Wolo Bad Boy Installation - where to connect Relay Power supply?

[Air Force PAO]

I need some help figuring out where to "connect relay terminal 30 to positive (+) 12-volt battery."

Where exactly should I be attaching the terminal that is supposed to go to the "Battery on my 2016 RT? I am hoping there is some positive terminal close by that can work.

Thanks in advance,

John

[Possible]

I would connect it directly to the battery. It is what supplies power to the horn, IIRC, so you want direct power from the battery.

[Bfromla]

I would connect it directly to the battery. It is what supplies power to the horn, IIRC, so you want direct power from the battery.

Don’t forget a suitable fuse in line

[spyder01]

I Hooked a fuse up to the alternator positive terminal (has a nut on it) and then to the relay.Make sure you undo battery first bc that terminal is hot all the time.

[Possible]

I Hooked a fuse up to the alternator positive terminal (has a nut on it) and then to the relay.Make sure you undo battery first bc that terminal is hot all the time.

I gotta ask: Why do that instead of coming off the battery terminal? Just easier to get to?

[Peter Aawen]

The idea behind using a relay is to protect the rest of the Spyder's wiring & instruments, dash etc from excessive voltage/current loads but still get full on heavy duty green steam in the necessary voltage/amperage to your accessory - and a relay does this by allowing you to trigger the power supply to your horn/whatever using the 'lighter'/OE switch wiring connected to terminals 86 & 85; but then instead of running the greater current draw thru the whole OE wiring system, the relay instead allows you to supply your accessory with that full on green steam direct from the battery (via a suitably fused/capacity wire of course! ) connected to terminal 30 on the relay and sent on to the accessory via terminal 87 on the relay.... So really, connecting your relay terminal 30 to anything BUT the battery OR at least to a heavy duty purpose designed fuse box/aux power outlet that is itself connected directly to the battery by a heavy, fused wire is sorta defeating the whole purpose behind using a relay in the first place!

And since our Spyders don't have any 'heavy duty purpose designed/fused aux power outlets' that are heavy enough/up to running the horn anyway, it becomes a case of 'connect your relay power supply direct to the battery' OR install a dedicated fused power board/fuse box, connect IT directly to the battery & then connect your relay to that.... only that's multiplying the number of connections that could be potential failure &/or high resistance points in the wiring leading to the horn.....

So unless you've already got or are planning to install a whole bunch of accessories running off relays &/or already have a heavy duty power board/fuse box with a substantial & appropriately fused/protected power supply running directly from the battery, then it's simpler & safer to just connect your relay's terminal 30 direct to the battery, - and that's really what relays were designed to do/how they're meant to work/be installed!

[Air Force PAO]

OK. You all have convinced me. I will connect it to the battery.

Forgive me, but is it okay if I ask...where is the battery on a 2016 RT? I certainly will use a 20-amp in-line fuse. So...what kind of connector should I be using to connect to the battery?

John

[IdahoMtnSpyder]

Have you had this RT since new? If so, it's time for you to get familiar with the battery. It's behind a panel on the back wall of the frunk. At 4 years + old it's probably getting close to crapping out so you'll need to replace it before too long. A ring terminal with 6 mm hole works great to connect to the battery. Put it on the bolt that clamps the battery cable to the terminal.

[RICZ]

Unless I missed someone else saying it, the horn button completes the ground.
To complicate things for you, I installed a fuse block that is energized through a relay that is powered only when the ignition is on. All electrical accessories are connected to it in order to avoid the bike's fussy electronics.
Then I installed a pair of loud car horns fed through a relay connected to the fuse block.

HORN PROJECT 4.jpg

[Air Force PAO]

Thanks to everyone. I found the battery. And, yes I have had it since new. I think I have been lucky to go this long on one battery.

John

[spyder01]

Unless I missed someone else saying it, the horn button completes the ground.
To complicate things for you, I installed a fuse block that is energized through a relay that is powered only when the ignition is on. All electrical accessories are connected to it in order to avoid the bike's fussy electronics.
Then I installed a pair of loud car horns fed through a relay connected to the fuse block.

HORN PROJECT 4.jpg

So your horns are inside your frunk?

[spyder01]

I gotta ask: Why do that instead of coming off the battery terminal? Just easier to get to?

I run two relays sitting just to the left of where the original horn was.The first relay when grounded by the horn switch supplies power to the WOLO which btw is very loud.The other relay has its coil grounded and gets fed 12v when the ign sw is turned on,so that relay supplies power to my wifes heated winter clothes and both relays have extra wires coming off that are waiting for possible new accessories' in the future.The alternator terminal is 15" away so its easy to get to and the wire from battery to alt is more than capable of doing the job.Thats the way Ive wired up many cars over the years and they worked fine but when I put in the auxillary fusebox on my last GW I hooked up to the battery bc it was right there.Which ever you choose steer clear of hot or moving parts and put the fuse as close to the battery as possible.

[RICZ]

So your horns are inside your frunk?

Yup. I had my doubts abut the sound getting out, so at first, I roughed them in. They sound just as loud as if they were where the original horn was.
Due to limited space, I had to make my own mounting brackets.