crazyhorse2011

So i want to wire up led light strips in my footwells. I want them to operate like a dome light. On, off, and door ajar. I want to know how to wire up the switch where up is door, down is on, and center is OFF. also where do i tap into the harness for power when the door is open?

Thanks all!

fcm

MM&Y of car would help.
If it is a Honda/Aura, the door switches, [for dome and door ajar] are "ground triggers" they supply a ground, when open, to the dome light, all Honda/Acura isolate the drivers door through the ICU, some Honda/Acura with individual door ajar indicators isolate all the doors.

So if you want your lights to work of all/any door connect the lights to a 12V+ constant power source and connect the lights ground to the dome light ground lead, most likely a green/red lead running up the drivers A pillar. 94

crazyhorse2011

1995 civic ex 2 door vtec edition

Thats what my research showed. Apparently im not the first to think this up. Now for the switch, i want to interrupt this circuit wih a manual switch to be able to run the lights with the doors closed as well. Or, to completely disable the system altogether for stealth. I picture a switch with 3 "clicks". Whats the best way to do this? I could just play around but i can only pop so many fuses

TomCat39

You don't need any switch. If you wire it inline with the power side of the dome light, your dome light switch will operate it with the dome light with, always on, only on when door is ajar and off.

The 95 civic of any trim doesn't have a door ajar indicator, only the dome light. Just expand the lighting of the dome light. A much simpler solution to get you the same results you want.

crazyhorse2011

Tomcat what if i want to operate the footwell lights and not the dome light, with the doors open or closed? Your scenario is one ive already thought of, and seems like the way to do it but in order to turn on my footwells while driving i have to reach above me and also turn on the dome as well. Id rather they be independent of each other

TomCat39

Then you need to get an ETM (Electrical Troubleshooting Manaual) for your car so you can duplicate the dome light connections in parallel with your own DPDT (Double Pole Double Throw) switch.

crazyhorse2011

Here's a good source I found

dome light wiring question [SOLVED] - Honda Civic Forum

TomCat39

You should get an ETM. There are much better ways to get always hot than tapping into your main white ignition wire. A female spade connector is all you need and to know which accessory spot is always hot on the under the dash fuse box.

fcm

You will need a 3way switch, SPDT, or on/off/on, use the same dome ground trigger as before but run it through the switch from dome light trigger lead to one of the outside terminals of the switch, center terminal of the switch to your lights, [with switch on in that direction the lights will work off the door trigger] wire the other outside pin on switch to a ground, [when switch is on in that direction the lights will be on.

Something like this... 5pcs Heavy Duty 20A 125V 3pin ON OFF ON Momentary Rocker Toggle Switch | eBay
Although these are 20A switches, and would work, you can probably get away with a much smaller switch, 5A maybe, you would have to check amperage draw of the lights you have, but if they are LEDs a 5A is most likely all you need.

I agree with TomCat39, get your 12V constant from the 12V constant "free pin" on the under dash fuse box, [terminals just above the fuses]. 94

TomCat39

That's funny, you suggest a SPDT. I tend to us DPDT and solder them so they end up as SPDT switches.

crazyhorse2011

Whats the difference between spdt and dpdt

crazyhorse2011

I independently thought this up. If these lights are ground operated, then my leds preferably should be as well. IE constantly hot rather than constantly grounded. So..... if i intercept the ground for the dome light and run it to my switch in one of the ON positions, that will make the lights operate off DOME. If i run a direct ground to the other ON pole, when the switch is in this spot the leds will light but the dome will remain off. In fact, the way I understand it, the dome light will actually be DISABLED in this position because its ground, ran to the other pole, is now disconnected. Am i correct? The center position is OFF, and the leds are now on an open cicuit but the dome light is as well. So.....

Do i wire the dome ground in PARALLEL with my dash switch to prevent its disabling while ysing the other poles? Or is my aassumption incorrect

crazyhorse2011

And for the dome ground i just tap into the red wire with a green stripe found in the drivers a pillar? How do you remove that piece? Is there another spot i may find that same wire? Perhaps by the hood release lever?

crazyhorse2011

bump

TomCat39

Google, single pole double throw switch (SPDT)
Then Google, double pole double throw switch (DPDT)

And for what you want. You want to run your own circuit separate the dome light. Your own ground, or tie into an existing ground, and an always hot accessory spot in your under dash fuse box, a 3 position (double throw) switch and your LED lights and if you want the door as part of it, I would probably say your own door switch too or switch out the existing door switch to a double pole single throw switch so you can run two separate circuits through the switch.

fcm

Yes the dome light is ground operated, you do not "interrupt" the dome light ground lead you wire in parallel to one side of switch and center pin of switch goes to your lights ground and the other side of switch goes to chassis ground, then both the dome and your lights will work off the doors and your lights can be controlled at any time with the switch, as can the dome light be controlled any time with the dome light switch.

What you can not do is turn off your lights all the time, to do that you would have to pick up the dome light ground that you run to the switch after the dome light switch at the dome light , so the dome light switch off position would turn off both the dome and your lights.

The dome light power and ground control leads are in a 2pin plug high up on the drives A pillar, just about at the underside of the top of the dash, it is much easier to pop off the A pillar trim, and with no pillar airbags the trim will just pop off, start by pulling off the door gasket, that leaves a gap that a clip remover tool can be put into to pop the trim off... http://www.hondaautomotiveparts.com/...PILLAR+GARNISH 94

crazyhorse2011

I would prefer not to pop the trim off. Ive heard the wire can be accessed below the dash by the fuse box? IT would be easier to wire from that location. Furthermore, If I were to remove the plastic trim my only tool available is the flat head screwdriver, any advice? Will I be able to reattach? I'm thinking about just wiring up the lights to the door switch for now, then maybe later I will modify the wiring to allow for a SPDT switch.

THansk

crazyhorse2011

I went ahead and took my 4 12" LED strips outside and followed all the instructions I was aware of. I popped the A pillar trim off partially, cut into the green and red striped wire and added an additional wire with a wire splice and ran the new one down the a pillar under the trim, down under the dash, and grounded all 4 of my LEDs to it. Then after mounting all the strips I connected all the hot wires together and spliced them into the fuse box, using the leftmost of the 5 male spade connector ports in the box. Apparently this one is constant 12V, the others seemed ignition or accessory operated. After tucking all the wires and cleaning up and restoring the interior, It appears that they work great! If you open the driver door the lights come on, if you open the passenger door the lights come on, and if both doors are open the lights are on, and if both doors are shut the lights promptly turn off. What an amazing addition. I'll post up pictures in an hour when the sun is below the horizon.

fcm

did you find that the dome light 2pin plug was far too high up for easy access? 94

crazyhorse2011

Not sure what plug you speak of, i performed the wire splice as close to the dash as possible

fcm

It would be under the dash not behind the trim. 94