THE COMPLETE GUIDE TO GLOW & LED's (56k no) - The Ford Focus Forum

**FocalFury** · 08-30-2005, 03:50 PM

Alright everyone it has been long overdue but here is the EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT GLOW

1st off
Where can i get glow like you Danny.....(or if not me like parts of me

)

Well....
You can get all of the components that I used like cold cathodes and LED's at our sponsor from OZNIUM.COM
Let me first take you on a tour of what is good to get for a focus and where to place them.
Oznium.com sells cold cathodes which are brighter than neon tubes, have a truer color than neon (red is red....not pink), and it is extremely cheap to purchase, as well as more durable.
They are available in sets (2 tubes per set) in 12in or 4in tubes.
12 inch Cold Cathode Set
4 inch Cold Cathode Set
A set of Cold Cathodes from Oznium.com costs $6.49

An amazing price if you think about that a neon tube from Streetglow, or even your local auto store costs anywhere from 15-25 dollars, and those are not as good of quality.

Here is what cold cathodes can do for your focus take a look at the floors in this next picture. I have a green in the back of each seat to light up the rear floor, and I have a blue tube under each foot well in the front, and I have a blue tube in the front of the seats to make the glow in the front floor even

(dont look at the door panels YET i'll get to those)

Some people ask what colors they come in
The 12in tubes come in colors
RED
BLUE
GREEN
WHITE
YELLOW
UV
PURPLE
and a RBG combo (single tube only)
other colors to be announced in early September

The 4in tubes come in colors
BLUE
GREEN
RED
UV
WHITE
However there will be as many colors as the 12in in early September

WHERE CAN I PUT COLD CATHODES???

Well, you can put them in all the places I suggested
Under the seats and under the foot wells are what most people will do and it is pretty basic and adds a nice touch to your ride.
BUT IF YOU WANT MORE LIKE ME

there are a lot more places that you can put these cold cathodes.

Example I also have put them in my headliner....this is how i got that glow on the seats and my car looks like an alien.

Here is a pic of where I placed mine in my roof.

While most people say you shouldn’t ever see the tubes, they are right, but this is a nice addition for show in my opinion.

---DISCLAIMER---
Do not drive with cold cathodes on if you put them in the roof. Check local laws before doing this......blue and red for example could be impersonating an officer....and you most likely will get pulled over!!!

HOW DO I WIRE COLD CATHODES

Here is what the inverter looks like.

A transformer can handle two cold cathodes
If you need extra transformers they can also be purchased from Oznium.com here… TRANSFORMERS

IMPORTANT WIRING TIP
Cold Cathodes are also designed to go in a computer, you will see a molex connector and an expansion slot backplate cover w/ a switch. Cut that part off you won’t need it.
The white wires attached to the cathode tube itself cannot be lengthened. They need to stay the same length as how it originally comes. If you extend it you risk lowering brightness, not working, or half power. If you need to its best just to get an extra transformer to be safe. You can extend the wire from the transformer to your switch as far as you like.

WHERE CAN I RUN THESE WIRES FROM UNDER THE SEAT?
You can run the wires through the floor mat where your Airbag control goes to. Follow it under the foot wells and over the center console behind your radio. (right side obviously)
For all other applications wiring is pretty straightforward.
If you choose to add them into the headliner like I did, run the wiring down the behind the seatbelt cover, (the transformer will go behind the seatbelt cover) and pull up the weather stripping part, it just clips back in so don’t worry.

HOW DO I POWER COLD CATHODES?
Your power line goes to a switch anywhere you want. Then from your switch choose any fuse that is at least 3amp, and wire it to the fuse. As I said these things take up so little power. Make sure the fuse is a fuse that is always on no matter what state the car is in. Some fuses only work when the headlights are on, or the car has to be on or little things like that. Other fuses are always powered.
I run my entire glow off of one fuse, that being said I have a lot of glow and have never blown a fuse.
Also if you take it to a fuse it’s a lot easier than going through the firewall to the battery.

