Omicron

I really liked the idea of red LED maplights, as Dugless did in this thread, but wanted them further toward the back of the car, and with a switch overhead rather than down on the dash. So if you're interested, here's step by step instructions on how to do it.

Omicron

What you'll need to do this job:

• Phillips head screwdriver
• Drill and 15/64 inch drill bit
• Wire strippers (or just a pocket knife, if you know how to strip wire with it )
• A soldering iron and some electrical solder
• Some automotive-compatible LEDs, your choice of color (I went with red to match the rest of the dash lights). You can find the ones I used at Auto Zone, in the bulb section. They are made by "Pilot" and are labeled "L.E.D. Accent Lights" and come 3 to a pack.

Omicron

Step 1: Step 1: Remove the overhead console, as shown in this thread.

Step 2: Once the overhead console is out and where you can work on it, flip it upside down, and gently release the black plastic piece that makes up the bulk of the underside of the console. Note that the "door/off" switch between the two map light switches has a spring loaded ball bearing loose and designed to ride up against the frame of the console. Take care not to lost this spring or ball, as they may pop out as you pop the black plastic piece out of the console.

This first pic below shows black plastic backing released (note it will not remove completely due to the maplight switch wires), and I am indicating the hole where the spring and ball bearing live in the "door/off" switch.

Omicron

This pic shows the spring and ball bearing.

Omicron

Step 3: Determine where you want the LED map lights to be in the overhead console, and drill a 15/64 inch hole for each one. I decided I wanted them as far toward the rear of the car as possible, so I put them next to the maplight switches.

Step 4: Put the LEDs in place (with the wires coming out the back of the console, not shown).

Omicron

Step 5: Thread the wires through a convienant hole in the black plastic piece. Put the spring back in the hole on the side of the "door/off" switch and the ball bearing on top of it, compress it back into the hole with your thumb, and snap the black plastic piece completely back in place.

In the pic below, you can see the red/black wires on the left and right side of the black plastic piece. You may also note that the circuit board for the sunroof switches is removed, but that was for a different project to light the sunroof switches, explained in this thread. You don't need to remove this circuit board to for the LED maplight project I'm describing here.

Omicron

Step 6: Strip some insulation from both of the RED LED wires and twist them together. Connect these two wires to one of the poles on a SPST (single pole, single throw) switch of your choosing. I suggest you solder it in place.

Step 7: Take about 12 inches of loose wire and strip about 3/4 of an inch of insulation from both ends. Connect one end of this loose wire to the other pole on your switch. I suggest you solder this connection in place too.

Step 8: Locate the screw connecting the small green circuit board that has a metal loop/connector underneath it. Wrap the other other end of the loose wire (stripped in step 7) to this screw. You have just connected your LEDs to +12 Volt power that is only live when the ignition switch is on. The SPST switch you just wired in is to switch your LEDs on and off.

Omicron

Step 9: Strip about an inch of wire from both of the BLACK wires coming from your LEDs, and twist them together. The don't connect to anything just yet.

If all went well in steps 6, 7, 8, and 9, your wiring will look something like this:

Omicron

Step 10: Take the console assembly back into the car. Look up inside the hole where the console was in your car, and you'll see two bolts with 9MM heads. Remove one of the bolts, wrap the stripped portion of the black LED wires around it, and put it back in place. You just gave your LED map lights a good ground. Sorry I didn't take a pic of this, but you'll figure it out.

Step 11: Determine where you want your LED maplight switch, drill a hole for it, and put it in place. I put mine just forward of the leading edge of the overhead console, into the headliner between the console and the rear view mirror. Pic of this is below.

Step 12: Put the console back in place opposite how you took it out, tucking the excess LED switch wires and ground wires in and out of the way as you put the console back. That's it guys and gals! You now have a pair of LED maplights that you can switch on whenever your ingnition key is in the "on" position.


Footnote: In case you're wondering, the extra wires you may have noticed in the pics are actually for an LED that backlights the sunroof switches, which I installed at the same time. If you're interested in how I did this, check out this thread for instructions. :D

neit_jnf

Take a picture of them turned on!

Omicron

I will, probably tomorrow. Wife's got the car right now.

doccable

We need PIX, MAN! :D :D

Omicron

Ok, here's a pic showing the LEDs illuminated. The OLD switch for them is at the bottom center of the screen, which I replaced with a better one on page 2 of this thread.

Omicron

... and here's a pic of them with no flash...

r0tor

iTrader: (1)

nice job

I was thinking about doing something similar but using the switch for the Euro rear foglight to turn on/off the lights. That would require a bunch of extra wire running though.

You don't think its possible to use one of the homelink buttons to turn the light on/off? I believe they are only momentary switches, not sure if you can modify the switch or hook it up to a relay or something. I never was ambitious enough to take the upper console apart and look at it.

Genom

Hey Omicron, how's your radar reception? I noticed your unit is flush with the top and pretty centered, so it must be behind that slightly shaded area of the windsheild, and I thought that was a radar blocking material?

