[cnicook]

Also, with my voltage tester it would like up on the BCM cable that I spliced into when I would hit the lock/unlock button on my fob, but now that it is connected to the switch it no longer does that. Is it safe to assume it is a ground issue? How would I check this and how would I fix this?

 

[JettyLife]

What's up club?
I'm bringing back this older thread in lieu of starting a new one. I want to run it to the cargo light as I'm not intending to mount another switch.
Check out my diagram. I think it'll work with the cargo power wire.

I initially made the diagram with the dome light in mind but some research quickly showed me that it will not work the way I intended. So, I think this will.

 

[x_mods]

Looks good. I just tapped all my strips into the cargo light. I had my friend help me with the math as far as how many amps the factory wiring can handle, and how much power the original cargo bulbs used.

With all my strips and the LED's in the cargo light, I am barley over the amp draw of the original halogen cargo bulbs.

But if I add more it will be with a relay very similar to what you have drawn

 

[JettyLife]

Looks good. I just tapped all my strips into the cargo light. I had my friend help me with the math as far as how many amps the factory wiring can handle, and how much power the original cargo bulbs used.

With all my strips and the LED's in the cargo light, I am barley over the amp draw of the original halogen cargo bulbs.

But if I add more it will be with a relay very similar to what you have drawn

EDIT: I just re-read your post, that's exactly what I want to do. That's perfect then to be near stock. Thanks! What'd you tap? Power?
I'm going to run a full strip on both sides of the rocker panels, and one in each front foot well. Nothing in the bed yet. I want to run a magnetic switch for that (another thread...)
I think I'm finally starting to get the hang of this wiring thing. OH the possibilities!!

 

[x_mods]

EDIT: I just re-read your post, that's exactly what I want to do. That's perfect then to be near stock. Thanks! What'd you tap? Power?
I'm going to run a full strip on both sides of the rocker panels, and one in each front foot well. Nothing in the bed yet. I want to run a magnetic switch for that (another thread...)
I think I'm finally starting to get the hang of this wiring thing. OH the possibilities!!

I got tired of pinning the harnesses trying to find the wire.. So I tapped into the cargo +12v in the headliner. I think it is green? Might be green with a black stripe.. I am pretty sure 808UpFront and I found the correct pin in his kick panel though.

If I remember correctly, v-leds said .25 amps per foot for their 3 chip strips when I asked them. And I think the factory cargo bulbs were something like 4w or 6w, so two of them would be be right around 1 amp figuring a max of ~14v? So I have 3-1/2 feet of strips tied into mine, and the v-leds planks in the cargo housing that draw about .2 amps each, so that would put me at about 1.275ish. I guess technically that's a 25% increase, but I think the cargo fuse is 10 amps, with 18awg or 20awg wire over about 10 feet, so it should handle it fine.

 

[JettyLife]

I got tired of pinning the harnesses trying to find the wire.. So I tapped into the cargo +12v in the headliner. I think it is green? Might be green with a black stripe.. I am pretty sure 808UpFront and I found the correct pin in his kick panel though.

If I remember correctly, v-leds said .25 amps per foot for their 3 chip strips when I asked them. And I think the factory cargo bulbs were something like 4w or 6w, so two of them would be be right around 1 amp figuring a max of ~14v? So I have 3-1/2 feet of strips tied into mine, and the v-leds planks in the cargo housing that draw about .2 amps each, so that would put me at about 1.275ish. I guess technically that's a 25% increase, but I think the cargo fuse is 10 amps, with 18awg or 20awg wire over about 10 feet, so it should handle it fine.

Hm I might just run the relay then to be safe. I'll have to measure the lengths tomorrow but I think I'm looking at running twice that length. I'm going to tap the same wire probably. That'd be perfect for my needs and I won't have to worry about over drawing the cargo lamp.

 

[x_mods]

Hm I might just run the relay then to be safe. I'll have to measure the lengths tomorrow but I think I'm looking at running twice that length. I'm going to tap the same wire probably. That'd be perfect for my needs and I won't have to worry about over drawing the cargo lamp.

Sounds good! That way you won't have to worry about redoing it later like me

You know you can never have enough lights.. Two is one and one is none..

 

[alexd51]

Thank's to the OP i tap into the BCM and found the cable i needed to tap and got power from the lighter. Now i will play with the cargo light and more LED in the truck bed. Like x_mods said you can never have enough lights.. Two is one and one is none.. lol

 

[clofan]

Anyone done this with a first gen? I read through the thread but may have missed it if it wasn't in your sig or avatar. I'm ordering a red and white strip-- I plan to use red for the interior floor lighting, and I love the idea of the white shining on the nerf bars when the doors open, so I'm going to attempt that as well. I'll post it over in my build thread

 

[clofan]

Anyone done this with a first gen? I read through the thread but may have missed it if it wasn't in your sig or avatar. I'm ordering a red and white strip-- I plan to use red for the interior floor lighting, and I love the idea of the white shining on the nerf bars when the doors open, so I'm going to attempt that as well. I'll post it over in my build thread

Answer: Yes...! (see build thread for more)

 

[clofan]

While I did the steprail lighting last spring, I just now got around to doing interior lighting.

It was a huge success! They're tied to a three way switch so that they're either Off, Controlled by ECU, or On. Lovely!

 

[swift turtle]

Very cool idea. Must try it!!!

