Outer Limits 4x4 Board

I have mounted 4 x 0.1 watt CREE under the running boards of my GU, to act as courtesy lights -(light up the ground immediately where you put your feet when getting out of the car) and I want to wire them up so they come on with the door lights. I have tried at the door switch, in the RHF pillar, the interior light, and the interior fuse panel with no success finding a power wire that is only active when the door is open.

Anyone any ideas where I can access power? Also, the fact that I am playing with LEDs, could that be an issue? The interior lights have been replaced with LED panels each with 24 CREE leds. I would prefer not to wire them up directly to a manual switch.

Surely the door light switch is the easiest point?..... LEDs are polarity sensitive, make sure you have the wires the correct way.

Yes, I am aware of the polarity issues with LEDs. The door switches are strange, 3 wires into them, none of which are earth, as the switch earths through the mounting screw.

The interior light has 2 wires, but also earths through the mounting screw. One wire is permenantly hot, the other seems to be a back feed for when the light switch is set for door operation only. Turn the light on at the switch, and you get direct feed from permanant hot, through the bulb, to the earth mounting screw. I figured that the back feed wire would be the go, only carrying power when the overhad switch is set to Door, and the door is open, but no go. Hence I am wondering if the resistance or something across the 24 LED panel interior light is affecting the feed.

Typically, the interior light works off a switched negative, not a switched positive.


So the interior light, typically, the bulb has a constant positive on one side. You put the switch to "on" and it just earths out the other side to the body, switching it to "door" changes it so it hooks to the wire which runs down to the door switch and then it earths out there when the door is opened.

So maybe you're looking for the wrong thing. You want a constant positive and wanting a switched negative from the door switch.

r0ck_m0nkey wrote:Typically, the interior light works off a switched negative, not a switched positive.


So the interior light, typically, the bulb has a constant positive on one side. You put the switch to "on" and it just earths out the other side to the body, switching it to "door" changes it so it hooks to the wire which runs down to the door switch and then it earths out there when the door is opened.

So maybe you're looking for the wrong thing. You want a constant positive and wanting a switched negative from the door switch.

That is correct, look for a +12v if they do not already have one then add the earth to the door sw (the side that earths when the door is open)

Yep, I have found the 2 wires at the interior light, + of LEDs to hot positive at the light. - of the LEDs to the terminal used when the switch position is in the door position. Now I just have to trace the appropriate wiring back to the door switch.