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Interior dome light switches


Strato_54
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I would like to have a button on my dash for the dome lights on the inside of the vehicle. On some cars and trucks theres a switch you can turn or press that turns on or off all the interior lights and i wanted to know where all the wires go to. Splicing in a switch to a wire is not hard but where can i find the wires that turn on the lights and has anyone does something like this before and might have some tips or insight on this. 

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3 hours ago, R50JR said:

would be a useful feature if turning on lights while driving 

My dads f250 has it and so does my moms armada but the pathfinder does not. Theres a switch cover next to my dash dimmer that i would like to use and this switch would be a perfect spot for it. I might just take it on myself and make like a how to thread or something on it if i cant find any info on the topic. I was thinking tapping into the wire that turns on the lights when you open the door or something and just have a switch inline of one of those or something but so then it also doesn't interfere with the function of opening the door and having it turn on the lights with that. Ill see where i get next time i get some time to work on it since i dont have time anymore because of school starting on Tuesday. 

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So, the door switches are grounding switches. You can apply ground to the switch, and it should power the lights up. Any of the door switches would work. If you want to double check wire colors, it's page EL-81 in the 1997 FSM, but you can just pull the switch and look at the wire color there as well.

I'd probably just pick up the front driver door switch wire with a t-tap, and ground on the opposite side of the switch with a 2 conductor wire. Run that back up to the dash where you want to put the switch. When you hook it up to your switch, you're basically bypassing the driver door switch.

That's the simple implementation of it. I would maybe also think about using a rely powered off the 12v ignition feed to provide a failsafe. Make it so that the ground side of your light switch is disconnected when  the vehicle is off. That way, you can't accidentally flip the switch on and leave it on all day/night, running the battery down. When the vehicle's off, the switch is dead.

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i never really thought about the ignition fail safe thing that is a good point. if i put it with the door pin though wouldnt that turn on the dash light or are there 2 wires like one for the light and the other to tell the car itself that its open?

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Yeah, actually, that's a good point. It looks like the alarm system is tapping right after the door switches (didn't think about that initially), so that should trigger the "open door" dash light.

This may require more extra wire running than would make it worth it. Looking at the schematics again, I think you'd have to catch each light, instead of just one easy location like I thought at first. It looks like there's no central ground to hit except for the door switches themselves.

Screen Shot 2019-08-31 at 10.16.00 AM.jpg

Edited by chrisfromthelc
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1 hour ago, chrisfromthelc said:

Yeah, actually, that's a good point. It looks like the alarm system is tapping right after the door switches (didn't think about that initially), so that should trigger the "open door" dash light.

This may require more extra wire running than would make it worth it. Looking at the schematics again, I think you'd have to catch each light, instead of just one easy location like I thought at first. It looks like there's no central ground to hit except for the door switches themselves.

Screen Shot 2019-08-31 at 10.16.00 AM.jpg

i was thinking about just going straight from the 12v wire which would be the "on" switch but then im pretty sure that would remove the feature of the lights turning on when the door is open unless i put the switch back into the middle position. There might be something out there that i can buy to put inline of the switch that would make the power go only one way and not back through to the other way. I think theres an arduino thing you can buy that does that or something for a raspberyy pi, which i want to integrate anyways somehow. So it would be like all the functionality from stock is still there but the switch on the dash turns on the light with out going through the antitheft which in turn turns on the light and not anything else that would go to the computer or dash lights.  

 

EDIT: i can do that. I use a diode. This might turn onto me figuring out how to do this stuff and post instructions for people who wants to do it them selves lol

Edited by Strato_54
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1 hour ago, Strato_54 said:

i was thinking about just going straight from the 12v wire which would be the "on" switch but then im pretty sure that would remove the feature of the lights turning on when the door is open unless i put the switch back into the middle position. There might be something out there that i can buy to put inline of the switch that would make the power go only one way and not back through to the other way. I think theres an arduino thing you can buy that does that or something for a raspberyy pi, which i want to integrate anyways somehow. So it would be like all the functionality from stock is still there but the switch on the dash turns on the light with out going through the antitheft which in turn turns on the light and not anything else that would go to the computer or dash lights.  

 

EDIT: i can do that. I use a diode. This might turn onto me figuring out how to do this stuff and post instructions for people who wants to do it them selves lol

12 volts already is at the bulb, so any wiring you add would need to be the ground, not 12V. The switches at the light itself switch the ground. Very important to get that part right.

