switches

[dcblackbird]

im thinkinag about getting a switch or two like this

http://www.cardomain.com/item/PILPLSW26CF

i wanna hook up a few neons 2 in front and maybe two in back. i would put the switches under my fog light / dimmer in that little hole.

does anyone have something similar to this? pics....

and how would i wire them theres 3 prongs + , - , and i think a acc.

thanks ahead of time.

[Matt95GT]

Originally posted by dcblackbird
and how would i wire them theres 3 prongs + , - , and i think a acc.


2 contacts... that's a SPST switch. It simply connects in between your power source and the accessory. Terminals of the switch itself can be reversed, doesn't matter there.

[dcblackbird]

so i run the power wire from the cig. lighter to the + terminal on the switch and then run the power wire from the neon to that same terminal?

[tenspeed]

Nope, power goes in one terminal and comes out the other to the lights.

[kody]

Basically you take one lead from your light and connect it to ground (any metal part of the car's body or chassis). Take the other lead from the light and connect it to one terminal on the switch. Connect the other terminal of the switch to your positive supply from the cigarette lighter (or wherever you choose to draw your power). If its a three terminal switch you should only need to use two of them...the third terminal is just in case you want to be able to turn the lights on or off with two different switches as you have probably seen in many homes. That would be known as a three-way switch, but you don't need that in your car. Check out this link to learn more: http://home.howstuffworks.com/three-way1.htm

[Coondog]

I would double check the current ratings of the lights and the switch. You don't want it to catch on fire. The picture on the link that you provided does not show the DC current rating in amps. You may need to hook the switch to a relay.

[Coondog]

Cool switch though.

[car audio dave]

kody...what you described is different than what a 3 prong switch is. theres two types of three prong switches
1) lighted. the third prong is a ground for the light.
2) DPDT (or is SPDT???) meaning flip the switch one way it turns one thing on, middle is off, then the other way is something else thats turned on.

and depending on how many amps your lights draw, you might need a better power source. you can run a wire from the fuse box (under the hood) through a gromet and to the switch for a reliable power source. if you do that then youll need to run an inline fuse.

im always against ghetto rigging lights in a car. at some point youll have problems with them if you rig them.

[Matt95GT]

Originally posted by Coondog
I would double check the current ratings of the lights and the switch. You don't want it to catch on fire. The picture on the link that you provided does not show the DC current rating in amps. You may need to hook the switch to a relay.

For a couple small interior neon tubes, don't worry about it - they don't draw much current at all.

Originally posted by car audio dave

2) DPDT (or is SPDT???) meaning flip the switch one way it turns one thing on, middle is off, then the other way is something else thats turned on.


That's SPDT. (DPxT will have 2 rows of contacts) Center-off is optional too.

I only see 2 contacts in that pic tho... has to be SPST then.

[Matt95GT]

Oh... just wanted to add in a good link for switch reference...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Switch

[kody]

This switch is neither lighted nor a three position. For this application you only need a two position switch..."ON" and "OFF". This means you only need a toggle switch with only two terminals which is all I can see in the picture. Like Dave said, if the switch is lighted or a three position than that is what the third terminal would be used for. What I spoke of regarding three way switches in my other post applies to household switches, sorry for any confusion...thanks for squaring me off Dave. The link I posted is a good source of information but before tackling anything your not comfortable with, have someone experienced help you out and always test the circuit before connecting it in the car.

[DFizzle]

I'm with Dave on not using existing wiring for lighting install. It's far safer and much easier to upgrade in the future when running a new power wire. But, Matt95GT is right in that if you're only running a couple of lights you shouldn't really run into any issues. It never hurts to throw some inline fuses on your power wires though.

But like others have said, that switch is only a two way, two prong switch so one prong would attach to whatever power wire you're using and the other prong would go to the wire from your lights. Then just ground the other wire from your lights and you should be set. I don't know if it'll help you out at all, but here's (http://www.gaownersclub.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=57760) my cathode install for reference.

