CanTrol bench test plan

Ten stages, one product at a time, on a 30A bench supply. Every stage ends with a reading I write down. Nothing in it has been run yet.

Status

Planned

Category

Vehicle Upfit and 12V

Last updated

2026-10-26

Legal notice

Emergency lighting and siren use is regulated by state law and permits. This page documents a personal build and is not legal guidance.

Plan, not results

This is version 1 of the bench guide, dated 23 October 2026. None of these stages has been run. Pinouts come from Whelen guide 14580G and stay inferred for my unit until the bench proves them. Results will be added to this page as each stage is done.

Goal

Prove every part of the controller and every light that can be benched, the way it will be wired in the truck, before anything is drilled or permanently connected. By the end I’ll know which lead is which on my harness, that every output does what the output plan says, what each light actually draws, and whether the siren and PA work.

Why stages

The bench supply is a SUPERNIGHT 12V 30A unit. The siren alone may pull about 8A with one speaker and about 16A with two (inferred from the Whelen 295HFSA6 label, since Whelen doesn’t publish the CanTrol’s siren draw). Lights and siren together could approach 30A. So the siren is tested with the lights off, and the full-system run only happens once the measured light draws are added up.

What gets tested, and where

Product	Bench test?	Stage	CanTrol outputs
Whelen CanTrol WC (module, head, mic)	Yes	1 to 3, 8, 10	All
UBL Color Flood 2.0 20” amber/white light bar	Yes	4	J1-6, J1-1, LED 1, 2, 9, 10, 11
2x UBL U-Lite grille lights	Yes	5	J1-4
2x SpeedTech Lights Z-6 brake heads, amber/clear	Yes	6	LED 12, LED 13
Putco 60” Work Blade with Wireless Remote Kit V3	Yes	7	J1-5 plus a constant feed
2x UBL 100W siren speakers	Yes	8	Speaker output
Whelen CC5K1 OBD-II CANport kit	Fit check only	9	OBD-II board
SpeedTech Raptor visor bar (via Grand Control Box)	Output only, by meter	3	J1-2
BooYu rear traffic advisor	Output only, by meter	3	J1-3
Speed Turtle EFM 3.0	Output only, by meter	3	LED 4, LED 5
UBL rocker panel bars	Output only (not bought yet)	3	LED 3 (relay coil)

The visor bar, BooYu and EFM 3.0 are already installed on the truck, and the EFM only works plugged into the body control module. Pulling them out to bench them adds work and risk for no gain. On the bench I prove the output that will feed each one switches correctly. The devices themselves get tested on wiring day.

Safety rules for every stage

1. Unplug the supply and pull the ignition fuse before touching any wire. Re-check at the start of every stage.
2. Fuses go in last. Whelen’s guide says not to install them “until the wiring for the entire system has been completed.”
3. Tape or cap every bare lead end that isn’t in use. The harness has more than 40 leads, and most stay unused.
4. Keep J17-1 (horn ring, ground activated) away from V− and J17-2 (Park sense, positive) away from V+.
5. Never connect a siren speaker straight to 12V. Speakers only connect to the CanTrol speaker leads.
6. Siren tests outdoors or in an open garage, speakers pointed away, hearing protection on, one to two second bursts.
7. SpeedTech Lights says not to run its lights in Steady Burn for more than an hour. The bench never needs more than a minute.
8. Module on a non-metal surface with its vents and fans clear.
9. If anything smells hot, a fuse blows or the supply clicks off: unplug, stop, and note what was on.

