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Jackalopee Circuit protection


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Forgive me if this somewhere else I could not find it.  I got my jackalopee the other day, I am installing it so that I have a brake light signal for my brake controller.  Not being and electrical engineer it does not appear that there is any overload protection on the circuits in the jackalopee, am I mistaken? Do most people just put overload protection on the 12v line in? I would like to get rid of my current trailer light relay set up if I can, but I hate loosing independent circuit protection of each wire.  Am I missing something?

 

thanks

 

nick

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I think most of us just use it as is.  The factory trailer wiring on the truck should already be fused and you are not drawing any more power than a normal commercial trailer.  However I have seen pictures of someone’s truck where he had each circuit fused between the jackalope and the trailer.  

 

Nigel

Edited by Nigel

2006 Volvo VNL 430, 2006 smart cabrio cdi, 2000 Triple E Topaz 30'

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The Jackalopee is primarily just a pass through device. If you are connecting to your trucks original trailer wiring, it should already have overload protection. The only inputs that you would need to provide a fuse/breaker for is the 12v switched or 12v direct connectors in the upper left corner.

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  • 3 weeks later...

All that Jackalopee does is to take what the truck light are doing, rearranges their pathway and puts these into the right wires into the trailer. The few "burnups" that occurred and the Jackalopee was smoked was actually shorts in wiring in the trailer circuitry.

You should fuse the line from the truck batteries to the trailer batteries (+12V SWITCHED circuit) with a thermal resetable fuse (30 Amps or so)

nVEjQryl.jpg

I spend more time and hours explaining this, therefore, everyone pay attention to these two pictures.

czdDwrml.jpg

This is how the the 12V charging circuit and the brake controller should be wired. The black wire from the batteries should go to the +12V SWITCHED and the blue wire from the brake controller should go the third tab below it, right above where it says +12V AUX.

There is a ton of confusion and it's my fault, because I didn't anticipate it and did not bitch out the board layout guy when he marked things. I'm going to have the board redone just for that.

3Jn5hJkl.jpg

See the marking BRK CNTRL right above a tab, that marking actually belongs to the tab to its right, not the tab below. But people see the BRK CNTRL marking above the tab and guess what, it also says BLU right next to it, " I got it, that's where the brake controller goes". Next thing that happens, I get a call. "Brakes on the trailer are all screwed up". I ask, "where is the blue wire from the truck going"? "I plugged it into the tab that says +12V AUX below it". I suggest, "Swap the two blues, see what happen"? "Wow, everything works, thanks so much". I politely terminate the conversation and curse out the board layout guy, AGAIN!!!!!!!!! The board change will take the BRK CNTRL marking and move it to the right of that tab it belongs to and while at it I will also move the +12V DIRECT to the right of that tab.

Note also the thin etch going up from the brake controller tab to the LED. The LED "looks" at what is coming in from the controller in the truck and depending on the current and voltage level and will glow dimly or brightly. The marking BRAKE LEVEL belongs to the LED

The GND tab next to it is a spare ground, some controllers required it in the past.

Also wanted to share with the group the "new look" of the Jackalopees in the future.

2XgxKEpl.jpg

 

Edited by phoenix2013
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  • 2 weeks later...
  • 2 months later...
9 hours ago, GeorgiaHybrid said:

Henry, I'm happy to see you put your portrait on the new look of the jackalopee. It might ne photoshopped a little to make you more handsome but a good likeness nonetheless. 😎😁

You do know that’s a Springfield’s kiddo design.  BTW see what truck made the cover?  Uh, me thinks a Volvo!😂

2006 Volvo 780 "Hoss" Volvo D12, 465hp, 1650 ft/lbs tq., ultrashift

Bed Build by "JW Morgan's Custom Welding"

2017 DRV 39DBRS3

2013 Smart Passion Coupe "Itty Bitty"

 

"Don't go around saying the world owes you a living. The world owes you nothing. It was here first!"

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