and components on the locker the same.

My switch:




This is the style of switch I would like to use. Not this one specifically, but one like it.


Here is a wiring schematic for the locker.
LINK

I'd appreciate any feedback on this. I have a trip in a few weeks and want to get this all finished up.

 

[Zeep]

Have you tried to PM the guy you speak of for some insight?

 

[nnnnnate]

Yeah, his posts are really vague and he has only said that his buddy is the one who knows electrical and that he keeps asking for help doing a write up. The biggest thing is that I don't even necessarily know that he got a locker to actuate with the button he posts about. Its really just him saying that he was able to get the button to work and that its really cool.

Hence me asking for some advice about whether this is even feasible.

 

[ExpeditionDreamers]

I have done some residential electric work in know that it doesn't matter what the switch looks like they all do the same thing.. opens the current when the switch is on and closes the circuit when the switch is off. I'd imagine you would just change out your switch.

 

[4x4junkie]

The Carling switch you have is just an on/off switch (the ground wire on it is to allow the switch's lamp to light up... leaving the ground wire disconnected for example would simply make the lamp not work, the locker would still operate).

Whatever switch you decide to use would go in place of the wires labeled "2" (H1, blue) and "3" (H4, yellow/red) from your existing switch. If you want a separate "on" indicator, simply wire a 12-volt lamp of your choice from the yellow/red wire to ground (when the switch is activated, the lamp will then be powered from the yellow/red wire).

Hope that helps.

 

[Scott B.]

Also, you need to find out how much current (amps) flow through the switch. A Carling switch can handle 20 amps - quite a load.

If the switch you use is not rated for the amperage needed, the switch will melt.

(I am not saying you need a 20A switch - I can't tell from the schematic - but make sure you do get a heavy-duty enough switch.)

 

[nnnnnate]

This is fantastic info, I really appreciate the input and help. The blue wire is labeled "ignition." So based on the feedback here I am understanding that when the switch is "on" electricity flows between the blue (ignition) and red/yellow (relay power) wires engaging the locker. Assuming the pictured black on/off switch could handle 20 amps, if I were to wire the blue and red/yellow wires to the two leads off the switch I could toggle the locker on/off. If I wanted an indicator that the locker was engaged (which I absolutely do) I would need to connect an LED with the red/yellow and ground wires. When the locker was locked and it was wired this way the LED would then light up.

This is super exciting to me. I will start looking into on/off switches that have a high amp rating to ensure that I don't melt my Jeep. I'll post some more info on where and how I want to install this alternative switch in a bit.

You guys are awesome.

 

[nnnnnate]

There is an inline 10 amp fuse in the included wiring harness. Does that change the need for a 20 amp switch? I'm also reading the due to the relay I may not need to have a super heavy duty switch. Basically one guy (scary I know) says that the switch is only controlling the on/off for the relay rather than the whole electrical load and because of that a higher amp rated switch is un necessary. Does that explanation hold water? (these seem to be similar situations to what I'm wanting to do that I've found via google)

 

[Scott B.]

There is an inline 10 amp fuse in the included wiring harness. Does that change the need for a 20 amp switch?

Yes. You need a switch rated for 10 amps (or greater.)

I'm also reading the due to the relay I may not need to have a super heavy duty switch. Basically one guy (scary I know) says that the switch is only controlling the on/off for the relay rather than the whole electrical load and because of that a higher amp rated switch is un necessary. Does that explanation hold water? (these seem to be similar situations to what I'm wanting to do that I've found via google)

Yes. The purpose of using relays is to not have the entire load of the circuit going through the switch.

 

[nnnnnate]

I found this switch which looks promising. It doesn't have size specs which is mildly annoying but I may contact them for that info.
K4 MINI PUSH BUTTON ON-OFF TRIPLE SEALED SWITCH 12V 10AMP 13-132

 

[redthies]

I found this switch which looks promising. It doesn't have size specs which is mildly annoying but I may contact them for that info.
K4 MINI PUSH BUTTON ON-OFF TRIPLE SEALED SWITCH 12V 10AMP 13-132

View attachment 229250

Just my opinion, but that switch is UGLY! I would rather use the Carling switch. What about finding a factory switch (Rubicon locker switch!) and putting that in the correct spot in the dash? That makes a whole lot more sense to me!

