I want the underdash LEDS (arrived today) to come on when the doors are opened or I put on the interrior roof light.
So I've done a bit of searching and came across these two helpful posts.

http://www.aussiemagna.com/forums/showthread.php?t=66509&highlight=install+neons

http://www.aussiemagna.com/forums/showthread.php?t=6534

But I was just wondering, is it possible to simply just splice into the overhead light in roof?

I would assume that this would mean that the LED's would just act as the light in the roof would act? seems the simplest way to do it to me...then again im a noob and dont know anything about electronics and little about cars.

So my question is, is this possible? and also is there anywhere lower down near the console or bottom of a pillar where it can be wired too? (pictures would be great :D)

If its too complex ill most likely need help as im not the keenest on playing with soldering irons and electricity cables :S

Cheers in advance :D

ask doddski cause he has a white light under the car that turns on when he unlocks his car and opens door and fades out after the door is shut.
:happy:

so what you mean is couldnt you just wire the cables to to the roof lights and use the switches on the roof lights to also control your neons?

im sure you could some how but it would be better and easier to just wire them under the dash and have a seperate switch ;)

but thanks for those links i was looking for something like that hehe :happy:

The wires for the roof lamp are run from the Junction Block (just above/behind the drivers footwell fuse box), and then run up the Drivers side A-pillar - there is a figure-8 cable with one red and one red/white wire. I assume here that wire colours in your TL are the same as our TJ/KJ's.

If you lay on the drivers floor looking at fuses and junction-block, you will see a small connector at top-right with only two wires going to it - the red and red/white combo. You could try to splice into those wires at or near the junction block - but in my opinion it is far easier to run the wires for your LEDs up the drivers A-pillar - there is plenty of room there to splice in, and room also to stagger the spacing of the splice connectors.

One wire of your LEDs to red, the other wire for your LEDs to red/white. Just experiment with the wires one way and the other, most LEDs will only work on one "polarity" (prob not the right term but hope you know what I mean).

I ran wires to the ceiling lamp the first time I ever added LED footwells - it was much more hassle and occasionally stuffs up, too.
Have just added an ign key lamp in 2 cars by the A-pillar method described, and it works like a charm...... you get key illuminated when ever the room lamp is lit - door unlock, door open, goes out when key to start, fades out when car locked. Can't ask for more than that, I reckon!!

wow thanks guys, especialy Elwyn, thats what im after!!! thanks for the amount of detail.

My LED's split into two wires on the end of each led strip (white and white/red). I assume i match each to the same type in the A-pillar (eg. white to white and white/red to white/red)?

The cables on the led's are not that long, so i have another question (probably very stupid), but can i wire the cable of the left footwell LED strip into the wire of the drivers footwell LED strip then where the drivers footwell LED strip into the A pillar? or is it better to wire them both serperatly into the A pillar wiring using some extension wire? i dont really see a difference in terms of power getting ot each LED strip...then again, as i said im a noob at this stuff.

(alternativly, does that cable in A-pillar run in both sides of that car? or only drivers side?)

Cheers

i think it only runs down the drivers side but you can just solder and tape up some more cable to it and have what ever length you wish easy done ;) all you have to do is run it through to the other side :happy:

ok thanks. and is my assumption correct?
I assume i match each to the same type in the A-pillar (eg. white to white and white/red to white/red)?


also can i "piggy bak" one led strip to the next then connect to the a pillar?

well im not an expert BUT i figure that because the power usage of the neons is so low it don't really matter if you connect the 2 together then onto the A pilar wires, i would imaging the only difference would be one neon might be slightly less bright then the other but i doubt it will be obvious ;)

please correct me if im wrong :happy:

I literally just finished working out this mod. I spliced into Pin 6 of the BEM for (-), which ultimately controls the dome light on door open / unlock and got my (+) from behind the head deck.

im gona hijack this thread for a bit

i got a verada so i just hook up my neons to the existing lights in the foot wells BUT how do i make it so i have a switch so i can have them on all the time?

cheers ;)

im gona hijack this thread for a bit

i got a verada so i just hook up my neons to the existing lights in the foot wells BUT how do i make it so i have a switch so i can have them on all the time?

cheers ;)

hook up to a three way switch, option 1 = off, option 2 = running from existing footwell lights (or dome lights as munky said above), option 3 = constant or acc power

I literally just finished working out this mod. I spliced into Pin 6 of the BEM for (-), which ultimately controls the dome light on door open / unlock and got my (+) from behind the head deck.

sorry to be a noob, but whats a BEM? :P is that the junction block as described by Elwyn above?

Also, just checking this isnt illegal is it? if a cop pulled me over and saw the red glow down near feet thats ok yeh? like i guess it might incite them to look over the car more thouroughly, but its not illegal in itself is it?

@timmy-spawn-of-hades (666, ya know)....

BEM = Body Electrics Module - its nearby, but different to the junction block. If you pull of the trim panel under steering wheel, BEM is a square black box sitting at an angle just under the dash - sort of between ign key and mirror switch. The BEM has lots of wires running into it, thru 3 connectors. BEM does stuff like giving the lights the cool "fade-out" and so on. EDIT: I think BEM came-in with TH?? I know its not in TE and its def in TJ era.

The junction block is just a central point where lots of the cars wiring-looms are connected (think of it like a power-board maybe, and each thing you plug into the power-board is a part of the car's overall wiring) - the dash loom, the roof loom, the floor loom, the instrument cluster loom and so on.

Munky has got clever and worked out which pin of BEM supplies the power for central light, but from the BEM that wire will run to junction block, and then out of the junction block top-right connector the wires run as "red" + "red/white" up the drivers A-pillar to the roof lamp.

Footwell lamps, if wired as I described, will only function when roof lamp is on - as you unlock car, or have doors open, will fade-off when car locked. If you have footwells wired to be lit when driving, you would probably be OK, if they were out of drivers direct vision...... they seem to dislike neons etc on dash or visible locations, as said to distract driver or impair vision (eg looking straight at an LED is usu painful bright). To be absolutely sure, you'd best look at VicRoads regulations etc about what is permissible and what is not.

Having fully-sik neonz, and hektik under-car CCFLs, and other stuff like that is inviting an inspection, it could be argued!!

thankss so much once again elwyn for your detailed reply.

so im guessin that its gonna result in the same thing which ever I wire to, so ill just go with what ever is most acessible which sounds like wires in a-pillar or the cable near junction box if i can get to it.

yeh dont worry, im not gonna have it on whilst driving, the functions as you described seems smarter and less attention seeking...ill tackle it tomorrow and let you know how it goes with photos

Hope it went well?

sorry still installin the audio, well get on the leds when thats done. will post pics too

ok so i started by trying the leds in the boot (spliced into the boot light) just becos it was easiest to access....anyway i managed to blow the fuse thats responsible for all the door/roof/boot lights...any idea where it is and how to replace it?

why did it blow, any tips so i dont blow it again?

also any tips for splicing? im currently just using a blade and cutting one side of plastic offand just wrapping the joining wire around and then electrical tape over the top...i know this prolly isnt the way ur sposed to do it, so any tips?

ps - i had the car attached to a battery charger while i was doin it so maybe thats why fuse blew?

instead of covering the wrapped wires together, solder them.

yeh i will eventually solder them, just taping now for testing purposes...so any idea where fuse is or why i blew it?