WHERE DO I GROUND THE WIRE
I have chosen one of the screws on the fuse box for grounding my wires...any of them will do I did the upper left one.

IM HAVING TROUBLE PUTTING A TUBE ON THE DRIVER SIDE FOOTWELL...help me

This one got me for a while too, the easiest place I found is not the best, but it works.
This picture is messy in terms of wiring, but it hopefully gives you an idea of where to place your tube. I placed the tube over the hood release and zip tied it basically to a couple of wiring harnesses that were in the area.
This pic is looking from the floor up at the tube.
On the left is the fuse box for reference.

K MY CAR IS IN THE SHOP BUT I WILL UPDATE THIS PIC WHEN I GET IT BACK

HOW MANY SETS WOULD YOU SUGGEST BUYING TO START?
I always recommend 4 sets of cathodes and I will explain why.
Lets say your doing all blue.
1 set of tubes for under the dash. (one tube per side)
1 set of tubes under the front seats. (front part of each seat)
I recommend this one ^^^ because it helps to give a nice even glow in the front floor. If you don’t do this one, you risk not getting a full glow from under the dash all the way to the seat. Here in the driver side of this picture is an example of not having a tube under the front of the driver seat. (esp. in the driver side the dash tube placement isnt perfect and only goes so far)

Okay so onto what I recommend some more, that’s 2out of 4 sets covered.

3rd set goes in the back of your seats so that you get a nice glow in the back too, I really like that one and the people in the back think it’s nice too.

SO THAT IS WHERE I'D PUT TUBES……..BUT WHY THE FOURTH SET???
You need a fourth set because you will need an extra transformer for the front tube under the passenger side dash. Don’t forget that you can’t extend those wires its better to play it safe and get an extra set with another transformer.
So while you won’t use the tubes from the fourth set it’s a real good idea to keep them around in case one of your friends decides they don’t like them and decides to kick them....or something like that....in case any tube breaks you have extra.

RECAP
1 tube and one transformer under driver dash
1 tube and one transformer under passenger dash
2 tubes and one transformer under each seat (one under back...one under front of seat)
2 extra tubes in case one breaks (unlikely but just in case)

So those 4 sets plus shipping and handling (which on every order from Oznium.com is $2.95!!!!!)
Comes out to be under 30 dollars.

SOMETHING ADVANCED
One last thing I have failed to mention is there is a trick with cold cathodes if you have them in a visible are like my headliner, is that the tubes have a 1/2” protective cover (acrylic) around them.
I found that it was annoying having them their because the tubes became an eyesore in the daytime. Keep in mind if you have them under seats and dashes you don’t need to worry about this.
There is a way to take the actual cathode element and remove it from its tubing
The thread in the Oznium.com forum section is here:
Cathode out of tube
By doing this you will reduce the visibility of the tube into a pencil lead thin product. They will now fit very nicely into your headliner, and still are extremely bright.
You must be careful however, they become EXTREMELY FRAGILE in doing this. I’ve broke probably 3 tubes, 1 tube while trying to take it out of the tube, and my friends who forget they are their. (they were dumb though)

However if you plan on having a tube visible it is well worth it to buy a couple sets and if you break one, oh well.
In terms of securing the cathode, I was able to pressure fit it up there just fine, although I would suggest if you want you can take some clear thread and sew it into the headliner.
Also you have two choices with the transformer, behind the headliner or in the seatbelt cover.
This is a very clean look though if you can accomplish it.
It’s not as hard as it looks, but it is a delicate process is the right word.

I THINK THAT ABOUT COVERS EVERYTHING ABOUT COLD CATHODES
PLEASE POST OTHER RELEVANT QUESTIONS AND I'LL BE HAPPY TO ANSWER THEM....as well as update you on the extra colors to be coming out soon

NOW ONTO LED's

LED's are super cheap...under 50 cents per LED
Depending on which color you want more or less but never more than 55 cents!

