Home › Forums › Motorcycle Tech Talk › Canbus issues with led spotlights/lightbar
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Anonymous
Inactive03/08/2016 at 8:16 amPost count: 4I checked out other posts here on this or similar issues but haven't found the answer I need. 2008 R1200GSI've wired a 7" LED lightbar mounted on the forks up under the 'beak', power comes direct from the battery through a fuse to the relay, for the trigger I tapped into the highbeam wire behind the headlight so the lightbar goes out when the lights are dipped....this worked fine with no issues or alerts being triggered....however....I have since also wired a couple of longer range LED spots, same deal, power from the battery through a fuse to a separate relay, trigger from the same source, the high beam wire behind the headlight.....lights work and dip fine but now with the added spots it brings up an ABS malfunction alert...... turn the bike off and it resets...until high beam, lightbar and spots are turned on and up comes the alert........where have I gone wrong, I'm only using the high beam wire as the trigger for the 2 relays...power comes from the battery. Any help appreciated.
Welcome to the site.I don't have a definitive answer, but the ABS check is very sensitive to battery voltage. So if the voltage drops too far the ABS will throw up a fault. I would try disconnecting both the long-range LEDs but leave the relay connected and see if that fails. If it does the relay or its connections is presumably at fault. If not, then try connecting one of the LEDs and see if that fails.Alternatively, connect up a voltmeter and see what it's showing when you have the whole light show fired up. Does it also fail if the engine is running fast when you switch on the high beam? Or only if the engine is idling or running slowly? How old is the battery? Can it maintain the voltage with everything switched on?
Inactive03/08/2016 at 9:09 amPost count: 4Thanks artig…yes it still does it if the engine is running fast, 100kph, not sure how old the battery is, possibly original, I've only had the bike 7 or so months. I'll try disconnecting the LR leds and see how we go. I thought dragging the trigger from the same wire may have had something to do with it.
The canbus set up is very sensitive to extra current draw try wiring the light bar up to battery and on/off switch only and the long rang spots to the high beam with relay and see if that works.
Inactive03/08/2016 at 10:53 amPost count: 289I'm a little puzzled why you have two relays off the highbeam? You only really need one… A relay will obviously increase draw a fraction, but it shouldn't be enough to trip the circuit.I've modified / added lights heaps on a 2010 R1200GSA and never hit any canbus issues.I'm just wondering whether it could be the battery, the ABS etc. Is it possible you could have got the 2nd set of wiring wrong? If you remove the first relay and lights, run just the 2nd set?
Inactive04/08/2016 at 9:55 pmPost count: 4Thanks Gremlin….so your saying I should be able to run both spots and the light bar from the one relay hence lowering the draw slightly on the high beam wire which in turn may not trip the warnings.I don't think it has anything to do with the ABS, everything is fine until I switch on high beam, (which also turns on the light bar and spots) this brings up the alert, which stays showing when the lights are switched back to low beam, when the bike is turned off it's back to normal with no warnings when started again until I hit high beam.My idea of a relay for each set of lights was so I could add an on/off switch into the 'trigger' wires enabling me to have each set on or off with the high beam, I wouldn't be able to do this with one relay for all would I?How would you wire this setup....2 long range LED spots (30w) and a 36w LED lightbar to be run altogether or independently with high beam, switching off when 'dipping' to low beam?Thank you again for your interest and help, much appreciated.
Inactive05/08/2016 at 7:21 amPost count: 289Ok, the turning off and on is easily explained. Everything resets and the bike does a check every time it starts up (virtual fuses not real).As for setup, I have Clearwater Kristas, big spots replacing the factory fog lamps, that have a dimmer for low beam and go to full power on high beam (triggered with relay from high beam). These actually run off the factory fog lamp wiring loom (so that circuit will accept 36W per lamp at full power). That said, uncertain whether that wiring loom is connected to canbus.Then, T'd off the same trigger is a separate wiring loom, aftermarket, for additional lamps. I'd have to double check that loom, as I've pulled it out a while back and I'm going to re-install simplified, as it was done on purchase by the shop (5.5 years ago when canbus was black magic to me) and seems way too complex.The net effect, was low beam was the factory headlight low, plus Kristas on low power. Flick of the high beam switch kept them all on, the Kristas went to full power, factory headlight high came on, plus the extra spots (so 6 in all). Headlight low was 35W HID, high would be 55W, Kristas at 72W for the pair, and probably 20W for the 2 additional spots (Denali D1). The Denali loom is also separately switched, as I've made another wiring loom to plug into it, for flashing orange lights I use when support running/cycling events. At that point, I had to disconnect the trigger from the high beam, otherwise the flashing oranges fired up every time I ran high beam ::)First question for you, is do you want the spots plus lightbar used together or independently of each other? Also, are you using an accessory hub to limit wiring back to battery? Is it possible there is any short between all that wiring and bike wiring (creating ABS fault). Some accessory hubs also allow trigger wires to simplify wiring.In terms of running independently, mine could be switched on manually (but not off if on high beam) or come on automatically with high beam.
Inactive08/08/2016 at 9:55 amPost count: 1Hi, don't know if this is of any use, but on my '04 there is an unused wiring block cable tied up on the l/h side of the steering head just forward of the tank, I have been told you can run extra items off this without affecting the Canbus system.
Hi, don't know if this is of any use, but on my '04 there is an unused wiring block cable tied up on the l/h side of the steering head just forward of the tank, I have been told you can run extra items off this without affecting the Canbus system.
Thats startard on any GS or RT I've had. I believe it's for a Nav system.My 2013 RT has the aftermarlet spots hooked to it, as well as a Nav V system. When I turn the key off the system can now take up to 10 min to shut down. I think it's the extra lights which have caused that.Gremlin is a Gold mine of information on electrics. Respect.
Inactive11/08/2016 at 11:59 pmPost count: 289I don't have experience using that loom (for the Nav rings a bell tho), but if it has a delayed shutdown, then the Canbus is behind that circuit and it most likely has a limit of x amps, usually around 5. ie, you won't be running a compressor or heated gear from that loom. I forget the part number, but there is a piece of wiring you can buy that plugs into it which gives you normal wires to plug something else in. I believe that same piece of wiring is for things like the horn (because on some GS they don't have the standard connectors – like mine gah).On some smart accessory hubs you can also put in a delay for powering on or off.It will shut down at some point, but that's also where the "BMW approved" battery chargers send a keep alive signal down a canbus connector so it can charge the battery. Or y'know, ya just wire it straight to the battery?
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