MotoSwitch - Auxillary switch unit

[Rob Farmer]

I'm making an auxillary switch unit (The Motoswitch) for switching auxillary equipment; Riding lights, spots or any other equipment that needs switching while you are riding. It works on any of the later BMW's with the "push to cancel" indicator switch.

The unit is simple to operate while riding, it just needs the indicator cancel switch holding for one second to activate the unit, to switch off the unit just hold the indicator cancel for a second. Normal operation of the indicators is not affected at all.

I've given the Motoswitch a 5 Month trial period without any problems and a couple of the guys off the board have been good enough to test them for me. The feedback has been positive.

There are three different models:

Motoswitch 1 @ £19 inc P&P - Unit with no visual indication of the units state.

Motoswitch 2 @ £21 inc P&P - Unit with LED indication for On/Off (your choice of LED colour)

MotoSwitch 3 @ £22 inc P&P - Unit with Two colour LED; One colour for on and 2nd colour for off (No LED is on when power not present at unit)

Please note custom delay times can configured to suit your needs but units will take 2 or 3 days extra.

I'll post some more info with pictures over the next few days. In the meantime just send me a PM or Email and I will reply.

Thanks

Rob

 

[Rob Farmer]

I'm no photographer you will have to excuse the picture quality.

This is the Motoswitch 1 unit. The unit is 41mm x 41mm x 20mm and the leads are 350mm long.

There are five leads:

1/ Red/White - unit power
2/ Brown (1) - Ground
3/ Brown (2) - Relay ground
4/ Brown/White - Indicator Cancel or any switch that makes to ground momentarily.
5/ Yellow/Black - Relay positive

The Motoswitch can switch up to 1Amp without the use of an external relay. There is an internal auto-reset circuit breaker to protect the unit in the event of an overload. For most applications it is recommended that an external relay is used. To protect against vibration and moisture the case is encapsulated with silicone.

 

[Rob Farmer]

The units can be fitted in the GS fusebox (white circle) this photo also shows a 40Amp external relay (Yellow circle).

 

[Rob Farmer]

Motoswitch 2 & 3 are both identical in appearance. The black pipe next to the wiring is automotive sleeving (5ft long) with the LED mounted on the end.

again not brilliant pics:

 

[Paul Young]

Just to add something here, I've been testing one of the prototypes for Rob for the last few months. The switch works in a similar way to the US Autoswitch and has been a very useful addition to my GS. I now have a MiGSel lightbar (50 euro) and a set of Hella FF50's (£32) switched by Rob's Motoswitch using the indicator cancel button. Fitting was a doddle and should be even easier now as he has colour coded the leads to match BMW's wiring loom. Do a search for wiring instructions on the BB here. It has proved totally reliable and robust enough to switch my spots on/off as oncoming traffic dictates ( I don't bother with main beam anymore, just use the Hellas). Much neater than a separate switch and gives greater flexibilty than hardwiring spots into the main beam switch.

All in all, heartily recommended. Cheaper than importing from the US and handier if you have any difficulties and want to talk to the designer.

 

[Rob Farmer]

Just a quick update.

Thanks to the guys who have ordered a Motoswitch from me.

If at the time you place an order you need a power relay, Just add £1.50 and I will send a 40Amp relay and an in-line fuse holder (Takes the same blade fuses as the rest of the bike).

I should have a web site up and running very soon, with on line ordering, and definatly some better photo's and info.

Cheers

Rob

 

[dik]

greetings from sunny notts

i can also give a big thumbs up for robs switch.
i've used an autoswitch in the past and believe robs to be a superior product.
originally i mounted it with double sided tape to the side of the abs unit, but this did not last too long, and the switch spent a few thousand miles hanging by its wires and bouncing about under the tank. despite this it has never faulted in any way.

the biggest advantage over the autoswitch for me is that robs switches after holding the ind cancel switch for about 1 sec, so simply an on/off switch. whereas the autoswitch has a small 'window of opportunity' to work, something like between 0.8 and 1.5 secs, if you dont release in that time no switching takes place.

all in all
a great product,
well made,
durable,
easy to fit,
right price,
and made by one of your own.
what more could you ask for.

all the best
have fun
rich
notts

 

[charlie batty]

Hi Rob .. not being much of an electrical wiz ...could i ask if the switch and relay would be able to operate the Xenon auxilary head light that Touratech do?..thinking of getting one.

i.e. are there any limitations to what 'wattage' of light can be operated?

Ta

 

[Rob Farmer]

Charlie,

To be honest I've never had any dealings with Xenon lights. I've just read Touratechs Blurb for the lights, there is obviously a step up transformer to generate the higher voltages required to ignite the xenon but I would imagine that they would simply switch like any other lights only instead of putting power to a bulb you are sending it to the transformer.

It does say that they consume 35Watts each, which is simply P/V or 2.9 Amps each quite a bit less than a standard bulb (5 Amps) so theres no problem dealing with the current. The relay I usually supply will handle 40Amps (480 Watts) If you draw anywhere near that you will be heading for a meltdown.

Most of the BMW wiring is 'Thinwall' which has a hard grade PVC insulation so it is capable of carrying higher currents. The standard headlight wiring is 1mm Thinwall and is capable of carrying 16.5 Amps. You always need to take into account the size of any wiring and fuse ratings before adding accessories.

It would be usefull if anybody who's reading this and has fitted Xenons could add something.

Hope I didn't waffle too much.

Rob

 

[charlie batty]

Thanks for the reply Rob..

