DIY -|- Trunk Cathodes

[mnkyman]

This is mnkyman's DIY to put 12" cathode lights in your trunk

***NOTE: I AM IN NO WAY RESPONSIBLE IF YOU HURT YOURSELF AND/OR YOUR CAR IN DOING THIS MOD***

Heres my results:
Http://www.theorange-media.com/honda/TLM/mini-DSC02105.JPG

Http://www.theorange-media.com/honda/TLM/mini-DSC02097.JPG

Http://www.theorange-media.com/honda/TLM/mini-DSC02109.JPG

Http://www.theorange-media.com/honda/TLM/mini-DSC02108.JPG



1. Explanation:
Ok, so i had some extra cathodes that i pulled out of a computer case so i decided to put them in my trunk, but i still wanted the ability to be able to
use the stock trunk light as well, so i used a 3 way switch with 6 pins (2 in, and 4 out). I rerouted the trunk light wires to the 2 in pins on the switch, and then the trunk light to 2 out pins and the cathodes to the other 2 pins...this way i can either have the stock trunk light on, no light on, or the cathodes on

Esitmated Price: Cathodes - $20, switch - $3, terminals $2 each ($6 total)
if you need any tools listed, they can be picked up at radioshack or homedepot for reasonable prices
Estimated Time: 3 hours because the amount of sautering/shrinkwrapping and testing with the switch i did...i also spent an extra hour going back to radioshack, because i screwed up one set of terminals
Estimated difficulty: 3 out of 10, 5 out of 10 if you don't know how to sauter

2. Parts/Tools
Http://www.theorange-media.com/honda/TLM/mini-DSC01965.JPG
Parts
-Wire rated up to 12 volts (i used some speaker wire i had laying around)
-12" Cathodes that have an inverter box (you can purchase these at most electronics/computer stores)
-2 way switch (Radioshack part #: _____ )
-terminals (so that you can stick them to the end of the wire and just plug into switch)(Radioshack part #: _____ )

^ill get those part #'s later tonight..there out in the garage

Tools
-Pliers
-Wire strippers/scissors
-Flat head screw driver
-Crimper (optional...can just use pliers)
-Blow Dryer
-Sautering Iron
-Thin electrical sauter
-Black Zip Ties
-Black Electrical Tape
-3M Double Sided Automotive Tape
-Heat Shrink



3. Lets Start
Before you do anything, pull fuse #6[Interior Lights] (7.5 Amps)

Http://www.theorange-media.com/honda/TLM/mini-DSC01970.JPG

Http://www.theorange-media.com/honda/TLM/mini-DSC01971.JPG

Make sure you know which way the fuse came out...if you put it back in backwards, you will blow the fuse
(mine had the 7.5 number facing away from the door, but yours may be different

4. Ok, now to get on with the mod
First, you gonna wanna pull out the trunk light. Stick a screw driver into one side of the cover and push the tab in and pull it all out

Then disconnect the Blue connector from the light/cover and place the light/cover in a safe place.
Http://www.theorange-media.com/honda/TLM/mini-DSC01972.JPG

Http://www.theorange-media.com/honda/TLM/mini-DSC01973.JPG

5. Next, your gonna want to strip back the cover (foam and hard plastic) on the wire a little.
Http://www.theorange-media.com/honda/TLM/mini-DSC01975.JPG
NOTE: i eventually ended up stripping off triple that amount of cover than what is pictured

Next your going to want to cut the blue connector off, but leave enough wire on the end of it so that you will be able to sauter it to another wire latter

Http://www.theorange-media.com/honda/TLM/mini-DSC01981.JPG

6.
ok, now your going to want to pull the power wire from the light out through the top of the metal piece (Red Arrow), back to its source in the back of the trunk (Black Arrow)
Http://www.theorange-media.com/honda/TLM/mini-DSC01980.JPG

next, get a length of wire and sauter it onto the end of the power wire (determine length based on next picture)

Now, reroute the wire arond the trunk (this is where you will want to use black zip ties to clean up the routing) and pull it through the area pictured, through the hole in the metal piece
Http://www.theorange-media.com/honda/TLM/mini-DSC01982.JPG

Http://www.theorange-media.com/honda/TLM/mini-DSC01983.JPG

7. Terminals
OK, so the only terminals that i was able to find at radioshack at that size came in a pack of 6 (2 small, 2 medium, and 2 large) we want to use the small ones..and if your doing the math that means we need 3 packs of terminals

although these are small terminals, they are still bigger than the pins on the switch, so your going to want to bend them in a little with pliers, so they have a tight fit on the switch:
(i had to squish it a litte with the pliers, and then slowly open it up little by little with a small flat head screw driver)

