I had previously posted here about the possibility of powering LED interior lights via the ignition key light so that they would automatically turn on and off with the rest of the car's interior lighting. I was interested in the key light in particular because it's a lot more accessible than the overhead map lights, which would normally be the most logical way to connect additional interior LED's. I finally got around to finishing my "experiment" and I'm pleased to report that it works! :thmsup: I now have an auxiliary 12V source under the dash that can be used for any type of lighting, and it responds automatically to things like opening/closing of any door, alarm arming/disarming, and turning the ignition on/off (basically everything the key light normally responds to). Here's a quick rundown, with photos below to hopefully further illustrate what I did:

Fuses: First thing I did was remove fuse #13 in the under-dash fusebox to cut power to the ignition key light. In addition, I also ended up removing fuse #13 in the engine compartment fusebox (just happened to be the same number); This is apparently for the horn, and I accidentally shorted it :eek: while working in the steering column area.

Steering Column: The top half of the steering column cover just snaps off by pushing up on it, and the bottom half of the cover drops off after removing three screws from underneath. With the covers removed, I was able to disconnect the green ignition key light connector by depressing the release tab on its back-side.

Connector: Power for the ignition key light is provided by #5 (white/black, ground) and #6 (red, 12V positive), so these are the two wires that I tapped into. I just used 2-conductor speaker wire (20 or 22 gauge, I think) since I don't expect to draw a lot of current for interior LED's, and also because that's what I had available. If anyone knows of any reason I shouldn't have used this wire, please let me know. Otherwise, I'm just assuming it'll be fine.

Testing: At this point, all of the electrical work was essentially done, so I did some final checks before closing up. First, I reattached the connector and made sure that my ignition key light was still working. Second, I connected the new circuit to my multimeter to see how it behaves; the results are shown in the photos below.

Reassembly: After securing my new wire (used zip ties at three or four locations to make sure it didn't move around and rattle :rolleyes: ), it was just a matter of putting everything back together.

Many thanks to Princess for providing the wiring diagrams!

Anyway, I hope someone finds this useful. I'm quite pleased with the outcome, although I haven't decided yet what kind of lighting to hook up. I guess that'll be my next set of experiments..... :wave:

More photos...

First two show the connector back in place. The last three show voltage readings with the driver's door open, right after closing the door (lights dimmed), and a few seconds later (or after turning the ignition on), respectively. Turning the ignition off and pulling the key out causes it to power up again, just like the overhead map lights. Interesting that "off" was not registering 0 volts as I expected. I'm assuming that's normal.

Great write-up and photos!

My first suggestion would be to add footwell lighting because that is really what I would like to have. It would be nice for the footwell lights to stay on after the door is closed and before you turn the key.

Thanks! That's exactly what I had in mind... :yes: I have several blue LED accessory lights (Type-S variety like you find in auto parts stores), but perhaps white would look classier..... :thmsup:

Will led lighting work with the dimming feature that comes from the interior lights when the door is closed?

Will led lighting work with the dimming feature that comes from the interior lights when the door is closed?
Yes. My LED's fade away gently, just like the rest of the interior lights.

Great write-up and photos!

My first suggestion would be to add footwell lighting because that is really what I would like to have. It would be nice for the footwell lights to stay on after the door is closed and before you turn the key.

I normally don't bring back dead threads, but this is a good DIY. If you want to have them stay on for a little longer, put a nice big capacitor on the line.

Nice DIY! By the way, where'd you get those splice taps?

kopimon and kaabob - Thanks :) , and sorry about the late response. I haven't been following these forums as much as I used to.

The red splice taps are just the standard clamp-on ones that are available at many hardware or automotive stores (I think I picked these up at Kragen's). I used the slightly smaller ones to match the smaller-gauge wire that I was working with. By the way, it has been several months now since I did this mod, and everything is still working perfectly. It was certainly one of the best things I've done to the car. :thmsup:

some pics of the leds uve installed?

some pics of the leds uve installed?

I hope you won't be too disappointed :sorry:, but I still have the cheap blue "Type S" LED's in the car. I originally just wanted to put them in for testing, but ended up liking the blue lighting :thmsup: so I left them in there. I find that they really complement the car's silver and grey tones, as well as my blue-themed Star Trek navi welcome screen. I installed two in front under the the dash, and two for the rear, mounted underneath the front seats, so the entire floor is basically lit up when they're on. Maybe I'll try white LED's someday (I actually already have them), but for now, blue it will stay. :)

Ramon, do the lights turn on during the daytime? I really like your idea but I'm not sure I want my LEDs on when it's bright outside...