Before i go any further here is the link for buying LED's
Super Bright LED's
Here are the colors with prices:
BLUE .34c
UV .35c
WHITE .44c
GREEN .45c
RED .47c
ORANGE .49c
YELLOW .49c
ALL OF THESE NEED A RESISTOR PER LED so add .05c per LED

I recommend getting the 5mm LED's for every application.
The only times 3MM LED's come in handy are for this little write up:
Door Handle and AC control LED swap

LED's can be mixed and matched to do more colors than the ones posted above.
These LED's are truly the brightest i have ever seen/purchased
i've bought from other places but i can honestly say that i haven't gotten better quality as well as reliability from LED's than the ones sold from Oznium.com

WHERE CAN I PUT LED's
Literally you can put LED's anywhere you want there is really no limit to where and what you can do with LED's.
The most common IMO is putting them in the AC and defroster vents.
(bad pic here but the point is made)

Other places such as cupholders:

for that application ^^^ 4 led's were placed in each cupholder
I also have taken out the bulbs in my overhead light and replaced them with LED's

The places that I have put them to go one step beyond content with my glow is the door panels.
Myself and intuneauto (mostly intuneauto

) took out the door panel and drilled holes for LED's in the side pocket, behind the door grab handle, and one LED in the actual door opener handle.
PIC GOODNESS
This pic shows better my AC/defroster vent glow as well as the one in the door opener handle and the three behind the grab handle.

Here is a picture of the LED's that are in the door pocket...
I put alternating blue/green on the whole pocket.

Going back to my first picture again now you can see the LED placement better

Here is a better picture of what the glow creates

There are still more subtle places to put LED's for example:
Behind speaker grilles, or if you have a ZX3 in the back those deep deep pockets could use some subtle LED lighting!

One trick I use often is because LED’s shoot a “beam” of light they spot in certain applications. So on all of my LED’s in the door panels, I filed the tops of them down flat with the door panel. By filing them flat you make the beam more diffused and non-spot.

LED's are not just limited to inside your car, with proper use of silicone to protect wires they can go anywhere. I have turned the clear E-Bay side marker lamps into something pretty custom with 6 white LED's in each!

I will be shortly putting about 20 orange LED's into my clear front grille recently purchased.

THE POINT WITH LED's are that they really can go anywhere, are extremely cheap, and can get any lighting project complete.

Okay now that you have ideas on where to put them
HOW DO YOU WIRE THEM?

Here are some wiring diagrams courtesy of the forums on
Oznium Forums

LED Wiring Diagram
Notice the load resistor that IS needed. Also notice that the Anode on the LED is connected to positive. The Anode is the LONGER lead.
NOTE: If using a light up switch connect the 3rd connection on the switch to ground.

That is for single LED usage.

Here is one for multi LED usage:
Similar LED Wiring Diagram
Here's a similar LED wiring diagram showing 4 seperate LED's (NOT connected). Notice the load resistor that IS needed for each LED. Also notice that the Anode on the LED is connected to positive. The Anode is the LONGER lead. NOTE: If using a light up switch connect the 3rd connection on the switch to ground.

Those are some simple wiring diagrams for LED's
Don’t forget you can still use the same fuse and switch if you want from your cathodes if you want to. Again these don’t take up much power at all.

So that pretty much sums up the basics of GLOW

AGAIN IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS PLEASE FEEL FREE TO DISCUSS THEM WITH ME IN THIS THREAD

D A N N Y

**lyrrad3** · 08-30-2005, 04:02 PM

wow great post!

how exactly do you hook up a wire to a fuse for the positive source? i am not too good with electricity.
i am looking for an orange glow theme.

**DisrupTer911** · 08-30-2005, 04:07 PM

its not an IDE cable on the inverter wiring.

its a molex connector and an expansion slot backplate cover w/ a switch.

**FocalFury** · 08-30-2005, 04:08 PM

Quote:

wow great post!

how exactly do you hook up a wire to a fuse for the positive source? i am not too good with electricity.