Http://www.theorange-media.com/honda/TLM/mini-DSC01976.JPG

Http://www.theorange-media.com/honda/TLM/mini-DSC01977.JPG

ok, next your going to want to put the power wires into the back side of the terminals and Crimp (this is where you might want to use a crimp tool) or just use pliers and smash them down, so that the wires are securly attached, i also added shrink wrap to the setup to clean it up a little (note that you will need to put the shrink wrap on before you crimp the wires)
Http://www.theorange-media.com/honda/TLM/mini-DSC01984.JPG

8. ok, next your going to want to make a new wire for the stock light. (as in get some wire, and then sauter the blue connector to one end, with shrink wrap, and then follow the same process from above to put connectors on the other end)

Blue connector side:
Http://www.theorange-media.com/honda/TLM/mini-DSC01987.JPG

other side:
Http://www.theorange-media.com/honda/TLM/mini-DSC01989.JPG

Whole product:
Http://www.theorange-media.com/honda/TLM/mini-DSC01986.JPG


9. now route the cable through the metal piece along the top of the trunk, with the terminal side coming back out of the same hole as the new power wire, and the side with the blue connector coming out of the hole where the stock light goes. Connect the blue piece back to the stock light and put the stock light back in place


10. Now for work on the cathodes

Your going to need to fabricate another cable, similar to the one in step 8 (one side will have terminals, the other side will have the connector which connects the inverter box of the cathodes

next, route the wire through the metal piece, and mount the inverter somewhere inside of the metal piece, i used 3m tape to do this, if your inverter has holes on the top, for venting, make sure that is the part pointing up, and that you mount it alont the bottom of the inside of the metal peice, so that the holes still face up

What the are where the wires are all coming out should look like:
Http://www.theorange-media.com/honda/TLM/mini-DSC01991.JPG

Http://www.theorange-media.com/honda/TLM/mini-DSC01990.JPG

11. now that you have the invertor mounted, mount the cathodes along the metal piece. i used zip ties for this, but i also insulated the area where the cathodes met the metal with 3m tape, to prevent any rattle, since the low range speakers are right around that area

Http://www.theorange-media.com/honda/TLM/mini-DSC02100.JPG

Http://www.theorange-media.com/honda/TLM/mini-DSC021000.JPG

Http://www.theorange-media.com/honda/TLM/mini-DSC02102.JPG

12. ok, now make sure that when you routed all the wires through the inside of the metal piece, that there are no open wires which could touch each other (especially around the stock light area, since that has open blub connector set-up

13. Ok now for the switch
Http://www.theorange-media.com/honda/TLM/mini-DSC01990.JPG

Switch pins
Http://www.theorange-media.com/honda/TLM/mini-DSC01978.JPG

Ok, the 2 middle pins are the "In" pins, and the 4 outer ones are the "out" pins

Route the power terminals to the 2 middle switches.

Now, put the fuse back, remembering to put it back in the same way you found it

ok, now you want to connect the other 2 sets of terminals to the other 4 pins, 2 on ones side 2 on the other...

to test which one is + and -, switch the switch into the on position, Note: the side the pins are on, is switched on when the switch is pushed away from it...meaning that if you look at the switch from the side, the pins on the left are on when the switch is pushed to the right and vice versa

14.
now you should have all the terminals hooked to the switch, with everything working...if its not..you messed up somewhere in the wiring or connecting to the switch (took me a couple tries to figure out the switch)

you going to want to put electrical tape around the terminals and switches to help keep them in place


15. next, route/stuff the extra wires that you had sticking out, into the hole and into the hallow area of the metal, until the switch is just barely sticking out (i have mine sorta hidden, since you wouldnt notice it where it currently is)

Http://www.theorange-media.com/honda/TLM/mini-DSC02103.JPG





16. Admire your work

Http://www.theorange-media.com/honda/TLM/mini-DSC02105.JPG

Http://www.theorange-media.com/honda/TLM/mini-DSC02097.JPG

Http://www.theorange-media.com/honda/TLM/mini-DSC02098.JPG

Http://www.theorange-media.com/honda/TLM/mini-DSC02109.JPG

Http://www.theorange-media.com/honda/TLM/mini-DSC02108.JPG




Thanks For Reading

DIY & Images Sponsored By:
*External Link Removed*
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http://www.theorange-media.com/honda/light/TOM.JPG

[Bluek24a4]

Very good, it came out real nice.

