new dome lights with new switch wiring

Ok guys here is what i got. I have a 97 nissan pickup. What i did was replace the single dome light with 4 cold cathodes. There are 3 wires going to the old dome light. RED / black, RED / green, and black. These wires are for the door pin switches that control the on/off/door function of the dome light. What I am trying to do is have the new dome lights come on when either of my door is open; be able to turn the lights off while either door is open, and be able to turn the lights on while the doors are closed. I did some testing and these are my results: RED / green - 12v constant RED / black - not sure (i know its negative though) black - negative/ground i have 12v between: RED / green and black       RED / green and RED / black but i can't figure out the wiring for my switch. I don't even know if what i want is possible with what i have. I'm just using a 3 prong switch its an automotive switch with an LED. One of these. any help is appreciated! Thanks! -ajan246

Without looking wiring figs nor knowing your model etc, the RED / black is probably the door switch. I presume your exiting dome switch selects off, door, or on - the same as you want. If so, no wiring changes are required. If you want a remote "master on" switch, parallel the door or "on" switching. For master off, you need to break the connection - probably power. Most door switches are single-wire grounding, but can be 2-wire and either grounded or hot (+12V). See also led triggered by dome light and on/off/on (page 2) that has the image below.

can anyone explain this diagram? I'm not sure what i'm looking at.

The left side might be the same as your vehicle's wiring. The RHS is the added LED or LEDs with resistor, and a 3-position switch for on, off and whatever the dome selector switch is (that's with the RHS switch as it wipes from right (3) to left (1)). If instead you want on, off & door, then connect the leftmost (1) of the RHS switch to the door switch(es) - ie, middle terminal of the dome selector switch (assuming it has 3 positions - namely off, door & on).

can anyone explain what the lighting rods is? also where is that 12v zig zag attached to? also did anyone oldspark way to wire the switch to the led's and dome?

has anybody used this method to turn their interior light like this...if you did does it work like this Dome off +switch off = no light Dome off + switch on = light Dome on + switch OFF = light

also is oldspark setup can only be use with a 3 way switch....or can i use a 2 way switch

does anyone know how high of a resistor i need to get

97accord wrote: has anybody used this method to turn their interior light like this...if you did does it work like this

If using my diagram, it'll be: Dome off + switch off = no dome nor LED Dome off + switch on = LED Dome on + switch OFF = dome Dome on + switch on = dome & LED. Dome = door etc - as above where ON = door open (switch closed to ground). This should be explained in the link - IE - assume the left side is the normal Dome wiring. The extra RHS 3-position switch is for LEDs to (1) light with dome; (2) be off; (3) be on.      Use a 2-way switch if one of the above positions is not necessary. If the LEDs are ~3-3.4V, you might not need a resistor. Assuming you have the 4 LEDs in series, and Vf is the LED voltage drop at current I (eg, 1.7V or 3.4V @ 20mA = 0.02A), and VS is the supply voltage, then the resistor size required is (from V=IR =>R=V/I): R (Ohms) = (VS - 4xVf)/I EG assume worst case: R = (15 - 4x3.4)/0.02 = (15 - 13.6)/0.02 = 1.4 / 0.02 = 70 Ohm. Hence use nearest preferred value of 68 Ohms or 82 Ohms. The resistor's power rating should be I x I x R EG = .02 x .02 x 82 = 0.03W, hence a 1/2W (recommended size) is ample. Although 1/8W = 0.125W is also ample, they are physically small etc.