tlcr1212 - My LED's turn on and fade out along with the ignition key light and the overhead dome lights; so yes, they do turn on in the daytime. The car doesn't have a light sensor to tell it whether or not it's bright outside, so the interior lights are only controlled by things like the doors opening or closing, and the alarm arming or disarming. If you watch your ignition key light and note when it turns on and off, that's pretty much what my LED's do. :)

just how i bounce may not be for you

just how i bounce may not be for you
bluemoonha1998 - Nice job! I definitely like the blue lighting :thmsup:, and the idea of using an LED strip; But yeah, I think that's a little too much for me. I might consider mounting the strips under the dash so they shine down onto the floor, though. That could work for me... :yes:

sweeet writeup

Whoops I think I was thinking of the courtesy light - so do you not keep your LEDs on while you drive? Or is there a switch where you can manually turn them on once you're in the car, doors closed? The LEDs I'm looking at can be turned on and off manually, so I'm wondering if wiring it to the key ignition light will let me turn it on when I'm driving.

tlcr1212 - My LED's are turned off while I'm driving, just like the rest of the interior lights. I prefer to drive without the footwell lighting, so it's fine for me. I've never actually considered the option of a manual switch.

I suppose you could do some creative wiring to bypass the multiplex controller with a manual switch if that's what you need. The only catch is that you need to wire it up so that your switch only operates the floor LED's but not the overhead lights. Just make sure that your manual switch completely separates the LED circuit from the multiplex controller (i.e., both wires are bypassed). That should ensure that the controller won't be confused (or potentially damaged?) when you manually operate the switch.

I'm not experienced enough to understand what you just said, forget doing it...I guess I'll be using another method. Thanks anyway, was an informative thread.

In laymans terms, if you want to be able to operate the lights manually, you probably want to avoid using the ignition wires altogether. Ramon was suggesting that, in order to still use his method of the ignition wires, you would have to put your switch before the controller that turns on and off the interior lights. Otherwise your switch will control ALL the interior lights. To avoid that, you would have to wire the LED completely separate of the interior light controller...which would be too much hassle just to use a switch.

You may want to go directly from another power source (like the car battery or stand-alone battery) and wire a switch in that way.

Ramon - Thank you for an excellent write-up. I may duplicate your efforts with hyper-white LEDs under the seats for the back floor. I hate when people get into the back of my car at night and scuff up the front seats because they can't see the floor (black carpeting). Hopefully this will help prevent that from happening.

Best mod for under $50 I've seen yet.

so i Bought these for my 8th Gen Coupe
http://i388.photobucket.com/albums/oo330/denttarek/102_1435.jpg
http://i388.photobucket.com/albums/oo330/denttarek/102_1436.jpg

they look nice ,but i am confused about the wiring ,i pretty much have no electrical experience and kind of looked around and here is what i came up with

i first thought about add a circuit or access a fuse" and found out that fuse no. 16 under the hood supplies the interior light" ,but after few experiments i realized that the fuse supplies constant current and the multiplex or whatever controls the interior map/dome light

so i came across you thread and you have done exactly what i am trying to do

so lets see if i got this right "keep in mind i am talking about an 8th Gen"
i am attaching a diagram i came across
http://i388.photobucket.com/albums/oo330/denttarek/1.png

so my LED Sill kit comes basically with two wires a red and a black ,i ll tap into the red wire going to the ignition light and add the red wire from my LED kit using one of these http://www.posi-lock.com/posiplug.html

and then ground the black somewhere?!!!

would that work?! ,thank you

denttarek - I'm not exactly an expert either, so please don't hold me responsible or accountable for anything I suggest here. :paranoid:

From looking at that diagram, it looks like you'd still be tapping into the same wires that I tapped into. On your connector, GRN #6 is for 12VDC (red wire to your LED's) and RED #5 is ground, which will be controlled by the multiplex controller (black wire to your LED's). I know the wire colors don't match up, but those colors actually don't matter (in this particular situation).

In any case, I would strongly recommend hooking up a multi-tester to those two wires as an initial test, just to see how they respond (open the door, close the door, wait a few seconds, etc.). That way you can be sure before you do a permanent installation.

BTW, those posi-tap connectors look interesting. I wish I had known about them when I did my wiring. :)

just how i bounce may not be for you

Nice LEDs. Where'd you get those by the way? They look nice and bright

Ramon - How did you get the leads for the footwell lights for the passengers in the back and how did you conceal them? Speaker wires? thanks!

kaabob - Yeah, I just ran the "speaker" wire through the center console, then underneath the front seats to where my LED's are mounted. I didn't actually go to a lot of trouble to try and hide them. The wires are visible if you look closely, but nothing that anyone would notice just by being in the car. :)

so i Bought these for my 8th Gen Coupe
http://i388.photobucket.com/albums/oo330/denttarek/102_1435.jpg
http://i388.photobucket.com/albums/oo330/denttarek/102_1436.jpg

they look nice ,but i am confused about the wiring ,i pretty much have no electrical experience and kind of looked around and here is what i came up with

i first thought about add a circuit or access a fuse" and found out that fuse no. 16 under the hood supplies the interior light" ,but after few experiments i realized that the fuse supplies constant current and the multiplex or whatever controls the interior map/dome light

so i came across you thread and you have done exactly what i am trying to do

so lets see if i got this right "keep in mind i am talking about an 8th Gen"
i am attaching a diagram i came across
http://i388.photobucket.com/albums/oo330/denttarek/1.png

so my LED Sill kit comes basically with two wires a red and a black ,i ll tap into the red wire going to the ignition light and add the red wire from my LED kit using one of these http://www.posi-lock.com/posiplug.html

and then ground the black somewhere?!!!

would that work?! ,thank you

Where did you get the scuff plates?