YOU HAVE PM
oh geeze i cant remember which side of the fuse....i can check it when i get my car back from the shop
but i found a couple neet things at a local auto store
its a fuse extender....(er something like that)that plugs in normal to your fusebox you plug in the fuse into it....but there is also a place to run a wire into it to get power from the fuse
try one of those

intuneauto could prolly tell you right away which side of the fuse

**FocalFury** · 08-30-2005, 04:09 PM

Quote:

its not an IDE cable on the inverter wiring.

its a molex connector and an expansion slot backplate cover w/ a switch.

thank you for that correction...updating

**mievil** · 08-30-2005, 04:14 PM

Might want to put a 56k warning on the title. That there's a lot of pictures, mmmmm hmmmm.

**FocalFury** · 08-30-2005, 05:01 PM

here is that wire tap thing i was talking about

**lyrrad3** · 08-30-2005, 05:08 PM

so you just hook ^that^ up to the stock fuse location and use the red wire for the positive source? it looks as if there is an extra place for another fuse. what is that for?

**FocalFury** · 08-30-2005, 05:11 PM

Quote:

so you just hook ^that^ up to the stock fuse location and use the red wire for the positive source? it looks as if there is an extra place for another fuse. what is that for?

some have one some have two
you only need one though

just remember.......use a fuse slot that is always on

**xerofall** · 08-30-2005, 08:10 PM

I've added this to the uber stickie and will stickie it for a little while.

**Chipmunk** · 08-31-2005, 01:23 AM

Dude it looks great.. I would like to see a pic of your switchs and were you have them???

**FocalFury** · 08-31-2005, 02:50 AM

Quote:

Dude it looks great.. I would like to see a pic of your switchs and were you have them???

well right now i have two switches that i built into the fusebox.....but soon im gonna have a lot more switches in a dif spot
i'll take pics when its all done

**Ray** · 08-31-2005, 12:40 PM

in the last picture (parallel LED connection) you should be able to use only one resistor off the main feed then split it after that for the same effect.

**Chaney** · 08-31-2005, 01:18 PM

i wish i was more into playing with my cars wireing and putting these in cause i could handle the cold cathodes in my car...but i do not feel that i would not screw something up. Bah maybe one day...wireing really scares me, (and i work for an electrical contractor doing CAD)

**FocalFury** · 08-31-2005, 01:33 PM

Quote:

in the last picture (parallel LED connection) you should be able to use only one resistor off the main feed then split it after that for the same effect.

yes you can
however for simplicity sake and safeness (just cautious)
i suggest using a resistor for each LED

there was another diagram
but i felt for noobs to wiring like i once was it would just confuse people

**j20000** · 08-31-2005, 01:44 PM

I put these pics in the other LED thread...but i figured I would throw them in the sticky, so people can get some more ideas. For under the Ford Racing Engine Cover and the Diamond Plate Focus Floor Mats, I used thick piece of plexi-glass with LED's in drilled into the side of it, and used clear silicon to hold the LED's in the plexi-glass. Another tip for LED's...if you are gonna put them in the AC vents, paint the inside of the vents white, and put the led's in the bottom of the vent so that it shines up. Make sure that when you put the LED's in the vents, that you put them away from the "open/Close" flap so that you can still use the vent.

This looks alot better now, I added more LED's

And here is where I put my switches. I fiberglassed the hole under the stereo mount, and put two switches in there.

**screwdiver** · 08-31-2005, 03:37 PM

Wow...that cold cathode setup are completely illegal here.

**FocalFury** · 08-31-2005, 04:56 PM

Quote:

Wow...that cold cathode setup are completely illegal here.

they arent illegal if you cant see them from the outside

my floor ones are the ones i keep on all the time at night and they arent visible at all from the outside

thanks for the additional pictures
J2000000

**Toxin** · 09-01-2005, 12:46 AM

yeah you can get pulled over for having them if they are visable atleastin WI i know they are... but a slight window tint (like im planning) will make it so you cant see any floor lighting....

**xMandax** · 09-01-2005, 06:22 PM

Quote:

i wish i was more into playing with my cars wireing and putting these in cause i could handle the cold cathodes in my car...but i do not feel that i would not screw something up. Bah maybe one day...wireing really scares me, (and i work for an electrical contractor doing CAD)

kevin if i can do it......you can do it.....

