Heavy Wire??

Hi people, Just a quick question.  I am trying to get my alarm to turn on a accessory using the - 500ma grounded when armed output, however it will not work.  Could this be because the wire I am using is to heavy?  I had no wire around so I used a heavy hard wire, but the accessory only has a low voltage vary small wire on it.   Maybe I am loosing the signal(ground)???  I have tried just about everything else diodes etc, (no relay yet), but I am hoping this would be the last resolt .  If this doesn't work ogg to a installer I go.  Trying to save money and learn how to this kind of stuff my self.

That output is only designed to trigger a relay. What type of accessory do you want to trigger?J Rilla

Owner/Installer

The size wire does not matter as long as you have a good connection to ground.

It is only a LED scanner, but I have tried everything everyone has told me accept the relay.  I want to make sure this is the problem.   Would it be easier to just go off an ignition wire.  So that it turns on as the car is turned off.  If so can I use the alarm possotive ignition wire.  This should only be + when unarmed, ground when off., giving be the possotive , negative conection.  Is this right??Would this damage the scanner.  It is a rattler 300.

Actually that output should be fine for a scanner since it is just a trigger, and not actually completing the circuit that powers the scanner. You can try grounding that wire on the scanner to see if helps since that is what the relay would do. It sounds like the ground output is doing what it is supposed to do if it turns on the scanner. Maybe the scanner is where the problem is. read the troubleshooting section of the scanner manual and it might cover the problem.J Rilla

Owner/Installer

Thanx for the help.  The Vared tech teem just contacted me and told me that this is common.  I guess it must be the use of a diode.  So I will try again.

 oh well that did not work(diode).  stopped the light from staying on steady, but now it still will not turn off or on with the alar.  I will go with the relay .  I hope this is the problem.  Are there different types of relays to buy?  Radio Shack seemed to only have the 1 kind.

Which way did you have the diode oriented? Did you try to reverse it?J Rilla

Owner/Installer

I tried both ways, but there was no power one way.  I used a 1n4001 diode I think this was okay.  On the diagram that vared techs  sent me it said to place the diode on the starter kill wire with the yellow from the scanner, but my rattler 300 has a unused -500 ma accessory wire(orange), that is what I was trying to use.  Maybe the signal is not strong enough.  So a relay may be what I need  The LED works, because I plugged it into my 12v dc home power source and tried it from there.  It will remember the patters and everything.  I can not take it to the dei dealer, because LED scanners, and extra sirens are illegal in Nova Scotia (canada), so they will not install it.

why are LED scanners and extra sirens illegal?J Rilla

Owner/Installer