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Wiring LEDs up to a switch box

9K views 62 replies 4 participants last post by  S2 
#1 · (Edited)
OK, this is my plan for my LEDs when I get them. I plan to have a switch box with 4 switches above my CD player hooked up to my lights. I'm more than likely going to buy 4 Varad LEDs HERE but I have no clue where to get the switch box. Ive looked on eBay before and found some that were like what I wanted, but they dont seem to have them now. Does anyone know of a site with instructions on how to hook them up to the switch box and install the switch box....and maybe a site were i can buy a switch box??

thanks!! [:)]

Edit: I found this switch box on eBay: SWITCH BOX or SWITCH BOX w/LEDs
 
#2 ·
I'd just make my own to be honest with you. You can easily make something to cover that space above your CD player (assuming you got a single DIN sized aftermarket one) and just put the switches in that. Also, switches are very easy to install. It's basic wiring, how come you are planning on 4 switches? One for each light seems like what you are planning. You basically just wire up the LEDs according to the instructions and wire up the switch along with it for each one.

I'll see if I can find a wiring diagram for you, back soon......
 
#3 ·
Thanks. Some of my friends said that it would be easy to make a switch box, but I didnt have a clue on where to start and they didnt seem to offer much help [:p] Yes I have a single DIN aftermarket HU, and I was planning on one switch per light, but then I started thinking after reading a few other threads, about hooking up 2 lights per switch (if that's possible) or hooking them up to my parking light switch like someone else said they were wanting to do. Thanks S2.
 
#5 · (Edited)
I would stay away from wiring them up to your parking light switch for the fact that interior neons/leds can get very annoying if your driving on the highway at night when it's really dark outside. I always have to shut my neons off inside the car when I am on the highway into the late hours. I never use my undercar neons for the record, I want to get rid of them actually.

I'll look for a wiring diagram right now......
 
#7 ·
Can't find a wiring diagram yet but I will try to explain it.

You need a SPST (single pole, single throw) switch and basically your wiring is as follows, wire from + battery (or wherever your getting your power from) to switch lead, wire from other switch lead to LED anode (+), wire from LED cathode (-) to ground.
 
#9 ·
S2 said:
Can't find a wiring diagram yet but I will try to explain it.

You need a SPST (single pole, single throw) switch and basically your wiring is as follows, wire from + battery (or wherever your getting your power from) to switch lead, wire from other switch lead to LED anode (+), wire from LED cathode (-) to ground.
Wow post whoring here....lol

Anyway, you would do the above wiring four times if you wanted them all on different switches. If you wanted them on two switches, just splice in the two front ones to the one switch and the two back ones to the other switch. If only to one switch, all spliced together.

You know what I mean right?
 
#10 ·
OK thanks. I remember reading somewhere that there is a fuse panel somewhere in the car that you could hook up the switches to. Is the fuse panel on the drivers side, on the left at the bottom??

If not, how would I hook the switch panel to the battery? Hooking up the LEDs to the switches doesnt sound that hard. Yeah I think I get what you are saying about splicing. Just cut off the cigarette adapter, then there will be two wires free, split them and the positive goes to the positive on the back of the switch, and the negative goes to the negative on the back of the switch. If I wanted to hook up two lights to one switch, just put both positives on one positive on the back of the switch and the same for the negative. Or am I way off???? lol!

Edit: no wait, i went back and read your instructions, and it sounds like im way off.....[???:)]
 
#11 ·
Yeah it's the fuse panel on the drivers side, there is a door covering it. That is actually where I installed the switches that I use for my exterior and interior neons. I just drilled through it, that way if I ever want to get rid of it all, I just need to get a new fuse panel door, very cheap.

You are right about how to splice them together, just join up all the postive ones from the LEDS and attach them accordingly, same as the negative ones. I would leave the cigarette lighter along and just run some new ground and postive wires..... you never know if you might need the cigarette lighter to charge a cell phone or whatever......

Also, when you wire up anything, DISCONNECT THE BATTERY. Best advice I can give you, it's less painful, especially when wiring up a transformer for the undercar neons (PM me if you want to know what happenned....lol).....
 
#12 ·
heh, I'm not planning to put an underbody kit on my car anytime soon because they are illegal here, but thanks for the advice.

I wasnt saying get rid of the actual charger, I mean cut the adapter end off of the neons if it comes with the adapter on the end of the wire.....

How would I hook up the wires to the fuses??? These are the LEDs I'm planning on buying: Link To LEDs

(sorry for all the questions, but im clueless. thanks for all the help S2! Do you have AIM?)
 
#13 ·
ya so how do you attach the pos wire to the pos batary terminal? and then you ground the neg? how? and if the led's have a cig lighter plug in on them, you snip that off and atach one to the positive and one to the neg on the back of the switch. and then connect the pos from the bat to the pos from the led on the back of the switch. same for the neg. neg from ground to the neg from led at the switch? i think i have in making sense in my noggin. is that right? and help with the first two q's. patience, i am all thumbs with electric!!
 
