Auto Electrics question

[Bubblecraft]

Hi guys

Happy new year to you all!

My van got done just after Christmas. About £2k worth of tools stolen.
Getting me a cheap car alarm at the mo to do me which wires to the internal light. Door opens, light goes on, alarm goes off...simples. The problem I have is I have 2 separate light circuits (Mk7 Transit) front cab and rear. I want to rig the alarm to both light circuits so if either light comes on, alarm goes off.
My question is, can I take a positive feed from both circuits & wire them to the same alarm wire or will this cause problems with my lights, shorting or anything else?
Thanks in advance!

 

[Specialist]

Hi mate: Are you sure you need a Positive to trigger the Alarm ? most of the Alarms i've done on Cars have a Negative trigger which goes to the Door pin switches & you can connect to more than 1 for the trigger. If it is Positive trigger then you'll be ok as long as both Lights are fed from the same fuse.

Hope that helps.

Sorry to hear about your van by the way.

 

[Guest123]

I think you may have issues combining both lighting circuits at one point if they are on seperate fuses. Could you not use relays to achieve what you need?

 

[Jay Sparks]

Hi,

Im no expert but im sure you canget alarms that conect to your battery and work on voltage drop, so if either light comes on, the alrm will sense the drop and go off. But like I said, im no expert, so maybe ask at Halfords or somewhere like that.

Jay

 

[High Tower]

Take a supply from BOTH lights run them to a 12v relay on the trigger, I think pole 83 if memory serves, use the relay to trigger the alarm, either door opens alarm goes off

 

[micknew]

Can you say how they got into your van without giving any hints to would be thieves?
I thought that the new Transits (like mine) were impossible to enter without cutting through the steel.
Mick

 

[jeremy]

Long long time ago, car alarms etc were my thing, take the neg sw feed from both circuits through a diode on each one, to the neg trip on the alarm. As long as the diodes are the right way round, there will be no feed back to the other light.

 

[Specialist]

Hi,

Im no expert but im sure you canget alarms that conect to your battery and work on voltage drop, so if either light comes on, the alrm will sense the drop and go off. But like I said, im no expert, so maybe ask at Halfords or somewhere like that.

Jay

Yes Jay you can mate. Or a quick & easy way of doing it would be to use 2 Diodes.

 

[Specialist]

Long long time ago, car alarms etc were my thing, take the neg sw feed from both circuits through a diode on each one, to the neg trip on the alarm. As long as the diodes are the right way round, there will be no feed back to the other light.

2 minds with the same thought mate but you beat me to it lol.

 

[Specialist]

To use the Diode method: Take 2 Diodes such as 1N4001 - 1N4007 series, on them you'll find a band on 1 end. Join the banded ends of the Diodes together & put into a connector, connect your Alarm sensing wire to this connector. Put a connector on the other lead of each diode & connect a wire from the front pin switch to 1 connector and a wire from the rear pin switch to the other connector. When you open the front or back door & the light comes on the Alarm will activate.

 

[Bubblecraft]

Cheers for all the feedback guys. Think it might be a neg connection so will check when it gets here.

In regards to how they got in, they managed to get the side door open. I only know this as the next morning when taking the dogs out, it wasn't closed correctly. I pushed to click it shut & went on my way. Later I thought it was strange that the dead locks set the night before with the door not shut right but never thought any more of it. Wasn't till the next morning when I opened my back doors to find that my hand tools were all over the place, boxes lying out & my big sound system gone. Buggers even used my tools to remove it!
From this -

To this -

There are pry marks at the bottom corner of the side door but nothing bad. How they done it, I don't know!

They left my hand tools, plumbing, tiling, electrical, decorating gear but took all powertools that were in cases.
They left it like this-

My shelves are bulked full normally.

 

[Guest123]

Gutted for you mate, nowt worse than robbing a man of his crust earning gear!!

 

[Mark_Burgess]

No offence fella and I really do feel for you, but get a professionally fitted alarm, that way your insurance will accept it in order to lower your insurance and a payout if caught out by the scum again.

I thought they have a factory fitted one anyway?

 

[wildgoose]

This is what I would do.

If you need a switched live from either or both of the 2 circuits, then create a single feed by connecting the 2 lines together through line diodes. The alarm input is normally a low current logic state input, so even 1amp diodes should be enough ie:

Lt Cct 1 ----->------<-------Lt Cct 2.
The line to trigger the alarm will from inbetween the 2 diodes

 

[Bubblecraft]

No offence fella and I really do feel for you, but get a professionally fitted alarm, that way your insurance will accept it in order to lower your insurance and a payout if caught out by the scum again.

I thought they have a factory fitted one anyway?

They don't come factory fitted. Unfortunately, my money has to go on replacing my tools at the mo, not a £200 or £300 alarm system. I will upgrade it when I free up some cash but as of tomorrow, I'm on a £2k spending spree

This is what I would do.

If you need a switched live from either or both of the 2 circuits, then create a single feed by connecting the 2 lines together through line diodes. The alarm input is normally a low current logic state input, so even 1amp diodes should be enough ie:

Lt Cct 1 ----->------<-------Lt Cct 2.
The line to trigger the alarm will from inbetween the 2 diodes

Cheers for that

 

[parker56]

I'm sure on the transit you have to double click the lock button to engage the safety locks.

 

[Mark_Burgess]

Is your wiring loom okay between the front wings and front doors?
there was a "thing" when people were cutting into the loom with hacksaw blades which shorted the central locking, I know it affected some connect models, but not sure of yours.
You should take a look anyway.

 

[Bubblecraft]

I'm sure on the transit you have to double click the lock button to engage the safety locks.

I always engage my deadlocks. Hazard lights don't flash until you do.

Is your wiring loom okay between the front wings and front doors?
there was a "thing" when people were cutting into the loom with hacksaw blades which shorted the central locking, I know it affected some connect models, but not sure of yours.
You should take a look anyway.

Not checked that but everything seems to lock up fine. Will defo check it tomorrow. Cheers for that!

 

[grantr37]

you want an alarm that turns on your front headlights full beam as well....that annoys joe punter along the road who will notice as they will want to moan about your headlights.....then more people will notice.....also there are cheap smoke generators that pump the cab and back full of dense but harmless smoke making it impossible to see any tools to steal...as for any vulnerable wiring that might be reachable from the engine bay or underside on any vehicle, I would cover it with metal lined copex, which will sicken them as it will take at least a good few minutes to cut through...
I wonder if it would be ok to fit a bright strobe fitment (12 volt) to the roof of the van as well, that would put off a good bright flash just like an alarm wall box.....chase them away....theres also Hard drive based mini CCTV recorders available, full unit about £120.00 I deal with a company called cricklewood electronics and they have all that kind of stuff, sometimes maplins have vehicle recorders in as well.....get some CCTV window stickers from ebay to make this known as well....theres ones for the inside corners of van windows...