Hardwire Interior Illumination w/ Lighted Switch
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Hardwire Interior Illumination w/ Lighted Switch
I am trying to hardwire blue LED lights from my battery to both my footwells and an LED touch screen switch. It is easy to install interior illumination off the battery, but considering the switch is lighted it will kill my battery. So my question is how would I hardwire my interior illumination with a lighted switch?...Any help would be truly appreciated...Thanks...
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Run 2 wires from your battery (positive and ground)...can be whatever gauge you please...i've done anywhere from 12-18 gauge.
You can wrap the copper ends of the wire around a washer and attach it to your battery terminals for a solid connection.
Underneath the passenger side carpet is your firewall...cut it out with a knife (be careful lol) and run your wires through there. Do a nice wire-tuck so that the wires don't interfere with the drive shafts or any moving parts in your engine bay.
The easiest and most proffessional place to place a light switch for me has always been that little pop out plastic cover right next to your DC outlet. To pull out that plastic piece as a whole simply work around it with a knife edge.
Once that's out theres a small plastic tab inside that whole where you simply apply pressure to bring out the entire plastic portion.
Grab a drill or dremel, mount a simple "ON/OFF" switch that you can pickup from autozone for like .99 cents and drill a hole into that plastic cover tab that you pulled out.
Clean up, put all your plastic pieces back together and you have a badass little light switch. I've done so much as put x2 switches there...one for my interior glows and another for my exterior.
Hope that helps!
You can wrap the copper ends of the wire around a washer and attach it to your battery terminals for a solid connection.
Underneath the passenger side carpet is your firewall...cut it out with a knife (be careful lol) and run your wires through there. Do a nice wire-tuck so that the wires don't interfere with the drive shafts or any moving parts in your engine bay.
The easiest and most proffessional place to place a light switch for me has always been that little pop out plastic cover right next to your DC outlet. To pull out that plastic piece as a whole simply work around it with a knife edge.
Once that's out theres a small plastic tab inside that whole where you simply apply pressure to bring out the entire plastic portion.
Grab a drill or dremel, mount a simple "ON/OFF" switch that you can pickup from autozone for like .99 cents and drill a hole into that plastic cover tab that you pulled out.
Clean up, put all your plastic pieces back together and you have a badass little light switch. I've done so much as put x2 switches there...one for my interior glows and another for my exterior.
Hope that helps!
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Yeah since the switch is lighted it will constantly be on considering it is hardwired directly to the battery, so I don't know what to do.
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Run 2 wires from your battery (positive and ground)...can be whatever gauge you please...i've done anywhere from 12-18 gauge.
You can wrap the copper ends of the wire around a washer and attach it to your battery terminals for a solid connection.
Underneath the passenger side carpet is your firewall...cut it out with a knife (be careful lol) and run your wires through there. Do a nice wire-tuck so that the wires don't interfere with the drive shafts or any moving parts in your engine bay.
The easiest and most proffessional place to place a light switch for me has always been that little pop out plastic cover right next to your DC outlet. To pull out that plastic piece as a whole simply work around it with a knife edge.
Once that's out theres a small plastic tab inside that whole where you simply apply pressure to bring out the entire plastic portion.
Grab a drill or dremel, mount a simple "ON/OFF" switch that you can pickup from autozone for like .99 cents and drill a hole into that plastic cover tab that you pulled out.
Clean up, put all your plastic pieces back together and you have a badass little light switch. I've done so much as put x2 switches there...one for my interior glows and another for my exterior.
Hope that helps!
You can wrap the copper ends of the wire around a washer and attach it to your battery terminals for a solid connection.
Underneath the passenger side carpet is your firewall...cut it out with a knife (be careful lol) and run your wires through there. Do a nice wire-tuck so that the wires don't interfere with the drive shafts or any moving parts in your engine bay.
The easiest and most proffessional place to place a light switch for me has always been that little pop out plastic cover right next to your DC outlet. To pull out that plastic piece as a whole simply work around it with a knife edge.
Once that's out theres a small plastic tab inside that whole where you simply apply pressure to bring out the entire plastic portion.
Grab a drill or dremel, mount a simple "ON/OFF" switch that you can pickup from autozone for like .99 cents and drill a hole into that plastic cover tab that you pulled out.
Clean up, put all your plastic pieces back together and you have a badass little light switch. I've done so much as put x2 switches there...one for my interior glows and another for my exterior.
Hope that helps!
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Re: Hardwire Interior Illumination w/ Lighted Switch
I think you might be confused. A lighted switch has an led in it which would only be lighted when the switch is turned to the on position. If the switch is off, there should be no connection made inside for the power to flow through.
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hmm possible...thing is with the switch I want to use it is touch screen...with a blue on led light and a red off led light....so wouldn't it still be feeding off the battery?...that's why I'm wondering if there are any options or things to do other than just getting a diff. switch...
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James is right...that LED diode inside the switch should only light up when power is running through it. If the switch is soldered correctly then when the switch is in the off it should terminate all power running through the circuit completely.
If it's still running when the switch is off, take the switch out and pull it apart...the switch should have 2 to 3 contacts (little pins) in the back or more. If the light is coming on while your car is off then the switch needs to be rewired. Play around with 2 wires and hook up that switch to a 9v battery until you find out the pattern it needs to be.
If it's still running when the switch is off, take the switch out and pull it apart...the switch should have 2 to 3 contacts (little pins) in the back or more. If the light is coming on while your car is off then the switch needs to be rewired. Play around with 2 wires and hook up that switch to a 9v battery until you find out the pattern it needs to be.
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Oh...it's one of those types. Reminds me of the light my grandfather used to have in his living room where it would light up red when off, but when turned on, the red light would go out and the lights in the room would go on.
Hmm...if you don't want to get another switch in place of that one, maybe you can hook up a hidden kill switch so when that is turned off, the power won't reach the lighted switch.
Hmm...if you don't want to get another switch in place of that one, maybe you can hook up a hidden kill switch so when that is turned off, the power won't reach the lighted switch.
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Appreciate all the help ya and was able to finish it today. I ended up hooking the wiring up to my cigarette/ auxiliary fuse so now when the car turns on the switch/ auxiliary fuse turns on....Works wonders...I'll post some pics soon.
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