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Hey guys, I know there have been many threads on footwell lighting (most pics are gone now since those are much older posts) but just had a question about the factory footwell lighting. I would like to add an led strip kit (12v, rgb Amazon kit) that has the functionality to change colors via remote (planning on only using red anyways).
My question is whether I can safely just tap into the factory footwell lights with a kit like this or should I;
A) use an add a fuse to run this or
B) just get a straight red kit
Is it safe to tap into the factory footwell lights in either case? Are there any risks in doing so? And if I do it this way, can I run an inline fuse to protect the factory wiring from any potential issues?
1. It should be fine to just straight connect them. Circuit is protected by 10A fuse anyways. But adding additional fuse won't hurt it.
2. If you want them red, why not buy red strip? RGB are nice, but only when you plan to use them. In single color they are usually quite dim.
3. Wired this way, LEDs will be on when headlights are on, even when driving. But they will not be on when headlights are off and doors are open. Are you sure you want them this way?
4. Some of those led controllers off ebay or Amazon don't have memory, meaning they will reset when power is cut from them. That means that it could turn on to its default setting, which sometimes is going through color spectrum or just annoying blinking.
Hey Peter6, thanks for the reply and the great info. I actually have 2 of those rgb kits brand new just connecting dust (was meant for a different household project along the lines of cabinet lighting but i ended up moving) but figured I'd use them for that purpose but now that u mention the resetting or lack of memory function an rgb my be a pain in the ass lol. And yes I'd like them to stay on the way you described (and I'll run a switch in case I get tired of them etc). Plus my understanding is that they can be dimmed if wired into the factory footwell lights ..
Are they analog (standard?) or digital RGB strips? If they are analog, connect the wires going only to the red LEDs are you're good.
Dimming with car options might not work really well - there probably won't be much difference between max and normal, and also all other interior light's brightness will change. You can always add resistor in line, just make sure it will have enough power to handle the strip.
hey guys, thanks for the replies, as an update, they are digital rgb strips that came with their own power supply. the good news is that it holds memory (so they'll stay whatever color i choose until i change them) but the bad news is i can't figure out how to wire these to the car. the power supply (12v) connects so a standard household type of plug. any ideas on how i can connect this without adding a power inverter? i've tried searching on google/youtube etc for tutorials but all i can seem to find are the standard plug uses or simple red/black wires for single colored strips... again, any help would be appreciated, thanks..
If it's a household plug, there will be a power brick attached to it that converts household power to 12V.
Generally, it goes like this: House power > power brick to convert 120V to 12 V > connector into the LED controller > led strips.
Since the car already provides 12V, you can just snip the wire right before the power brick and which will expose a red and black wire.
Now you'll have Red & black wire > connector to LED controller > led strips
Attach red wire to positive lead off OEM footwell wire using splice connector, attach black wire to negative wire off OEM footwell wire.
Last edited by guitarplayer16; 03-25-2018 at 11:02 AM.
03-22-2018, 03:54 AM