As for wiring them, if you tell me where you got them I'll tell you how to wire them :thmsup:

Hey guys,

I am trying to do this DIY on my 7th gen sedan. I understand everything that's needed to be done (I found out that the fuse that I need to remove is labeled "Back Up" lol). However, I cannot for the life of me remove the top half of the steering column cover! I have tried prying it open, and it just will not budge!

Any suggestions?

Hey Ramon,

Just a small suggestion, you may not like it. For footwell lighting that comes with a manual switch, you might like this:

LEDGLOW 7-Color Interior Lighting Kit (DIY) (http://www.driveaccord.net/forums/showthread.php?t=34531)

If you want pictures, scroll down to the 5th post. It's a fairly easy install, and you can power them using the Type S Blue LED lights you have already.

-GT

Hey guys,

I am trying to do this DIY on my 7th gen sedan. I understand everything that's needed to be done (I found out that the fuse that I need to remove is labeled "Back Up" lol). However, I cannot for the life of me remove the top half of the steering column cover! I have tried prying it open, and it just will not budge!

Any suggestions?

There are 3 screws underneath the column that hold it together.

I took those off, but I can't separate the lower section from the upper section of the steering column cover, and I really don't want to break the plastic, lol.

Push the sides of the top in - it should come appart fairly easy - I installed the Honda accessory ambient light kit and you have to plug a harness into the interior control module which is inside the column and I had no problem getting it appart or back together.

I'll try again when i get home this sunday. I hope i dont damage it any further... I already made small pry marks, lol.

You really shouldn't have to pry - just push the sides in where the tabs are.

Where did you get the scuff plates?

As for wiring them, if you tell me where you got them I'll tell you how to wire them :thmsup:

Did you get your wiring done correctly yet? My door sills only open when I turn on the car :dunno:
I want the same thing you want. If I tap into the ignition light, they should only go on when the doors open?

The ignition light turns on with all other interior lights when you unlock or open the doors.

I tried getting the top part off again, and it simply will not budge. Could someone take some pics on where to push in? It seems like I tried everything...

Hi Jeff

I think it's really just very tight from the factory; It loosens up once you get it out the first time. I've attached a PDF file that Princess previously posted. Aside from the three screws, it looks like the two halves are held by tabs near the middle part of each piece (see page 2 in the PDF document). When I worked on mine, I pulled down on the bottom half to remove it, but I basically left the top piece in place (just nudged it over a bit) since I already had access to what I needed.

Also, here's a previous thread that might help: http://www.driveaccord.net/forums/showthread.php?t=12887

Hope this helps! :)

Thanks a bunch, Ramon!

I'll give this yet another go, and try doing what you did. I'm so afraid that I'm going to break this whole assembly, lol. I've already broken some of the little tabs that keep the two pieces lined up with each other.

Well, I finally got it off! I ended up breaking the tabs for one of the clips on the right side, farthest away. Hopefully it won't be a problem when I put it back together.

Now I just need to figure out how to run the wiring. Any suggestions? I plan on running two sets of wires, because I need an inverter on the driver side, and the passenger side. I was thinking that I could do a quick splice for each wire from the ignition light, then run another quick splice on the previous quick splice to splice each wire into two separate wires, totaling to two positive wires, and two negative wires. I went out and bought some quick splices from Advance Auto Parts, by the way.

Ok, this is starting to turn into a DIY gone wrong...

I ended up having to use wire nuts, because the quick splices i bought were too big. Anyways, I got the speaker wire hooked up correctly, and ran a small length down to the footwell so I could at least test it. However, when I connected the wires to the cold cathode inverter, the cold cathodes don't turn on. Another thing that I thought was strange was that if I had the door open, the open door beep would only work when I have the inverter plugged in. If I take off the inverter, the beep stops working. I ohm tested the two wires, and they work. However, At the other end of the inverter, where the cold cathode plugs into, has no juice. I tested TWO different cold cathode inverters, and both have the same effect.

Could I please get some advice on this? I'm really starting to think that I should have never messed with this...

Edit: Actually, the beeping is what resembles when I have the key in the ignition, and the door is opened. Whenever I have the cold cathode inverter hooked up to the power, the beep goes off, even though I don't have the key in the ignition.

Here's a diagram that I made:

http://img18.imageshack.us/img18/2143/lightse.jpg

just how i bounce may not be for youHow long it took you to do that...?