Did I Break Something?

[Spaggs]

I was wiring up a TST TPMS relay, last night, when I literally fried the wires going from my on/off switch to the battery. I was tired and forgot to reinsert the fuse on the positive wire. After wiring up, I flipped the switch on and “boom,” the two (2) wires, both positive and negative, were fried, broken in-two and twisted around each other. The wires going from the repeater/relay to the switch still appear solid.
Besides the two (2) wires, what else do you think I damaged?
Thanks.

[s1000pre]

Something else is not right. If you didn’t re-insert the fuse, nothing should have fried. You would have an incomplete circuit.

[s1000pre]

My guess is you will need a new tst repeater. Your probably fine with everything else. Most devises have their own protection. How did you wire the repeater? I wired mine last week. Positive goes to the positive battery or buss bar, black goes to negative batt or buss bar. Insert fuse once complete.

[Spaggs]

Just thinking out loud: I did some wiring in my truck and it hasn’t caught on fire, yet. I used a separate fuse block and relay.
I may have had the switch too close to a battery terminal and it might have arched. I’m clueless.
I can’t really think electrically. I really need to copy someone else’s work.
How, exactly, did you wire yours? Do you have a diagram?
Thanks.

[richard5933]

Something doesn't sound correct here, obviously. Can you post a photo of what you did? Almost sounds to me like you wired wires from the positive and negative of the supply side to the switch in a way that when you flipped the switch you created a dead short. That would be about the only thing which would cause such a sudden and dramatic effect.


The switch you need should have only involved the positive from the source and the positive feeding the transmitter, nothing to do with the negative.

[Spaggs]

Originally Posted by richard5933

Something doesn't sound correct here, obviously. Can you post a photo of what you did? Almost sounds to me like you wired wires from the positive and negative of the supply side to the switch in a way that when you flipped the switch you created a dead short. That would be about the only thing which would cause such a sudden and dramatic effect.


The switch you need should have only involved the positive from the source and the positive feeding the transmitter, nothing to do with the negative.

I’m not sure what you mean by the statement: “nothing to do with the negative.”
What I did was run the positive wire from the repeater to one of the switch terminals. I then ran a wire from that terminal to the positive battery terminal. I took the repeater negative wire and attached it to the remaining switch terminal. From that terminal, I ran a wire to the battery negative terminal.
I guess I should have searched the internet for a schematic, but I thought I had this handled. Ha. Last time I do that. At 60+ years old, I ought to know my mental limitations. I feel like Tim Taylor on “Tool Time. “I rewired it” and then the thing blows up.

[Dennis C]

Was this switch supplied by TST when you bought the repeater, or was it an aftermarket switch that you decided to add? I’m asking because if it was a switch that you added, it could be possible that the switch wasn’t rated to handle the load that you put through it.

My TPMS repeater is a different brand than yours, but the installation was pretty straightforward. I attached the positive and negative wires directly to my batteries. I’ve got an in-line switch and fuse, perhaps similar to yours. The only thing I could have done wrong was to reverse the wires, but they were well marked and color coded so this didn’t happen.

[s1000pre]

Originally Posted by Spaggs

I’m not sure what you mean by the statement: “nothing to do with the negative.”
What I did was run the positive wire from the repeater to one of the switch terminals. I then ran a wire from that terminal to the positive battery terminal. I took the repeater negative wire and attached it to the remaining switch terminal. From that terminal, I ran a wire to the battery negative terminal.
I guess I should have searched the internet for a schematic, but I thought I had this handled. Ha. Last time I do that. At 60+ years old, I ought to know my mental limitations. I feel like Tim Taylor on “Tool Time. “I rewired it” and then the thing blows up.

You wired it incorrectly. A switch would be added inline on the positive (red wire) only. The repeater’s negative wire would go directly to the negative battery terminal.
First thing is, I wouldn’t have added an aftermarket switch. With the fuse removed, connect the repeater red wire to the batt positive, connect the black to negative, then install fuse.

[Silvr_Bullet]

I don’t believe it matters whether the switch is on the neg wire or pos wire, it’s just a switch, of course you cannot install the switch connected to both the neg and pos wires.

[richard5933]

Originally Posted by Spaggs

I’m not sure what you mean by the statement: “nothing to do with the negative.”
What I did was run the positive wire from the repeater to one of the switch terminals. I then ran a wire from that terminal to the positive battery terminal. I took the repeater negative wire and attached it to the remaining switch terminal. From that terminal, I ran a wire to the battery negative terminal.
I guess I should have searched the internet for a schematic, but I thought I had this handled. Ha. Last time I do that. At 60+ years old, I ought to know my mental limitations. I feel like Tim Taylor on “Tool Time. “I rewired it” and then the thing blows up.

The way a switch like this works is by opening and closing the circuit between the two terminals. By connecting the battery positive to one terminal and the battery negative to the other, you created a situation which resulted in a dead short between the battery terminals the moment you flipped the switch. This is why things went pop and melted down. Hopefully they popped and melted quickly enough that your repeater was saved from any damage.

The way you should have wired it was put the positive wire from the repeater to one terminal of the switch, and the wire from the battery positive to the other terminal of the switch.

The reason I said 'nothing to do with the negative' is because when you wired that switch the negative wires should not have been involved. The negative from the repeater should have simply connected to the battery negative without going through the switch.

[Silvr_Bullet]

Not necessary to install switch directly to the battery terminal , it can be installed in the line of either positive or negative wire. Before installing remove both ground an positive wires from the battery.

[Gulliver72]

As already mentioned, wire a switch on one side only (usually positive ((red)).

[Spaggs]

OK. Got it. It just needs a positive wire from the repeater to one of the terminals on the switch and another positive wire from the second terminal on the switch to the positive terminal on the battery. Got it.
I guess my post title “Did I Break Something?” is still in play.
I reconnected the wires in the battery box like I found them. How do I make sure…..?
Thanks for the input.

[Life is a Highway]

On our trailer the TST positive red wire has a red alligator clip that I clip to a positive battery post and I leave the black negative clip disconnected until I travel. It’s on our check list to hook up to ground and unhook. Out repeater is on the Airstream trailer frame neat the battery box..