#14 ·
I just use Yahoo Messenger, can't use MSN (don't like it cause it links itself to your Windows XP profiles which totally is *******) and I don't got AIM. You can also email me at s2steeda@yahoo.com

Yeah you would cut off the cigaratte lighter adapter plug off all the led tubes and splice/wire them together....

As far as hooking them up to the fuses, I will reply back to you when I get home, just leaving work right now....
 
#16 ·
ps. i have led spotlights now pointed at the floor both front and rear to light up the foot area. i want to put them in the vents, to make them glo. i also want to put tubes in the foot areas now. the spots currently four of them are in the cig lighter, and wires hidden (sept for the length to reach the lighter) under the center console. they pop out along side the seat where i have a multi cig adaptor to hold the extra cig plug in, then re hidden til they pop out just a lil for the two lights in the back. done a year ago before i was even near daring enough to attemp a real switch set like i want now. i am over the ghetto light set-up
 
#17 ·
Yeah, i never wanted to use a cigarette lighter spliter adapter cuz I think that would just look dumb in my car. I saw those switch boxes and it gave me the idea. I'm planning on putting two LEDs under the dash in the front, one under the drivers side, one under the passengers side. Then I'm going to put two in the back next to the seats: one on the left, one on the right.

Also, what if the wires arent long enough to reach up to the front? and how do you hide the wires?? Just tuck them in places?? I was thinking about putting the ones in the back with the wires facing towards the back of the car and then bringing them up through the middle under the seats and center console. and then the front ones dont seem to hard to hide.
 
#18 ·
with the rear i think the popular move is under the carpet to the front. along side the seats you say? i was going with a longer tube mounted just below the bottom of the rear butt cushion. kinda hidden but can shine the whole area. and then under the carpet with the wire to the front switch, once i figure that out. were you putting ur's in the threshold of the rear doors? that might be at risk for an accedental foot bash.
 
#20 ·
XfocusX said:
with the rear i think the popular move is under the carpet to the front. along side the seats you say? i was going with a longer tube mounted just below the bottom of the rear butt cushion. kinda hidden but can shine the whole area. and then under the carpet with the wire to the front switch, once i figure that out. were you putting ur's in the threshold of the rear doors? that might be at risk for an accedental foot bash.
I was thinking about putting the lights under the seats too, but then I noticed there was some room between the seats and the side of the car on each side, and I think it would be an awesome place for the lights...

Nah I wasnt thinkin about the threshold because I know the ppl who get in and out of my car [:p]

Thanks S2!! I dont have Yahoo messenger, it keeps getting deleted off my comp, but I'll see if I can find it.
 
#22 ·
Ok, this might be a long post but here goes.....

With any LED application the main goal, or at least IMO, is to 'hide' the light rods. You want to make it so you don't see the actual LED, you want to see the 'glow' from them. Under the dash is easy (zip straps/ties will be your best friend) and the same goes for the rear passenger floor ones (you can zip them to the back bottom frame of the seat. Just make sure the rear passengers don't like playing 'footsies' with the bottom of the seats. So we got to where you should probably install the tubes. Best thing to do with hiding wires is to run them under the carpet if possible or in this case it will be easier to just run them along the center console. You can remove the entire center console very easily, a few screws here and there (two in the cup holders) and one in the back cup holder (hidden by a little cover you can pry up). If you have an armrest you have to remove that first, then there are some screws inside there I think, can't remember but it's very very basic dismantling of the center console. If anyone installed their own short throw shifter they know what I am talking about.

Anyway, once you get that all out of the way, run the wires from the back tubes up under the seat rail (very important cause you don't want to 'slide' the seat back over the wires) and up towards the center console. You can then run the wires up between the seats. Make sure you keep the wires away from the shift linkage and anything else in there. Use zip straps to tie them to other 'things' along the way to keep the wires in place. If the wires are not long enough, all you need to do is get a similar type wire (same gauge, if you don't know what I mean, take the led and wire down to an automotive shop, tell them what you are doing and they will help you find the right wire). You will also need some 'butt connectors', yes that is what they are called for the same gauge wire you have. A wiring tool (used to crimp the butt connectors and to strip back the rubber around the wire) works awesome right about now but you can always do it the Canadian way (not recommended) and use your teeth to strip the wire and use some old pliers to crimp the butt connector. Anyway...lol... you get the idea. If the wire is to short, strip back about a 1/4", little less of the rubber on the LED wire and do the same on the new wire. Slide the stripped LED wire into one end of the butt connector and then slide the stripped new wire into the other end. While holding them in the butt connector (make sure the rubber is flush with the ends of the butt connector so you don't have the possibility of shorting it all out) and crimp the butt connector at each end then at the middle. When you crimp it, the steel shaft inside the butt connector compresses and 'traps' both ends of the wire inside and also cause it's steel, can conduct electricity between the two. Anyway that is how to extend the wires. Now to the fronts.

