Need electrical help…

[Black Dog Moto]

…from someone smarter than me. 
 

 

I installed an Oxford grip heater. However, the grips are for gorillas and I’m used to dirtbike size grips. So I removed the oxford grips and installed Tusk heater elements. Used the same type of connectors to wire them up to the oxford controller. 
 

It works!

 

However, they now stay on the entire time. It is direct wired to the battery and I was going to rely on the controller for on/off. While the controller says it’s off, it’s certainly still on. The controller is also warm. The Tusk kit came with a huge resistor that I left out. Presumably I need to put this inline the battery and controller? Currently the only way to turn this Frankenstein system off is to pull the inline fuse. 

[AZJW]

@Black Dog Moto Without seeing your wiring, my guess is you've bypassed the switch somehow and it's now wired directly to the battery.  I'm not familiar with the Oxford controller, but it should have a common terminal for both grip wires ( the other two grip wires need to be grounded) then the resistor installed inline between the battery and the Hi terminal of the switch.

 

In case you didn't get this diagram with your Tusk grip heaters.

 

 

[Black Dog Moto]

I have it wired exactly the same as the Oxford, which is battery+ to controller to grips to battery-. The only thing I don’t know is if the Oxford grips have some sort of polarity or inline resistor. 
 

The Tusk elements aren’t color coded so I believe it doesn’t matter what is + or -.  This is why I’m confused. The oxfords would turn off after some time once it no longer sensed current at the battery. Wired now it’s clearly on and wonder if overloading the Oxford controller. 

[Black Dog Moto]

Here’s how it’s wired now

 

 

[Redneckj]

You need to use a multi meter.  Check the ohm reading of an Oxford grip.  Then get an ohm reading of a tusk grip heater.  Neither of them can be wired to anything.  Report back to this thread with your readings.  

[Black Dog Moto]

Alright here we go?

 

 

 

[Hibobb]

Hard guessing without being there.

Maybe you wired the AUX (thumb warmer) to the battery? That would make the hand warmers on all the time....

 

Worst case, just ride on cold days....

[Dave D]

Try the resistance readings on the continuity setting, (next position anti-clockwise on your meter). The 2K range is a little high for measuring a heating element accurately. It looks like the continuity, (beeper), range on your meter is the 200 Ohm range. Check for zero Ohms on your test leads first by touching the probes together then take the readings of the grips. Compare the two grips on the lower range. It doesn't explain why they are on though as the controller should only switch on when pressing the buttons. Check the polarity, (+ and -),  of the feed from the battery to the controller too.

 

Edit: It looks like the Tusk resistor is just a voltage dropper for the low range. Won't need it with Oxford controller.

 

Edit 2: Can you run the Oxford grips on the controller still to see what happens?

 

Edit 3: The more I think about it the more it seems like a polarity issue. The transistor in the controller may conduct all the time if it is reversed. Double check + and - from battery to controller.

Edited February 4, 2023 by Dave D

[Lewie]

I’m far from auto electric savvy are you just cutting the Oxford grips off and wiring the tusk ‘grips’ in

the tusk have 2 wires and oxFord appear to have 3 

like here

Edited February 4, 2023 by Lewie

[Dave D]

1 minute ago, Lewie said:

I’m far from auto electric savvy are you just cutting the Oxford grips off and wiring the tusk ‘grips’ in

the tusk have 2 wires and o Ford appear to have 3 

I think it is just the way the diagram is drawn so it looks like three wires. Only two pins in the connectors. Well spotted.

[Lewie]

Slightly different to mine which I’m sure has 2 wires

if you’ve cut them where I’ve red penned I can’t see why they don’t work correctly - it’s just a wire

Or have you left the rest of the wiring on- that could be confusing the Oxford controller

 

Edited February 4, 2023 by Lewie

[Dougie]

I’d start from scratch first. Remove the grips connections.
Ensure the supply polarity is correct all the way to the controller. I’d also take it from the aux plug, switched with ignition and designed for the job, on the right side. 

[Windblown]

Yeah, checking the wiring to the controller and also seeing what happens with the original grips connected (for grins) would be a good idea. 

 

1) Yes,  you don' t need that old clunky resistor with a functioning controller.

2) The controller shouldn't care what heating elements are attached to it unless there is a fault in one of them though I'm not sure what the impact might be if the new ones had less resistance/drawing more current?

3) I would hope it has built in reverse polarity protection but that could be wishful thinking. 

 

 

[Black Dog Moto]

Tusk 7.5Ω

 

Oxford 7.2Ω

[Hollybrook]

That difference in resistance is negligible so nothing to worry about there - they should work identically.

 

Is there any chance you switched the polarity of the power lead going into the controller like @Dave D mentioned?  I had that problem installing the heated gear controller for my jacket and the symptom was the jacket was always hot when plugged in. A quick switch of the lead fixed that. 

[Samm]

On 2/2/2023 at 8:13 PM, Black Dog Moto said:

I have it wired exactly the same as the Oxford, which is battery+ to controller to grips to battery-. The only thing I don’t know is if the Oxford grips have some sort of polarity or inline resistor. 
 

The Tusk elements aren’t color coded so I believe it doesn’t matter what is + or -.  This is why I’m confused. The oxfords would turn off after some time once it no longer sensed current at the battery. Wired now it’s clearly on and wonder if overloading the Oxford controller. 

Are you saying that you took the NEG of your element wires straight to battery NEG? Both + and - element wires go into the controller through the factory loom, no?

 

Where did you make cuts and splices? 
 

Everything in the Oxford system is pretty much plug and play so I doubt you’ve messed with your Polarity…

Edited February 4, 2023 by Samm

[Black Dog Moto]

Well I found A problem. It was wired incorrectly from the factory, the polarity was reversed going into the controller. However, even while off I’m getting 11.6v to the grips. So it’s not getting turned off. 

[Lewie]

Can you explain where you’ve cut both looms and connected them together 

if you’ve litrally cut the tusk ‘grips off and attached them to the 2 stock Oxford connectors - which to me would make the most sense there must be a problem with the Oxford kit

[Black Dog Moto]

I didn’t cut anything. I sourced the same connectors and terminals that Oxford uses and put them on the tusk elements. The tusk elements are pictured below, and believe the polarity doesn’t matter due to how they’re built. 
 

 

[Lewie]

Then I’d say the Oxford kits faulty

[Dave D]

Try the Tusk grips with the polarity corrected to the Oxford controller. The 11.6V may be there but there should be no current to the grips while the controller is off. Can you get the lights on the controller to operate normally when pushing the buttons, (with grips connected)? It is possible the Oxford controller has some damage but as mentioned above there ought to be a blocking diode in there to protect against polarity reversal. You might find the 11.6V is only present when there is no load attached to the controller. When the grips are connected it will probably drop to near zero with controller switched off. There is a tiny current draw through the controller even when off due to the type of switching device inside. This would present a voltage at the output when no load connected. This is why it is a good idea to make sure the controller is fed from an ignition line - not direct from the battery.

[Black Dog Moto]

Well things took a turn, and the controller no longer functions whatsoever. I'm just going to put the rest of the tusk kit together and run it as intended.