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Side shot of RCR SL-C wired with the Infinitybox System

Race Car Replicas SL-C Steering Column Wiring

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This blog post is going to give you the details for wiring the steering column connector on your Race Car Replicas Superlite Coupe.  Fran and his team at RCR have been engineering and manufacturing one of the highest performance and most complete kits to build super cars.  Their chassis are engineered to perfection, the body styling is top notch and they give you everything that you need to build you own masterpiece.

They include a General Motors steering column with each kit.  This post and wiring diagram are specific to the Oldsmobile column.  If you have the older Cadillac steering column with power tilt & telescoping, give our team a call for specifics on the wiring

There is a connector on the Oldsmobile column that interfaces with the multi-function turn signal stalk.  This has the signals for the parking lights, head lights, high-beams and turn signals.  The connections between the steering column connector and the inputs on your MASTERCELL are simple.  Here are the details.

First, you need to have a good way to make the connection between our MASTERCELL inputs and the wires going to the steering column.  You could cut off the connector on the column and splice these wires together.  We recommend a much easier way.  You can purchase the mating connector and terminals to make this connection.  You can purchase these components from Mouser.  These parts are made by Aptiv, formerly Delphi.  The part number for the connector is 12092248 and the terminals is 12092345.  You will need 9 terminals.

You will need to splice the MASTERCELL input wires for your grounds, turn signals, parking lights, head lights and high beams to these terminals and insert them into the corresponding cavities on the mating connector.  The cavity letters are molded into the plastic on the side of the connector.  For your grounds, you can use the black ground wires in the MASTERCELL input harness.  This list shows you which wire colors correspond to the different mating connector cavities.

Grounds- Black Wire- Cavities D, Q, X & Z

Right Turn Signal- Yellow/Red Wire- Cavity F

Left Turn Signal- Yellow/Black Wire- Cavity G

High-Beam- Blue/Red Wire- Cavity K

Head Light- White/Green Wire- Cavity L

Parking Lights- Blue/Black- Cavity R

This picture shows the wires from the MASTERCELL and their different cavity locations.

Picture of wiring diagram showing how to connect Infinitybox MASTERCELL inputs to steering column connector for Race Car Replicas SL-C

Picture of wiring diagram showing how to connect Infinitybox MASTERCELL inputs to steering column connector for Race Car Replicas SL-C

It is also important that you install a diode between the inputs for the head lights and high-beams.  This should be a 1N4001 diode which can be purchased from Amazon or any other on-line electronics store.  The orientation of this diode is very important.  The cathode or the stripe on the diode must be connected to the high-beam input going to the MASTERCELL.  This is the blue/red wire going into cavity K.  You can crimp the leads of this diode to the terminals with the MASTERCELL wires to make this easier.

That is all you need to know to connect your MASTERCELL input wires to your steering column connector for your Race Car Replicas SL-C.  You can download a PDF version of this wiring diagram by clicking this link.  If you have any questions, you can call our team directly at (847) 232-1991 or click here to contact us directly.

Example of an IDIDIT steering column with turn signal stalk.

Steering Column

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Let’s get to the steering column wiring.  This is the next installment the process of wiring our 20-Circuit Kit into a 1967 Mustang.  One of our customers sent us a great series of pictures showing their process of wiring their car.  It’s time to talk about turn-signal switches, horn switches and 4-way switches.

Our customer is using a steering column kit from IDIDIT.  The one they chose is for the 1967 to 1969 Mustang.  It is a tilt-style column designed for the shifter on the floor.  They choose the option to have the GM steering column connector on the harness.  This column also has the Tilt Lever Momentary Switch 510168 option.  We are going to use that to control the high-beams and will discuss that in the next blog post.  It also has the ignition key built into it.  We’ll talk about wiring that in future posts too.

The steering column in the car does a few obvious things.  It holds the steering wheel and lets you turn the car.  It also holds the switches for the turn-signals, the horn and the 4-way flasher.  All of those switches will wire to the inputs on your MASTERCELL.  The MASTERCELL will send commands to the different POWERCELLs in the car to turn lights on and off plus sound the horn.  Wiring the switches to the MASTERCELL is really easy.  There is a diagram on our website that shows how to do this.  You can see it here.

Image of wiring diagram showing how to connect MASTERCELL inputs to a GM-Style Steering Column Connector

Image of wiring diagram showing how to connect MASTERCELL inputs to a GM-Style Steering Column Connector

Note that most steering column manufacturers use the GM-style turn-signal switch.  These have been used in cars for years with very few changes.  Companies like IDIDIT and Flaming River use this exact same column switch.  The diagram above will work for any of these columns.

