LED Interior Cargo Lights - How I Done It.

Hi Guys, I'm just wanting to clarify a few things if someone could help.

So I have 3 white small strip lights I want to control independantly by 3 touch sensitive switches, but also want them to come on as per described earlier in th is thread with the normal function of the van. Could I connect these through one DPDT relay? or would I need to connect 3 DPDT relays (also What fuse sie woudl be best?) to the leasure battery as @Dellmassive drew? These switched had a "halo light" arround them which I would like to turn off with the van rather than remain permenantly on.... this may cause some issues.
link here

Mini DC12V Touch Dimmable LED Lamp Strip Closet Sensor Switch W/Blue Light Tool | eBay
Would the switch wire in at the relay?

Also I plan on having some pockets in the back of the van with a charging point and or wirless charging pad, For when the be is down, drop your phone in the pocket while you sleep and it charges. would I be able to rin this from the relay or the cigarete lighter that is permenantly on?

Any help sketchs woudl be great.
 
it looks like those switches are on/off/dimmer switches . . . .

im not sure if you will be able to disable the halo ring?

it looks like they are +12v/0v in and +12v/0v out, but it doesn't state how they are dimmimg? - either PWM or Volt drop?


also im not sure how you would "control independantly" with these as they are self contained - you would have to have them all switched off, then just use one at a time.

you will need to do some testing - do the switches remember what state they was in before the power was removed? - do they default on/off when power is restored?

you could start just by adding the 3x lights into the existing rear lights . . . .

Then try adding one switch inline with one light and test,

Then add the other two . . . .

But you may need a seperate switch or relay if you want to add an overide feed from the leisure battery . . . . . or use blocking diodes to keep the starter/leisure battery positive feeds seperate if feeding the same light chain..

as for fusing keep it as low as possible, LED`s draw very little current, so start with say a 5A fuse . . . .

upload_2019-12-19_15-8-35.png
 
Last edited:
@Dellmassive thanks for this, yea I figured testing will be the case. They default to off which is good news. What would be the safest way to keep the leasure battery isolated from the main battery? Diodes or relay? Cheers for your help. The dining option appears to be through resistance as they are stepped levels of light , tapping the sensor reduces the light output. Oh forgot to say this is going in a van with filiment wiring. Also what grade of wire would you suggest. . . ?
 
Mupp3tt said:
Also what grade of wire would you suggest. . . ?
Click to expand...

id say look at these for LED Lighting:

Single cable 1.5mm² - Car Electrical Wire, Set of 2 Colours (Red/Black) at 5m - https://amzn.to/2Ru7fT4

Single cable 2.5mm² - Car Electrical Wire, Set of 2 Colours (Red/Black) at 5m - https://amzn.to/34V4K0h

12 Way Blade Fuse Box with LED Indicator for Car Boat Van - https://amzn.to/33TGjyM

6 Way Blade Fuse Box with LED Indicator for Car Boat Van - https://amzn.to/2Pi9eHJ



Kit List And Stuff -- How I Done It & What I Use --


Dellmassive`s -- "how I Done It" -- Thread

.
 
@Dellmassive that is great, I assume it would be simply connecting the Leasure battery (OEM installed) to this loop instead of the main battery would prevent drainign the main battery too? as for the low voltage cut off protection, this would be a bit of a guess as to what the voltage would need to be to start the vehicle (minimum, temp etc..included) Thank you for your help I an keen to learn how to do all of this .

also have some fibre optics to install ;)
 
Hello all,

Just been having a read through the thread and have a question, I'm going to be removing the LED rear lights in a T6 and replacing them with 4 Spot lights which I want to have "on when doors open" "off" and "Permanently on". The van is also having a leisure battery fitted. My thought was to only use the BCM Negative and then a new permanent negative and positive from the leisure battery (permanent negative from nearest factory stud in reality)

I've drawn a diagram below:
T6 LED Interior Lights.JPG

Would someone be able to tell me if this wouldn't work? Or would leaving the BCM +ve feed out of the system cause issues?

I'll be going down the DPDT as explained by Dellmassive above if not , I just have a few SPDT switches lying about.

