Pulling the board out and removing the connectors:
I resoldered the connectors back on. To make it easier on myself (and because I had some extra lights with the same connectors) I used the smaller connector seen on the left:
This is what the container looks like without the board in it:
By using the smaller connector, I can use a 5/16" to pass it through. The pic here is for the front light that needs to holes.
I put a layer of silicon sealant around the inside and put the board back in, passing the connectors through the holes. I then put a glob sealant on the back side of the bracket filling in the hole.
A third one would be a good idea however there isn't any place to put it. Where they are now is really the only places they can go since that's where the indentations are. I chose to drill a hole and bolt them in place.
For as simple a mod as this is, I couldn't stop smiling. I was sitting outside hitting the button over and over. Oh, currently they are tapped into the dome light and will turn on any time the dome light goes on. I will change that one day.
Right now I only have the driver side done. But the right side will be a piece of cake.
i know it's probably fairly basic, but any chance you can whack up a basic wiring diagram for the likes of me (who's new to the whole auto mod'ing business!) would be greatly appreciated.
I second that question. Are you utilizing the rear differential and "skid plate" below the cross member for jack points?
And I have another question on diffusing the light so it isn't two spotlights, but rather a soft glow. Still, I absolutely love the ingenuity and DIY version of this.
The install areas are different that what I originally posted. This was because I used bolts to secure the lights and not double sided tape. I ended up having to place them farther outside on the side skirts. This should keep them far enough away from the pinch welds.
As of now only the left side is done. I really wasn't going to bother with pics and a write up if I couldn't get it to work so I just did the left side as quick as I could. Now that I know what i'm doing I should be able to do the right side AND document it in the same time it took me to do the left.
While the lights do project in a bit of a spot pattern it's not as bad as the pictures (or video) suggests. Due to the lighting the centers seem much stronger. It's a nice glow. Placement limitations restrict where the front one could go. I would have liked to have it farther back but that just couldn't happen without having the lights in plain view which goes against my 'mod ethic'.
If you're interested enough in this to view the thread I guarantee that if you see it in person you'll want to install it.
Total cost:
4 LED arrays x $1.85 + $7.00 shipping = $14.40
1 50ft spool of 2-line telephone cord x $10.28 + 6% tax= $10.80
I've thought about doing something with puddle lights, but I can't visualize any possible way of mounting them that could stand up to the snow clods that build up under a northern Forester. Mine got so big the other day that they pretty much filled up the front wheel wells. I could hear scraping when I turned. Fortunately the temp got a bit above freezing and it was sunny, so I managed to leave them all behind in a parking lot.
I am thinking of interior lights at the base of the doors as an alternative.
I've been thinking about something really low on the inside of the doors, maybe even downward pointing LED strips. I wonder if there would actually be enough clearance under the door itself, or if it seals tight everywhere.
My problem with tying exterior lights into the dome-light is during the times when I want to use the dome-light for more than lighting the inside of the car on lock/unlock.
I don't want exterior lights to turn on when I have the dome light on.
I thought about that initially and realized that I NEVER turn on the dome light in the car. Hell, I can't even reach it from the front seat. But then again that's because I have a sunroof. If you look that my picture of the dome light, the sitch has several terminals (On/Off/Door). I tried to connect the LED leads to just the "Door" terminals but it was a no go. They would not light up. So I had to tap into the bulb itself. I might have just had my polarity wrong (since LEDs are senstive to that) but I swear I tried everything.
I can't tell you how much I love these things. I think it's all this practicality that gets me giddy. We went over to my GFs'
mom's house and it was dark so the puddle lights really helps to illuminate all the ice.
Phil: Back to your "Door Ajar" light idea, I would recommend against it. It justs the usefulness in half. It's so nice to activate the FOB from a distance and have the underneath and edges of the ground near the car illuminated before you get to it. If the door ajar light only comes on when the door is open than they will not go on til you get to the car and open the door. One of these days you'll have to check out my set up; it's pretty sweet.
I bet if you used a strip-light (like some of the folks who are making those "Audi Eyebrows" use) it would work fine. I think there is a little room under the door between the sill and the interior piece. You could always do a paper test (just tape sheets of paper to the underside of the door until it hits.
Mounting them in the doors would be pretty cool, but part of the "neat" factor would be having them come on when you lock/unlock the doors from the fob.
I wonder if you could tie them into the "door ajar" lamp on the dash. That would have them only come on when a door is open.
It might also be neat to mount them in the rear hatch, (so they are facing the front of the vehicle). That way, with the hatch opened at night, you have a little more light to see.
It's stock that the dome light comes on with the fob (and then fades), and that's where I'd connect them. They would be an extension of my map lights with dome light mod. But the door ajar light idea is interesting. I'll check the diagram and see what it says.
V-LEDS sells what appears to be very thin LED strips. Not the cheapest, but probably the thinnest and most waterproof I could find.
I'm already planning some more light in the back as well. It will tie into the 14-LED array that replaced the cargo area light and use those same LED arrays. They're already sitting on my "wait for springtime" shelf. I'm going to do the same in the front footwells. I created a lot of headroom in the circuitry by replacing the incandescent dome light with LEDs, but I'll be piling so much stuff in there that it's time to repeat the calculations to be sure I'm still on the right side of things. I do not want to blow out the dome light controller. $$$
A quick look at the diagram says that the door ajar light behaves identically to the dome light (except that dome light can be turned off by its switch) (but the pre-switch circuitry is available). The door ajar light appears to be locked up inside a very messy and expensive module that even contains a thing called CPU!
My problem with tying exterior lights into the dome-light is during the times when I want to use the dome-light for more than lighting the inside of the car on lock/unlock.
I don't want exterior lights to turn on when I have the dome light on.
The seller also operates his own store, but offerings and prices seem to be identical to eBay. Usually I've found that these are a bit cheaper.
I've pretty well decided against exterior lights. I don't think they would stand up to snow and ice accumulation here. But something on the bottom of the door or inside it that shines downward would at least illuminate the puddles when getting out.
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