Hi all -

I just bought an xB like 2-3 weeks ago, found scionlife while looking for aftermarket parts, and liked the site so much I registered right then. Thanks to all the posts from everyone about everything

I wanted to post about my first DIY project that I've done to my new ricemobile - adding cold cathode lighting under the dash and under the front seats. And 3 LEDs to the cupholders...

Here's the cathode kit: 2x 12" tubes, a switch, a power box, and some molex connectors - cuz these are for PC cases...


The wires/connectors on the tubes were only maybe 8" long, so I marked them, cut them, and spliced in about 15" of 20ga. wire. Mark a side before you cut the wires. I wired one light up crossed, and it powered on, but was 1/2 brightness compared to the others....so I started marking them from then on - polarity does matter in this installation. I also cut/spliced the power wires/connector and extended them a couple of feet.

The first thing I did was try to find me some power to plug in to in the cabin somewhere.
I cut the molex ends off and just put the wires up to and tried the dome light:


but didn't get enough power to kick the light on.
So - next I tried the door ajar warning buzzer thingy in the door panel.

driver-side center door floor panel off:

door pillar cover just snaps on/off:

door warning buzzer wire:


and, again, did not get enough power to fire the lights up...

So - no problem - I just decided to wire all the way up to the fuse box under the driver side dash. I'll change this in my next planned project, but for now, we're going to stab into the fuse block. I was wanting to bring the power back to the center console area to a switch so I can toggle the lights. This is 18ga. stranded wire.

I removed the jack under the driver seat, got a old-school coat hanger, and started fishing my power wire thru the carpet and body panels. Tape an end of wire to the coat hanger and poke it thru carefully - there's some factory wire harness under the carpet already:
carpet cutout @ floor jack area:


Then I pulled the wire down the driver-side door channel there, following the stock wiring, up to the driver side kickplate:

(There's a factory ground point behind here, in case you need ground for something, but we don't (yet)).
OK - pull enough wire off the spool to get up to the fuse block from here. A couple of feet will be plenty.
Just leave this wire laying on the floor for now.

Don't plug it in to the fuse block yet.

Go back to the center console and get the coat hanger again - to get from the jack area under the seat into the center console where I'm mounting the switch. If you do LED cupholder lights at the same time, go ahead and pull the whole console. It's easy. But I did the cathodes one day, and then added the LEDs later, so I fished under the console. It was much easier, and safer, to remove the console altogether.
pulling power wire from jack area to center console area:


Making sure the power box fit inside the space before I went further...


Next I connected my power wire into a 3A inline fuse then to the switch, but it seems I didn't get a picture of it... the next picture in the camera was cutting the hole for the switch mount.... so, without further delay:


Rough fit of on/off switch:


Light mounted under driver seat, wire pulled thru to center console area, as above procedure. Added wire loom later to cover wire up properly. You see electrical tape in this shot - I wrap my wires in tape then cover with loom.... Be sure to allow yourself enough wire for the seat to completely slide all the way forward and all the way backwards when being adjusted by the driver...there are a bunch of holes along this edge here, I just used small zip ties on each side and snugged it up good so they won't rattle.


Mount the passenger side the same way, and fish the wire thru to the center console where the power box will be located.

I also ran 2 lights up to the front dash area . . . I fished under the whole console, and as I said earlier, it would have been much easier to just R&R the console.

On the left side is the tranny linkage, and on the right side is a big fat wire harness, neither place is good to be stabbing a coat hanger with a hot wire thru...

fishing power feed up to dash from ctr. console:



You can't see it from here, but I grounded everything down to a bolt inside the center console. There is a little computer box in there, and I used the left side mount bolt of it.

I pulled the power up in between the air duct things behind the cover in front of the front cupholders. There is a perfect space back here for whatever. I didn't even secure the power supply, just sort of put it in between the plastics up there.

I tied the lights in the direction you see them laying.
After the lights are placed and mounted, and the switch is in, hook up your hot wire at the fuse box and test before you hide everything and clean up. It's the worst to put it all back on, then hit the lights and get nothing, or worse - a puff af magic smoke going out of a device.

Stab into the LEFT side at the fuse panel. It's the fused side. This is the HAZ 10A fuse spot on the '06. The right side of the panel is hot always, and so you will not have any fused protection here if you stab the right side. Hold the wire in place about halfway in, and replace the fuse.



Throw the light switch, and see what happens. If it has all gone well, you should get some light:






Good luck!
- Saylor
all my 2006_xB images @ http://24.1.218.249/2006_xB

 

$6.49 @ www.oznium.com

 

very nice, it should work well with the tC since we have alot of space to hide them wires ^^

good job

 

"Stab into the LEFT side at the fuse panel. It's the fused side. This is the HAZ 10A fuse spot on the '06. The right side of the panel is hot always, and so you will not have any fused protection here if you stab the right side. Hold the wire in place about halfway in, and replace the fuse. "

in the pic it shows you stabbed the powerline on the right...so i stab the powerline on the right side of the fuse box?..in that exact location?...im in the process of installing..

Bubbaxb

 

they're up to $8 a set now...... Not too happy about that......

 

you might want to try www.xoxide.com they have cheap cathodes.

 

Awesome write up dude! You're the man! =]
- sh00k

 

bubba -
goin outside to take pictures now
hang on bro

 

www.svc.com is a great place for pc cathodes

 

I moved it to the 15A ACC fuse, so now the lights don't come on unless key is turned, (for another project I'm working on...), but if you stab the HAZ 10A fuse in the same way - you will have lights that you can turn on even tho the key is off:



and with the fuse removed - put wire on left side:

 

www.gearboxpc.com is the cheapest that I've found for cathodes and l.e.d.'s if you count shipping. I usally get my order in just a couple of days.

 

www.gearboxpc.com is the cheapest that I've found for cathodes and l.e.d.'s if you count shipping. I usally get my order in just a couple of days.

 

saylor...thanks a bunch...i really appreciate ya runnin out and takin the pics..i got it to work and it looks great..now working on my ceiling lights

 

did someone say ceiling lights?????

 

WOOOOOW! that's exactly what i'm going to do...my friend did his so saturday he's gonna come and we're gonna try mine...someone wouldn't happen to have done it in red already...i haven't seen pics of red ceiling lights in the handles....but GREAT WORK my friend!!!!
Bubbaxb
Frank

 

someone here has the small 3-LED thing (a PC case foot perhaps?) where one is straight ahead, and one each at 45 degree angles left and right, made a killer pattern on the headliner...

I'm guessing these are mounted at the grab handles? That's where I'm planning on going anyways... I just haven't found teh cool lights yet...

nice job on the doors - I was thinking about how that would look... was it a waste of light or did it help?

Thanks for the pics !

- Saylor

 

i did say ceiling lights

 

 

I'm hoping someone can help me with this...I'm no genius...

I have the same cathodes shown at the beginning of this thread. I wanted to install my own rocker switch...which seems to be the only thing that works. My question is...on the cathode set-up there are two wites - black and red that come out from the inverter/converter thing. From there one goes to the switch (red) and then a yellow comes from the switch as well then go through the molex connectors etc etc...

I cut the black and red wires up about 6 inches becuase I wanted to use my own switch...I hope this was right...but which is which? Meaning...on the rocker I have a power, load and ground line...I know the power...but I've tried splicing everything I can think of and the lights still won't come on...black to load, black to ground, red to ground, red to load etc etc...

Any thoughts, ideas, or suggestions...or am I way off in general???

I apologize in advance for my ignmorance...

Thanks to anyone who helps me!!!

 

Anyone...Anyone?? Bueller...Bueller???