I'd have to pull one of the actual lights themselves, but it might be possible to tie into the switch with your new switch wire without needing to diode-separate them. If you tie into the wiring outboard of the switch, you'll most likely need the diode to isolate the ground signal.

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15 minutes ago, chrisfromthelc said:

12 volts already is at the bulb, so any wiring you add would need to be the ground, not 12V. The switches at the light itself switch the ground. Very important to get that part right.

I'd have to pull one of the actual lights themselves, but it might be possible to tie into the switch with your new switch wire without needing to diode-separate them. If you tie into the wiring outboard of the switch, you'll most likely need the diode to isolate the ground signal.

i meant ground i dont know why i said 12v. But my main goal is to still have the lights turn on with the door, and also have the switch on the light itself work but all with out it going to the computer or the dash. so almost as if this add on was built in stock. i might have to draw it out or something to know what im trying to do in my head but for the most part i think i know how i could do this.

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https://www.falstad.com/circuit/circuitjs.html

Fantastic free software. With those electrical schematics from the FSM you can build what’s already there and try stuff to manipulate the circuits how you like and plus you don’t destroy stuff clinching your butt cheeks and hitting GO.

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8 minutes ago, onespiritbrain said:

https://www.falstad.com/circuit/circuitjs.html

Fantastic free software. With those electrical schematics from the FSM you can build what’s already there and try stuff to manipulate the circuits how you like and plus you don’t destroy stuff clinching your butt cheeks and hitting GO.

this is the best thing i have ever seen i love you so much

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https://www.falstad.com/circuit/circuitjs.html

Fantastic free software. With those electrical schematics from the FSM you can build what’s already there and try stuff to manipulate the circuits how you like and plus you don’t destroy stuff clinching your butt cheeks and hitting GO.

FYI@ferrariowner123
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We can easily share diagrams too by exporting as a link:

 

https://tinyurl.com/y2m8lhfg

 

hmm well its not working... (edit: working now. the tinyurl function inside the circuit builder seems to be malfunctioning but works it works fine if you go to tinyurl yourself to create the link.)

 

try this one:

https://www.falstad.com/circuit/circuitjs.html?cct=$+17+0.000005+3.046768661252054+40+5+43 178+80+416+80+368+0+1+0.2+-0.5999999999998891+0.05+1000000+0.02+20 178+224+416+224+368+0+1+0.2+-0.599917738068493+0.05+1000000+0.02+20 w+48+416+48+544+0 g+48+544+48+560+0 R+-64+416+-96+416+0+0+40+12+0+0+0.5 w+48+544+80+544+0 w+80+464+80+416+0 w+64+368+64+192+0 s+-64+416+0+416+0+0+false s+320+496+288+496+0+0+false w+176+544+80+544+0 s+272+208+304+208+0+1+false s+272+176+304+176+0+0+false w+224+192+256+192+0 w+256+192+256+176+0 w+256+176+272+176+0 w+256+192+256+208+0 w+256+208+272+208+0 x+257+156+299+159+4+12+90degC x+258+226+300+229+4+12+99degC x+-42+396+-7+399+4+12+key\son w+176+544+224+544+0 w+192+416+224+416+0 w+352+480+320+480+0 w+320+480+320+496+0 w+224+544+224+416+0 w+176+496+176+416+0 x+164+368+197+371+4+12+AC\son x+161+382+199+385+4+12+FAN\sHI x+28+379+50+382+4+12+only x+23+364+55+367+4+12+ign\son w+352+480+352+592+0 w+352+592+0+592+0 w+0+592+0+416+0 178+448+208+448+272+0+1+0.2+0.5984207493736498+0.05+1000000+0.02+20 178+448+176+448+96+0+1+0.2+0.000011999759442010045+0.05+1000000+0.02+20 w+304+208+336+208+0 w+336+208+400+208+0 w+304+176+400+176+0 R+688+192+720+192+0+0+40+12+0+0+0.5 x+537+366+597+369+4+12+FAN\sON\sHI x+632+370+696+373+4+12+FAN\sON\sLO g+688+224+720+224+0 w+432+272+432+304+0 w+432+304+544+304+0 w+432+80+640+80+0 w+640+80+640+304+0 w+592+304+592+224+0 w+592+224+688+224+0 w+688+304+688+224+0 w+432+80+432+96+0 w+448+192+448+176+0 w+448+192+448+208+0 w+448+192+416+192+0 w+416+192+416+176+0 w+416+192+416+208+0 w+448+192+688+192+0 181+592+304+544+304+0+353.1969023615489+100+120+0.4+0.4 181+688+304+640+304+0+304.3663163529265+100+120+0.4+0.4 w+0+416+32+416+0 x+262+528+335+531+4+12+\p12v\sfrom\sAC x+271+541+331+544+4+12+clutch\srelay w+240+368+240+336+0 w+240+336+144+336+0 w+144+336+144+464+0 w+80+464+144+464+0 w+64+192+224+192+0 w+336+272+208+272+0 w+208+272+208+368+0 w+288+496+176+496+0 w+336+272+336+208+0 b+160+352+255+447+0 b+17+350+112+445+0 b+318+253+240+106+0 x+252+122+304+125+4+12+dual\stemp x+261+133+294+136+4+12+switch b+376+335+485+48+0 x+393+64+470+67+4+12+volvo\sfan\srelay

