HOW TO: HID's for your INTERIOR --- Ver: DOME LIGHT

[Dano]

Finally, as per request, I'm doing this.

If you missed my other thread on swapping my trunk light over to high-intensity LEDs, here's the link.

zerothread/208763

The lights I'm using are available at http://www.LEDdomelight.com I really like these lights, the change kicks *** and there's tons of even lighting now. I have no gripes about this piece, as it's a quality piece and worth it IMO. The LED's they use are high-intensity, flat top LEDs that spread the light a lot more evenly than an incandescent bulb, and consume around half a watt of power!

First, we've got to locate the dome light receptacle. The easiest way to do this is to open your door and search where the light is coming from. The most common place for the domelight is in the middle of your headliner, between the driver and passenger seat . Haha, jokes aside, time for business. This is a 5 min install tops!

Image courtesy of Big-Bird

Grab a small, flat-bladed screwdriver and insert it into the small notch at the front of the lens cover. Gently pry open the lens, it'll usually 'pop' off. Remove the lens.

Image courtesy of Big-Bird

Remove the old, incandescent bulb, feel free to say bad things to it before discarding it.

Image courtesy of Big-Bird

Now it's time to open your package, remove the light assembly, and remove the adhesive strip backing paper.



NOW WAIT! You have to make sure you install the light the right way, as electricity only flows in one direction through the circuitry! Take the light bulb adapter and touch it to the light bulb receptacle contacts. The light should up. If it doesn't, do not worry! Just flip the adapter 180 degrees around and touch it to the contacts again. BAM! LIGHT!

Now you can gently push the adapter all the way into the light receptacle and neatly tuck the wires in. Gently set the light board in place and GENTLY put pressure on the foam board to get the adhesive to stick, but DO NOT PUSH ON THE LEDs!!!



Now all that's left is to carefully pop that lens cover back into place and you are done.

With the diffuser cover on, lights off:Diffuser cover off, lights off:Diffuser cover off, lights on:Diffuser cover on, lights on:

Anyone can do this regardless of skill level. So get your LED interior lighting and see what it should've looked like from the beginning!

-Dan

[Tech12]

I'm having some trouble following your write-up. My dome light burnt out some weeks ago. I can not search where the light is coming from! Halp!

Jut kiddin, thanks for the write up

Holy carp! 45 bucks though! jeez

[Dano]

Yeah, but it is a nice piece and the bright side is, these LED's are good for 100,000 hours of use, and there's no heat!

-Dan

[Mym Mars]

i want it i want it! but in red......... im strange.

[positron1]

Which wires do you need to tuck in?

[MOB240]

haha thanks dan you the man!!

[ArcherV20]

I'm sure if it was anymore difficult Dan would have described it as such. It looks pretty self-explainitory, but it does cost quite a pretty penny.

Any pics of the interior that show off the new light? Those would be pretty cool .

[ArcherV20]

i want it i want it! but in red......... im strange.

You can get some clear red vinyl and just stick it over top. I'm sure that'll give you the red look you need. Or even go super ghetto and just color the LED's with a red Sharpe marker or something.

[dickie]

sorry about the poor quality pics, this is what the s13 version looks like. better pics soon?

[Mym Mars]

or just wire up some wide dispersal leds that are red and then call it a day, prolly would still buy the kit just to have the convertor and a nice wiring guide to work off of.

[notslow]

Very nicely done. This will make for a nice little time passer for me one day. Thank you very much

[Morph]

i want it i want it! but in red......... im strange.

No argument here.

[tonynalli]

and this sactually needed a write up? cool none-the-less

[Dano]

I'm sure if it was anymore difficult Dan would have described it as such. It looks pretty self-explainitory, but it does cost quite a pretty penny.

Any pics of the interior that show off the new light? Those would be pretty cool .

Yup, it's easier than taking a crap for some people. If it's A LOT easier than taking a poo, then you need more fiber. The wires your tucking in are the small length of wires attaching the light bulb receptacle adapter to the circuit board of the LEDs.

Tonynalli, If anyone requests a writeup on how to start their car, then we can laugh and make fun of it together, but if someone wants a writeup on an aftermarket lighting upgrade that costs a small chunk, i'm more than willing to make them confident in installing it without breaking it.

d!ck, S13 and S14 are the same

As far as pics, my camera decided to crap out on me. It's geting fixed and then i'll take pics with the exact same settings as the trunk light, however it will only be 'after' pics, you'll have to compare to your own stock car lighting experience.

-Dan

[CleanSfourteen]

Very cool... But for 45 bucks a pop I think I may have to go get a circuit board etching kit, some leds and some resistors...

Thanks for the idea!!!

[dickie]

mine looks different from that, well you cant tell because of the crappy pics but... maybe i got the wrong one because it doesnt fit as well either :P

[Dano]

Do you have a sunroof? that may be different...

-Dan

[dickie]

yep, thats probly it?

[RyanAwesome]

You used gloves to install a dome light? lol just messin.

[Dano]

Read the caption above the pics, I had to borrow some from our very own trucks forum moderator, Big-Bird, because I already had my light installed and didn't see a point in taking the same pictures.

-Dan

[Tech12]

Very cool... But for 45 bucks a pop I think I may have to go get a circuit board etching kit, some leds and some resistors...

Same as I was thinking. Wire them up in the right order and even the resistor is unesasary (why does that word look wrong no matter how I spell it?)

[Dano]

LOL, you can wire up LEDs all day long, but if you don't use LEDs with a broad focul area, your wasting your time and money in the space you have availiable. FYI, the lens ALMOST touches the flatop LEDs that are very low profile, as is the board they're on, so regular LEDs would not work as you intend. Not trying to rain on your parade, but there's a reason these things are expenisve...

-Dan

[ArcherV20]

I've come to realize there are 2 types of peoples on NICO.

1) Guys who really appreciate any write-up's, how-to's, and guides provided by anyone

2) Guys who scrutinize and call into question the validity of a product no one is forcing them to buy

And yeah, better pics sometime would be pretty cool.

[rotorimp]

Good Job DAN!!

I put some in the STI (Thanks Greg) and it is a HUGE difference.

Dare I say NIGHT and DAY!!!

[Pho King]

Would there be a s13 hatch area LED version? Haha.

[Driftless240]

Nice Write Up. I plan on redoing alot of my lighting with LED's from http://www.autolumination.com mainly the interior. It is going to be nice.

[Dano]

Thanks Jason!

Pho-King, at the top of this page there is a link to my LED trunk light install utilizing a universal kit, you'd have to do the same thing probably, which is very easy to do.

Driftless, your still not going to get the light output of LEDdomelights' vehicle-specific domelight setup!

-Dan

[Driftless240]

Driftless, your still not going to get the light output of LEDdomelights' vehicle-specific domelight setup!

-Dan

Damn, he speaks the truth... Fine I'll get yours!

[CleanSfourteen]

FYI, the lens ALMOST touches the flatop LEDs that are very low profile, as is the board they're on, so regular LEDs would not work as you intend. Not trying to rain on your parade, but there's a reason these things are expenisve...

-Dan

I was referring to the same low profile leds that are used on that board that is pictured, I should be able to find them in an electronics catalog.

No rain on my parade I will look into the pricing but I can't see low profile LEDs being that expensive, most small electronics parts are extremely cheap.

EDIT:

Wow, even found them on ebay... $17 for 100pcs white, chip-style LED's. And since they went ahead and used plastic instead of silicone, i guess that emlinates the need for any board etching!
Modified by CleanSfourteen at 11:28 PM 3/6/2007

[Dano]

Tell them your from NICO and you may get a discount.

-Dan