How to Install the CANNY Smart Button, Including Elite+ Polarity Inversion
The CANNY Smart Button is a wireless Bluetooth push button for the CANNY interface, so most of the time there's no extra wiring to do at all. You pair it, set up your outputs in the app, and you're done. The one exception is running the yellow dip mode on Elite+ lamps, which needs a polarity inversion relay wired in. This guide covers both: the straightforward pairing, and the relay build for Elite+. If you're still deciding whether CANNY suits your car, start with our CANNY buyer's guide instead.
Before You Start
You'll need a CANNY interface already fitted to the vehicle, the CANNY Flic Smart Button, and the CANNY.LZR app on your phone to configure it. The Smart Button only pairs with a corresponding CANNY interface, so it won't work on its own. For the Elite+ relay job further down, you'll also need the parts listed in that section.
One thing worth saying up front: this is vehicle electrical work. If you're not confident wiring a relay, have it done by an auto electrician. Follow Lazer Lamps’ official wiring diagrams for your setup, since a miswired relay can cost you the relay or the lamp.
Pairing the Smart Button: Wireless Control, No Extra Wiring
The Smart Button's whole point is that it needs no additional wires run through the car. It pairs to the CANNY interface over Bluetooth and can be mounted anywhere in the vehicle, or kept on you, within 10m of the interface it's paired with. Lazer Lamps supplies it with an adhesive backing so it sticks to nearly any surface, plus a set of customisable stickers to label what each button does, which is handy if you're running more than one.
Through the CANNY.LZR app you can set the button to control up to four outputs, either as a standalone switch or alongside other CANNY Smart Buttons. According to Lazer, it can also be programmed to operate lights regardless of whether the ignition is on, or more precisely regardless of whether the CAN bus is powered, so you can run lights independently of the vehicle. For most installs, that's as far as you need to go.
When You Need a Polarity Inversion Relay
This part only applies to Elite+ lamps, and only for one mode. Elite+ products run four lighting modes: Boost (white only), Combo (white and yellow), Snow Fog Dust (yellow only), and E-Mark low output (white only). The Smart Button is a good way to cycle through them.
The catch is the yellow dip, the Snow Fog Dust mode. Elite+ lamps change modes on a 0V signal, but the CANNY, like most power device modules, only puts out 12V. So to trigger yellow dip from the Smart Button, you wire a relay into the switching channel that converts the 12V output into the 0V trigger the lamp is looking for. Reversing the polarity of the signal is all the relay does. If you're not using yellow dip, you can skip this section entirely.
Parts Required
Per Lazer's guide, the relay build needs:
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1x 12V automotive relay, micro or standard type
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1x ring terminal to suit an M10 stud, red insulated
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4x red insulated female spade receptacles
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1x red insulated butt splice
Wiring the Relay
Three connections, following Lazer's diagram for the relay build:
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CANNY output to relay pin 86. Use one spade receptacle. If the relay isn't close to the CANNY unit, extend the wire with the red butt splice.
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Grey signal from the Elite+ harness to relay pin 87. Cut the grey wire and crimp on one spade receptacle.
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Relay pins 85 and 30 to battery ground, the negative terminal. Use the red ring terminal and two spade receptacles to make the ground connection.
With that wired, a 12V output from the CANNY energises the relay, which pulls the Elite+ grey signal to 0V and triggers the mode change.
Activating Elite+ Mode
Once the relay's in, you can activate Elite+ yellow dip two ways: the toggle in the CANNY app with the momentary function selected, or the CANNY Smart Button itself over Bluetooth, again with the momentary selected.
Closing Thoughts
For most installs the CANNY Smart Button is a quick job: pair it over Bluetooth, set your outputs in the app, and you've got wireless control with no extra wiring in the car. The only time you're reaching for a relay is the Elite+ yellow dip mode, and even then it's four connections following the steps above. Get that part right, or leave it to an auto electrician if you'd rather, and the rest is straightforward.
Need the CANNY interface, Smart Button or the relay parts to do this job? Browse the CAN Solutions range or get in touch with the team at Race and Rally and we'll advise.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to wire the Smart Button into the car?
No. It's wireless and pairs to the CANNY interface over Bluetooth, so there are no additional wires to run, unless you're adding the Elite+ relay for yellow dip.
When do I actually need the relay?
Only when you want to trigger the Snow Fog Dust yellow dip mode on Elite+ lamps from the Smart Button. Every other mode and any non Elite+ setup won't need it.
How many outputs can one button control?
Up to four, set through the CANNY.LZR app, either on its own or alongside other Smart Buttons.
Can the lights work with the ignition off?
Lazer states the button can be programmed to run lights regardless of the CAN bus being powered. Confirm the exact behaviour for your setup in the app.
How is the Smart Button powered?
Lazer states it runs on a replaceable CR2032 coin cell, with a battery life of up to two years, so there's no wiring to the button itself for power.