With OVR’s Project Bronco under full swing, upgrades like the Bilstein 6112 suspension kit was installed as a DIY while other projects were entrusted to professionals. To ensure the perfect lighting solution for our requirements, we opted for professional installation.

Greg Amendola, founder of Wired by Greg, is a lifelong automotive enthusiast who specializes in 12-volt installations. He tells us that what began in 2016 “as a side-gig, turned it into something that pays the bills.” Thanks to a deluge of word-of-mouth referrals and a growing backlog of demand for his services, Greg set up shop in 2022 to concentrate on automotive electronics installs full-time.

Consulting

Greg says, “We are the small guys, high on quality control and we like to offer really good product for a very affordable price.” This evidently resonates with his customers as appointments are scheduled months in advance even though his shop operates up to 15-hours a day. 

More Lights
The stock headlights, low and high beam, are functional on well-lit streets and highways but on the back roads, especially with no moonlight, it’s like driving with blinders and sunglasses on. Anything around the corner is difficult to see and too many dark shadows hide potholes and other hazards. 

After driving thousands of miles on unlit back roads of Arizona, up the mountains and down in the deserts of California, it was time to get auxiliary lights installed for safety reasons and to lessen the strain on my old eyes.

Low-Beam_shining_on_wall

Stock headlights at Low Beam shot in an underground garage at night time.

Hi-Beam_shining_on_wall

Stock headlights at High Beam. While it is brighter, the beam is still limited and not enough coverage.

BD_Squadrons_shining_on_wall

A huge improvement. We can improve the lighting pattern but the 3 Baja Design Squadron Pros and 2 SAE lights are providing a purported 17,125 lumens of light.

Lights for the Bronco
We discussed with Greg the outdoor activities the Bronco would be going though: Overlanding wherever we can, back country hiking, fishing trips and desert runs in Baja, Mexico. 

We ultimately decided on a setup that includes three Squadron PROs to light up the night ahead, a pair of Squadron SAE LED Auxiliary Light Pod in Amber to help us through fog, dust, and inclement weather conditions, and a pair of S1 Black LED Aux Light Pods for the rear. All of these lights were fed into and controlled with the sPOD BantamX Touchscreen controller.

1. Squadrons

Three Squadron Pro and two Squadron SAE LED Auxiliary Light Pods in Amber.

S1 close up

S1 x 2. One with an Amber protective cover and one without to show contrast.

3. sPOD BantamX

sPOD touch-screen controller and BantamX 8-circuit control system ready to install.

We wanted more visibility in front of the Bronco and these lights delivered a combined rating of 17,125 extra lumens on top of our stock headlights.

As our SVC Baja styled tubular bumper came pre-tabbed for five lights, we placed the two SAE Amber lights on the outside, each producing 2,440 lumens and the three PROs in the middle, each Squadron PRO producing 4,095 lumens.

Not too shabby considering each pod is about the size of a cube of Post-It Notes (each Squadron light measures only 2.77” x 3.70” x 3.07”).

PART 1: Installing the Squadrons
Before you begin any project, double check to make sure all the parts are in the box, take a quick look at the instructions and then let the fun begin. In summary, Part 1, entailed attaching the brackets to the lights, attaching the lights to the bumper, and then running the harnesses to the BantamX.

Squadrons on Brackets

Close up of Squadron SAE LED Auxiliary Light Pods with brackets installed.

Squadrons_getting_Installed

Space was tight but the boys got the lights installed. The SVC Offroad baja bumper came pre-tabbed for the lights, making the job much quicker.

Squadrons Installed

After getting the Squadrons secured, it was time to attach the extended wiring harness.

Pulling the wires through

Time to connect the lights wires to the wiring harness, group them and pull it through so we can connect them to the BantamX.

PART 2: Installing the S1 Chase Lights
We ran the harness for the chase lights from the BantamX through the firewall, along the wire channel, through the rear gate and finally to the bracket on the rear tire.

Running Wires for Chase Lights_firewall_4

The chase light cable on the right and the ethernet cable connecting the BantamX and the sPOD digital controller going through the firewall.

Running Wires for Chase Lights_ 5

Next, we lifted the plastic covering to run the wire along the channel to the rear.

Running Wires for Chase Lights_3

We followed the rear camera wiring harness through the rear gate.

Running Wires for Chase Lights_2

Here you can see the wiring harness for the chase light, the rear camera, and the Midland Antenna coming through the rubber seal.

Running Wires for Chase Lights_installed

Using the supplied bracket, we were able to attach the two S1 pod lights.

PART 3: Installing the BantamX
The beauty of the BantamX is how this small device plays a critical role in allowing you to add and control accessories that make your vehicle function better. One of these roles is how it acts as a central power distribution system for your lights and accessories. It is also a safety mechanism in preventing battery damage by cutting off components during electrical faults.

If that isn’t enough, should your battery drop below 11.6V, the BantamX will shut off after two minutes to prevent the battery from getting drained and leaving you stranded in the back country.

Installing the BantamX is fairly easy and only required a few minutes. We mounted our BantamX to the top of the fuse box lid and connected to the battery. After, we connected the light harnesses and the sPOD controller data cable to the BantamX unit.

BantamX_template

To make sure you place the attachment holes in the right place, sPOD supplies a paper template. Greg measured, taped and then drilled the holes for perfect alignment.

BantamX_attached_to_fusebox_cover

Here, the BantamX is attached to the fuse box lid, the data cable is inserted, and Greg has started attaching lights.

Optima Battery Yellowtop FORD BMS Smart Monitoring System Sensor

Make sure you attach accessories to the Ford BMS (Battery Monitoring System) sensor and not the battery terminal directly so the BMS system knows the state of the battery and can charge it properly.

PART 4: Installing and Programming the sPOD Touchscreen Controller
As shown in an image above, we ran the data cable from the BantamX through the firewall, up the dash, and connected it to the sPOD controller. To hold the sPOD controller in place, we attached it to the RAM double ball mount as seen below.

Ram Mount to sPOD controller

We attached the RAM double ball mount to the grab handle and hid the data cable between the dash and pillar.

Programming the sPOD was very intuitive and easy to learn. Greg programmed Switch 1 to control the two SAE Ambers, Switch 2 to control the three middle Squadron Pros, and for Switch 5, we grouped all five Squadrons for quick access to blast out man-made daylight out the front of the Bronco. Lastly, we grouped the two S1 chase lights to Switch 8.

sPOD_digital_controller

The bright RED implies the lights or accessories are “ON”. In the off-road mode, you can also control the brightness of the chase lights. For this image, we have it set to 37% brightness.

sPOD_digital_controller_2

You can link multiple switches to a single switch for quick access to multiple lights or accessories. In our example, we connected switches 1 and 2 to switch 5 to quickly turn on/off all the Squadrons on the front bumper.

If you got this far, then consider reading how to set up your lights to miximize coverage in our START HERE story called ”How to Choose the Right Lighting Zones and Patterns for Off-Road Driving”.

Read more about OVR’s non-Sasquatch Bronco Project by clicking here.

 

Sources

Wired By Greg
Personalized Services

Baja Desings
Squadron PRO
Squadron SAE LED Auxiliary Light Pod in Amber
S1 Black LED Aux Light Pods 

sPOD
BantamX Touchscreen

 

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