Edited by onespiritbrain
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34 minutes ago, onespiritbrain said:

We can easily share diagrams too by exporting as a link:

 

https://tinyurl.com/y2m8lhfg

 

hmm well its not working... (edit: working now. the tinyurl function inside the circuit builder seems to be malfunctioning but works it works fine if you go to tinyurl yourself to create the link.)

 

try this one:

https://www.falstad.com/circuit/circuitjs.html?cct=$+17+0.000005+3.046768661252054+40+5+43 178+80+416+80+368+0+1+0.2+-0.5999999999998891+0.05+1000000+0.02+20 178+224+416+224+368+0+1+0.2+-0.599917738068493+0.05+1000000+0.02+20 w+48+416+48+544+0 g+48+544+48+560+0 R+-64+416+-96+416+0+0+40+12+0+0+0.5 w+48+544+80+544+0 w+80+464+80+416+0 w+64+368+64+192+0 s+-64+416+0+416+0+0+false s+320+496+288+496+0+0+false w+176+544+80+544+0 s+272+208+304+208+0+1+false s+272+176+304+176+0+0+false w+224+192+256+192+0 w+256+192+256+176+0 w+256+176+272+176+0 w+256+192+256+208+0 w+256+208+272+208+0 x+257+156+299+159+4+12+90degC x+258+226+300+229+4+12+99degC x+-42+396+-7+399+4+12+key\son w+176+544+224+544+0 w+192+416+224+416+0 w+352+480+320+480+0 w+320+480+320+496+0 w+224+544+224+416+0 w+176+496+176+416+0 x+164+368+197+371+4+12+AC\son x+161+382+199+385+4+12+FAN\sHI x+28+379+50+382+4+12+only x+23+364+55+367+4+12+ign\son w+352+480+352+592+0 w+352+592+0+592+0 w+0+592+0+416+0 178+448+208+448+272+0+1+0.2+0.5984207493736498+0.05+1000000+0.02+20 178+448+176+448+96+0+1+0.2+0.000011999759442010045+0.05+1000000+0.02+20 w+304+208+336+208+0 w+336+208+400+208+0 w+304+176+400+176+0 R+688+192+720+192+0+0+40+12+0+0+0.5 x+537+366+597+369+4+12+FAN\sON\sHI x+632+370+696+373+4+12+FAN\sON\sLO g+688+224+720+224+0 w+432+272+432+304+0 w+432+304+544+304+0 w+432+80+640+80+0 w+640+80+640+304+0 w+592+304+592+224+0 w+592+224+688+224+0 w+688+304+688+224+0 w+432+80+432+96+0 w+448+192+448+176+0 w+448+192+448+208+0 w+448+192+416+192+0 w+416+192+416+176+0 w+416+192+416+208+0 w+448+192+688+192+0 181+592+304+544+304+0+353.1969023615489+100+120+0.4+0.4 181+688+304+640+304+0+304.3663163529265+100+120+0.4+0.4 w+0+416+32+416+0 x+262+528+335+531+4+12+\p12v\sfrom\sAC x+271+541+331+544+4+12+clutch\srelay w+240+368+240+336+0 w+240+336+144+336+0 w+144+336+144+464+0 w+80+464+144+464+0 w+64+192+224+192+0 w+336+272+208+272+0 w+208+272+208+368+0 w+288+496+176+496+0 w+336+272+336+208+0 b+160+352+255+447+0 b+17+350+112+445+0 b+318+253+240+106+0 x+252+122+304+125+4+12+dual\stemp x+261+133+294+136+4+12+switch b+376+335+485+48+0 x+393+64+470+67+4+12+volvo\sfan\srelay

im gonna take some time to learn that app and see what i can come up with for my idea but in the mean time ive gotta play with it

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