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  1. bryanb

    Should a diode be used with a relay from upfitter switch?

    I don't think I said anything about "low voltage" but I did make a distinction between high and low current (amperage). The current through the diodes in your picture will be quite high. My advice is not to build what you drew.
  2. bryanb

    Should a diode be used with a relay from upfitter switch?

    I modified my diagram to add your "arming" function: The primary issue with your design is that you've put the diodes on the high current path. My diodes are all on the low current paths so they will be small and won't have thermal design constraints to worry about. If your light bar is...
  3. bryanb

    Should a diode be used with a relay from upfitter switch?

    Ok, now I know what you are asking. The answer is you need diodes for both of the cases I originally described. You can use the same readily available 1N007 diode for all three diodes below. You're getting lots of different advice including that diodes aren't needed at all. That may be right...
  4. bryanb

    Should a diode be used with a relay from upfitter switch?

    I'm sorry! I'm an electrical engineer so it's rare I can say anything knowledgeable here. Sometimes I get carried away. I was, however, telling my wife and daughter at the dinner table last night about the exciting diode discussion we were having on FRF. They think you are all nerds like me now...
  5. bryanb

    Should a diode be used with a relay from upfitter switch?

    Hey, I think maybe two different diode use cases are being mixed in this thread. Is your question about: 1) Using a diode to protect against damage from the transient voltage created when power is turned off to a relay coil; OR 2) Using a diode to ensure current only flows in one direction...
  6. bryanb

    Need Help - Dead out of Box

    Bench tested with what? A DC power supply or an auto battery? If you've just tested it with a DC supply, try your truck's battery. Most bench supplies won't provide the required current for such a large light bar, and the voltmeter telling you have power doesn't reflect that the internal LED...
  7. bryanb

    Should a diode be used with a relay from upfitter switch?

    Just a few more thoughts on the topic: The textbook answer is that electromechanical relays should always have suppression (flyback) diodes because the collapsing magnetic field in the coil when power is removed generates a high voltage across the terminals of the relay and this can damage the...
  8. bryanb

    GEN 2 Ram really has some pretty big complexes to deal with...

    I have to agree about competition. This is the kind of thing grown ass men should be swapping barbs over rather than the topics that dominate life in America of late. And I would much rather have Dodge defacing their truck with schoolboy graffiti than watch another Prius commercial telling me...
  9. bryanb

    GEN 2 Life and job change, do I keep the Raptor?

    This was (almost) my first reaction too, but in North America, California holds the title. 50% more in Taxachusetts isn't 50% more compared to most parts of the country including AZ. Sounds like the OP has friends and family connections to MA and that's worth something, but I spent some time on...
  10. bryanb

    HQ Photos of my Gen 2 on a wash road

    I don't entirely disagree with your point. But the difference is that, on the road, I am just one of many others and assuming I'm driving courteously I am not giving anyone any reason to pay a bit of attention to me. Also, once I drive by you, I am gone forever. And as careful as I am to not...
  11. bryanb

    HQ Photos of my Gen 2 on a wash road

    Probably for the same reason that nobody uses their real full name as a handle on this forum. :-) I love you guys, but I don't want you dropping by unannounced.
  12. bryanb

    GEN 2 CB install

    For mobile applications the answer is probably "no" if you are referring to VHF amateur bands. The antenna and modulation requirements are different enough that you'd end up with two different radios inside the "single" radio using two antennas so why bother. You'll notice that a CB antenna is...
  13. bryanb

    GEN 2 CB install

    Sweet! I think I spotted the secret to your success working in tight places. Tools needed for the install: Drill, various sockets, ratchet, whiskey, combo wrenches, pliers.
  14. bryanb

    Taking my truck to Work?

    I don't know... I think most folks missed the point (and maybe you made that easy to do). You don't care what people think in general of your expensive truck, you care what your employees think about your expensive truck. You recognize you've come in to a dysfunctional situation created by your...
  15. bryanb

    SOLD The Raptor, Sad Day Indeed

    Actually I knew my wife was "the one" when one day, while we were still dating, she told me very matter-of-factly that, "All women are crazy. You just need to find one whose psychosis you can live with." This was incredibly insightful. Eighteen years later she's still the one. :-)
  16. bryanb

    possible v8 in new 2020 raptor

    These are both pretty good accomplishments! I do have a teenager-like right foot, but why the hell not?!? My actual gas mileage in the city is 10.7 MPG according to the truck's own calculation and my driving is definitely all stop and go city driving during the week. My highway driving will...
  17. bryanb

    possible v8 in new 2020 raptor

    I think that's probably right, but for a sad reason. I'll add my opinion to the topic with no real knowledge. That's what the Internet is for, right? I think the problem is the fact that the Gen 1 6.2 L gets 11 MPG in city driving. Ford didn't manufacture enough of the Gen 1s to interfere...
  18. bryanb

    Not trying to start a P mati, but

    I said "compared to what I went through with my 2013." It's hyperbole. :) These days you can buy a Raptor below MSRP and you can find plenty of stock-on-hand. This was much less true six years ago and maybe that is a small part of why newer Raptor owners don't feel that there is a community...
  19. bryanb

    Not trying to start a P mati, but

    I've noticed the same thing about "the wave" with the Gen 2ers and I think you are pretty close to the reason why some folks newer to the Raptor community (instead of blaming it just on Gen 2 ;)) don't wave: Raptors aren't that uncommon anymore and when the dealer is practically giving them...
  20. bryanb

    Radio audio issue

    Not sure if this will be helpful to you, but I upgraded the amp in my 2013 with the Sony system using the JL Audio CleanSweep CL441 as the interface between the factory amp and the new system. Everything worked great, but occasionally I'd start the truck and have the same symptoms you...
  21. bryanb

    GEN 1 Recall 19S07: 2011-2013 powertrain control module

    I noticed that after I had the PCM update done that I now have a DTC stored in the APIM: ===APIM DTC U0155:00-2B=== Code: U0155 - Lost Communication With Instrument Panel Cluster (IPC) Control Module Status: - DTC Present at Time of Request - Malfunction Indicator Lamp is Off for this DTC...
  22. bryanb

    GEN 1 Recall 19S07: 2011-2013 powertrain control module

    From what Ford filed with the NHTSA this update appears to be only intended to prevent the dangerous downshift to first gear when the output speed sensor fails (intermittently or otherwise). The current firmware interprets that condition as the vehicle has slowed down and first gear is...
  23. bryanb

    GEN 1 Recall 19S07: 2011-2013 powertrain control module

    I had the downshift recall done "successfully" a few months ago and then noticed that Ford is asking for a do-over (at least for the 2013s): Recall Date: JUN 10, 2019 Recall Title: 6R80 SUDDEN TRANSMISSION DOWNSHIFT POWERTRAIN CONTROL MODULE PROGRAMMING NHTSA Recall Number: 19V433 Ford Recall...
  24. bryanb

    GEN 1 Premature spark plug failure

    I've put about 6-7K more miles on since the new set of plugs and the new ignition coil and I've had no repeat of the problems. It's probably too soon to conclude much since it took 20K miles to run in to the problem the first time. As I thought about this situation long after the original...
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