Texas X Riders
Main Area => General Discussion => Topic started by: matap on November 15, 2017, 04:48:01 PM
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As some of you might now I am building a small trailer to tow my dogs around with me. With that said I need some know how.....I want to have a small light inside to turn on while the dogs are inside when it's dark out.
On one side I know I can wire it up directly to the running lights and they will be lit once the bike is on and running. On the other I want to ability to turn it on even when the bike is off. I know to accomplish I need a separate power source. My idea was to add a small 12v battery somewhere but of course comes the issue with charging said battery.
I can figure out the proper wiring so that the bike charges the battery while in motion or permanently mount a solar charger that will charge the battery. I just need some general direction.
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My immediate thought is a deer feeder 12v battery wired to a led light and a small solar panel. A set up like that ran my feeder(electric motor spinning 10 seconds 3 times a day) all season long without me having to manually recharge it. I think a led light would use very little power.
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No need to tie into the bikes wiring for this.
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Just get a 12V LED light of some type and wire directly to the battery, with a fused lead to the + terminal, and wire up a small switch to turn it on/off as needed. With LED, if you accidentally leave it on (even for a few days), it won't drain the battery. Riders who install LED accent lights on his/her bike can usually leave them on for at least a day or so, with no ill effect on the battery.
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https://www.legacyfoodstorage.com/products/home-solar-lights-system-powerbank-usb-charger?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cse&utm_campaign=base (https://www.legacyfoodstorage.com/products/home-solar-lights-system-powerbank-usb-charger?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cse&utm_campaign=base)
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Just get a 12V LED light of some type and wire directly to the battery, with a fused lead to the + terminal, and wire up a small switch to turn it on/off as needed. With LED, if you accidentally leave it on (even for a few days), it won't drain the battery. Riders who install LED accent lights on his/her bike can usually leave them on for at least a day or so, with no ill effect on the battery.
I thought about doing that but I don't want any extra wires other than the 4 pin cable routed towards the bike.
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Just get a 12V LED light of some type and wire directly to the battery, with a fused lead to the + terminal, and wire up a small switch to turn it on/off as needed. With LED, if you accidentally leave it on (even for a few days), it won't drain the battery. Riders who install LED accent lights on his/her bike can usually leave them on for at least a day or so, with no ill effect on the battery.
I thought about doing that but I don't want any extra wires other than the 4 pin cable routed towards the bike.
Won't you have extra wires for the solar panel? Don't know, since I've never used one, but I would think there would be some type of wiring between the panel and the battery.
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^I mean coming from the bike to the trailer.
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^I mean coming from the bike to the trailer.
DOH! Senior moment...I forgot it was going to the trailer. What about using a quick-connect trailer plug like what we have on our vehicles?
(http://i.ebayimg.com/images/i/160704055484-0-1/s-l1000.jpg)
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https://www.legacyfoodstorage.com/products/home-solar-lights-system-powerbank-usb-charger?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cse&utm_campaign=base (https://www.legacyfoodstorage.com/products/home-solar-lights-system-powerbank-usb-charger?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cse&utm_campaign=base)
I'm thinking something like this but minus the lights. I just want a powerbank (battery) and solar charger I guess and a way to plug in what I need
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^I mean coming from the bike to the trailer.
DOH! Senior moment...I forgot it was going to the trailer. What about using a quick-connect trailer plug like what we have on our vehicles?
(http://i.ebayimg.com/images/i/160704055484-0-1/s-l1000.jpg)
This connectin is a thought as well but then I a separate battery to power the lights on the trailer.
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My earlier post disappeared. Rig a $20 deer feeder battery (generally 12V 7ah) with a switch and a solar charger. A small LED will draw next to nothing and the solar panel should keep it charged. The batteries use spade connectors, so it's easy to disconnect when not in use, and you might want to overnight it on a Battery Tender every few weeks if it goes that long without solar charging. I think those batteries are generally maintenance-free AGM deep cycles, although they aren't labeled as such. The small LED would provide more than enough illumination for the dogs -- they have excellent low-light vision -- and run cool enough not to cause temperature issues. The entire system could be self contained on the trailer.
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My earlier post disappeared. Rig a $20 deer feeder battery (generally 12V 7ah) with a switch and a solar charger. A small LED will draw next to nothing and the solar panel should keep it charged. The batteries use spade connectors, so it's easy to disconnect when not in use, and you might want to overnight it on a Battery Tender every few weeks if it goes that long without solar charging. I think those batteries are generally maintenance-free AGM deep cycles, although they aren't labeled as such. The small LED would provide more than enough illumination for the dogs -- they have excellent low-light vision -- and run cool enough not to cause temperature issues. The entire system could be self contained on the trailer.
Yeah. I think this is the route I'm going.
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https://www.legacyfoodstorage.com/products/home-solar-lights-system-powerbank-usb-charger?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cse&utm_campaign=base (https://www.legacyfoodstorage.com/products/home-solar-lights-system-powerbank-usb-charger?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cse&utm_campaign=base)
I'm thinking something like this but minus the lights. I just want a powerbank (battery) and solar charger I guess and a way to plug in what I need
Just take 2 lights off the battery then take it apart and use what you need. There is an LED bulb connected to that wire, the rest is trash. This system comes with switches as well. Mount on the outside of the trailer and if it goes bad use one of the other 2 you have.