Thanks, Sion
 
Shoes said:
Hello all,

Just been having a read through the thread and have a question, I'm going to be removing the LED rear lights in a T6 and replacing them with 4 Spot lights which I want to have "on when doors open" "off" and "Permanently on". The van is also having a leisure battery fitted. My thought was to only use the BCM Negative and then a new permanent negative and positive from the leisure battery (permanent negative from nearest factory stud in reality)

I've drawn a diagram below:
View attachment 60378

Would someone be able to tell me if this wouldn't work? Or would leaving the BCM +ve feed out of the system cause issues?

I'll be going down the DPDT as explained by Dellmassive above if not , I just have a few SPDT switches lying about.

Thanks, Sion
Click to expand...
No issues at all. It’ll work perfectly
 
I had read that some people had found that the extra LEDs light up very dimly in the configuration you have drawn because a small residual current flows via the BCM for, I think, diagnostic purposes when the courtesy lights are off. I tried your circuit out and it did indeed light the LEDs very dimly, so another approach was required. I have been playing recently with some MOSFET switch modules with built-in opto-isolators, so I wired one up using just the one connection to the BCM -ve as you proposed. I also included 3 way switching with a single pole switch and the option to add a remote dimmer switch on it too, as I've been trying to address the requirements I've seen from various people in previous posts.
I tried it all out in the van last week, including the 3 position switch and the dimmer switch and it all seems to work fine, with no issues of LEDs lighting dimly.
 

Attachments

  • Extra LED Light Circuit with Switching and Remote Dimmer control.pdf
    547.9 KB · Views: 177
@Mccoatup fancy dropping the links for the eBay parts. I'm home from working away Friday and my intention is to get the lights and roof in my van this weekend. I'm on the , order everything I could possibly need in order to get it done mode. ....
 
Yes, just noticed the hyperlinks didn't work in that version of the circuit, so I have updated it so you should now able to hyperlink to the eBay sites. Let me know if you're still having difficulty.
I see that the lead time on the MOSFET switch is now very long though. Took me 4 attempts to find one with the right characteristics, so it's not simple to find an alternative. However as I have finished playing with this stuff for the moment, if you DM me I could send you the one I used to try things out, in return for a small donation to my charity. I've changed the Remote Control eBay link to one with a short lead time, but there are several other suppliers of the same unit that you can see on the site
 

Attachments

  • Extra LED Light Circuit with Switching and Remote Dimmer control - With Hyperlinks!.pdf
    146.4 KB · Views: 125
Last edited:
Hi All,

So i have a quick question.... sorry if this has already been mentioned, i've looked through the thread and can't find an answer, I may have misread or missed it though.

So i had a slide rocker light, fixed. I removed this and had an electrician wire up 6x 12v LEDs to the roof, with a dimmer switch fitted. Lights work great when the side slide door is open or shut with the engine off.

My question is when i turn the engine on, i would like the option to have the lights remain on but they currently fade off, i also can't turn them on via the dimmer switch when the vehicle is in motion.

Can i turn the fade off? or do i have to add a on/off switch, instead of a dimmer? Lights are wired to the original system (main battery) but will only be in use when engine is on, so the battery does not go flat.

I carry passengers in the cab area and the lights are for them to read etc.

Any help/advice would be appreciated.

Cheers all.
 
Everything's possible but it's hard to say what you would need without knowing how it's wired. Do you have any info on the wiring configuration and what dimmer switch it is?
 
I’ve had my white LED pelmets in since the start of the lock down, thinking of switching them out for RGB colour change/ dimmable as 1 they’re fookin bright and 2. now I’ve done it the wifes gone “I like those, can we have colour?”

I’m not running a leisure battery, they’re straight of the standard wiring, will I need to fit a voltage regulator?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

J
T6, rear interior light replacement with LED strip…..
Replies
0
Views
793
J_goodchild
J
J
Ceiling lights to switch panel wiring route
Replies
1
Views
234
roadtripper
roadtripper
Matt_J
LED interior light replacement
Replies
11
Views
1K
MarkHorrell80
M
L
VW T5.1 2012 Tail Light and Side Lights Not Working. Fuses Fine. Bulbs Fine.
Replies
1
Views
1K
Lc21
L
P
Yet another interior & rear light failure
Replies
0
Views
514
phillip a
P
Back
Top