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Cap'n Kirks Givi V46NT LED Brake Light Install

25K views 54 replies 16 participants last post by  CoachA 
#1 · (Edited)
First, let me thank everyone for the suggestions on LED suppliers, and links to others who have done similar.



Let me start off with some finished photos.

Power off:



Running Lights:



Brakes Applied:



This is what I came up with.

I bought 2 packs of Alpena Flex LED's, RED, 24" (2 - 12" strips) for $19.99 each. I found them both at Advance Auto Parts, and Autozone. These are weather proof LEDs's sealed inside a thick layer of flexible silicone.



I drilled 3 holes for the wiring to enter the case. The center row is centered both vertically and horizontally between the center lens mounting holes. It has 3 sections (9 LED's total)



The LED strips can be cut ONLY where the scissors are shown, basically in 3 LED sections. The only cut I made and jumpered was for the turns. I use a 6 LED section, made a cut and jumpered another 3 LED section on each side. Make sure when you cut and splice that you keep the polarity (+/-) correct! The reason for the cut was the strip could not make the bend to fit the case in a single section. I covered the exposed solder pads with silicone RTV before installing the lenses. Note: when you have to expose the 2 copper pads to make your solder connections, take your time to remove the silicone so you don't damage the solder pads.

The left and right brake sections are a total of 12 LED's each side.

The LED strips come with 3M double sided tape already installed. I used masking tape to hold them in place, then put the lens in place and adjusted as needed then once a location was found I used the provided double sided tape for final placement. Use rubbing alcohol to clean the case anywhere you are sticking a row of LED's!



I centered this row of 9 LED's (that show through the 4 round lenses) both vertically and horizontally between the original center lens screw holes.



I did all my splicing under the document cover in the lid. I found a screw and a cable clamp to fit the hole already in the base of the case so I could zip tie the cable out of the way as it enters the case. You can see the cord grip installed in the lower right corner. I drilled a few holes in the lid and used zip ties for cable routing.



I use the SW Motech Alu-rack and I chose this location to drill and install the cord grip and route my cable to keep my exposed wiring to the bike minimal in length.



For extra brightness, I added two rows of 9 LEDS inside the center lens as well.





A quick check to see them working.



Here is how I wired them. I have the Backoff XP for the 5 flash-steady pattern. Here is how I installed the Backoff XP. I feel it is a great benefit for safety. If you don't have a flasher, just ignore it shown in the schematic and the blue wire continues through to the tail light. I also have an extra row of LED's at the license plate.





Radio Shack stocks several connectors. As Kimel has pointed out in post #4 below, these "Radio Shack connectors" are not weather proof connectors. I have my connector under the seat, so I have to remove the seat to take off the case. If you put your connector out in the elements, you will need to use a weatherproof connector. A 4 wire trailer connector or similar would work.



Relay I used:



This install was time consuming and more on the difficult side but the work to me was worth it and I am very pleased with the outcome. From start to finish, I probably have about 12 hours in this job, but about a third of that was design and parts finding expeditions.

Here is a parts list of the main components I used:

22AWG Wire or larger
Relay PN DS2E-S-DC12V Digikey PN 255-1063-ND
Resistor 750 Ohm Digikey PN CF14JT750RCT-ND (CAN USE ANY 750 OHM RESISTOR)
Cord Grip Digikey PN 288-1178-ND (measure your wire bundle this fits diameters .12 - .31)
Radio Shack PN's 274-224 & 274-234 (or any other 4 wire connectors including 4 wire trailer plug)

You will need soldering tools and materials as you would any other wiring project.

If you are adding up the total number of LED's used, I had 1 piece of 3 LED's left over when I finished.

This project should fall into the $60-$80 range depending on what components you may or may not have lying around.

:goodluck:
 
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#45 ·
I also wired my V46

First, a big thanks to Cap'n Kirk for his original write-up on this process.

My build, for the most part, is the same but with a few differences. I used Superbright LEDs, an audio barrel connector for the quick disconnect, a single 330ohm resistor, and a different relay with similar specs. I also cut and soldered the amber strips the same way as Cap'n Kirk, to make the strip bend around the case, but I lined the leds up with the red ones below. The leds were also moved closer the the center as well. I think it looks a little better and neater that way. The third strip of center brake/running leds was not used.

I am a bit worried about the disconnect not being weatherproof, but in hot/dry Arizona it should be okay. We'll see next year during monsoon season. I did put silicone on the outside and in the hole drilled in the case as well as dielectric grease on the inside to keep moisture out and make it easier to remove.

I left the connections inside the case document compartment with wirenuts so I can make easy changes if need be. All other connections were soldered. The spade connectors you see used on the turn signal were temporary to test the circuits.

Components:
The LEDs are WFLS-R60-BK and WFLS-A30-BK red and amber strips from Superbright.
330ohm resistor, R40-11D2-12 relay, and microphone/audio 4-pin barrel connectors, and 4 conductor cable came from Fry's.
 