The wires colors for the steering column connector are shown on the left side of the wiring diagram above.  We also show the details of the connector.  Almost all of the wires in the column connector need to connect to MASTERCELL input wires.  The two that are unused are the yellow and green wires on the column connector.  Check the configuration sheet that came with your kit.  You want to match the wire function to the wires on the right of the diagram, not necessarily the wire color.  Wire colors may vary from different kits.  Always use your configuration sheet for the right wire colors.

The black wire on the column connector needs to connect to your MASTERCELL horn input wire.  In our configuration this is the blue wire with the yellow tracer on the A input harness.  This is input number 9.

The light blue wire on the column connector needs to connect to your MASTERCELL input for the left turn signal.  We’re using the inputs for mechanical steering column.  In our configuration this is the yellow wire with the black tracer on the A input harness.  This is input 11.

The dark blue wire on the column connector needs to connect to your MASTERCELL input for the right turn signal.  We’re using the inputs for mechanical steering column.  In our configuration this is the yellow wire with the red tracer on the A input harness.  This is input 12.

The brown wire on the column connector needs to connect to your MASTERCELL input for the 4-way slashers.  In our configuration this is the yellow wire with the blue tracer on the A input harness.  This is input 13.

Lastly, the purple and white wires on the column connector needs to be connected to ground.  You can use the black wires in the MASTERCELL harness as a ground reference.  Otherwise, you can connect these wires to the chassis at the column.

One more comment, you need to properly ground the column to the chassis.  Otherwise, you will have problems with your horn switch.  In most cases, the column will ground to the frame of the car through its mounts but you will not get a good ground if you have the column shaft painted or powder coated.  The same is true if you have a fiberglass body.  Run a ground wire from a stationary point on the column to the frame of the car.  Make sure that you have a metal-to-metal connection between your ground wire and the points where they connect to the column and the chassis.

You can splice the MASTERCELL input wires directly to the wires on the steering column connector.  Alternately, IDIDIT sells a connector kit with the terminals included to crimp onto the MASTERCELL input wires.  Using this connector makes it very easy to maintain and service your column in the future.

That’s about it for wiring the turn-signal switches, the 4-way switch and the horn switch.  This connection to your MASTERCELL is simple and easy.  You can download a PDF copy of the MASTERCELL input wiring diagram by clicking this link.

You can contact a member of our team with questions by clicking this link and filling out our contact form.  Stay tuned for more updates on the wiring of this 1967 Mustang.

 

Rear LED tail lights on a 1967 Mustang Restomod wired with the Infinitybox systemCopyright Infinitybox, LLC 2021. All Rights Reserved.

Turn Signals & Brake Lights

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We’re making good progress on wiring the outputs on our 1967 Mustang.  We’ve made it though headlights, high-beams and parking lights.  Now, let’s wire the turn signals and the brake lights.  Just like the parking lights, there are turn-signals in the front of the car and the rear.  Your 20-Circuit Kit is set up with dedicated outputs on the front & rear POWERCELLs to make wiring these easy.  We’re going to talk about wiring the POWERCELL outputs in this post.  We’ll get to wiring the inputs in a later post.

Our Infinitybox system has a few advantages over traditional wiring harnesses when it comes to turn-signals and brake lights.

  1. The flashing is done inside the POWERCELL.  You don’t need a separate flasher module to actually blink the turn signals.
  2. The wiring to the turn signals is much shorter than a traditional wiring harness because you’re connecting the bulbs to the POWERCELL located in the front and rear of the car.
  3. It doesn’t matter if you are using incandescent bulbs of LEDs.  Since the POWERCELL is doing the flashing, you don’t need a load-resistor for LED’s.
  4. We can manage any different type of turn signal configuration.  That is done by picking different MASTERCELL input wires.

For the brake lights, there are two different options.  We’ll be the first to admit that this can be a little confusing.

In some cars, you have a separate bulb or filament on a light bulb that is for the brake lights.  When you step on the brake light pedal, that switch controls its own light.  We call this a multi-filament configuration.  There are multiple bulb filaments that handle the turn signals and the brake lights.  In this configuration, there is a separate POWERCELL output for the brake lights.  This picture shows you the wiring for the multi-filament configuration.

Diagram showing how to wire turn signals and brake lights with the Infinitybox system.

Diagram showing how to wire turn signals and brake lights with the Infinitybox system.

