DIY LED Interior
DIY LED Interior
Sorry, no pics because I'm new here and can't post them yet.
All work was performed on a 2004 Civic EX Sedan...
This is a DIY for installing Cold Cathodes or LEDS into your car without showing any wires. This way you don't plug into the cigarette lighter, plus Cold Cathodes are way cheaper. I paid a total of $10.51 at Fry's for a pair of 12" blue lights, wire, a switch, a power invertor and velcro. Best of all, it was all in the same box.
1. First, remove the two dash pieces under the steering wheel, as well as the single trim piece on the passenger side. They are pretty easy to get out, the driver's side has some ***** you turn, and then you pull, the passenger side you just pull down and it comes right out.
2. My cold cathode kit came with wiring, yellow, black, and red. Since they were meant for a computer, I had to cut off the plugs. First, you will want to make sure the ground wire is long enough to reach from the left side of the car to the center console. If yours isn't long enough like mine was, you will have to find a longer wire, or do what I did and splice some extra wire from the plugs I cut off. You can use some wire caps or just use electrical tape, I suggest using some type of cap because tape will eventually come off, and it just looks cleaner.
3. For power, you have to find a suitable fuse in the fuse box located where your right knee would be. I suggest disconnecting the battery to prevent damage to the car or yourself. Since I don't have pics, I can't show you which one I used, but it is the ACC fuse. This way, you can turn the lights on without the key in the ignition(say your searching for something on the floor?). Or you can use whatever one you prefer. Take out the fuse and wrap the open ended segment of the yellow wire around one of the prongs, then shove it back into the box.
4. Take the end of your black wire (the ground) and find a screw to mount it on. I used the one right above the trim that covers your hood release. It's easier to see with a flashlight. Unscrew it and wrap the black wire around it, make sure to replace the ground that was originally on there. Even better would be to find a connector exactly like the one you see already attached, and plug your ground into that. It's much cleaner that way.
5. Next you have to feed the power switch somewhere. I didn't want to make any holes, and I was in a rush when i did mine so I just fed it behind the center console and popped it out between the carpet and the trim about halfway down the console (right under the shifter).
6. Go to the passenger side and stick the plug of one of the cathodes through the bottom and behind of the center console. Look carefully, it's hard to see where to feed through. Shine a flashlight through one end to help. Once you see it it's easy. Next go back to the driver side, and grab the plug and plug it into the invertor. You can also plug the driver side cathode in. Then stick all wires up and out of the way. Use zipties, tape, whatever you can to make sure you can't see it or at least keep it out of the way. You don't want to step on it while driving!
7.Next replace all the trim panels making sure not to pinch any wires. Then take the velcro and put one piece on each side of the cathode. Test fit to make sure they will be out of the way for the driver especially, and also for the passenger (you don't want anyone kicking them do you??). Then stick em on with the opposite velcro piece.
8. Turn it on and admire the colors! Unless your colorblind or picked white of course. You can also feed wires through from anywhere else you want to place lights. You would just need to know how to remove whatever trim you need to go through.
I'll try to get some pics up to help explain a lot better once I hit the 15 post mark.
****Disclaimer: I am in no way responsible if you mess up your electronics in any way, you void your warranty, or if anything else extremely bad goes wrong. Modify at your own risk****
All work was performed on a 2004 Civic EX Sedan...
This is a DIY for installing Cold Cathodes or LEDS into your car without showing any wires. This way you don't plug into the cigarette lighter, plus Cold Cathodes are way cheaper. I paid a total of $10.51 at Fry's for a pair of 12" blue lights, wire, a switch, a power invertor and velcro. Best of all, it was all in the same box.
1. First, remove the two dash pieces under the steering wheel, as well as the single trim piece on the passenger side. They are pretty easy to get out, the driver's side has some ***** you turn, and then you pull, the passenger side you just pull down and it comes right out.
2. My cold cathode kit came with wiring, yellow, black, and red. Since they were meant for a computer, I had to cut off the plugs. First, you will want to make sure the ground wire is long enough to reach from the left side of the car to the center console. If yours isn't long enough like mine was, you will have to find a longer wire, or do what I did and splice some extra wire from the plugs I cut off. You can use some wire caps or just use electrical tape, I suggest using some type of cap because tape will eventually come off, and it just looks cleaner.