....i recon your switch'll do fine ... don't think i can afford the Xenon thing anyway, so i'll probably use something else..

How much should i send you for the switch and transformer ... any chance of fittin it? ... where are you anyway?

Regards Charlie

 

[Shurv]

Heeeelp....
i've got a MiGSel light bar, 2 pairs of halfords driving lamps (one for dip, one for main). I'm a bit of a luddite with electrics. What will this switch thingy do and will it do what I want it to do?. I want one pair to come on with dip beam ( with a switch for daytime riding) and the others to be wired into the main beam switch.
Does anyone know what I need , and is it really as easy as many claim to wire it all up?.


Marcus

sometimes I wish I paid more attention at school

 

[Rob Farmer]

Marcus,

The Motoswitch has 5 wires, two of these are for the power relay, One is a ground for the unit, one is for the indicator cancel switch and the final one is for wherever you need to pick up the power from, this could be the main beam, low beam or you could have the unit switching whenever the ignition is on. The easiest way of wiring is to have the unit switchable when ever the ignition is on. Picking up the Main or low beams will need the power wire to be connected to either of the wires going to these beams, unfortunatly, they are at the opposite end of the bike but you are running power wires towards that end of the machine for your new lights anyway so it's not too bad.

There is a spare hole in your fusebox that is just right for the Motoswitch (thats why I made it the size it is) and just in front of that is the indicator relay, if you were having the Motoswitch working whenever the ignition is ON you could make all of your connection here. the power relay sits in the other vacant hole in the fusebox. The awkward part is picking up the power wiring, it's best to remove the top of your fusebox and run the power wires from the battery, via an in-line fuse, to the power relay and then from there to your new lights using the existing harness entry points. It sounds far worse than it actually is...well I thought so anyway.

I can send you an instruction sheet if you want. Just send me a PM with your email address.

 

[Rob Farmer]

Charlie,

The basic unit is £17 + £2 for post and packing if you want a power relay and in-line fuse I do these for £1.50 for the pair if you order them at the same time as the Motoswitch. Total of £20.50 all in.

The other units give you either a single colour LED or a two colour LED. The single LED lights up whenever the unit operates. The two colour LED has a single led that is green when the unit operates and red when it's off and is clear when there is no power present. the single colour LED is £19 + £2 P&P and the Two Colour LED version is £20 + £2 P&P again there is the option to have the power relay and in-line fuse for £1.50 if you buy them when you order the Motoswitch.

The standard operating time for the unit is 1 second I can configure the unit for custom times at the time of manufacture but this will take a couple of days extra, the unit is controlled through embedded software so it's easy for me to alter timings before I 'Burn' the chip in, but the encapsulation has a two day curing time.

I usually send the units out the day I receive your cheque, unfortunatly, I've just sent Dave Boulders unit on a two day round trip to somewhere before it came back to me again doh! So thats going to cost me a few beers.

I've got no problem fitting the unit for you But I am in Outer Mongolia...Well Loughborough actually.

 

[MikeO]

Heeeelp....
i've got a MiGSel light bar, 2 pairs of halfords driving lamps (one for dip, one for main). I'm a bit of a luddite with electrics. What will this switch thingy do and will it do what I want it to do?. I want one pair to come on with dip beam ( with a switch for daytime riding) and the others to be wired into the main beam switch.
Does anyone know what I need , and is it really as easy as many claim to wire it all up?.

Marcus, I've attached a wiring diagram which Gzza was kind enought to Email to me,whic allows the following light selections:

Dipped Beam: Normal headlamp dipped beam + 2xfog lamps
Main Beam: Both headlamps (as normal) + 2xspot lamps (fog lamps out).

This is the lighting option I'm fitting to my bike, although I'm alos fitting an Autoswitch to allow me to switch off the Fog Lamps independently, in case I get stopped by some John Q Law having a bad day (this hasn't happened in a year & 20k miles, though....).

The advantage of this set up is that you don't have 6 lights on when on main beam, but still have good vis when on dipped. PM me if you need any further explanation....

MikeO

 

[MikeO]

Marcus,

I notice you say that you've got 2 pairs of spots. I'd advise one pair of spots, for main beam, and one pair of fogs, for dipped. Fogs have a flat-topped beam pattern which you can adjust to match that of your dipped beam, thus avoiding dazzling other road users, as well as giving you a more useful dipped pattern...

MikeO

 

[charlie batty]

..thanks Rob...i'll go for the one with the single LED, i think it tots up to £22.50 with the other bits...(relay/fuse)

Can you PM me your address mate to send the cheque ..

Many Thanks..

 

[VFRman]

Hi Rob,

Just sent you a PM, would also like to purchase one of your switches.

Cheers,
Brian

 

[Rob Farmer]

I will be on Holiday between the 10th and the 31st of May. I'm afraid it will not be possible to buy a Motoswitch during this period.

 

[Big Den]

wot sort of shop shuts for 3 weeks, who can afford 3 weeks holiday, what firm lets its employees have 3 straight weeks, wots a holiday......................

 

[Rob Farmer]

The advantages of working for an American company - treat you like a slave all year round and then pack you off on a decent holiday and expect you to come back ready to do it all again.

A nice gentle ride over the Pyrennes followed by a relaxing break in a Terraced villa with its own swimming pool on the side of a catalonian mountain . Even flying the wife over to do the cooking and cleaning

My gearbox isn't repaired yet so the gentle ride may be on a 250 Superdream :