In other cars, the rear turn-signals also work as the brake lights.  In this case, you have a single filament that works as both the turn-signal and the brake light.  This function was usually managed within the steering column mechanism.  We call this a 1-filament configuration or a single-filament configuration.  That means there is one bulb filament on the left side and one on the right side of the rear of the car that works as the turn-signal and brake light.  If you use our 1-filament configuration, the rear left and right turn-signals will flash when you turn on the left or right turn signal.  If you step on the brake pedal, both the left & right turn-signal outputs will turn on together for the brake lights.  If you have a turn-signal on and you step on the brake lights, the turn signal will over ride the brake light on that side of the car.  This picture shows you the wiring for the 1-filament configuration.

Wiring diagram for 1-filament brake lights and turn signals for the Infinitybox system.

Wiring diagram for 1-filament brake lights and turn signals for the Infinitybox system.

Here’s a good rule of thumb to figure out which brake light configuration you have in your car.  If your turn signals are amber, you probably have the multi-filament configuration.  There are separate red lights for the brake lights.  If your turn-signals are red, you probably have the 1-filament configuration.  Those red lights in the corner of the car are both the turn-signals and the brake lights.

Once you figure out the brake light configuration that you have in your car, go to your configuration sheet and pick the POWERCELL output wire colors. In most configurations, the left turn-signal is the brown wire on the front & rear POWERCELL.  The right turn-signal is the violet wire on the front & rear POWERCELL.  Connect these wires to the left & right turn signals in the front & rear of the car.  The POWERCELL output wire goes to one wire on the turn signal bulb.  The other wire on the turn signal bulb goes to ground on the chassis.  If you are using LED’s make sure that you have the polarity of the bulbs correct.  The bulbs will not light if the wires are backwards.

If you are using the multi-filament configuration, you need to splice the brake light output to the brake light bulb on the left & right side of the car.  Follow the instructions that we gave in the headlight post for making these splices.  If you have a third-brake light or a CHMSL in the car, you can splice off of this same brake light output to power the extra light.

In our customer’s 1967 Mustang, they are using a sequential tail light assembly made by Mustang Projects.  You can see the details on that at this link.  Their system comes with a very simple manual that shows how to connect the wires for the left turn, right turn and brake lights.  This one was wired using the multi-filament configuration which meant that there was a separate output for a brake light.  It was very easy.  This picture shows the tail light assemblies mounted in the car.

Rear LED tail lights on a 1967 Mustang Restomod wired with the Infinitybox system

Rear LED tail lights on a 1967 Mustang Restomod wired with the Infinitybox system

The last step in wiring the turn-signals and the brake lights is to wire the indicators on the dash.  You simply splice off the POWERCELL outputs in the front of the car and run 22-AWG wires to the dash indicators.  This customer tied into the outputs for the left & right turn-signals, ran these wires to the indicators and grounded the other side of the indicator.  They were using LEDs for the indicators so they had to make sure that they had the polarity of the bulbs correct.

Our Infinitybox Splice Saver Kit is a really simple accessory that can be used to make splicing your turn signals indicators into their respective outputs easy.  This picture shows how you can create a sealed junction point with the Splice Saver for your turn signals and their indicators.

Wiring turn signals and dash indicators with the Infinitybox Splice Saver Kit

Wiring turn signals and dash indicators with the Infinitybox Splice Saver Kit

That is it for turn-signals and brake lights.  Stay tuned for the next posts talking about wiring this 1967 Mustang with our Infinitybox 20-Circuit Kit.  If you have questions or comments, please contact us at this link.

 

Picture of Digi-Tails Sequential Tail Lights

Digi-Tails

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Our Infinitybox system is designed to control about anything electrical in your car, truck or custom vehicle.  Here’s an example of wiring tail lights manufactured by Digi-Tails.

Digi-Tails makes a very broad range of LED tail light assemblies for a full range of vehicles.  If you’re building it, they probably have a kit for your car.  This includes Mustangs, Camaros, Tri-Fives, MOPAR and most anything else.  They make traditional and sequential kits.  You can check out their full product line here.

Wiring their kits with your 10-Circuit or 20-Harness from Infinitybox couldn’t be simpler.  The bottom line is you wire their assemblies just like you would wire the traditional tail lights that came with your car.  They have a wire for the parking lights, the left turn signal and the right turn signal.  You connect those wires to the same outputs on the rear POWERCELL.  Connect your MASTERCELL input wires to the turn signal stalk and the brake pedal and you’re ready to go.

Digi-Tails tries to match the original wiring colors in the OEM harness to their wiring.  Depending on the kit you have from them, the wires for the turn signals and running lights may be a different color.  Here’s how you want to match your POWERCELL output wires to their wires.