3. For power, you have to find a suitable fuse in the fuse box located where your right knee would be. I suggest disconnecting the battery to prevent damage to the car or yourself. Since I don't have pics, I can't show you which one I used, but it is the ACC fuse. This way, you can turn the lights on without the key in the ignition(say your searching for something on the floor?). Or you can use whatever one you prefer. Take out the fuse and wrap the open ended segment of the yellow wire around one of the prongs, then shove it back into the box.
4. Take the end of your black wire (the ground) and find a screw to mount it on. I used the one right above the trim that covers your hood release. It's easier to see with a flashlight. Unscrew it and wrap the black wire around it, make sure to replace the ground that was originally on there. Even better would be to find a connector exactly like the one you see already attached, and plug your ground into that. It's much cleaner that way.
5. Next you have to feed the power switch somewhere. I didn't want to make any holes, and I was in a rush when i did mine so I just fed it behind the center console and popped it out between the carpet and the trim about halfway down the console (right under the shifter).
6. Go to the passenger side and stick the plug of one of the cathodes through the bottom and behind of the center console. Look carefully, it's hard to see where to feed through. Shine a flashlight through one end to help. Once you see it it's easy. Next go back to the driver side, and grab the plug and plug it into the invertor. You can also plug the driver side cathode in. Then stick all wires up and out of the way. Use zipties, tape, whatever you can to make sure you can't see it or at least keep it out of the way. You don't want to step on it while driving!
7.Next replace all the trim panels making sure not to pinch any wires. Then take the velcro and put one piece on each side of the cathode. Test fit to make sure they will be out of the way for the driver especially, and also for the passenger (you don't want anyone kicking them do you??). Then stick em on with the opposite velcro piece.
8. Turn it on and admire the colors! Unless your colorblind or picked white of course. You can also feed wires through from anywhere else you want to place lights. You would just need to know how to remove whatever trim you need to go through.
I'll try to get some pics up to help explain a lot better once I hit the 15 post mark.
****Disclaimer: I am in no way responsible if you mess up your electronics in any way, you void your warranty, or if anything else extremely bad goes wrong. Modify at your own risk****
uhh, nice DIY but post more so you can show pics. Alot of people arent interested because of all the text, and simply cuz there is so many types of LED configurations for the interior that people dont know which one your are DIY-ing on.
Thanks for the write-up though, it'll probably spark some ideas too.
POST PICS PLEASE!
Thanks for the write-up though, it'll probably spark some ideas too.
POST PICS PLEASE!
Joined: Nov 2005
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From: Southeast Texas
Rep Power: 257 
This was covered within the past 2 days.
http://www.7thgencivic.com/forums/sh...d.php?t=276884
I'm not flaming or anything, but wrapping a wire around a fuse blade and then shoving it back in is not the "cleanest" or I'm sure, safest thing to do. They have things called "Add-A-Circuit" which is a whole lot cleaner and safer to use.
http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/showd...number=071-580
http://www.7thgencivic.com/forums/sh...d.php?t=276884
I'm not flaming or anything, but wrapping a wire around a fuse blade and then shoving it back in is not the "cleanest" or I'm sure, safest thing to do. They have things called "Add-A-Circuit" which is a whole lot cleaner and safer to use.
http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/showd...number=071-580
Joined: Aug 2006
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From: Charlotte
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Originally Posted by DDragon7
Can someone write up how to do make it light up with dome lights and to keep a switch to turn it on when the doors are closed like the overhead dome light.
Im electrical illiterate.
Im electrical illiterate.
Registered!!
Joined: Aug 2005
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From: Ottawa
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Originally Posted by electric130
get a standard relay and wire the coil to the power of the light, then run your CC power wire across the contacts of the relay. you could either use the dome light switch or a seperate switch to have it on when the doors are shut. if seperate, use the same power as your CC power and go to a switch, then back to the coil of the relay. if you didn't want your dome light to come on with this function, a blocking diode could be used.
That didnt make much sence to me, since I dont know jack about electrical systems or their components.
Joined: Aug 2006
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From: Charlotte
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Originally Posted by DDragon7
That didnt make much sence to me, since I dont know jack about electrical systems or their components.
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 2,978
Likes: 4
From: Charlotte
Rep Power: 291
Originally Posted by DDragon7
Yeah that's what Im afraid too.
Joined: Aug 2006
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From: Portland, Oregon
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