Small LED install questions

[SlappyMcHappy]

Hello everyone - I am interested in installing two small LED's in the door handle area on each from passenger side door. The effect would be a backlit area in the compartment where the door handle sits. I know how to install them as far as getting the LEDs to sit inside the door the way I want...I just am not really sure to go about connecting these to a power source. I have searched and found a ton of information, but they all differ a little bit and I can't find a general concensus pointing to the best way to go about it. The LED's will run off a 12 volt power supply. Keep in mind, the wires will be running in the door panel and can be fed up to the dash if need be.Any suggestions?

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[ColonelPanic]

If you want to keep the LED's power from a source in the door instead of running the wires to the dash, you could easily just tap into the +12V lead for the power windows. That has been done, and would probably be the easiest route to take... The LED's will turn off with the window lock switch if you go that route.Otherwise, if you do decide to tackle running them into the dash, you have plenty of options. I have an Add-A-Circuit in the CIG fuse, giving me 12V switched with the ignition for my under-dash LED's and auto-dimming mirror. If you went that route, you could also add a switch to control them...Good luck to ya! LED's are fun... I've been thinking about adding some in the doors like you are wanting, but I just haven't convinced myself to drill through the door panels yet.

[cdFxer]

Unless your LED's have internal dropping ressistors, 12V will fry them. And LED smoke stinks! Check the package the LED's came in for operating voltage & current and size the resistor based on that. Dont forget to watch for current draw of the LED-you will probably need 1/4 watt or larger resistors. Dont waste money on precision resistors, you dont need that kind for this, just 5% resistors will be fine.Now for the easy way: http://derbytimer.com/led_res_calc.html(hope it was ok to post this link-not my website)Or if you prefer I could post the formulas..... edit: looks like that package was made for auto use, so they are probably safe for direct 12V use, sorry did not look at the package until now....

[SlappyMcHappy]

Quote, originally posted by ColonelPanic »If you want to keep the LED's power from a source in the door instead of running the wires to the dash, you could easily just tap into the +12V lead for the power windows. That has been done, and would probably be the easiest route to take... The LED's will turn off with the window lock switch if you go that route.Otherwise, if you do decide to tackle running them into the dash, you have plenty of options. I have an Add-A-Circuit in the CIG fuse, giving me 12V switched with the ignition for my under-dash LED's and auto-dimming mirror. If you went that route, you could also add a switch to control them...Good luck to ya! LED's are fun... I've been thinking about adding some in the doors like you are wanting, but I just haven't convinced myself to drill through the door panels yet. Hmmm...I like your idea of the dash run with a switch hooked up. Is there a way that I can hook several of these up to one "add-a-fuse" 12 volt switched circuit? I am not too knowledgeable of electricity and how it all works, but...I am looking for about 6 LED's to finally hooked up...2 in the door, and 4 more up fron under the dash in various spots. For each LED, I would ground by the LED and then run all of the positives lines to one spot (the switch mounted under dash). I would then just run one line from switch to 12 volt switched power supply.Is that possible?

[Jahntassa]

Yes, that's possible. And cdfxer, those are 12v regulated LEDs.. that's what I have in my door handles. I hooked mine into the 12v feeding the windows, so I didn't have to run new power lines.

[ColonelPanic]

Quote, originally posted by SlappyMcHappy »Is that possible? Tis certainly possible - and that's basically how I have mine wired. Ragingfish has a most excellent how-to here - it covers installing an auto-dimming mirror, but I think you'll find it useful: http://forums.genvibe.com/zerothread?id=7735 It covers all the dirty stuff for setting up the Add-A-Circuit in the fuse block under the dash on the driver's side. You could refer to that for figuring out the wiring. Have a look at that thread, pretty good stuff. A word of advice from me - I initially purchased the wrong Add-A-Circuit for my car, thinking it took the larger blade-style fuses. Instead, get the one with the miniature fuses (whatever their technical name is) instead.Basically in my car, I have an Add-A-Circuit connected to the CIG fuse, which is switched on only when the ignition is in ACC or ON. From there, the power splits off - part goes to my auto-dimming mirror, and another wire goes up to the area to the left of the wheel where I have my switch mounted for my under-dash LED's. From the output of the switch, I basically ran one wire down, then combined both positive wires going to the LED'S. I previously had 4 sets of 6-LED pods mounted under the dash, but went back to just one per side because wiring under there was getting a bit too excessive. I did route the ground wires for all of 'em back to the single point behind the kick panel on the driver's side instead of finding individual ground points. That probably wasn't the best way to do it, I should have looked for a ground on the passenger's side, but anyway... Not sure if the way I have anything set up is the best way at going about this, but it works. I have a rather low amperage fuse (3A) in the Add-A-Circuit, and everything connected probably draws only a fraction of that, so I haven't had any issues with overloading the circuit, blowing fuses, etc... Haven't burned anything up yet, so that's a bonus! I have some sort of degree in electronics, too bad I don't remember much of it. It would come in handy sometimes!I'd say you're on the right track as far as grounding goes... With the variety of locations you'll be adding LED's, wouldn't make sense to have one central point for ground.Most important part, be careful! Avoid working around the air bags, and don't get yourself or the car hurt! Take your time to do it right the first time, if you need help let us know... Some of this stuff I have found is rather frustrating if you do a sloppy install from the get-go. Good luck to you, and hopefully some of the gurus here can get you going in the right direction. We have plenty of good talent around here!

[Jahntassa]

Quote, originally posted by ColonelPanic »Most important part, be careful! Avoid working around the air bags, and don't get yourself or the car hurt! Take your time to do it right the first time, if you need help let us know... Some of this stuff I have found is rather frustrating if you do a sloppy install from the get-go. Absolutely! Avoid doing ANYTHING with a wire covered in a yellow plastic jacket, or plugging into a yellow connector. The yellow signifies the airbag system. Now, yellow insulation could be for anything, i'm talking about sleeves on the wires.As for the Add-a-fuse. You could use something as little as a 1 amp fuse. If you're just putting four LEDs on it, it probably wouldn't take that much.. When I installed my LEDs, I just drilled straight up into the door handle pocket. You need to be careful. I ripped up a little bit of the back doors because the keyless chuck decided to come in contact with the door panel itself. It's pretty easy to do, but as said, take your time.

[Celtic_Curse]

post pics when your done!!!

[nismo]

hey man, sorry to change the subject, but how's ur amp workin out for ya?Inder