[VTECaddict]

nice job, but IMO the switch is pointless. i dont see why you would need to switch back and forth between stock and cathode. i cathode'd my trunk last month and all i needed was scissors and tape. took 10 mins. i used a dual 12" white CCFL kit bought from SVC.com. it was only $7, but it appears they're out of stock. http://www.svc.com/12vb2ccflwht.html

here's what i did:
1) cut the ATX power connector and PCI rocker switch assembly off the cathode inverter. leave as mush wire as possible so you have more flexibility when mounting it later on.
2) strip the insulation at the end to get ~1cm of exposed wire. use your fingers to twist the exposed wire so its one tight strand and not 10 little flimsy ones
3) remove trunk light and remove light assembly from blue connector
4) insert exposed wire ends from cathode inverter into the holes on the blue connector. make sure to match polarity. really get it in there and try to make sure no more wiring is exposed after you insert it into the connector.
5) plug in cathodes into the inverter
6) mount cathodes and inverter the rear shelf. i mounted mine behind that metal beam shown in mnkyman's pics. that way it wont get in the way when loading stuff into the trunk. make sure you clear the trunk springs too. i used self adhesive velcro (came with cathode kit) to mount the cathodes and inverter, plus some extra tape for extra support.
7) replace stock light assembly back into its place or store it in a safe area. if you ever need to remove the cathodes, just unplug the cathode inverter and reinsert the blue connector back into the stock assembly. no permanent modification to your car required. ;)

hella bright! :thmsup:
http://img250.imageshack.us/img250/8200/dsc00023smalltn2.jpg

[mnkyman]

:thumbsdow i believe this was my diy...and not yours... :thumbsdow

ya it would take 10 minutes to just cut the blue connector and stick the wires onto it: 1 connection

I prefer my way cause i have blue lights, and if i were to go to a classy place or something along that line, i can always switch the light to stock

connection: 6 :thumbsup:



only thing i might adapt from yours is: where did you mount yours? you said second stage?...is that the same place i did or are you talking about farther back in the trunk?...either way....same effect, except imma put a sound sensor on mine so my lights can dance with music :lmao:



thanks for comments from both

[faboloso]

:notworthy
what happened to your cubby lighting DIY? :D

[mnkyman]

have yet to pull it out...:/...i just need ot pull it out and ill be able to do it in like 10 minutes... :yes: :thmsup: :D

[WolfpackBill]

Nice, copy cat!!! LOL

Looks great!! It's just the switch is just a little much. But hey, looks great nonetheless.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v490/bchung4457/Accord/102_1646a.jpg

[MJL]

Dude! It's "solder" not "sauter". And I'm pretty sure that it doesnt matter which way the fuse goes back in, I've never seen directional fuses. :thmsup:

I'll probably end up doing a trunk light mod, except with whites.

[SSMV6]

I did mine with a single white tube. Duals are just too much once the control box finishes charging.

MJL's right. It doesn't matter which direction the fuse is put back in. There is no such thing as a directional fuse! Circuit breakers are another story.

[faderrific]

Dude! It's "solder" not "sauter".

I'm surprised he picked up the right thing at radioshack, it's spelled right across the box.


I'll probably end up doing a trunk light mod, except with whites.

That's my next task.

[CA05LXDriver]

You guys go though all the trouble of doing that and the underside of your trunk lids are naked! Y'all realize you can get the EX V6 upholsery for that, right?

[MJL]

You guys go though all the trouble of doing that and the underside of your trunk lids are naked! Y'all realize you can get the EX V6 upholsery for that, right?

BAH! I'd rather be able to see whats inside my trunk at night than whats on it.

[ANDRYCK]

Very good DIY. :thmsup:

[mnkyman]

thanks for comments

[jacmax69]

I love it but I'm not electrical by any means.

[RTexasF]

mnky,

Nice mod and well documented. Forget the negative people here. People like that would find fault with a hundred dollar bill they found on the sidewalk!

[listen to remix]

Thanks for the DIY... I have to try it when I grow the balls to mod my car

[listen to remix]

UPDATE: I just grew them...

Questions:
Should I get a kit from oznium? If I don't need the switch, do I still need to solder any wires?
http://www.oznium.com/product_photos/large/24.jpg

[mnkyman]

oznium kits are good. I still suggest soldering the wires (its the best method) but if you really don't want to, you can use automotive wiretaps from autozone.