 

[nnnnnate]

I supposed I ought to explain what I am hoping to do with this switch that I am searching for...

For the non Jeepers or those with other jeep models late/models out there I'll give some background info.

I bought a 2013 JK sport which is the super stripped down version. Manual everything on my rig and open diffs.
This is my center dash but without the two button switches that have been cut in. I'm focussing on the panel below the HVAC dials. I have 7 places for switches but with just 2 installed. One for the traction control and another for the emergency lights.


Earlier models of the JK (2007-2010) had 5 buttons mounted in this same spot and used these to engage the factory e-locker and sway bar disconnect. My model year (2011+) they moved the locker buttons to the left of the steering wheel.
This is how they look now.


Again, my JK is a sport so I don't have that panel on my dash. On the center console switch panel in other trim levels there are misc buttons to include controls for heated seats, 110 power control, and some other stuff I don't have. My goal is to add locker controls to this switch panel while keeping an OEM look. I want it to function as the manufacturer intended (Eaton) and look like it rolled off the factory floor. One big obstacle to obtaining this is that behind the panel is a circuit board that makes it difficult to mount a bigger switch.

Here is a picture showing the back side of the panel removed and somewhat disassembled.


I know that there are a lot of other ways to mount my switches. Rugged Ridge makes a molded piece of plastic which holds 4 switches for the a-pilar, others have drilled out the dash where the rubi switches are and mounted flush switches, or heaven forbid drop $$$ on an SPOD. Basically I just have too much time on my hands and want to get this to work with the dash buttons that are already there.

I have pulled the panel and nearly finished installing my garage remote on the far right button. I shaved the bottom of the panel button about 1/8" so it will now rock, then soldered some jumpers from the remote to a little breadboard momentary switch from my arduino kit. It works perfectly, I just need a momentary switch that is a little bit taller that will be depressed when I push on the button. I tried superglueing something on top of the button but it didn't hold real well. After getting the switch and wiring it up I'll have to afix it to the inside of the button and fish the wires in and around the circuit board.

I am hoping to do the same thing for the wiring of my Eaton E-Locker I just had installed for the rear axle. I just want it to look clean and OEM. With the info given earlier in this thread I may also attempt to add an LED light somewhere that will notify me that the locker is engaged. I'll have to play around with it but I am thinking that I might be able to just add the LED to behind another switch and have the light show through the cracks surrounding its location. If that doesn't work I may be willing to drill into a button for the LED. In the future I would also like to add some off road lights to be controlled from the same location. I want to control all my aux add ons from this panel. The way I see it the panel is already there, I might as well use it.

So anyway, I don't actually plan to have the switches I'm posting be visible. They will be hiding behind the panel toggles.

 

[nnnnnate]

Just my opinion, but that switch is UGLY! I would rather use the Carling switch. What about finding a factory switch (Rubicon locker switch!) and putting that in the correct spot in the dash? That makes a whole lot more sense to me!

The issue I have with finding a factory switch, the rubi pod, is that I'd end up buying the pod then have to gut it to do this same thing. I haven't specifically seen it but I would bet money that the rubi pod is setup the same as the dash panel with a circuit board behind it. It would be convenient to just toss the board and have lots of room behind it to work, but I don't want to buy the pod and then not use any of the electronics that I'd be paying $$ for. If I hit a bunch of roadblocks on this I may explore it down the road but I'm going to stick with using the panel that I have first.

 

[nnnnnate]

I stopped at a local electronic shop today on my way home from work, switches and wires and relays EVERYWHERE. I took in my harness and talked to them about what I was hoping to do. I think previously here I had said that the fuse was in line with the switch but that was incorrect. It is actually between the red battery lead and the relay. The guy at the shop was super patient with me as I tried to explain what I was hoping to do. He gave me some feedback and then helped me test something. The question was about how much current would the switch really need to be able to handle. He pulled the relay and it tested at 120 milliamps. Based on that test he said that I could basically use any switch that I wanted that was rated over 1 amp.

I'm going to do some bench testing and a some more research but I feel like I'm getting somewhere with this.