Bench kit

Item	Have it?	Used for
SUPERNIGHT 12V 30A 360W supply with VSEER 3-prong cord	Yes	All power
Nilight 50029R kit: 10 inline 14 AWG fuse holders, 5A to 30A fuses	Yes	Main A 20A, main B 20A, ignition 5A, fused jumper 5A, U-Lites 5A, Putco remote 5A
KAIWEETS 15A alligator test leads	Yes	Fused jumper for tapping pattern wires
Twist-on wire nuts, 22 to 18 AWG	Yes	Joining leads, capping unused wires
DOWELL wire stripper	Yes	About 3/8” strips
Panasonic Toughbook CF-33 and USB cable	Laptop yes, cable to check	Whelen Command. Module port may be USB Type-B or micro-USB
Digital multimeter with a 10A jack	To buy (about $13)	Identifying outputs and measuring draws
Hearing protection	To check	Stage 8
Masking tape, marker, electrical tape	Household / to buy	Flagging each lead with its pin number

The fused jumper

One fuse holder with a 5A fuse, one end under a V+ screw and the other clipped to the red test lead. Whenever a step says “tap to +12V,” the wire touches this clip. Never tap with an unfused wire.

Power budget

Stage	What is on	Expected draw	Source
1 to 3	Module and head, no loads	About 0.08A plus head backlight	Guide 14580G p.3 (confirmed)
4	+ Color Flood bar	3.3A max	UBL rating (confirmed)
5	+ 2 U-Lites	0.70A for both	UBL rating (confirmed)
6	+ 2 Z-6 heads	Under 1A for both	Manual G-TZTBL6 (confirmed)
7	+ Putco bar and remote	Unknown. Stop if over 8A on J1-5	Not published by Putco
8	Siren only, lights off	About 8A (one speaker), 16A (two)	295HFSA6 label as a reference (inferred)
10	All bench lights + siren	Sum of measured draws + siren	Both speakers only if the total stays under 27A (90% of 30A)

Supply terminals

Screw	What goes on it
V+ 1	Main A fuse (20A) to CanTrol red, power plug pin 3
V+ 2	Main B fuse (20A) to CanTrol red, power plug pin 4
V+ 3	Ignition fuse (5A) to J17-7, fused jumper (5A), Putco remote feed (5A)
V− 1	Both CanTrol blacks
V− 2	Front lights: Color Flood black, both U-Lite blacks, meter black probe
V− 3	Rear lights: both Z-6 blacks, Putco bar and remote blacks

Both reds are fed. The CanTrol has two +12V pins, and with one left off part of the unit can stay dead and look like a fault. The truck uses 2 x 40A at the battery; the bench uses 20A because the supply tops out at 30A.

Stage 1: first power-up

Wire the main power, ignition sense (J17-7 through its own 5A fuse, which acts as the “key”), the head cable and the mic. Tape every other lead.

Step	Expect
Main fuses in, supply on, ignition fuse out	System off (POW LED off). Proves ignition sense is in control
Ignition fuse in (“key on”)	POW steady, head buttons and slide light up
Read the diagnostic LEDs	USB off, ERR off, WC off or flashing
Press buttons, move the slide	The previous owner’s program runs. Indicators may light with nothing connected
Ignition fuse out (“key off”)	Record how long until it shuts down. That is the previous owner’s shutdown delay

Pass: POW on only with the ignition fuse in, head lights up, no fuse blows, no ERR fault.

Stage 2: Whelen Command

1. Install Whelen Command on the CF-33 and its USB drivers (Help, About).
2. Connect USB. The module’s USB LED should go steady.
3. Try Extract to save the previous owner’s program as “F150_CanTrol_as_received.” If it fails, that is expected for legacy configurations, not a fault.
4. New configuration: CanTrol, add the 21-button head with the slide switch, add CANport (Ford, 2017 F-150) and screenshot the signal list to confirm Brake and Park.
5. Advanced mode. Untick any preset that turns on lights; keep the siren presets.
6. Program every input in the table below with Turn On, the steady entry, Low Power disabled. Use Simulate to confirm.
7. Leave Save State off for every light button. Name each output (for example “CF Power,” “Z6 Brake”).
8. Shutdown delay to Instant for the bench. Set backlight and indicator intensity in Command.
9. Check WAIL, YELP and PIER each have a tone on the internal amplifier. No tone on slide position 3.
10. Save as “F150_CanTrol_BENCH_v1” and Transfer.