  • Their Driver Side Tail Lights or Driver Side Turn Signal should connect to the LEFT TURN SIGNAL from your rear POWERCELL.  In most Infinitybox kits, this is the brown wire but always check your configuration sheet.
  • Their Passenger Side Tail Lights or Passenger Side Turn Signal should connect to the RIGHT TURN SIGNAL from your rear POWERCELL.  In most Infinitybox kits, this is the violet wire but always check your configuration sheet.
  • Their Running Lights wire should connect to the PARKING LIGHT output from your rear POWERCELL.  In most Infinitybox kits, this is the yellow wire but always check your configuration sheet.

The only real difference when wiring a Digi-Tails tail light panel is that they need a constant 12-volt power feed to power the electronics on their LED board.  In most of their kits this is the orange wire going to each tail light assembly.  Check their manual for the specifics of your kit.  You can easily do this with one of our POWERPLUG 12-volt accessories.  This simply plugs into one of the unused power ports on your rear POWERCELL.  It has an integrated fuse holder to properly protect the wire against getting shorted to ground.  In this case, we’d recommend fusing that wire with a 5-amp fuse.  You can learn more about the POWERPLUG at this link.

When using the Digi-Tails tail lights, you want to use the MASTERCELL inputs for 1-filament.  By doing this, you are setting the system to manage the turn-signals and the brake lights together on the same outputs.  This link will take you to an older blog post that talks about our different turn signal options.

Here is a simple diagram that shows you how to connect the outputs from your rear POWERCELL to any of the Digi-Tails tail light kits.

Picture of a wiring diagram showing how to wire Digi-Tails Sequential Lights with Infinitybox

Picture of a wiring diagram showing how to wire Digi-Tails Sequential Lights with Infinitybox

You can download a copy of this diagram by clicking this link.

Contact our technical support group if you have questions about wiring your Digi-Tails with our Infinitybox system.

Picture of simple leaded LED's

Wiring an LED

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We got another great question from a customer today.  This one came in through our Facebook page.

“I’m going to be running LED headlamps and taillights on my Infinitybox-equipped car. Can you write-up a blog on the changes I’ll need to make in my wiring?”

Here are the changes that you need to make when wiring an LED light with the Infinitybox system:  absolutely nothing.

Our POWERCELLs turn things on and off including fans, ECU’s, pumps and lights.  Lights come in basically two flavors: incandescent and LED.  Incandescent lights were the original creation of Thomas Edison.  Up until a few years ago, they were used for all of the lights in cars including headlights, running lights, interior lights, brake lights and turn signals.

The trend in automotive lighting is towards LEDs or light emitting diodes.  This link will take you to a Wikipedia page talking about how they work.  LED’s have two main advantages of incandescent light bulbs.  First, they have no filaments or fragile parts so they last a long time.  Second, they are much more efficient than incandescent bulbs.  This means that they consume much less current to get the same level of brightness.

To go back to the question, you can connect an LED light in the place of an incandescent bulb and it will work correctly when connected to an Infinitybox POWERCELL.  The other question that we usually get related to LED’s is “do I need a load resistor when using LED turn signals?”.  The answer again is “no”.

Traditional turn signal flashers work by drawing current through a heating element within the flasher.  The flashers are expecting a certain amount of current being drawn by an incandescent bulb.  When you change to LEDs with a traditional turn signal flasher, you needed to add a load resistor that draws current through the circuit.  This compensates for the reduced current flowing through the LED.

With the Infinitybox system, you don’t need the load resistor to get your turn signals to work correctly.  We do the flashing of the turn signals and 4-ways through the processor on the POWERCELL.  The flashing does not depend on the amount of current flowing to the bulb.  To the POWERCELL, there is no difference between an incandescent bulb or an LED light.

To round out this question, there is one thing that you may need to do when wiring an LED into your Infinitybox system.  As we mentioned above, LEDs are much more efficient than their incandescent cousins.  It takes very little current to turn them on.  LEDs from different manufacturers are more or less efficient, depending on the materials that they may use.

Our POWERCELLs leak a very small amount of current out of the outputs.  We use this as part of our diagnostic system.  Depending on the efficiency of the LED, this diagnostic current may make the LED’s glow dimly when the light is off.  To eliminate this, you can simply connect a 10K (10,000 ohm) resistor between the POWERCELL output wire and ground.  An 1/8 Watt resistor or larger will be fine.  This picture shows you how to wire this in.

Picture of wiring diagram showing how to wire a bypass resistor with LED lights

Picture of wiring diagram showing how to wire a bypass resistor with LED lights

This bypass resistor shunts the diagnostic current through the resistor around the LED.  You can pick up a 10K resistor on-line.

You can download a PDF of this wiring diagram by clicking this link.

Please give our technical support team a call if you have questions about this post.