PDA

View Full Version : Interior Lighting


TRN
30-08-2003, 12:21 PM
Hi All
Has anyone had experience lighting their Astina Hatch interior.
What are the best places for mounting such lights?
I am looking for a subtle blue glow so ultimately I want to hide lights from view.
FYI - Found some Isotta Sill Guards that glow/Light up - www.isotta.com
Thanks

Dogo
31-08-2003, 08:26 AM
i know of a few ppl that have a neon in the foot well of the driver and passenger. And some have changed the colors of the lights in the dash such as heater controls etc.

I guess it depends on what u wanna do. Under dash, under seats etc are the best places i can think if u dont wanna show the actual light.

JynX
31-08-2003, 04:20 PM
Yeah up under the dash on both sides and under both driver and passanger seats would give a nice eerie glow in the feet areas. Dont go too mad cos if the cops see it you will get hit with a nice fine.

joely
31-08-2003, 04:46 PM
Just wondering if the cops would still issue a fine if someone was parked with neons on and the cops spotted them :?:

mrpayner
31-08-2003, 05:01 PM
Most of the ppl who have installed them have wired in a switch for instances like this....

My neons...

http://www.amihotornot.com.au/album/photos/18162-200383118327.jpg

AP

JynX
31-08-2003, 10:55 PM
If your parked i dont think its as much of an issue, only when driving. Mick might be able to help here as he has a few neons on his car, interior and exterior.

Agree with switch post, mik might post a pic of where he mounted his switched which was a clever idea.

KittyKatSmack
08-09-2003, 09:00 PM
Hi guys,

I saw Dazz's footwell lighting on Friday night and was most impressed

:D

So am hoping to do the same on Saturday, and what I am after is an idea of what I am wiring it to.......

I would like a switch to give me Disable/Door operation/Over Ride options.

Can anyone help?

I know I need to buy the switch (single pole double throw) the cold cathode's and inverters and cable ties to place them.

So... what do I wire them to? Power wise? What is under my dash anyway? er..... Where should I mount the switch? What kind of switch (appearance) do you have?

Do any Canberra ppl want to come and supervise?

I also want to finish my CAI and hopefully have my $92 K&N panel filter delivered by then too....

Don't want much....

Any takers for advice or supervisor role this weekend?

Please help?

Cheers!

daKitty

JynX
08-09-2003, 09:06 PM
You dont _have_ to buy a switch. You can implement this in two ways.

Run direct power and use a switch to control the lighting OR wire the tubes into the dimmer circuit so they only come on when you turn the headlights on.

Depends if you want the tubes on all the time or if you would prefer to control the period of exposure.

Aaron
08-09-2003, 09:42 PM
I may be probing the dark here (it is a lighting thread so forgive the obvious pun) but surely we'd be wiring it into the door/coutesy lighting circut at one of the following points (or taken from wiring under the dash that matches):

Door pin switch
Door mounted courtesy light
Roof mounted coutesy light.

By then using a SPDT switch we can work the footwell lights in exactly the same manner the couresy lighting circut is managed by the switch on the roof. Except the floor lights would be independant of the 'factory' courtesy circut just for those occasions when they look ricey ;)

At least that my guess for what i would be doing....

KittyKatSmack
08-09-2003, 09:53 PM
control!!!!!!

don't want them on while I am driving pls!!!

Dogo
09-09-2003, 10:45 AM
id say wire it up with two activations, 1 is they come on when the door lights are on ( open door etc ) and then another that u can flick on with a switch just for some control. if u dont want them to come on when driving then clearly the headlights control is out.

easy as. run the door lights control wire and an ignition wire with a switch on it to a relay. Use that to turn on the neons which are running on a constant +ve wire. That'll let u have them on with the door lights, and also have manual control to turn them on, but if u forget to turn it off they wont drain ur battery coz u'll need the key in to leave them on.

my 2c. if u need info on stock wiring to hook them up to, lemme know as always ...

JynX
09-09-2003, 05:09 PM
Post up the diagram covering the interior lighting. I only have exterior lighting so would like that diagram anyway.