The bench program

Input	Outputs	Switch type	Purpose
Slide 1	J1-2	Turn On, steady	Visor Grand Control Box (meter only)
Slide 2	J1-2, J1-3, J1-4, J1-5, J1-6, LED 10, LED 12	Turn On, steady	Visor, BooYu, U-Lites, Putco, Color Flood power and Mode 1, Z-6 Mode 1
Slide 3	Slide 2 + J1-1, LED 3, LED 4	Turn On, steady	Adds Color Flood Mode 2, rocker relay coil, EFM Input 1. No siren tone
SCENE	LED 1 + J1-6	Press On / Press Off	Color Flood white flood
→	LED 2 + J1-6	Press On / Press Off	Color Flood right arrow
←	LED 11 + J1-6	Press On / Press Off	Color Flood left arrow
↔ FLASH	LED 2 + LED 11 + J1-6	Press On / Press Off	Color Flood center-out
Blank 1	LED 5	Press On / Press Off	EFM 3.0 Input 2 (meter only)
Blank 2	LED 9	Press On / Release Off	Color Flood pattern wire: tap, double tap, 2 s hold
Blank 3	LED 13	Press On / Release Off	Bench only. Simulates the brake for the Z-6 heads. In the truck this comes from CANport
WAIL, YELP, PIER, MAN, HORN	Siren	Command presets	Tones
All other buttons	Nothing	Spare	RIGHT ALLEY, LEFT ALLEY, CORNER, Star of Life, TAKE DOWN, Blank 4

Stage 3: prove every output with the meter

Nothing is connected to the outputs yet. Each input is switched on from the head and its lead is read with the meter. This finds the true lead for each output, catches the color conflicts in the guide, and checks the J1 fuse slots before any light is at risk.

1. Meter on DC volts, black probe on V− 2.
2. With everything off, read each lead and record the OFF voltage. Expect under 1V. LED 4 and LED 5 matter most, because the EFM 3.0 inputs accept any 5 to 17V signal, so a leaking output could look “on” to it.
3. Turn on each input and read its lead. Expect 12 to 13.8V, and confirm it drops when turned off.
4. For J1-5 and J1-6, the output’s indicator must be green (positive switching). Amber means ground switching: unplug, move that output’s 10A fuse to the Positive Switching slot, re-test.
5. Flag each lead with masking tape as it’s proven. If an expected lead stays dead and another comes alive, the guide’s color is wrong for this unit. Flag the live one.

Pass: every output reads about 12V only with its own input, and J1-5 and J1-6 show green.

Stage 4: UBL Color Flood 2.0 light bar

Bar wire	CanTrol lead	Turned on by
Red (power, keeps its own in-line fuse)	J1-6	Slide 2, 3, SCENE, arrows
White (Mode 3, flood)	LED 1	SCENE
Blue (right arrow)	LED 2	→ and ↔
Yellow (pattern)	LED 9	Blank 2, momentary
Brown (Mode 1)	LED 10	Slide 2 and 3
Orange (Mode 2)	J1-1	Slide 3
Green (left arrow)	LED 11 (color to check)	← and ↔
Black	Supply V− 2

Mode 3 overrides 2 overrides 1, and arrows override every mode. Red must never be joined to a mode wire.

#	Do this	Expect
4.1	Slide 2	Mode 1 pattern
4.2	Slide 3	Mode 2 takes over
4.3	Slide off, SCENE	Mode 3 white flood (hold Blank 2 for 2 s to set steady if needed)
4.4 to 4.6	→, then ←, then ↔	Right arrow, left arrow, center-out
4.7	Slide 2, then →	Arrow overrides the pattern; release returns to it
4.8	Slide 2, tap Blank 2	Next pattern
4.9	Slide 2, double tap Blank 2	Amber/white color change (double tap worked on 11 Oct; the manual says three taps)
4.10	Set patterns, power down 10 s, back up	Each mode kept its pattern and color
4.11	Meter in series on red, slide 3 and SCENE	Up to 3.3A

Blank 2 must be momentary. If the yellow wire is held on, the bar reads it as a 2 s hold and changes to steady color.

