Shingo

I am looking for suggestions on what types of components to use in this project.

I want to have a light under each of the 2 front seats. They will need a switch for each or both dosent matter. They will be for incase I drop something of if I wanna show off my MP3 floormats.

I have some experience with wireing and have built a couple home projects but I am unsure where to begin with the way the car electrical system works.

Any help is greatly apreciated.

2001 Mazda Protege Mp3 - Lazer Mica Blue

mazdaspeedwest

Many audio online venders sell neon kits, in all sizes and colors. Some are as easy as a cigarette lighter plug in. These are easily modified to be hard wired with a switch.

only 2 wires...12V+ and ground. All the rest is internal.

cut the cig lighter plug off and then open it up. There is usually a black wire and black/white wire...each company uses there own philosophy, so crack it open to be sure. The ground wire will be the wire to the band that touches the can, or cage of the cig lighter socket, the 12V+ will be the wire that goes to the center pin of the cig lighter plug.

1. mount the neon light.
2. ground the neon ground wire to the chassis. (can be joined with the switches ground)
3. Wire a relay for a ground trigger, 12v+ output.
- pin 87 and 86, fused (10amp) to 12V+ power (constant for anytime use, switched ignition for key-on only use)(leave the fuse removed until all wiring is complete)
- pin 30 to the 12V+ wire of the neon.
- pin 85 to the ON side of the switch
- the middle pin 87a is not used
- the OFF side of the switch goes to chassis ground (negative trigger)(can be the same as the neon chassis ground)
- if you choose a lighted switch, it will need 12v+ to illuminate, this should be fused and can be joined with the above relay 12v+ power, make sure to connect it on the fused side of the power wire when you join them.
4. connect and mount the switch

use a crimp tool for the terminals, not just a pair of pliers or channel locks.

If individual use is desired, add a second switch and duplicate the above steps for the second neon.

If you want them both on at the same time, connect each neon to the same relay pin and same ground point.

check out my site (the sidemarker How-To and the Vehicle Security FAQ) for pics and other relay info. Just click the link under my sig pic below.

ZackyFarms16

i understood everything that youi said except when you started to mention "pin's" what exactly are they? just terminals on the switch/neons/and car for like attatching wires? also, does this deem your cigerette lighter not functional or are you just adding another wire(like extending the wire from the cigarette lighter, like piggy backing).

5SpeedP5

just make sure, when you cut it, make sure to use the fuse in the cig. lighter adapter you cut off, or youll blow the light

i wired one of these recently in my friends eclipse, and forgot, so the light burnt up

ZackyFarms16

well, i really dont want the kind that i hook up through a cigarette lighter. im going for a hardwire/switch hook up. planing on 4 different neon rods all to turn on with one switch. I kinda know like electronics and i have hooked stuff up before, but with everything ive done ive just wired it straight to the battery w/no fuses and you can imagine how that turned out. so i need to figure that out and, how i can get it like hard wired/"flush" look.

[edit]

also, is there any way i can have it hooked up like the dome light. so like when i open the doors they turn on and then like turn off when i close the doors. So im thinkin this will require a 3 point switch like the dome light (on, off, and door options). but then how do i wire it? just tap it into the dome light? will that be enough power? help me out, thanks

hihoslva

From my limited wiring experience:

I would find the wiring for the dome light in a reachable spot - figuring out which wire it is near the fuse box would be nice, and shouldn't be that hard to do with a test light or volt meter and a little trial and error with the fuses.

Then just extend those wires to a new three-way switch for your neons. There is no reason why you couldn't find a dome-light switch from any old car - even at the junkyard - rip out the switch and mount it somewhere that looks good. Connect your wiring and enjoy.

This sounds like a cool idea to me. If you get more info, especially if you get it done and working the way you want, post some pix and how-to. Wiring locations and colors of what you tapped into would be great.

All in all, I think this will be a really simple project. The hardest part will be finding the proper wires.

ZackyFarms16

yea ill put a bunch of pics/how to's and like everything you need to do it yourself. But i just need someones help thats expirienced on this board to help me figure wiring stuff. Im pretty knowladgeable (spelling??? haha) with like electronics and what not, justi dont know nothin about my own p5. if someone could answer my other questions from above, that would be awesome, thanks