Flounder

I've got a small LED strip that I'd like to have turn on with my system (it's going to mount above the sub box)....I know the remote line sends 12v back there, so the quick question is:

Can I use the 12v on the remote wire to power a single LED strip about 12" long? Will it hurt anything?

Thanks,

-Flounder

gearbox

iTrader: (95)

LEDs take VERY little power to light up compared to regular bulbs. Just be sure there's a resistor, otherwise say bye bye led.

Flounder

The strip is actually designed for in-car use at 12v...it's just a small hard-wire unit with a series of LEDs mounted in it.

Unless there is something weird on that remote line I don't know about....?

Thanks!

-Flounder

irishtemper

most likey it has it built in already

Flounder

Cool....as long as it won't hurt anything, I'll do it tomorrow.

This is nothing more than me wanting a little extra flash n' trash when I pop the trunk. I just didn't want to hurt the HU or amp.

-Flounder

gearbox

iTrader: (95)

Can someone verify that the remote wire is 12V? If it is, then you can wire it up.

Flounder

I can meter it tomorrow before I try it....I knew I bought a Fluke meter for something other than work. (grin)

MegaHurtz

iTrader: (6)

Verified, but don't.... that's not what remote is meant for

Use your trunk light power wire to power this neon

MegaHurtz

iTrader: (6)

You could POSSIBLY harm the HU by trying to draw too much current thru the remote wire, remote is designed to deliver VERY low amperage at 12v, nothing more than to keep a very weak electrical signal going to tell the amp to stay on

Flounder

That's what I was afraid of....

Maybe this will just force me to learn how to take out my rear seat to run power underneath it. I'll have to look where the trunk light power wire goes from the car to the lid....

At the same time, I should learn to tap into the fuse box. (lol) So far I've gotten away with tapping into the outlet wires for my LEDs inside the car.

Thanks....

-Flounder

MegaHurtz

iTrader: (6)

you don't run power wire underneath your rear seat you run it behind your rear side panels

You can use a phillips head screwdriver to remove the trunk light assembly, plug some connectors in there, and just route power to where you want it. You could even use velcro or something (to hold it in place) and put the LED strip in place of the trunk light.

gearbox

iTrader: (95)

Unrelated, but is it okay to hook up an eq to the deck remote wire? I already have two amps tapped off it.

MegaHurtz

iTrader: (6)

NO

Remote wire is designed to be used to ONLY turn devices on and nothing else. It is not a source of power and should not be used as such.

YES, it can be used to remotely turn the EQ on, but it CAN NOT be used as a power source

Flounder

So like everything else I've done on the car, this too is growing in my head....

I'll probably want to tap into the trunk line before it hits the lid, since now I remembered a very cool longer LED fixture that I had for something else which would work even better on the plastic panel below my latch, facing back into the trunk.

It's a never-ending cycle...on the other hand, I'm getting very familiar with popping off panels.

MegaHurtz

iTrader: (6)

^^

I've had my car for 4 months and I could take each and every panel off with my eyes closed.

MegaHurtz

iTrader: (6)

What did you mean by the trunk line?

You just need to tap off the trunk light power which is controlled by a switch, so all you will have to do is route wire to wherever you want the light to be.

Be careful when running the wire though to steer clear of the hinges for the trunk lid, you don't want to pinch it and cause a short.

Flounder

The switch is what I meant...I'm just not being as clear as I should when I think out loud.

I haven't poked around enough in the trunk yet to look where the switch is, so I'm sure it'll end up being easier than I think.

And yes, I'm adding to your rep points!!!

MegaHurtz

iTrader: (6)

Thanks

And you don't need to worry about the switch. Just tap into the power for the trunk light, as it is controlled by the trunk switch so all your switching needs will be taken care of.

turboslug

go figure out how much current the LEDs will draw... most likely very very little...

also figure out how much current the amp will draw from the remote wire(read the specs in the amp's manual)

then read the max current output of the remote wire(should be listed on the deck or manual)

if the current draw of the leds, combined with the amp remote input, is less than the maximum current output of the deck's remote lead, you're fine....(i think it's common for remote leads to be able to output 300mA-500mA)...i had an amp and a 100mA fan connected to the remote lead without any problems.

MegaHurtz

iTrader: (6)

But that's not what a remote lead is for... it's silly and bad practice to power something with a remote lead

TeLLy

iTrader: (23)

Agreed....hey MegaHurtz, here's another thought I had, since I'm working on my custom trunk lighting as well:

Tap the remote wire and use that extension to activate a relay (85. then 86 runs to ground) for your lighting, which will then draw constant 12v (87) from your big amp power wire (running through a distro) and send that to your accessories (30)...

I hope I described this right, I'm still half asleep. But that's what I'm thinking of doing, so that the amp remote activates, but does not directly power, the lighting accessories - so that my trunk setup will stay lit when the lid is closed, visible from inside the car...

MegaHurtz

iTrader: (6)

Ya that will work

Personally for my trunk lighting, I just made these 2 small panels out of aluminum, screwed them down underneath my rear deck and put some switches in there

Flounder

All done (for the moment)...everything works, everything is neat and clean, it's time for a drink!

Sometime down the road I'll install a switch to let me turn on the normal trunk light for times when I need the extra light; for now I just removed the bulb.

I sense pics coming soon!

-Flounder

turboslug

why is it silly? if it works and it's within specifications, IMO, i think it's fine

if everyone stuck to the book and never used anything for more than what it was originally intended for, this world would be missing out on lots of really cool inovations... there are a lot of things out there whose original purposes were not what we use them for today.

as long as you know what you are doing, and you're not pushing things beyond their specifications, i think it's perfectly fine if it does the job

MegaHurtz

iTrader: (6)

It is silly because that is NOT what that circuit was meant to be used for. It is characteristic of bad practice and poor knowledge to hook something up like that.

Just because something can be done does not mean that it SHOULD be done. Every wire has it's purpose and the remote wire is not meant to power anythng

PopcornPlaya

iTrader: (6)

I ran some LED's off of my remote wire for a period of time. No ill effects came of it. The LED's never burned out, and the remote with never got hot in the spot where I soldered it. It should be fine.

turboslug

i think you have it all wrong...it sounds as though you're saying that because you're the one with the poor knowledge. other than the fact that remote is recommended for turning on amps, do you understand how it works?

it's not poor knowledge if you understand what it does and how it works...

specs say it's just a constant voltage source that turns on when the ignition is turned on. specs also say it can output a maximum of 300mA-1amp(depending on the what the deck's specsheet says).

anyways, like i said, if something works and it's within specification limits, then it's fine.

MegaHurtz

iTrader: (6)

Well yes and no

Consider this:

But if everything in car audio had to be built to a code, do you think that powering devices off of a circuit designed to turn devices off and on would meet the standards of the code?

turboslug

rules are meant to be broken :P...just be sure you know exactly what will happen if you break the rules...also, never dive into it blindly and dont try to push things beyond what they are capable.

if everyone followed the rules and stuck to the manufacturer's intended use, i'm sure no one would be modding their cars...no one would lower their car, no one would install lcd's into their seats..etc...

turboslug

btw, speaking of standards, check this out...

http://www.caraudiomag.com/specialfe...e_42volt_hold/

stuff like those warehouse hydrolic lift thingys already use higher voltage batteries but looks as though the auto industry is moving toward that direction too...