Stage 5: two UBL U-Lite grille lights

Both reds and the left light’s white join on one fuse from J1-4 (5A on the bench, 3A within 12” of the output in the truck). The two yellows join and get capped. Right white, both blues and both greens are capped separately.

#	Do this	Expect
5.1	Slide 2	Both flash and alternate (left white on +12V gives alternate sync)
5.2	Hold the joined yellows to the fused jumper 3 s	Lights sync to the same pattern
5.3	Touch yellows 1 s	Both step to the next pattern together
5.4	Power down 10 s, up, slide 2	Same pattern, still alternating
5.5	Slide 3	Same as slide 2
5.6	Meter in series on J1-4, slide 2	About 0.70A

Stage 6: two SpeedTech Lights Z-6 brake heads

Both reds to LED 12, both greens to LED 13, greys (sync) joined, yellows (pattern) joined, browns and blues capped separately. Under 0.5A per head. Green overrides Modes 1 and 2.

#	Do this	Expect
6.1	Slide 2	Both flash amber/clear in step
6.2	If out of step, power cycle once	In step
6.3	Tap the joined yellows	Next pattern. Don’t hold 2 s (Steady Burn) or 3 s (auto-cycle)
6.4	Slide 2, hold Blank 3	Both go steady red while held
6.5	Slide off, hold Blank 3	Steady red with no warning mode on. Shows how brake pop will look
6.6	Power cycle, slide 2	Same pattern kept
6.7	Meter on LED 12, then LED 13	Under 1A for both

These results also answer two open questions from the five-modes plan: what the amber/clear heads show in Steady Burn, and whether any of their 24 patterns is amber-only.

Stage 7: Putco Work Blade and wireless remote

From	To
J1-5 (positive switching only)	Bar blue (+12V, runs the stored pattern)
Supply V+ 3 through 5A	Remote box red (constant feed, as in the truck)
Remote blue	Bar white (white override, button A)
Remote yellow	Bar orange (next pattern, button B)
Remote green and grey, bar red	Capped
Bar black, remote black	Supply V− 3

#	Do this	Expect
7.1	Everything off, meter on the remote red (mA)	Remote standby draw. Ford’s limit for total key-off draw is 28 mA
7.2	Slide 2	Stored pattern
7.3	Remote B	Next pattern. Step to an amber-only one and note it
7.4	Slide 2, remote A	White override
7.5	Slide off, remote A	Does white work with the bar blue off? Yes or no
7.6	Power cycle	Pattern kept
7.7	Meter on bar blue, slide 2	Record. Stop if over 8A
7.8	Meter on remote red, white on	Record

Stage 8: siren and PA

Read each speaker’s label first. The plan assumes 11 Ω each, so two in parallel make 5.5 Ω, Whelen’s minimum. If a label says 8 Ω or less, stop. Lights off for this whole stage.

#	Do this	Expect
8.1	One speaker. WAIL, 1 to 2 s	Wail
8.2	YELP, then PIER	Yelp, piercer
8.3	Hold MAN	Manual tone rises while held
8.4	Hold HORN	Air horn while held
8.5	Key the mic	PA through the speaker. Set the PA pot from the middle
8.6	Add the second speaker, repeat 8.1	Both sound, no distortion, supply stays on
8.7	Stand in front during a short WAIL	Loud and clean. Thin or hollow means one speaker is reversed

If the supply clicks off with two speakers, that’s the supply’s limit, not a CanTrol fault. Not tested: HF (needs the horn ring input) and RAD (not used).