[coolcarmaniac87]

what about doing something like this but doing it underneath the dash and underneath the driver and passenger seats so you get glow in the front and and in the rear.....? if you can rig up some DIY instructions? and if someone would to it and let me know asap? ...

btw the trunk mods are freaking hot..but personally idc about the trunk...lol i care more about the interior...but great mod !

[mnkyman]

thanks, you can do the same set-up inside the car easily...i just haven't seen the need for it

[listen to remix]

What part of the honda warranty would this mod affect?

[coolcarmaniac87]

but you think that the cathodes would be to bright for the interior?...cuz i wanna do blue in the interior....

[mnkyman]

naw, cathodes wont be to bright. They will light up the entire area, but wont be to bright.

Listen to remix: This would only affect wiring that you have tampered with. (ie, if your interior lights go out due to installation of trunk cathodes because they are all on 1 circuit)

[coolcarmaniac87]

so you think you can maybe give me some directions..on how to set up the wiring for the four cathodes that i would use?note: i have a 08 accord sedan think just wiring them straight up from the battery and just splitting the wires...and adding a switch would work?
or no?

[kopimon]

but you think that the cathodes would be to bright for the interior?...cuz i wanna do blue in the interior....

I think it depends on where in the interior you want to do it. If you put the light under the dash to light up the foot wells it probably wouldn't be too bright, but I would use a 4" tube. I'm going to put one in my glove box later today (after I confirm it's possible).

[omega]

what about doing something like this but doing it underneath the dash and underneath the driver and passenger seats so you get glow in the front and and in the rear.....? if you can rig up some DIY instructions? and if someone would to it and let me know asap? ...

btw the trunk mods are freaking hot..but personally idc about the trunk...lol i care more about the interior...but great mod !

coolcarmaniac87: I had the exact same idea! I think the effect would be really nice with under-dash/under-seat lighting, and I think it might be possible to wire the power for these from the connector used for the illuminated side step garnish (http://www.collegehillshonda.com/storeart/8thgenaccsedan/illumsidestep.jpg). I'm an EE myself, so I'll try to figure out how to get this working and let you know.

Side note: Anybody have a wiring/circuit schematic for the driver's and passenger's fuse panels?

[mnkyman]

so you think you can maybe give me some directions..on how to set up the wiring for the four cathodes that i would use?note: i have a 08 accord sedan think just wiring them straight up from the battery and just splitting the wires...and adding a switch would work?
or no?

well it depends how you want them to be illuminated.

with a switch: i recommend setting up a new circuit using an access-a-fuse (google it), you will wire everything directly to the fuse box


with the doors: splice the cathodes into the wire that is powered when the door is opened

[omega]

well it depends how you want them to be illuminated.

with a switch: i recommend setting up a new circuit using an access-a-fuse (google it), you will wire everything directly to the fuse box


with the doors: splice the cathodes into the wire that is powered when the door is opened

I was looking for a way to have the interior cathodes turn on with the doors, without making any permanent changes to the wiring (i.e. splicing).

I believe the 12-pin connector used for the illuminated door garnish (see p. 15 of this PDF: http://www.collegehillshonda.com/instructions/8thgenaccsedan/sidestepillumination.pdf) has door-activated power, so I was planning to connect my cathodes to that.

I was going to figure out the connector wiring using a voltmeter, but a wiring diagram/schematic would be appreciated. :biggrin:

[mnkyman]

I was looking for a way to have the interior cathodes turn on with the doors, without making any permanent changes to the wiring (i.e. splicing).

I believe the 12-pin connector used for the illuminated door garnish (see p. 15 of this PDF: http://www.collegehillshonda.com/instructions/8thgenaccsedan/sidestepillumination.pdf) has door-activated power, so I was planning to connect my cathodes to that.

I was going to figure out the connector wiring using a voltmeter, but a wiring diagram/schematic would be appreciated. :biggrin:

im not really familiar with the 8th gen, but if there is already a 12 pin connector in the car you can purchase the other end of the 12 pin connect, wire that to the cathodes and plug it in there.

Wire splicing isn't permanent at all, you can even use wire taps to make it super easy


heres a quick diagram i made in paint:thumbsup:
http://img385.imageshack.us/img385/4998/cathodwiringat9.jpg

the red pieces are the connectors (they would connect together to complete the circuit)

The apex of the diamond is where the cathode wiring and plug/harness wiring would meet

the blue box is the transformer box from the cathode kit, and the white boxes are the cathodes


lmk if there are any questions