Well with my new blingy amp i need some blingy lights. Blue is over done, green does nothing for me, and that pretty much leaves red. So i was looking in autobarn for some red neons today to chuck in my boot (i was thinking behind the amp to give a glowing effect around it - it looks cool in my mind :P) but anyway,. they all have cigarette power sources. I was wondering if they can some how be attached to the wire that runs my boot light, so when i open the boot, the neon is on, otherwise it is off. I'm sure it can be done? but how is the question :P

Ive done the same thing. Just cut the connector off from the neon, and also from the boot light. Make sure you know which is positive. Then just solder or crimp them together. You can twist them together and use electrical tape to cover i guess, but i hate that dodgy ****.

Well.. The way you could do it would be to pull the plut out of the light that's already there, and cut those two wires... figure out which is +ve and which is -ve, then connect them accordingly to the +ve and -ve on the neons ;)

how do ifigure out which is positive and negative? :P

also, how do i manually turn off the light while i'm doing this? obviously the boot is going to be open, thus power running through the wire to turn it on? i don't want to fry myself, or my neon :P

disconnect the battery...

how do ifigure out which is positive and negative? :P

Touch them on the chassis one at a time.. the one that sparks is +ve... JUST KIDDING!! DON'T DO THIS!!!!

Do you have a multimeter?

If not, get a light globe and some wire. Solder the wires to the two terminals on teh globe. Put one terminal on the chassis, and the other touch to one of the wires. If the globe lights up, that's +ve. If it doesn't light up, that's -ve

As above to test which is + and -, i have done this mod and it's a sinch. Basically you just snip the wire before it hits the actual plug. 1 of these wires will be + and 1 -.
Pretty much all there is to it.

in my car one was black and one was red

u do the maths

in my car one was black and one was red

u do the maths

1 + 1 = spark!! :D:D ooohhh....

Oh, you don't mean to the maths as in put them together.. :redface:

Hrmm, i'm a little worried, i'll check out the wires and see if there's anythig obvious :P

ok, it would tell you in a manual, if you dont have one, what model is it, verada, magna glx/se/executive and i might be able to help you.

I have a manual
99 KH Xi.

cant help ya mate, im a 2nd gen kinda guy, dont have a 3rd gen manual

green and black wire is -ve and red and black wire is +ve, check if these are the colour wires coming out of the lamp, if these arent the 2 colours then i have no idea. But if they are the colours then you know what to do.

hehe, good one righty

snip the wires, grab a multimeter and find out which is which...i'm sure u know how to use a multimeter. Once you find out which is which, solder/crimp on.

if you want to be extra careful, use a relay.

oh, and if you can't be bothered disconnecting the battery, and hoping your car won't play up after you reconnect it, u could find the fuse and pull that out. I mean..you don't want to blow anything whilst playing around with live wires. :)

hrmm, i keep gettign told about these multimeteres, i think i should invest in one. I tried having a look at the wires in my boot, but go figure, they're all done up in black tape *sigh* and there's another plug coming from it aswell which isn't attached to anything? anyone know what that could be for? I think the onyl way is to rip it all open and see what i have, or i might just get the bloke who's installing my amp to put in some lights for me too, haha.

Just make a pic and show us. or tell us the colour of the 2 wires.

hrmm, i keep gettign told about these multimeteres, i think i should invest in one.
A cheaper alternative (for this instance) could be a simple tester - what...about $8 I think
Simply touch the prong to the bare wire & stick the alligator clip to a bit of metal (earth)

It may be the neons i have but they were made to work either way, it doesnt matter if you hook the - wire to a + or vice versa, as long as you're not playing around with a transformer and it requires a definate input and output it doesnt matter what way round you plug the wires is... your just running a voltage through a wire that heats up the neon gas. Doesnt matter if it goes from left to right or right to left.

But as i said, thats may just be my neons so dont take that as wrote on all lighting.

It may be the neons i have but they were made to work either way, it doesnt matter if you hook the - wire to a + or vice versa, as long as you're not playing around with a transformer and it requires a definate input and output it doesnt matter what way round you plug the wires is... your just running a voltage through a wire that heats up the neon gas. Doesnt matter if it goes from left to right or right to left.

But as i said, thats may just be my neons so dont take that as wrote on all lighting.

Yeah but I think the one's he has have to go through a power invertor, which I assume would need definate +ve and -ve.

Yeah but I think the one's he has have to go through a power invertor, which I assume would need definate +ve and -ve.

Well the way to be sure would be look at your product, you have a tube, two wires (usually sealed with each other) and a cigarette plug in... if there's nothing else within that line then they 'should' work either way as there is no inverter/transformer. Most neons run from 12v whether they be neons for shop signs/computers/car lights. Seeing as a car runs off 12v no inverter is needed and its highly possible you can just hook the lines to a + and ground without any problems.

Again though, dont take my word for wrote, its just my experience with the particular brand of neons i use (Autozone's no named brand here in the US)

many neons have an inverter in the cig lighter plug, so if u just cut it off and wire it up they wont go.

Be carefull and if u don't fully understand what ur doing, find some1 that does and can teach you. the best way to learn these things is hands on and under knowledgable instruction.


