Brake Light Switch - Circuit 2/3

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Major System Category: ISIS Wiring
Task: Mount brake Light switch
Parts: Mounting bracket and brake light switch
Power Cell: 2
Circuit: 3 - LIGHT GREEN
Master cell: YELLOW/BLUE
Prerequisite Tasks: Install Steering Column
Additional Costs: N/A
Time Requirement: 2 hours
Date Started: August 7, 2013
Date Completed: August 8, 2013
The brake light switch is a pretty simple item. Basically, you take the Factory Five bracket and the donor car's brake light switch. Install the switch on the bracket, and figure out how far the switch needs to be positioned so that when pressing the brake the circuit closes.

This is the bracket and dwitch clamped in place for measurement. This is looking towards the front of the car from beneath the dash. The switch needs to be half way depressed when the brake pedal is at rest. 

This is a job best performed by skinny midgets. The kit manual makes this look deceptively easy, and it is if you haven't installed anything beyond the brake and clutch pedals. However, you really need the steering column in place due to the pillow block on the column. The best thing to do is to leave the steering wheel off (this is the only way I could get my head under the dash). It is definitely impossible for anyone taller than three feet or weighing more than 90 pounds to get under there if the seats are installed.

This is a small space. I have removed the steering wheel, but it is still an acrobatic exercise to get positioned under the dash. You need eyes down there to get things lined up so holes can be drilled .

This ends up being about three or four trips under the dash to get this put together. The manual indicates that rivnuts should be used to attach the bracket. (I'm not a fan of rivnuts, and as the BLEEPING tool is busted, I no longer use them in the build.) If you have done any serious building on the driver's side foot well, then I don't see how it is possible to get leverage that far under the dash to effectively use the rivnut tool. Instead, I use Helicoils. Some people argue there isn't enough metal for Helicoils. I have had good success with Helicoils on the frame when I use them with Red Loctite.

Only two wires are required for the brake switch per the manual. As this is going to connect into the brake circuit and act as the switch via th ISIS system, I wired it with a terminal block so it would be easy to splice into the circuit.

The other thing I did was wire the brake switch into a terminal block so it would be easy to connect. These wires were cut off very short, so a terminal block seemed a better way to go. It is always easy to cut wire shorter; it is less easy to lengthen it in tight spaces. I did all the wiring work on my bench in the Northern Man cave's lower level.

Yours truly packed under the dash. There are many things that poke, grind and scrape as you burrow in under the dash.

Finally, I used bolts with locking washers to secure the bracket in place.

Bracket bolted in place.

Power Cell Wiring (Final Draft)

<< Mount 3 cell kit                                           Mount INMotion Cell >>

Major System Category: ISIS Wiring
Task:Finalize ISIS Schematic
Parts: N/A
Prerequisite Tasks:
Additional Costs: N/A
Time Requirement: 10 hours
Date Started: March 5, 2013
Date Completed:  March 10, 2013
ISIS is a microprocessor based electrical system that has decentralized the fusing to power cells. Each power cell handles 10 circuits. Each circuit is fused at the power cell. The power cells are connected to a master cell (which is really nothing more than a traffic cop for signal processing between power, peripherals and switches) via a data bus. This electrical system (as is true with most vehicles) is separate from the ECU system that handles engine sensors, feed back and gauge related measurements. ISIS manages the lights, the door locks, power to the windows and mirrors and so forth.

I have been kicking around the ISIS wiring schematic for over a year now. I put the first draft up in the planning phase in October 2011. Those drawings were fairly crude renderings of where I was headed. The problem is that until I got my hands on the hardware and had completed the build to point where I had the body shell installed and recognized where I could and could not run cables, none of it clicked.

I understand the basic concepts. I can wire and splice and hook connectors together. I can connect my little test battery and see things light up or solenoids fire. What clarified my understanding was handling the physical cables for the master and power cells, comparing this to the basic wiring spreadsheets and recognizing that the wire colors were not ramdom, but had a very specific coding pattern to them. It may seem obvious to others, but once I understood the pattern everything clicked.

This post deals strictly with the power wiring schematics. It does not address the bus, mega fuses, additional modules (e.g. inReserve, inLighten, inVironment). I will cover these issues in separate posts. At present, the current system supports 40 circuits, and 39 are defined.

There are four power cells, plus a master cell. As of this writing, I have 2 power cells and a master cell installed on the car. I started with the basic 3 cell kit and the basic GTM set up.

Power Cell 1 wiring schematic. The following chart explains the wiring diagram. Color code matches the ISIS standard. (The only exception is circuit #5 where I used gray instead of white so it would be visible.) This projected over the front of the GTM chassis. The square that feeds all wires is the power cell box and reasonable represents where I have located it in the car.

Function	Power cell	connector	Circuit	fuse	Power cell wire
Right turn signal (front)	1	B	1	15	brown
Left turn signal (front)	1	B	2	15	Violet
Ignition	1	b	3	25	light green
starter	1	b	4	20	light blue
headlights	1	B	5	20	White
Fog lights	1	A	6	15	Yellow
High Beams	1	A	7	20	Blue
DRL	1	A	8		Green
Horn	1	A	9	10	Orange
Fan Override	1	A	10	25	Tan

Function	Power cell	connector	Circuit	fuse	Power cell wire
Right turn signal (rear)	2	B	1	15	brown
Left turn signal (Rear)	2	B	2	15	Violet
brake	2	b	3		light green
Left seat heater	2	b	4		light blue
right seat heater	2	B	5		White
parking brake	2	A	6		Yellow
Rear sensors	2	A	7		Blue
Fuel Pump	2	A	8		Green
tpms	2	A	9		Orange
Hatch popper	2	A	10		Tan

Power Cell 3 wiring schematic. The following chart explains the wiring diagram. Color code matches the ISIS standard. (The only exception is circuit #5 where I used gray instead of white so it would be visible.) This projected over the front of the GTM chassis. The square that feeds all wires is the power cell box and reasonable represents where I have located it in the car.

Function	Power cell	connector	Circuit	fuse	Power cell wire
right window up	3	B	1		brown
right window down	3	B	2		Violet
left window up	3	b	3		light green
left window down	3	b	4		light blue
left door popper	3	B	5		White
right door popper	3	A	6		Yellow
telescoping steering	3	A	7		Blue
hot plug	3	A	8		Green
front sensors	3	A	9		Orange
Map Lights	3	A	10		Tan

Power Cell 4 wiring schematic. The following chart explains the wiring diagram. Color code matches the ISIS standard. (The only exception is circuit #5 where I used gray instead of white so it would be visible.) This projected over the rear of the GTM chassis. The seat heaters is an approximate location inside the cockpit. The square that feeds all wires is the power cell box and reasonable represents where I have located it in the car.

Function	Power cell	connector	Circuit	fuse	Power cell wire
escort 9500 ci	4	B	1		brown
ars global	4	B	2		Violet
homelink	4	b	3		light green
wiper	4	b	4		light blue
side mirror	4	B	5		White
interior lights	4	A	6		Yellow
hot plug	4	A	7		Blue
cruise control	4	A	8		Green
dash/Parking	4	A	9		Orange
	4	A	10		Tan