For my gauges: I need a positive 12V source that switches ON with the ignition switch. Must have a 3 amp fuse inline within 20 inches from connection to the source.

I planned to use an expandable circuit that allows two fuses to plug into one outlet on the fuse panel. Is fuse box 2 the one to go with? What fuse do i remove to insert the expandable circuit?

Looks like there are some empty slots in there. Could I use one of those for an ignition switched power source or are those just empty slots without power?

EDIT 06-28: The empty slots in fuse box 2 have no power hooked up to them. Just holes in the bottom of the fuse box.

* Last updated by: Rook on 6/28/2017 @ 6:51 PM *

Use fuse box 1. Blow a taillight rather than the ECU box 2. To find power, ground the ohm meter prong to the bike. Set the meter to 20v. Pull the t/l fuse. Turn the key on; posi prong the empty clips. Who showed 12v+?

Thanks, Hub. Will go with fuse box 2. It doesn't matter who shows positive. The expandable circuit figures that out. Just plug it in with fuse to aftermarket accessory in top slot, pop donor fuse into bottom slot, hey both draw power off the donor slot. You butt connect your accessory to the wire from the top slot in the expandable circuit. Should be a snap.

So use the "TAIL" slot because that is an ignition switched 12V circuit?

http://www.fuzeblocks.com/
power distribution block

Yep. 12v is 12v and turns off at the key.

Thanks, Hub.

Thanks piken that fuzeblocks is cool as hell. I hope I remember that (probably will) for the future. Will have several more small digital gauges, nitrous and who knows what else. For now, the ectrical for my gauges is temporary so i can't see spending $90 on a Fuzeblocks. My longterm plan is to eliminate all headlights so the low beam wire up front will be the switched source of current. I will tap into the clock wire for the constant source.

Speaking of constant source of current, I will be using the battery for now and that also needs a 3Amp fuse installed inline 20" or less from the source. How do you install a fuse to a wire? solder? --or is there some kind of a crimp on 3 amp fuse?

Ahhh, I see. We have lots of them on Google. Probably pick one of these up at the auto supply along with the expandable circuit.

http://www.alliedelec.com/bussmann-by-eaton-hhm/70149749/?mkwid=si7gZ9xnB&pcrid=30980760979&gclid=CKaZy9_z4NQCFVW1wAodujYJnA

* Last updated by: Rook on 6/28/2017 @ 10:00 AM *

Hey rook go look at www.neutrinoblackbox.com
It's an electronic black box. It has resettable electronic fuses even. And if used for lights or electric grips or vests the temp can be controlled from your smart phone. Only negatives are it's limited to 6 circuits and it ain't cheap.

Mad

I'm going cheap for now. I did see a fuse box for $12 at the auto supply. Looks like you hook into each slot with a spade connector. I suppose you could hook up switched circuits if you could find a clean permanent way to tap into the ignition switch power.

Everything I need for now is at the auto supply. Problem is, everything has wire of a different gauges. The inline fuse holder off the battery has big wire like 14 gauge or something. I see no reason to have wire that thick running up to the tiny 7 strand wire coming out of the aftermarket accessory harness. So ok, lets hook 18 gauge onto the 14 gauge. Then hook the 18 gauge to the 7 strand. BIG to small to tiny from battery to accessories.

Now the expandable circuit in Fuse Box 1--that has small wire--maybe about 20 gauge. Can I use 18 gauge to hook 20 gauge to the 7 strand on the accessory harness?? I'd be going from small wire to bigger to tiny.

Will this wire gauge mixing work, or do I need to have all 7 strand wire like the accessories harness?

I am not going to find these easy peasy fuse holders in 7 strand wire.

* Last updated by: Rook on 6/28/2017 @ 2:48 PM *

Checked online. You can buy an inline fuse with any gauge you want, 18 or bigger.

All expandable circuits seem to be 16 gauge wire.

I picked up an expandable circuit and discovered it won't fit the fuse box without cutting a channel in the box cover to fit over the the wire. Not too big a deal since the bottom of the fuse boxes have all sorts of holes in them anyway. Once the wire fits, will the exp circ stick up too high to close the cover? Looks mighty close to me. Since this is temporary, I'd just leave the cover open and zip tie a plastic bag over it.

The exp circ instructions say to pair up your accessory circuit with a circuit that has the same amperage. There are no 3A circuits on the bike to pair it up to. I suspect it doesn't matter. You got full power coming in one end of any fuse and it flows out the other side at whatever amperage the fuse was made to create. I can see if the tail light circuit was lower amperage than the accessory how that would create a problem but if it's higher, should be fine.

* Last updated by: Rook on 6/28/2017 @ 6:49 PM *

The cover only has 14mm of clearance so an expandable circuit won't fit. That cover will crack off if left open and wedged under the rear brake fluid reservoir or if allowed to bounce up and down on its straps.

So now I'm wondering if I can just make my own expanded circuit out of a fuse????

Supposing I were to open up the plastic trap door in the bottom of the red 10 amp fuse and slide the prongs out leaving the squiggle in between intact.

I attach a wire to the top of the IN prong (solder or maybe it would fit tight enough without solder).

Slide the prongs with squiggle intact back in the red case, hole cut in the top of case for the wire to protrude.

This wire is about 4~5 inches long (shortened in the illustration just to get the idea across). I crimp a female contact on the end of the wire.

Slide prong of purple 3 amp fuse into contact, locate purple fuse outside of the fuse box where it will fit.

Make an outgoing wire several feet long with female contact on the end. Slide 3 amp prong into outgoing female contact. Rout bare end of outgoing wire to gauges.

Plug red 10 amp fuse back into TAIL slot in fuse panel.

voila--now I have a 10 amp circuit for the tail light and a 3 amp circuit for the gauges.

will this work?

* Last updated by: Rook on 6/29/2017 @ 5:51 PM *

or this?

or this?

The tests halfway through this video are telling me any of the three ideas above would work. The first is best because if the original fuse blows, I still get power to my gauges.

I'd still love to hear someone with some first hand electrical knowledge to offer some input on this.

Here's what I'm thinking: attach a wire to the exposed top, that prong goes to power IN. Plug in the fuse, run the wire to the outside of the box. Attach inline fuse.

After I spent some time whittling away on this, it occurred to me, why bother with cutting? just sand the prong down a few hundreths/inch and insert a thin contact down the power IN female in the box along with the fuse installed / normal. The thin contact is crimped on the inline fuse velcroed outside the box.

See, I'm thinking outside the box on this here one.

Here's my idea in real life. put half of the strands of an 18 AWG wire through the little hole and twist thell out of it. I t makes tight contact. It's basically a jumper wire from a fuse on an OEM circuit from incoming power so it is full stream, not fused. The wire could go outside of the box to an inline fuse holder or it could connect to a fuse in one of the spare fuse positions in the box. Dab some RTV on the connection and run a 7/64" audio female connector up through the bottom of the box for outgoing wire to accessory.

I will go with jumping an OEM fuse to a fuse in a spare position. Quickest way and no cutting up OEM parts to fit, just fuses. I could slide a contact down with the fuse prongs to jump power from one to another but that would require cutting away the plastic fuse housing too. A male contact is not going to fit without cutting away the fuse body or the port the fuse goes into. Also, you'd have to make the male contact yourself. No manufactured contact is long enough nor do they have horizontal crimping and and both would be a must.

* Last updated by: Rook on 6/30/2017 @ 5:38 PM *