Same as the backs, get all the wires run to where you want, eventually you want all the wires run up together to the same spot near the front near the cup holders but below them. Find out where you want the switch to go and use the amount of wire you need, plus a little extra to get the switch to that spot. Also, wherever you are planning on putting the switch or switches is up to you (I still recommend putting them in the fuse panel door on the dash just below the headlight switch on the drivers side and I also recommend using one switch for all the interior lights) but anyway, you are going to want to run the postive LED wires together (if your using one switch) and if your using two, run the two front LED postive wires together and the two back LED postive wires together (twist them together). Next, you are going to want to wire ALL the negative LED wires together and ground them in the same place. Easiest would be to find another ground wire and splice into that ground (usually you can just unscrew the screw or bolt holding it down and wrap the wire around it). What you want to have is all the ground wires twisted together. You can buy an 'end' to put on the wires that are twisted together (electrical pieces, you can buy them where you buy the wire) there is one that has a ring of steel and a plastic end piece that is what you would crimp after you slip it on the ends of the twisted wire (called a ring terminal). You want to basically get a good ground, if you make your own, scrape the paint off the metal surface so that there is a metal to metal contact with the ring terminal on the twisted wire and the steel of the car. Use a self tapping screw and your done. You can also ground it to the battery (negative terminal '-') or like I said and the preferred way, find a ground to ground it to that is already there. Anyway.... lets sum things up so far....

You got your ground in place, you got your positive wires twisted together. You need to connect the positive LED wires to the switch. Most switches it doesn't matter what end you put the positive LED wires on. If you use a 'lighted' switch you will have three terminals (PM me if you need to know about that) but anyway, attach the LED wires to the switch (using those typical electrical wire ends (also depends on the switch. You can also solder them on to the switch as well, there are many ways. Once that is in place (if one switch, all LED postive wires to one terminal on the switch) and (if two switches, two LED front positive wires twisted together to one terminal on one switch and the two LED back positive wires twisted together to one terminal on the other switch).

Anyway so what you have now is all the LED wires are hooked up to something. You got all the LED negative wires grounded together to the chasis and you got the LED positive wires run to the switch or switches.

Now you need to get power to the LED tubes.... ok finger break... back in the next post.....
 
#23 ·
Now you need to get power to the LED tubes. You can do this two ways. The first way, you can run a wire directly from the battery. All you need is a ring terminal, like the same kind you used when you ran the ground, some wire of course and an inline fuse (not sure how big to get, maybe ask the shop guy when you go to buy the wire and all that other stuff). You will want to feed the wire though the firewall, there is a rubber grommet that will have wires going from the engine bay into the inside of the car, you will have to find it and basically what you want is to run the wire though from the engine bay. Obviously like I stated, your batter would be unhooked before you do this. Anyway, attach the ring terminal to the wire (1/4" or less stripped wire pushed into the ring terminal and then crimped) and then the ring terminal to the bolt holding the 'vehicle wires' to the positive terminal on the battery but don't connect the battery back up to the terminal til the end, got it. Next run the other end of the wire about maybe 12"-15" away from the battery and install the inline fuse using butt connectors. It should be common sense by now how to use those. You might also want to put some wire loom (plastic cover over the wire to protect it) and zip strap it in place away from any other components under the hood. Once that is done, run the wire coming out of the other side of the inline fuse through the firewall and up to the other terminal of the switch. Mount the switch, get all the wires all zip strapped securely out of the way. Then go and connect the battery and 'test' your new LEDs. If they work, put the console back together and you should be done.

Next post will be how to wire the power up through the fuse panel.....
 
#24 ·
If your going to pull in power from the fuse panel under the dash (which works also) you are going to probably have to do some research as to which fuse to 'tie' into. You might want to ask SA_PYRO_NE who is the moderator for the car stereo (ICE) section of this board. Anyway, whatever fuse you do tie into, you can use a male (yes male and female come into play here) terminal onto the end of the LED postive wires. That wire will be 'jammed' for the lack of a better word in where the fuse under the dash goes into the groove it sits in if that makes sense. I have seen some people put an inline fuse in between the LED postive twisted wires and the male terminal before also.

Honestly, I always just run power from the battery cause I don't like 'tapping' into the fuse panel. It does work but I prefer not to do it. To be honest, maybe ask someone else how to do that one. I have done it before like I posted above but like I said, I prefer to just not mess with the fuse panel and just run straight from the battery.

Hope this helps or give you a good idea anyway. My fingers are killing me from all the typing and I am sure I could have just found a link on the net somewhere but this one is geared to what you are actually planning on doing. Anyway, post back if you have questions and if anyone wants to add anything else to this, please feel free.....
 
#25 ·
looks good, love the mini-series format. reading it it is kinda still out there for me cuz i am not electricly inclined but i printed it and am going to get help from a friend who is into electrical stuff, so it should be fine. thanks alot and a lil ice, tape, and elevate on those sore fingers! ;)
 
#26 ·
Just reading over what I posted and there are some 'gaps' in the information.... hard to type all that at once..... see if it makes sense and I will try to edit it, everything is listed as far as I know, rereading it right now but the 'process' is off.....

Like I said, it's going to be a LONG email!!
 
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