Stage 9: CC5K1 fit check

With power off, offer the CC5K1’s white 8-position plug to the small empty socket beside the USB port. It should seat with light pressure and latch. Photograph it seated and photograph the module’s model label. If it doesn’t fit, or there’s no socket, the module may not have the CANport board. Brake pop itself can only be proven in the truck, because the signal comes from the truck’s data bus.

Stage 10: full-system run

1. Add up the measured draws from 4.11, 5.6, 6.7, 7.7 and 7.8.
2. If that total plus 16A is under 27A, run both speakers with the lights. If not, one speaker or no siren.
3. Slide 3: every light runs together. Then →, ←, ↔.
4. Hold Blank 3: the Z-6 heads go steady red while everything else keeps running.
5. Short WAIL with the lights on. Watch for any light flickering or restarting, which would point to a voltage dip.
6. Slide off, ignition fuse out. Everything shuts down.
7. Save the Command file again and copy it into the project files.

Wiring day: tests only the truck can do

Item	Test	Pass
Visor bar (J1-2)	Slide 1, 2, 3	Bar comes on, Grand Control Box buttons still work
BooYu (J1-3)	Slide 2, then its button	Runs. Needs its button each time power returns
EFM 3.0 (LED 4, LED 5)	Slide 3, Blank 1, both	Factory lamps flash as tabbed, nothing flashes with both off
Rocker bars (LED 3 relay)	After purchase, bench-measure first	Relay clicks on slide 3, bars run
Brake pop (CANport)	Ignition on, slide 2, brake pedal	Z-6 heads go steady red. Bench-only Blank 3 removed first
Ignition sense	Key off, key on	System follows the key
Grounds	Every ground	Ford ground point or side of a steel frame rail. Never the battery negative post, never aluminum
Key-off draw	Meter in series, everything asleep	28 mA or less in total
Head backlight at night	Dark garage, headlamps on	Readable without the dimmer wire
Radio interference	Key the BaoFeng with lights and siren running	No CanTrol glitches

Troubleshooting

Symptom	Likely cause	What to do
Nothing on, POW off	Ignition fuse out, main fuse blown, supply off	Check fuses, 12V between J17-7 and V−
POW on, head dark	Head cable not seated	Reseat both ends
ERR steady	Controller bus set to OFF	Check the head selection in Command, re-Transfer
Indicator lights, device does nothing	Bad joint, device fuse, no ground, or ground-switching slot	Meter the lead, check the fuse slot
Light flashes by itself or keeps restarting	Flash pattern or Low Power on its output	Turn On, steady, Low Power disabled
Color Flood jumps to steady color	Blank 2 latched instead of momentary	Press On / Release Off
Z-6 heads out of step	Greys or yellows not joined	Join both, power cycle
Siren weak or hollow	Speakers out of phase	Swap one speaker’s two wires
Supply clicks off on siren	30A supply limit	One speaker, lights off
Command doesn’t see the module	USB driver, cable, module off	Reinstall drivers, check USB LED

Results sheet

Every line below gets filled in on bench day and published here.

Item	Result
Module model label (CANWCT2 / 2A / 3)	Pending
USB port type	Pending
Previous config extracted?	Pending
CANport: Brake and Park listed for 2017 F-150?	Pending
J1-5 / J1-6 indicator color	Pending
LED 11 / LED 12 lead colors on my unit	Pending
LED 4 / LED 5 OFF voltage	Pending
Color Flood draw (slide 3 / SCENE)	Pending
U-Lites draw	Pending
Z-6 draw (Mode 1 / brake), Steady Burn color	Pending
Putco bar draw, white override draw, remote standby draw	Pending
Putco amber-only pattern number, white with blue off?	Pending
Speaker label impedance	Pending
Siren with one speaker / two	Pending
PA works, pot setting	Pending
CC5K1 plug fits?	Pending
Previous shutdown delay	Pending

Changelog

1. 2026-10-26

   Bench test plan published from bench guide version 1 (23 October 2026). No stages run yet.

   Rollback: Revert the commit that added this page.