 

[arrozburner]

Im going to have to do this with the step rails

 

[arrozburner]

Quick question. ..what am I looking for when searching for the white led strips to light up the step rails? Ive looked on Amazon and Ebay but I havent seen the ones that you posted on here and I really dont trust the pics the seller posts because theyre not always what you get once you receive them. Currently im looking at these

2 pcs Set Waterproof Aluminum High Power 6W 6000K Xenon White Slim COB LED DRL Daylight Driving Daytime Running Light Lamp For Car SUV Sedan Coupe Vehicle https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00C1YI2XA/ref=cm_sw_r_awd_C4jevb09GR5EJ

That I found on Amazon...if someone has a link to a set that they used and liked for a similar purpose, then I would greatly appreciate a link please. Thanks

 

[Boomer32]

I went with these led's. I paid a bit more than the ebay versions, but wanted lights that were submersible(get a lot of rain in FL). I'm sure you can find them cheaper on-line. The housings are really thin stainless steel which I had custom powder coated white to match my truck. It doesn't come with hardware - believe they were #6 stainless steel flathead screws. Tied them into my dome lights which come on and off as they do (and remote).

After dozens of thunderstorms and carwashes, the powder coating and lights have held up great. Took a few pics with my camera phone. Good luck in your search!

 

[clofan]

I ordered these and am really happy with them for the price. It's more DIY than a pre-wired bar, though

(white)
http://amzn.com/B005EHHLD8


(red)
http://amzn.com/B00EKEODA0

 

[alexd51]

Quick question. ..what am I looking for when searching for the white led strips to light up the step rails? Ive looked on Amazon and Ebay but I havent seen the ones that you posted on here and I really dont trust the pics the seller posts because theyre not always what you get once you receive them. Currently im looking at these

2 pcs Set Waterproof Aluminum High Power 6W 6000K Xenon White Slim COB LED DRL Daylight Driving Daytime Running Light Lamp For Car SUV Sedan Coupe Vehicle https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00C1YI2XA/ref=cm_sw_r_awd_C4jevb09GR5EJ

That I found on Amazon...if someone has a link to a set that they used and liked for a similar purpose, then I would greatly appreciate a link please. Thanks

Look for those on ebay they will be cheaper and are the same as in amazon . I can say they are good i bought 2 sets in the past couple of years and the outside is aluminum and very sturdy. Only problem is that the 2 sided tape tends to come loose after a couple of months so i ended up attaching with screws instead. But they are bright as heck.

2pcs-Super-Bright-COB-Car-Daytime-Driving-Light-Fog-Waterproof-12V-Blue


Check for other colors, they come from china and it takes a while but at the end is worth it because of the price. You can buy 2 sets in china for what amazon is asking for 1.

 

[alexd51]

I ordered these and am really happy with them for the price. It's more DIY than a pre-wired bar, though

You know they sell the soderless terminals for those strips? just be sure you order the ones for the size you have either 3528 or 5050 go with the 5050 for outside and the 3528 for the inside. 5050 are brighter LEDs and bigger the others are smaller and a bit dimmer.

These are for the 3528 but they also have for the 5050.

5x led-to-power 2p Connector 1clip+15cm wire for 8mm single color 3528 led strip

BTW
the double sided tape on these are also really bad , try not to touch the sticky side when installing them and make sure the surface were you are setting them clean because if not they will start un gluing from were you touched them or were it was dirty.And one last thing, you might be lucky and they will work flawless for a long time or they will not work by sections until they all go out.
I have about 10 rolls all different colors and i installed inside the cab under the dashboard some blue ones that came on with the inside lights and first a section of 3 stopped working then another and i had to remove them because they were not working anymore and that was only after a yr or less of usage. And if they are waterproof the plastic on top of them will start going yellow specially if you install them outside.

 

[clofan]

I didn't know about those connectors when I purchased these, but I saw them yesterday when I was looking them up. Cool! Good to know for the future. Soldering it wasn't too hard, but I did mess up a 3-LED section or two on failed attempts.

Regarding your failure predictions, I am afraid you're right. So far, on the steprail, I have one 3-LED section out. I can't see any physical fault, but if I press on it a certain way it will light back up. Just a broken connection on the super thin PCB I think. In the interior, I have one 3-LED section of red out because I accidentally clipped it when putting my seat back in! Same deal with that one, I can push it a certain way and it will come back on. I am not too worried about these failures right now, but I do hope they don't continue to fail.

Seconding your recommendation about DONT TOUCH THE STICKY!! It's not very strong and I wouldn't recommend it for outside use, it will fail eventually. I ended up using RTV to hold the steprail lights on.

 

[arrozburner]

Look for those on ebay they will be cheaper and are the same as in amazon . I can say they are good i bought 2 sets in the past couple of years and the outside is aluminum and very sturdy. Only problem is that the 2 sided tape tends to come loose after a couple of months so i ended up attaching with screws instead. But they are bright as heck.

2pcs-Super-Bright-COB-Car-Daytime-Driving-Light-Fog-Waterproof-12V-Blue


Check for other colors, they come from china and it takes a while but at the end is worth it because of the price. You can buy 2 sets in china for what amazon is asking for 1.

So I found them on ebay and purchased them...we'll see how it goes...if they burn out quickly then I'll go ahead and swap them out for something else...thanks for the heads up