Batboard

ive seene this a few times on various vehicles. there is a leed comming from the fuse block that only has power when the key is turned, and another leed from the battery, and what i'm guessing is some sort of power "output". its always been silver in color and about 2-3 inches tall and about the width of a pin pong ball. what is its real name and were would i find one? i'm guessing it is a relay for high amps....

i use the 30a bosch relays, witch you can get online or at napa or something. As for the wires terminal 30 gets hooked up to the battery. 87 goes to the radio. 85 gets grounded, 86 gets hooked to the fuse box power (key on off).

You can't always assume vehicular wiring is the same colors across brands. I use 30A Bosch relays you can get at Radio Shack or timed relays which will turn on the radio(s) after 10 seconds. I do this to avoid the radio(s) turning on, then off and on again in some vehicles. It might be overkill but for a high-tier radio it gives me piece of mind.

If it's metallic (silver), it's probably a continuous duty solenoid, and there are several manufacturers. Standard Electric makes several versions in their SS580 series. Whatever the brand, always make sure you're getting a continuous duty model, not an intermittent model, but if you're not needing to switch about 50 amps, use the previously suggested 30 or 40 amp Bosch style relays available from auto parts houses, or hit a junk yard and pick those and as many fuses and flashers as they'll let ya from the vehicles in the boneyard. The Bosch relays look like black cubes a bit over an inch square.

is that what is towards the left of the picture with the red wires connected to it?

http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/slfd111/d ... pg&.src=ph

yup. a master on off switch if you will.