If it isnt, that would be perfect for me, as I need to perm mount the detector and would love to get it done already :D

Omicron

Yeah, I thought about putting the switch down there, but didn't want to run the wires past the side curtain airbag in the windshield pillar, possibly inhibiting it's function.

I don't think the homelink switches would work without, as you suggest, a relay... and I'm not willing to go to all that trouble. However, what would be possible is to use one of the existing map light switches, if you wired them both to the other switch. I decided against this though because it would mean having them both come on unless I wired in an additional switch, and I figured if I was going to do that, I might as well make that extra switch for the LED and leave the clear maplights to function as they do now.

I am not, however, happy with the LED switch. I will hunt around until I find a flat grey switch and replace it. In the mean time, the micro-mini toggle switch I used will just have to do.

EDIT: Found a better switch... pic below. :D

Omicron

Well, this project to make the map LED and light the sunroof switches actually had a third part which I didn't mention: to put up a good solid mount for my radar detector, which I've been tinkering with for a while.

Like most of us, I first put the detector up with the standard suction cup bracket on the windshield. But now that I'm in car tinkering mode, I decided to devise a better solution. I thought about the up high location (above the mirror) and discarded it because there was no way to make a bracket I was happy with... and I made several, including one that hung the detector below the rear view mirror. So I next fabricated a special bracket to mount the detector down on the lower left of the dash (described in detail in this thread). I was pretty happy with this location until I saw how Doctorr had made a bracket in the same thread I just referenced, so I decided to do that.

The new location and Doctorr's bracket is great. The detector is high and out of the way, very secure, and does not obstruct anything. It's also very stealthy up there. View-wise, it's actually just below the bottom edge of the painted area of the windshield, so it has a pretty unobstructed sight line down the road... and reception is perfect.

doccable

To add this little bit of info about the radar detector; when I went to mount mine, (Passport 8500), I looked into the possibility of mounting it in the same place that Omicron has his currently mounted. In doing my little bit of testing, (as anyone who read my post concerning grounding kits should know...:D ). I broke out a laser level, and held it in place where the detector was to go, and pointed the lighted end out BOTH the front and the rear. I found that there is no obstruction in either direction. I am also working on a different mount for the detector, and will post it along with pix when I get it done. I'll include pix of the laser tests as well, in the previously mentioned radar thread.
-Doc

Omicron

Genom, this is where the detector sits in relation to the "tinted" area at the top of my windshield.

Genom

I kinda see. I guess you left your mirror in the place it started out in? I moved mine up as high as it could go to get some better angle visibility out the windsheild, but I can always swing the mirror back down again. I know Doctorr has the same radar I do and he said the area didnt cause any loss of signal, I just wanna make sure before I run the wires, since the sport package only has 12V light power up there and NOTHING else.

I'll just run a 12V from the fuse box up the pillar if I'm happy with the location.

WHealy

Omicron,

The whole deal looks good. As for the position of the detector, I placed mine similar to yours except on the passenger side and probably just outside the mirror. No problems with reception that I can tell. I'm still getting the gradule increase over 30-45 seconds on flat roads letting me know someone is coming with the radar a blazing. It's the instant on's that catch me.

The only postion fo the decetor that I've seen that concerns me is the one in the lower left hand corer of the windshield. If it ever comes loose, I can just see it hit the dash, slide down, and you know the window would be open. On the plus side, four years + with the V1 and as of yet (trying not to jynx myself here ) it has never come off the suction cups except when I pull it.

Nicely done.

Omicron

Yeah, I tried the mirror pushed up as high as it would go, and liked it quite well in that position. But to put the detector where it is now, I had to lower it again, which is ok with me. Anywhere you put the detector is a compromise, and this new location seems to be the best so far.

Ya know, I would have liked to put it over where yours is on the passenger side, but my particular model uses a LCD display, and I couldn't read it all the way over there. In fact, even where it is now can be a struggle to see with sunglasses on. Ah well.

Funny, I lost a detector out the window that way one time. Twas mounted on the windshield with suction cups, which decided to let go right as I went into a corner kinda fast. Detector falls, slides across the dash, and ZING! Out the window it goes at speed. Fortunately it survived, but I wouldn't have been too concerned if it didn't... it was getting kind of old. And I had a MAJOR laugh out of it - for some reason, it struck me as funny, and still does to this day! :D

As you probably know, I was the one who put the detector in the lower left of the dash. Wasn't at all concerned about it going out the window, as it was very well secured. But what had not occured to me up till now was that in an accident, it'd probably come detached and become a projectile that would undoubtedly bounce right off my head. Worth considering, altho I suppose you could say the same of almost any detector mounting scheme. Not too concerned with that where it is now, as the bracket is steel, bolted to the headliner, and the detector is securely snapped into it.

Anyway, thanks for the nice comments guys.

Omicron

Update:

Ok, so I wasn't happy with the chrome micro-mini toggle switch I used for this initially. Problem was, I couldn't find a gray switch at all, and black was just too ugly. Solution? A can of spray paint, and the flat black switch is now a perfect match for the rest of the overhead console. :D

Omicron

... and a close-up view...