alright well after installing my new seats i had to do something about the interior lighting,

here is a quick step by step procedure in installing mood lights

what you will need
1 or 2 led's
resistors
led holders
and the rest is tools obviously

first thing figure out how many led's you want to put, i put a chart to help you guys incase you wanted more then 1 or 2,
for one led you will need = a resistor or 620u and for 2 you will need 390u

second make the holes in the switch cover and slide a sleeve

connect + and - to the same place i connected it, ( when you turn off the car it will shut down after 15min) AND NO IT will not affect you battery at all , as far as i know you could have them on for 3 months and your batt would not be affected!

the plug everything in and your ready to go


btw
------------- -
led= O
----------------- +

the longer one is + on all led's

also it will be like this + led - + led - resistor -
u=resistor O=led (+power) +O-+O-u (to ground -)

 

more pics

 

hmmm interesting...

 

So if I understand this right, you are only adding two additional LEDs that will only turn on when the dome lights are on. I'm guessing you just wanted a different color to light up your car? BTW, are those the stock map lights, or are those also aftermarket LED replacements cause I'm pretty sure my '03 just has bulbs.

 

no i added the led's for my map light,

also the 2 led's i installed are ON at all times, it looks awesome at night!

 

********UPDATE*********

i had to remove everything and re-align the LEDS so they point towards the shifter
i did it by using a dremel on the black cap of the LED on a angle so the led is angled towards the shifter, i will update with some pics soon!
the way it shines off the shifter is sick!!

 

my wifes rabbit has red ones from the factory...its awsome!!

 

Been wanted to do that.
Was inspired by my bro-in-law's Lexus GS450....looks sweet.
Their footwell lighting stays lit as well...nice.

Subscribing for pix and step by step DIY

 

hmmm you need more step by step info? my first post is not clear?

let me know what questions you have and i could help you out


and what other pictures do you want?

 

Nah, 1st post is clear I'm just a duh when it comes to mods.
I plan on using 2 LED what is a 390u?
Are there any specific resistor I need for 2?
Where'd you get the led holders?


What degree of angle did you use to get the LED to shine on the shifter?
Is it a trial/error?

 

hmm i will take some detailed pics tonight to make it simple to do

 

Pretty neat! I always liked this feature on my sisters Volkswagen.

 

subscribing....

 

How did you get to those numbers? Most LEDs have specs of around 3.3V-3.6V @ 20-30mA. You couldn't use more than 3 of those the way you've described, you'd run out of voltage.

What are the specs on the LEDs your using?

I just built my own circuit to change the amber parking lights to white ones and ran into this problem. I used a LM317T voltage regulator in addition to resistors to filter out voltage spikes and noise for increased longevity.

Just interested in how you got your numbers. Looks like a cool project

 

I hate the bright *** OEM dome lights. They blind me every time. ZDomelight= FTL

 

Just start putting them in parallel and you can add as many as you want until you start pulling too much current from the battery, which should never happen with LEDs since they pull so little. Each parallel string of them should only be pulling 20mA.

You don't really need a voltage regulator with LEDs since they can handle momentary spikes. But if you want to spend the money, then that's up to you. Resistors have to be used with LEDs.

 

well thank you brad!

i will post a full charts tonight and a few diagrams to make is easier to understand

 

That is true, but the way he described it and posted it, they are wired in series. I was only asking for clarification so others would understand



Maybe slight fluctuations, but when the car is off, the voltage is ~12.3, when the car is running the voltage is ~14.3. That is a huge difference to a little LED. LEDs are not like resistors, the relationship between voltage and current is not linear, it is exponential. Look at the chart in this link to see what I mean.

I would rather spend the $0.64 on an LM317 to regulate the voltage and give me longevity than have to keep replacing LEDs.
Plus, the LEDs brightness will change with the car on and off without a voltage regulator, that would bother me.

I still would like the specs on the LEDs. The math just doesn't add up.

If you have source voltage as 12V, take the generic LED specs I posted earlier:

12V - 3.3V - 3.3V = 5.4V left to drop after the LEDs
To obtain 20mA you would need 5.4V/.020A = 270Ω

Maybe, technically a voltage regulator isn't needed, but to do it properly, and have the LEDs last, you should use one.

Just my thoughts. Anxious to see the chart though.

 

nope they dont change color with the car on or off, also i got the power from the dome light full of led's and they also dont change color

 

btw i dont know that much about this, i have very limited knowledge, its my father that always tells me what to do, he is the guru not me lol