Step 3: Install Plugs
To connect the plugs you first crimp the pins on the end of the wires and then insert them into the plug shell. I recommend you use a male plug on the gear wires and a female plug on the display wires. This makes the mate of the gear plug, which carries the 12v, female. The pins of the female are better protected from accidentally shorting to the chassis when unplugged and bouncing around the tail.
While your suppose to use the million dollar crimp tool to put on the pins you can just use a pair of needle nose pliers.
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First separate one of the pins from the rest. (Male pins shown) |
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Next strip a wire as shown. Notice the pin has two sets of 'tabs' on the back end. The smaller ones are for the wire while the larger is for the wire insulation. |
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Use a needle nose pliers to bend in a smaller tab part way. |
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Insert the wire up to the insulation and bend the tab down on top of it. Then bend the other tab over the first. While it should be tight enough that the pin doesn't fall off it doesn't need to be strong enough to go bungee jumping with. |
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Now bend one of the large tabs down over the insulation. Bend the other tab over that and smash it tight. If you do it just right the inside tab will slide along the inside of the opposite tab and constrict around the insulation. |
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When your done is should look something like this. You may get the urge to solder the connection. Be aware however that too much solder wicking down the wire makes it a solid wire and solid wire breaks under prolonged vibration. |
After you have put the male pins on all the gear / power wires and all the female pins on the display wires you should be an expert pin crimper and carpal tunnel victim. The next step is to insert them in to the shells. If you look you'll see the corners of the shells are numbered 1,3, and 9
Note: The two foot piece of wire we cut earlier gets a male pin on one end (gnd) and a female (cathode) on the other.
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Circuit Board Gear Plug (Male) |
Circuit Board Display Plug (Female) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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(As viewed from the back where you insert the pins.) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Tape up the wires with electrical tape. Don't forget to include the gnd / cat wire. Check the back of your circuit board and clip off any parts leads that stick up too far. We will tape up the circuit board after we give it a quick test. Murphy's Law, corollary 89 states that the chances of the board not working right the first time is directly proportional to the amount of tape you'll have to unwrap to fix it.
Step 4: Installation
The circuit board we've just constructed needs be installed some place on the bike between the gear shift wires which run from the engine to the ECU in the tail and instrument cluster were I assume you want to mount the display. I mounted the circuit in the tail section just forward of the tail light were the evap canister is installed on the non-49 models. If your tail is already stuffed with stuff, PC IIIr, YellowBox etc. you could put if just in front of the instrument cluster.
Were you decide to place it will determine how long the next two cable assemblies will be. If you place it up front you will need a long gear cable assembly and a short display. If it is placed in the tail the opposite is true. Long display, short gear. I will describe how I did it and you can go from there. The procedure is essentially the same except for the length of the cables.
Display Cable Assembly
!WARNING! LED segments are very sensitive to over voltage. If you connect them directly to a voltage source without the proper current limiting resistor you will blow them out.
The Display cable assembly consists of an LED display wired to a length of 8 conductor cable with a male 9 conductor molex plug on the other end. I can't really go into specifics on wiring the actual LED as the pin configuration of your display may very. When you get your display it should come with some kind of diagram identifying which pins goes to which segments, A thru F and which pin is the Cathode.
Run your cable from the instrument cluster to the tail leaving an extra foot at each end. It's always easier to cut a long cable than trying to stretch a short one. You'll need to remove the windshield, plastic tank cover, and seat. You also need to raise the tank up on it's little stand. I ran the wire down the left side following an existing wiring harness through a cable holder welded next to the steering head. Then along the harness toward the TPS, up over the airbox/frame block off cover then down the back of the frame. Watch out for pinch points when the tank is closed. Route it up the plastic fender towards the ECU. (I had some great pics but they got lost somewhere and I didn't feel like taking the bike apart to get some more. Sorry!)
If you don't have any multi-conductor cable then run a single piece of your wire off the spool and when you've figured the length cut 7 more just like it. If the wires are all the same color then mark each wire on each end of the cable A thru F and CAT. Then bundle them together and wrap them with electrical tape to make your on little wire harness.
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You next need to solder the wires of the LED end of the cable to LED. I selected an LED that has a physical pin layout similar to an integrated circuit or what is called a DIP package. This allowed me to solder the wires to a socket and then plug the LED into the socket. This way I can change the LED without having to re-solder the connections. |
| Each connection is covered with a piece of heat shrink tubing to insulate and stabilize the connection. (remember to put the heat shrink on before you solder the connection. You can heat it up with either a hair dryer or by holding the soldering iron very close to, but not touching the tubing. |  |
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After all the wires are connected I smeared the back of the socket and wires with 5 minute epoxy to strengthen the wiring being careful not to get any on the electrical mating surfaces. |
You now need to take the assembly out to the bike and run the cable from the front of the bike to the tail. Once you've routed the cable cut off any excess wire and crimp each of the 8 wires with a Male molex pin and insert them in the shell to make the plug for this harness.
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9 |
3 |
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Display Wire Harness Plug (Male) |
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(As viewed from the back where you insert the pins.) |
Preliminary testing
At this point we can do a preliminary test of your work so far. This is not necessary but you've done a lot of work so far and it would be nice to see some results.
Make sure the circuit board is not sitting on the chassis or some other grounded part of the bike. Stick a piece of cardboard or something under it. Plug the Display harness into the the circuit board display plug. You'll need a couple of clip leads or two lengths of wire stripped at each end. Take the circuit board gear plug and run a lead from the 12V pin to a 12 volt source. If you can't find one unplug the tail / brake light plug and connect it to the red wire (tail light). Take the other lead and ground one end to your power source or frame if using the tail light. The other end of the grounded wire will be briefly touched to each pin while the bike is on, (but not running). As soon as you turn the bike on the LED will display the number 8.
As you touch the ground wire to each pin of the circuit board gear plug the display should change to the appropriate number. Be careful not to touch the ground wire to the 12V pin or you might blow the brake light fuse.
If the circuit does not work recheck your wiring and your soldering.