[dcblackbird]

ok all my stuff came today, just making sure i do it right. its a two prong, i snip the cig. adapter off run the power to the + prong,and im choosing to run it to my battery so then run my power wire to the battery from the + prong. then ground the light to the chasis and dont have it connected to the - prong?

and should i run both power wires from my 2 lights to the + prong?

[Matt95GT]

You'll need to fuse any connections made directly to the battery. The fuse will need to be within inches of the battery for safety.

This is the basic circuit you are making:
http://media.nasaexplores.com/lessons/02-041/images/Simple_Circuit.gif
Chassis = ground = negative... they are all the same.

It sounds like you're still somewhat confused... I would seek guidance from someone with any electrical experience.

[car audio dave]

Originally posted by dcblackbird
ok all my stuff came today, just making sure i do it right. its a two prong, i snip the cig. adapter off run the power to the + prong,and im choosing to run it to my battery so then run my power wire to the battery from the + prong. then ground the light to the chasis and dont have it connected to the - prong?

and should i run both power wires from my 2 lights to the + prong?

why are you using the cig lighter? if you run to the battery then you dont need the cig lighter. if you want it to turn off when the ignition is off then youll need a relay...but that complicates things, just make sure you dont forget to turn them off.

i say just run a wire from the battery (or use the power terminal of the fuse box under the hood), and forget about the cig lighter.

and i wasnt saying that this switch is a SPDT switch, i was referring to the 3 prong post. sorry forthe confusion.

[dcblackbird]

Originally posted by car audio dave
[B]why are you using the cig lighter?

i never said i was...

[DFizzle]

Originally posted by dcblackbird
ok all my stuff came today, just making sure i do it right. its a two prong, i snip the cig. adapter off run the power to the + prong,and im choosing to run it to my battery so then run my power wire to the battery from the + prong. then ground the light to the chasis and dont have it connected to the - prong?

and should i run both power wires from my 2 lights to the + prong?

It sounds like you've pretty much got it. Run the power line from your battery to the power (+) prong on the switch, then the power (+) wire from your lights would run to the other prong on the switch which should be marked ACC but might also be (-). And then ground the (-) wire from your lights. You would need to run both power wires (since it sounds like you have 2 sets of lights) to the (+) prong on the switch. You can run them seperately if you want or twist them together and then extend them using a single wire to the switch. You WILL want to put an inline fuse on your power wire from the battery.

[dcblackbird]

there is no + - on my switch its a two position that looks like this

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v313/dcblackbird/100_1965.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v313/dcblackbird/100_1968.jpg

theres a diagram on back that has a pic of the switch and it says

B+ on one side and Load on the other.

would one be Battery + and load be the - or ground then?

there not labeled on the switch at all either.

[DFizzle]

"B+" would be from your battery (though I'm not sure what the B stands for), "Load" would be to your lights. Keep in mind that you DO NOT ground the switch to anything. One prong simply attaches to power and the other to whatever you're powering. The switch only gets grounded if it's a three prong, lighted switch. The only thing that gets grounded in this case is the second wire from each set of lights, the (-) wire.

[dcblackbird]

well i finally got everything hooked up, looks good. ill take some pics tonite..


thanks for the help all.

[RickHigginsHtbr]

you don't necessarily need to use an under hood fuse... you could always tap it off an unused fuse off either fuse box. That's how 1/2 my lights and my HU is powered :)

[dcblackbird]

do you connect it to the fuses under the hood or the ones on the side of the dash? and how do you wire it to the actual fuse?

[kody]

Just use an inline fuse, that means you place a fuse holder with the appropriate rating fuse in any one of the wires you used to install your lights.

[dcblackbird]

Originally posted by kody
Just use an inline fuse, that means you place a fuse holder with the appropriate rating fuse in any one of the wires you used to install your lights.

ik all that but how do you connect it to the fuses in the fuse box?

[RickHigginsHtbr]

go to pepboys, autozone, etc, and look for something called a "add-a-circuit"