Tim

Well the way to be sure would be look at your product, you have a tube, two wires (usually sealed with each other) and a cigarette plug in... if there's nothing else within that line then they 'should' work either way as there is no inverter/transformer. Most neons run from 12v whether they be neons for shop signs/computers/car lights. Seeing as a car runs off 12v no inverter is needed and its highly possible you can just hook the lines to a + and ground without any problems.

Again though, dont take my word for wrote, its just my experience with the particular brand of neons i use (Autozone's no named brand here in the US)

I understand what you're saying, but the neons that I've used all have power invertors :confused:

Just speaking from my experiences...


Anyway, back on topic, did you figuire them out?

where r u mate, someone might be able to take a look and let u know wat you should do, or do it for you.

I'll buy mine tomorrow, so yous can all help me too :D

Hey guys, sorry to dig up an old one, but i didnt find anything conclusive in this thread. Ive got my 1st Gen and i obviousily want a neon as a boot light. Now is it as simple as snip and solder? As far as i can tell, just connect the same wires (ve+ and ve-) to their brother on the neon. Is that right? Also if any Vic members arent busy 2moro, which is when i plan on doing it, i wouldnt mind sum help, just rather NOT screw up. Thanx.

Hey guys, sorry to dig up an old one, but i didnt find anything conclusive in this thread. Ive got my 1st Gen and i obviousily want a neon as a boot light. Now is it as simple as snip and solder? As far as i can tell, just connect the same wires (ve+ and ve-) to their brother on the neon. Is that right? Also if any Vic members arent busy 2moro, which is when i plan on doing it, i wouldnt mind sum help, just rather NOT screw up. Thanx.
Exactly right mate

i run 4 neons off the boot light and havent had a problem yet

i just snipped and crimped

you will have no problem at all, just find out which is + and which is - coming from the bootlight wire

Have faith!

i dunno about 1st/2nd gens, but with my 3rd gen, the boot light is actually switched via the ground, not the +ve.

i dunno about 1st/2nd gens, but with my 3rd gen, the boot light is actually switched via the ground, not the +ve.

same as 1st gens

Hey guys, sorry to dig up an old one, but i didnt find anything conclusive in this thread. Ive got my 1st Gen and i obviousily want a neon as a boot light. Now is it as simple as snip and solder? As far as i can tell, just connect the same wires (ve+ and ve-) to their brother on the neon. Is that right? Also if any Vic members arent busy 2moro, which is when i plan on doing it, i wouldnt mind sum help, just rather NOT screw up. Thanx.
i'm happy to help mate, did it to my 2nd gen its easy as.

Thanx guys, my dad is sayin he'll do it, but thanks anyway, appriciate the offers. Gotta go get it now, was called into work at 11.

i fitted over 50 to a ralliart all i did was tap into the boot light when i put them in the boot

i fitted over 50 to a ralliart all i did was tap into the boot light when i put them in the boot



fifty neons....in one car???????

i fitted over 50 to a ralliart all i did was tap into the boot light when i put them in the boot

Omg.. have you got pics ?

i fitted over 50 to a ralliart all i did was tap into the boot light when i put them in the boot

sure you dont blow the fuse for that circuit when they are on? :P

hehe, good one righty

snip the wires, grab a multimeter and find out which is which...i'm sure u know how to use a multimeter. Once you find out which is which, solder/crimp on.

if you want to be extra careful, use a relay.

oh, and if you can't be bothered disconnecting the battery, and hoping your car won't play up after you reconnect it, u could find the fuse and pull that out. I mean..you don't want to blow anything whilst playing around with live wires. :)


well im the idiot that blew a fuse and now i cant find the fuse thats buggered, help!!!!(where is it?)

well im the idiot that blew a fuse and now i cant find the fuse thats buggered, help!!!!(where is it?)

where ur accelartor is, theres a box, get your head where that is and check each fuse with a flashlight to make sure the top of each fuse is bridged (not blown)

well im the idiot that blew a fuse and now i cant find the fuse thats buggered, help!!!!(where is it?)

ha ha i did that as well....

I blew the fuse as well, it is the 15Amp on in the engine bay. It is in the middle with a 10A fuse I think with both of them being in a yellow holder thing. I didn't know that the car ecu resets when you take that fuse out. Interesting.....

Thats in a 3rd gen anyways.

lol ive had no problems as of yet.. ive got 2 x 24inch green neons sitting on my parcel shelf with a switch in the boot to turn them off if needed.

DO NOT use speaker wire... a friend did it and the wire burnt and caught fire.

lmfao@ speaker wire.....giood effort :bowrofl:

Nothing wrong with speaker wire as long as you get a thick enough guaged wire to handle the amps.

side note - cheap thin speaker wire (those 6 meter packs from super cheap auto) are also no good for 800 watt amps earth

side note - cheap thin speaker wire (those 6 meter packs from super cheap auto) are also no good for 800 watt amps earth
:shock: WTF?
For someone to do something so stupid like that i'm surprised they even know where the earth wire goes :P.

:bowrofl: :bowrofl: true true i just i was having ?good luck? that day

:bowrofl: :bowrofl: true true i just i was having ?good luck? that day
I'm guessing that would explain the melted ground wires lol.

i used speaker wire for the 4 in my car, its been fine...just got the thicker ones from dick smith

a year and a half later..

lol delayed response!!!