How to Wire In-Car LEDS

[samdihm]

Can someone please help!

 

[dephilile]

a little more info about what you want to do would be nice. like where are the LED's going?

 

[samdihm]

Under Glovebox + under front seats + under pedals. Set of four so the floor is glowing at everyones feet. I was thinking, easiest middle point for all these would be to route them all under the centre console (near cig lighter) where i go from there i have no idea?

Any suggestions?

 

[kopper69]

So they are designed for 12v etc. You dont need any info on voltage drop resistors or anything like that??

 

[vy_storm]

Id suggest going with CCFL's rather than LED's if you want to use in those locations.

 

[kopper69]

And the reasons for that vy_storm...

 

[vy_storm]

Easier to wire up, most come pre-wired and a better spread of light compared to the focus of LED's. Individual LED's can be expensive once you start buying a few but can be more useful in confined spaces where you can't get a tube.

 

[kopper69]

I would assume that he is just going to get a led tube, which would be the same wiring up. If the CCFL kit required a seperate inverter, wiring would be more complex.

Leds are directional, which work well if done properly. Depends on the look he is going to go for. If you put a CCFL tube under the seat, the light would come out under all sides. If you didnt want that, a LED tube would be the way to go. It would be the same for under the glovebox. Using a CCFL tube, the light might come through areas of the dash that you didnt want it too. A led would get around this.

Colour could be a big thing though. I would imagine that CCFL's are a nice standard colour. ie if you buy 10 blue CCFL's from diff manufacturers, they will all look the same. If you were to buy 10 blue led tubes from diff manufacturers, they will all look a slightly different shade of blue.

 

[vy_storm]

Yeah well I was only making a suggestion as CCFL's can be easier to work with and give a larger spread of light if you need it. Jaycar now sell them with inverters already wired in quite cheaply, so it is definitely a cost effective option these days.

 

[kopper69]

All good mate. You can always make the best choice with a wide range of ideas and opinions. Just went on Jaycars website and I was pretty impressed with their range, price isnt bad either. Would be reliable too. Problem with leds is sometimes one or two can fail/dim, which can really make it look tacky. Do the CCFL tubes have a similar lifespan to a regular fluro light?