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02-18-2010, 01:34 AM | #1 |
Drives: '14 GT86, '08 Vitz Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Central Valley, CA
Posts: 9,873
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Would It Be Possible?
I would like to use twp these: http://www.v-leds.com/Interior-LED/D...74230-1-3.html
for footwell lighting in my sedan. Is it possible to just splice into the dome light wire, or would there be something else needed to be done? I'm also planning on sticking the leads into a 194 holder and using it in my trunk as well. That should be no problem, right? |
02-18-2010, 02:07 AM | #2 |
Drives: Yaris Sedan 5MT Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: SoCal
Posts: 865
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You'll need to check the total voltage and load so you won't fry any wires. Best thing to do is to find a different power source like the cigarette lighter and use the dome as a relay to turn on that power.
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02-18-2010, 02:38 AM | #3 |
Drives: '14 GT86, '08 Vitz Join Date: Dec 2006
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How easy would that be? TIA.
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02-18-2010, 02:52 AM | #4 |
Drives: Yaris Sedan 5MT Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: SoCal
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The checking?...someone with more knowledge about that will hopefully chime in. The wiring?> quite easy, just the extra step of putting in the relay, same wiring and splicing techniques, it just draws power from the other source with input from the dome light.
I would do it for safety sake, more load on something not meant for the extra load spells troubles and headaches for me.
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02-18-2010, 09:38 AM | #5 | |
Drives: 07 Yaris 3dr LB (Bayou Blue) Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: Raleigh, NC
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If I remember correctly, the cigarette lighter only supplys power when the key is turned to accessory or maybe only if the car is on?
I ran into this problem with my ipod not charging while I left my car.... Soooo if you only want them on when the car is running then you wouldnt have to splice them into anything and they would just turn on with the car.... no cool dome effect tho :(
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02-18-2010, 12:17 PM | #6 |
I think leds take hardly any power. And the dome light circuit is fused so if anything the fuse would blow before any wiring would melt.
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02-18-2010, 02:21 PM | #7 |
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They would be fine. If you want them to be switched with the dome and to fade like the dome, see this post from a prior thread:
http://www.yarisworld.com/forums/sho...0&postcount=14 You would tie the (+) lead of the LED strips to the blue wire and the (-) lead to the pink wire. |
02-18-2010, 04:33 PM | #8 |
Audio Junky
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the draw from some LED's will not be an issue in reality... but to get technical, it is always best to use a new run of wire for your power & ground... people every year toast cars because they don't understand about heat & resistance of wires.
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02-18-2010, 11:25 PM | #9 | |
Drives: '14 GT86, '08 Vitz Join Date: Dec 2006
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02-19-2010, 07:51 AM | #10 | |
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If you wanted to be super safe, you would add a fuse between your tap point and the LED strings that is appropriately rated for the current draw of the LEDs and the current carrying capacity of the wires that feed them. 24 AWG wire (which would be typically the smallest wire size for the leads of strips like those) is rated for 2.1A enclosed or 3.5A free-air. The LED strips would draw less than 0.25A per strip, so you could add a 2A inline fuse and be safe for the wire size. The 2A fuse would allow you to connect up to 8 of the strips. When you have a huge discrepancy, like tapping a 50A fused circuit with 24 AWG wire, is where you really run into the issue that talnlnky is talking about. In that case, if you shorted your 24 AWG wires, the 50A fuse would need to pop, but the 24 AWG wires aren't rated for anywhere near 50A, so they would fail before the fuse, potentially catastrophically (i.e. fire). |
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02-19-2010, 11:55 AM | #11 |
You could also replace the dome light bulb with LED that should cut down on the draw on the circuit to help offset the led strips your adding too.
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02-19-2010, 04:31 PM | #12 | |
Drives: '14 GT86, '08 Vitz Join Date: Dec 2006
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02-19-2010, 04:33 PM | #13 |
Drives: '14 GT86, '08 Vitz Join Date: Dec 2006
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hahaha, replaced my map and dome lights with HiLEDs a long time ago. My trunk has a crappy single LED, so I'm going to remove that LED from the 194 holder, and insert the LED strip I mentioned earlier into it, and use it in my trunk. My license plate bulbs are also HiLEDs as well. hahaha. The only thing short of LEDs is my taillights. hahaha.
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02-19-2010, 04:44 PM | #14 | |
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02-19-2010, 04:46 PM | #15 |
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Would this work? http://www.v-leds.com/BlinkerWarning...20629-1-3.html
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02-19-2010, 04:49 PM | #16 | |
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So, I should order at least 4 of those tap/splice connectors? They're sold in pairs on v-leds. |
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02-19-2010, 05:00 PM | #17 | |
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The splice connectors from v-leds are rated for 18-16AWG wire (which is correct for the car's wires that you are tapping onto). If the led strips have leads in that same size range, then you are OK. If they are smaller (24 - 20 AWG), then you would want tap splices that accommodate both (22 - 18 AWG for example). Auto parts stores typically carry a variety of tap splices. |
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02-19-2010, 05:39 PM | #18 | |
Drives: '14 GT86, '08 Vitz Join Date: Dec 2006
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