Audio/Visual Electronics Wired up? Everyone's got some sort of electrical modification... let's hear about it here.

Wiring interior lights

Thread Tools
 
Search this Thread
 
  #1  
Old 06-26-2007, 06:58 AM
Goldnknight22's Avatar
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Methuen, MA
Posts: 113
Default Wiring interior lights

How would I wire neons/LEDs? I know you want to have an inline fuse or something, but I don't understand what source to hook it up to. I've heard splicing into your cigarette lighter, which I DON'T understand how you would do that at all. And I've also heard of hookingit up through the fuse box. You can plug things in there???? Please help, I have no idea how to run these lights. Thanks in advance!
 
  #2  
Old 06-26-2007, 12:39 PM
sir_nasty's Avatar
Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Montana
Posts: 6,290
Default RE: Wiring interior lights

The two ways you are talking about are correct.... There is one other way.... I'll try to lay them out:

1) Cigarette lighter splice: strip the end of the power wire that goes to your lights, connect that to the power wire on the cigarette lighter (strip a little section on that wire if needed) then run that wire up to a switch somewhere, run from the other side of the switch to the lights.

2) Fuse box: Find an empty fuse location that's not being used, test and see which side of it is "hot" (has power) when the car is on. Take the end of a wire, strip it back a little bit, hold it so the exposed part is accross the opening of the fuse on the side that is "dead" without a fuse in there (hold it so the wire makes a + accross the opening) then push a fuse into place so that it pinches the wire down into the "dead" side. Now you have power to that wire and a fuse in place, run that wire to a switch and from a switch to the light.

3) Run a wire from the positive side of your battery terminal, put an inline fuse in there (available and most hardware/electrical shops or home depot etc.) run from the fuse to the switch, switch to the light.

There's the three ways to do it!
 
  #3  
Old 06-27-2007, 10:16 PM
Goldnknight22's Avatar
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Methuen, MA
Posts: 113
Default RE: Wiring interior lights

Thank you very much for the help! Is any way better than the others? Can I still use my lighter outlet if I splice it for the lights? Also, I have a subwoofer hooked up to my battery already, so I was really wondering if I should avoid putting another draw right from the terminal. If I did do that, would i run a separate wire and separate inline fuse altogether? Sorry for the additional questions but you were so much help! Thanks!
 
  #4  
Old 06-27-2007, 11:49 PM
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location:
Posts: 37
Default RE: Wiring interior lights

the fuse box is probably the most common use but i wouldnt go as far as to say one is better than the other, just do what you feel comfortable doing to your car, just make sure if you do use a fuse try to get one that only has power when the switch is on. that will prevent a dead battery from accidentally leaving the neons on. if you need any help just send a message and i will try to walk you through it
 
  #5  
Old 06-28-2007, 01:21 PM
s7mk
Unregistered
Posts: n/a
Default RE: Wiring interior lights

A little extra on that note...

If you are hooking up lights, there is probaly gonna be two wires hanging from your lights. One wire needs to be powered (either from the fuse box, battery, ect.) and the other wire needs to be grounded. If you don't know what it means to be grounded, it means the electricity needs to have a path to the ground. You can do this buy hooking the ground wire to a random bolt you find in the cockpit where you put your feet. If the first bolt doesn't make the light work, just keep touching the wire to metal parts until you find something that will ground the electricity. One way to tap into the fuse box is pull a fuse, (i.e. the one to the headlights) and just wrap the wire gently around the bottom of the fuse, then jam that STUFF back into the fuse box. I don't know if its the safest way to do it, but I do know it works cause I've done it before.
 
  #6  
Old 06-28-2007, 01:34 PM
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location:
Posts: 37
Default RE: Wiring interior lights

there is no real danger into tapping into the fuse box, the worst that could happen would be a blown fuse, and if you have a DMM you can find ground on the meter with a continuity test
 
  #7  
Old 07-02-2007, 07:02 AM
Goldnknight22's Avatar
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Methuen, MA
Posts: 113
Default RE: Wiring interior lights

Ok thanks guys. So I won't try to run another wire to my battery then. Fuse box it is.Is there an easy way to tell which wire to gorund and which to power? I don't have the kit yet, so I can't tell you exactly what it's going to be like. But here's a link.

http://www.ledunderbody.com/index.as...&ProdID=36

Also going to do the Blue LED conversion for Instrument cluster, stereo, climate controls, and clock. should be nice.
http://www.ledautomotive.com/OrderInfo/98-02Accord/

Tell me what you think!!
 
  #8  
Old 07-02-2007, 02:08 PM
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location:
Posts: 37
Default RE: Wiring interior lights

yeah the ground should be black and the power wire might be red and maybe have a fuse in line
 
  #9  
Old 07-07-2007, 02:16 PM
myrtle71590's Avatar
Member
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location:
Posts: 62
Default RE: Wiring interior lights

I did this same thing on my 96 accord and it turned out great. The neons that I purchased off of ebay were very easy to install. Any wire that connects to a light source would be ok because it has a grounded and a positive wire. I connected mine to the light that lit up the coin try by cutting a piece of the insulator off of each wire and then soldering the led wires onto the wire/splicing the wire. This way, whenever I turn on my lights, the interior neons come on as well. As for the led dash conversion I have started and it has turned out great. All you must be able to do is take off the climate control/ gauge cluster (if your going to convert those lights)/ and the cigarette and coin tray lights. It took me a little over an hour to install all the leds and it was definately worth it.
 
  #10  
Old 07-08-2007, 12:36 AM
Goldnknight22's Avatar
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Methuen, MA
Posts: 113
Default RE: Wiring interior lights

Thanks Myrtle. Would love to see some pics of it...
I feel pretty good about what I'm gonna do with it. Just gotta order them now. Sweeet.
 
Related Topics
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
csh217
Audio/Visual Electronics
7
04-30-2013 09:03 PM
carson107
General Tech Help
8
08-15-2012 07:09 PM
watut
PRIVATE For Sale / Trade Classifieds
4
09-08-2010 10:50 PM
Vettress
General Tech Help
1
07-07-2010 11:10 AM
neverendingmods
General Tech Help
1
05-28-2009 12:16 PM



Quick Reply: Wiring interior lights



All times are GMT -5. The time now is 07:13 PM.