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#47 ·
Help!

Last night both my regular tail light and Givi LED lights were completely out (no running lights or brake lights). I found a loose connection at my resistor and replaced it. Still not working properly. The relay was working kind of sporadically and then I ended up blowing the tail light fuse as I was wiggling wires around to find the culprit. I replaced the fuse and I tried to replace the relay. I wired everything up to the new relay (identical to the previous one) as it was before it went out last night but still couldn't get it to switch when applying either the front or rear brake (it is possible that I had the ground and positive switched on the relay, I'll cop to that). I checked every single connection multiple times. In the end I accidentally figured out that if I bypass the relay and connect all three wires that go to pins 1-2 (running light), 3-4 (brake light) and 5-6, the running light and brake light work as desired on both the tail light and the Givi LED light.

Any reason not to keep it this way? Does the relay provide some additional protection I'm ignorant about? Any ideas on the why the relay wouldn't switch?

It's been trouble free for more than 2 years...

Thanks for the help!
 
#48 ·
Last night both my regular tail light and Givi LED lights were completely out (no running lights or brake lights). I found a loose connection at my resistor and replaced it. Still not working properly. The relay was working kind of sporadically and then I ended up blowing the tail light fuse as I was wiggling wires around to find the culprit. I replaced the fuse and I tried to replace the relay. I wired everything up to the new relay (identical to the previous one) as it was before it went out last night but still couldn't get it to switch when applying either the front or rear brake (it is possible that I had the ground and positive switched on the relay, I'll cop to that). I checked every single connection multiple times. In the end I accidentally figured out that if I bypass the relay and connect all three wires that go to pins 1-2 (running light), 3-4 (brake light) and 5-6, the running light and brake light work as desired on both the tail light and the Givi LED light.

Any reason not to keep it this way? Does the relay provide some additional protection I'm ignorant about? Any ideas on the why the relay wouldn't switch?

It's been trouble free for more than 2 years...

Thanks for the help!
I just looked at my schematic again for the first time since I did this modification. The relay does not provide any "protection" as a fuse would. In theory, if you hook up your "brake" 12V+ (non-resistor) on the case side of the current limiting resistors, is should work without the relay. I tried this at first and it did not work for me, (maybe its the Backoff XP) hence the relay I put in place.

Without closely examining your entire hookup with a meter, I would be hard pressed to give you any advice on what to do. If you have it working and you are not blowing any fuses, you seem to be good to go.

Glad you got it patched up and running again!! :thumb:
 
#52 ·
I used CAT5E cable. CAT5E is Ethernet cable same as the patch cord that goes from a modem to a router. Make sure if you use this kind of cable, that you use stranded wire and not solid. Stranded will be forgiving over time with flex and vibe. Solid wire is meant for permanent installations and if flexed over time will break. The LED's draw very little current and the CAT5E cable is plenty big enough for the job.
 
#51 ·
#54 ·
GIVI Monokey V46 Lights On 2015 Kawasaki Versys 1000 LT

GIVI Monokey V46 Lights On 2015 Kawasaki Versys 1000 LT

GIF of finished lights

Thanks to Cap'n Kirk for doing the hard part! I pretty much followed his instructions and everything turned out great!

My shopping list:
Waterproof Connector
LED Strips
Cable Gland
BackOff!
Relay - relay is out of stock but any 12V automotive relay should do; they are pretty standard.
Zip ties, shrink tubing, electrical tape, soldering, etc...

A couple of things to note:

The LED strips I ordered turned out to be different than the ones Kap'n Kirk used. Mine had fewer LEDs overall but as a result they are super bright. Just remember to divide up your LEDs to your liking based on your unique situation. I had some extra left over which is why I decided to put another small strip in for the center light (behind the 4 translucent circular lenses)

As stated before, only cut the LEDs on the marked sections. Despite this knowledge, I thought that cutting one short would be ok (and discarding the cut end), however cutting anywhere else will break that whole segment you're cutting (both sides of the cut). Lesson learned the hard way!

To expose the connectors for the cut LEDs, I found a razor blade and a flathead screwdriver to be most useful. Patience is key to prevent damaging the connector pads! After soldering on the wires, I covered using more shrink tubing.

Be sure to remember to remove the reflective strips in the lenses! Otherwise your LEDs won't shine through..

I forgot to get a picture of the 330 Ohm resistor I used. Just remember to use a lot of electrical tape on it to deter bending. I tried to keep the actual resistor itself exposed in case it got hot.


Thanks Kap'n Kirk! Overall this was a fun project to work on and I'm happy with the results. Now I light up like a Christmas tree!

For further visibility, I recommend these:
Visibility Safety Vest
Reflective Rim Tape
Front fog lamps (I used the OEM lights offered by Kawasaki for my specific bike)
 
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