CRA23
09-09-2003, 06:08 PM
i have my neons running they way kitty wants, the switch facing one way permanently on and the other controled by the doors, to come on with the interior lights....the way i achived this was....

i ran a constant power(+) straight to the positive of the neons from the head deck or amp or any where u can get a constant power, and the grounding to the negitve threw the swith....

for the door control i just wired the negive power cable threw the switch to cable coming out the door sensor thing on the drivers side... and it does work off all the doors 2 :D

and thats how we do it...i didnt think the door thing would work but a friends dad who is a machanic said it woudl and it did :)

dfvadr
09-09-2003, 07:29 PM
guys dont run ur neons when driving in nsw it is a $300 infringement notice

KittyKatSmack
09-09-2003, 10:00 PM
Muchos Muchos thanks to Pope|z0r and to Dogo... basically we have the general idea now!

Any diagrams would indeed be helpful as Jynx has suggested (thanks Spoon!)... just butt covering there....

And good to know that not wanting to run the neons while driving has a sane reason behind it odd12c!!!

Thanks to all of you..... I really appreciate that all you guys help out a lot with info when I want to do something.....

You guys are the best!!!

:D

Pernod
10-09-2003, 04:48 AM
Ok Kitty, this might help...

The diag is a bit crude (I at work and flat stick) but it should show what i mean.

You will need
- a 2 way switch (ie, up = on, mid = off and down = door)
- lots of wire
- a bit of time

If you run 1 side of your light to a constant power supply, and then the other side of the light to the input on the switch (probably the central connector on the switch)

Then, simply run on side of the switch to an earth which will give you an 'always on' option, and the other to the switch on the door (for the door option).

When it is turned to door, the power will come off the battery, through the light, throught the swith and the circut will earth itself through the chassis at the door switch.

Hope this helps / makes sense


The image below might not work (stupid geocities) but i'll fix it when I get home from work tonight as I cant ftp from here

http://www.geocities.com/landofshane/internal_light_diag.bmp

Shane.

mazda-mike
10-09-2003, 08:17 AM
any chance of some pics or tips to mounting of the footwell ones. Having difficulties at this point lol. Then i can find ways of wiring them..

Pernod
14-09-2003, 05:50 PM
Well after looking at this thread the other day I have finally been motivated enough to get of my arse and convince my partner to spend more money on lighting... I have decided to do both front and back seat footwells (15" and 8" neons resprectively), as well as behind the mesh in the grill (2x 15").

I was just wondering if anyone can help me out a bit by telling me what colour the courtesy lighting wiring is where it goes through the loom in the door (I'm in a BA). It would be even better if you could just scan and email through the right pages from a manual... :-)

Thanks guys, will let you know how I get on.

Cosmo Dude
14-09-2003, 08:05 PM
Sorry,
My I've lent out my manuals :( I'm sure he will help you out :)

Rod

Pernod
15-09-2003, 04:46 AM
Not a problem, when you get them back can you have a nosey for me?

Otherwise I'll just have a play with my tester light and see what I can find... :-)

pr1mo
15-09-2003, 07:10 AM
hehe thanx rod,
as ive done this mod myself i can tell u the best place to source 2 wires from is inside the centre console ashtray! you wont see it if you have your headlights on all the way. sit in the car in the dark and turn on your parking lights only. there should be an iminent light comong from the centre console ashtray :) so like i say, 2 wires can be sourced from there! make sure u keep the transformer attatched to the neons and dont cut any wires before hand.

Dogo
15-09-2003, 09:00 AM
as ive done this mod myself

:lol: LOL :lol:

:roll: :P

Pernod
15-09-2003, 10:37 AM
Is that to connect it to the headlights?

I ideally want to connect it to the courtesy door lights (as then they will turn on when I armt he alarm).

Although now that I think about it the headlight switch will be useful for the ones in the grill...

Pernod
20-09-2003, 07:48 PM
For anyone else who is looking to put these in the footwells...

I put mine in today, and by wiring them to the center roof light I have managed to make it so they come on with the rest of the courtesy lights, and dim in the same way that the other internal lghts do - looks very professional.

To do it, simply undo the light on the roof - you will then see that it has a plug on the RHS (that is where the power comes from) and an empty socket on the LHS. I simply cut off the plug on the LHS and extended the two wires down throught the roof and down the LHS center piller. Just plug your neons into these two wires (bearing in mind the circuit is only designed for 10-20 Amps so don't put to many lights on it - I'm only running the front two in this way) and you away.