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I needed to install a rear auxiliary/reverse light. I already had the light but no wiring, switch, or relay so I tried out that knob to the left of the flasher knob and it had power. All I needed to do was run a single $4.00 piece of 16 gauge wire from the back of the knob to the rear light! Now I have a reverse light that I can turn on and off at any time!
Why did the Swiss Army decide to have no reverse lights anyway? Anyone know?

All the back up light in Europe were taken by the French for their military vehicles. They also had the most use of their reverse gears from retreating so often.
At least that is the story I heard.

Morris

Yes that's exactly how I wired mine too! I am thinking of getting a magnetic area work lamp that I can plug in the external power socket (710k) and use when I am backing up off road in the pitch dark or want extra light i any direction! Before this the solution was my son with a torch standing behind and shouting!

OK, seriously..I used a tap off the radio plug behind the passenger seat (through a fuse block) to run my spot lights on the front and also a light at the rear. Not necessarily for a back up light but to see what is back there in the desert and woods. I used toggle switches located below the wiper motor to the left of the gearbox pattern, out of the way and easy to reach.
When I was in Croatia, I noticed that most people with older cars used their emergency flashers when backing, that made a lot of sense to me and I have used that system several times here in the US.

Morris

ScottishPinz wrote:Yes that's exactly how I wired mine too! I am thinking of getting a magnetic area work lamp that I can plug in the external power socket (710k) and use when I am backing up off road in the pitch dark or want extra light i any direction! Before this the solution was my son with a torch standing behind and shouting!

ScottishPinz,
From the top of my head using a 710k, the external power socket is designed to bring external power to the vehicle's radios, not to power accessories on the outside from the vehicle's batteries...
My electrically challenged mind cautiously assumes that you need to change something (don't ask me what) to the installation before changing the purpose of the socket.
Just my two Swiss Centimes...

Jan

These are just power sockets, as long as you don't exceed the designed current draw their should not be a problem. I use the inside one to power my inverter. I think the breakers are 30 amps.

My truck came (from CWR) with reverse lamps activated by a switch they install on the tranny. They worked fine.

But last summer I added a blackout light (for those late-night perimeter checks), only to find out that the reverse lamps didn't de-activate with the blackout switch. I solved that problem by installing a 24v relay, activated by the blackout function. The relay has a 'normally open' terminal and a 'normally closed' terminal.

The light switch has a tap which is 'hot' only when in the blackout mode. This triggers my relay to activate, which provides 24v to the blackout lamp via the 'normally open' terminal of the relay. When the relay is not activated, that terminal is dead, but the 'normally closed' terminal is providing 24v to my reverse lights.

This way I have transmission activated reverse lights at all times except when I'm running in blackout mode.

I know, who needs blackout mode, and why?

Just because ya can.

Ah yes! vehicle electrics, undysworld's post reminds me why I don't like electrics... far too complicated!!! How I envy those of you that can get your heads around it! I can cope with switches that are on or off!