LED wiring, door activated?

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drumstyk1

Member - Posts: 3

Joined: September 27, 2004

Location: United States

Posted: September 27, 2004 at 2:07 AM / IP Logged

I want to put some blue accent lights to light up the floorboards in my 2001 f150. I have done a little research and it seems like i need some 12v LEDs such as these: http:///.com/ebaymotors/dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=7924820430&category=33713

Is it possible to wire these to only come on when i open my door or at very least when i turn on my head lights?? My first choice would be to light up when i open either door and turn off when i close it. I am not sure how many i need to accomplish this , but i am thinking possible 3 LEDs for driver side and 3 for passenger. I have basic knowledge of series and parallel but would love any suggestions/help.

email: drumstyk1@hotmail.com

AIM: drumstyk1

THANKS SO MUCH!!

Eric

justinthurn

Member - Posts: 24

Joined: December 04, 2002

Location: United States

Posted: September 27, 2004 at 5:42 PM / IP Logged

it is very possible and very easy to do. the toughest part is tapping into the dome light wire. it can be found directly at the dome light or running somewhere else like drivers kick panel. i did some quick searching but couldnt find anything. for a Super Duty it is a black and blue wire right at either door sill. with a little searching and patience you should be able to find it online. as for the led's you could get these, they appear to be surface mount so they wont look good if you can see them. or you could use regular individual led's mounted with little plastic clips, basically drill a 1/4" hole and stick the led through. wire them in series usually 1-4 in each circuit you end up with 1-4 lights and 1 resistor. here is a formula for calculating the resistance needed.

Calculation of resistors :

(Supplyvoltage - LED-voltage)/LED-current = Resistor

Example : Supply-Voltage = 20 Volt ,LED-Voltage = 3Volt

LED-Current = 20mA => (20V - 3V)/0,02A = 850 Ohm.

Use .5 or 1 Watt resistors

hope this helps. a search on google for LED basics turns up a lot of info.

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Platinum - Posts: 5,352

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Joined: November 01, 2003

Location: Alberta, Canada

Posted: September 27, 2004 at 6:32 PM / IP Logged

Buy yourself an LED lighting kit from Varad. 2 wire hookup and simple simple to install. No resistors etc. To integrate into some doorpins a relay may be required. Still a simple task.

Top Secret, I can tell you but then my wife will kill me.

drumstyk1

Member - Posts: 3

Joined: September 27, 2004

Location: United States

Posted: September 28, 2004 at 7:46 PM / IP Logged

Those are both very helpful... I have been doing a little reading on relays and wiring and have come up with a few more questions:

LED or NEON? i have read a little about each and they seem to be practically the same thing. would a little neon tube be cheaper than a couple LEDs? How many LEDs would it take to make the floorboard solid blue (and now also thinking about putting a few in the little map holders in the doors ) Like this:

LED wiring, door activated? -- posted image.

My IDEAL setup for this would be the lights come on when the door is open and turn off when the door is shut as well as have a little switch to turn them on while the car is running if i want.

If i wire a few LED's (or neons) together in parallel (say 4 LEDs), i would need a resistor and relay right? If i fire them up and decide it is not enough light for me could i just tack on another LED or 2 in the chain or would i have to rewire them all? Can i/should i wire both the driver and passenger side lights all together to save from headaches?

THANK YOU GUYS SO MUCH...I CAN"T BELIEVE THIS IS FREE!!!

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Platinum - Posts: 5,352

Joined: November 01, 2003

Location: Alberta, Canada

Posted: September 28, 2004 at 8:15 PM / IP Logged

Led's are great for spot lighting or when used in close proximity a really bright area. Neon is quite cheap and lights up a much larger area with a much closer spread of light much more uniform in brightness.

Top Secret, I can tell you but then my wife will kill me.

drumstyk1

Member - Posts: 3

Joined: September 27, 2004

Location: United States

Posted: September 29, 2004 at 12:33 PM / IP Logged

Nice, I think it looks like neons are the way to go. Can neon tubes (10-12") be wired together without straining the battery?

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Platinum - Posts: 5,352

Joined: November 01, 2003

Location: Alberta, Canada

Posted: September 29, 2004 at 12:51 PM / IP Logged

Neons can be wired together and are also a simple two wire hookup. They draw very little current and can be powered off of a 12 volt cordless drill battery for a looooong time. I would not expect a issue with a vehicle battery at all.

Top Secret, I can tell you but then my wife will kill me.

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LED wiring, door activated?

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