**FocalFury** · 09-01-2005, 06:30 PM

Quote:

yeah you can get pulled over for having them if they are visable atleastin WI i know they are... but a slight window tint (like im planning) will make it so you cant see any floor lighting....

trust me you cant see any floor light at all if you place them properly

**xMandax** · 09-01-2005, 06:31 PM

Quote:

so you just hook ^that^ up to the stock fuse location and use the red wire for the positive source? it looks as if there is an extra place for another fuse. what is that for?

some have one some have two
you only need one though

just remember.......use a fuse slot that is always on

and i recomend a fuse bigger than 3amps too...i had to use a 20amp fuse and i have 6 cathodes and 3 transformers.....

**FocalFury** · 09-01-2005, 06:36 PM

Quote:

so you just hook ^that^ up to the stock fuse location and use the red wire for the positive source? it looks as if there is an extra place for another fuse. what is that for?

some have one some have two
you only need one though

just remember.......use a fuse slot that is always on

and i recomend a fuse bigger than 3amps too...i had to use a 20amp fuse and i have 6 cathodes and 3 transformers.....

i recomended that too manda but then talked to phil (Oznium.com) and realized 5-10 max is more than enough
i think i just used the wrong fuse on yours but it works and is not going to do any harm so dont worry about it

**xMandax** · 09-01-2005, 09:59 PM

Quote:

so you just hook ^that^ up to the stock fuse location and use the red wire for the positive source? it looks as if there is an extra place for another fuse. what is that for?

some have one some have two
you only need one though

just remember.......use a fuse slot that is always on

and i recomend a fuse bigger than 3amps too...i had to use a 20amp fuse and i have 6 cathodes and 3 transformers.....

i recomended that too manda but then talked to phil (Oznium.com) and realized 5-10 max is more than enough
i think i just used the wrong fuse on yours but it works and is not going to do any harm so dont worry about it

uh there was a 10amp fuse in there before you changed it...

**xMandax** · 09-01-2005, 10:39 PM

heres mine....well the ones under the dash....b/c i still havent gotten around to connecting the ones under the passanger seat yet so it doesn't look very bright, and i might actually add the extra set that i have.....

08-30-2005, 03:50 PM	#1 (permalink)
FocalFury Moderator Join Date: May 2004 Posts: 3,353	THE COMPLETE GUIDE TO GLOW & LED\'s (56k no) Alright everyone it has been long overdue but here is the EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT GLOW 1st off Where can i get glow like you Danny.....(or if not me like parts of me ) Well.... You can get all of the components that I used like cold cathodes and LED's at our sponsor from OZNIUM.COM Let me first take you on a tour of what is good to get for a focus and where to place them. Oznium.com sells cold cathodes which are brighter than neon tubes, have a truer color than neon (red is red....not pink), and it is extremely cheap to purchase, as well as more durable. They are available in sets (2 tubes per set) in 12in or 4in tubes. 12 inch Cold Cathode Set 4 inch Cold Cathode Set A set of Cold Cathodes from Oznium.com costs $6.49 An amazing price if you think about that a neon tube from Streetglow, or even your local auto store costs anywhere from 15-25 dollars, and those are not as good of quality. Here is what cold cathodes can do for your focus take a look at the floors in this next picture. I have a green in the back of each seat to light up the rear floor, and I have a blue tube under each foot well in the front, and I have a blue tube in the front of the seats to make the glow in the front floor even (dont look at the door panels YET i'll get to those) Some people ask what colors they come in The 12in tubes come in colors RED BLUE GREEN WHITE YELLOW UV PURPLE and a RBG combo (single tube only) other colors to be announced in early September The 4in tubes come in colors BLUE GREEN RED UV WHITE However there will be as many colors as the 12in in early September WHERE CAN I PUT COLD CATHODES??? Well, you can put them in all the places I suggested Under the seats and under the foot wells are what most people will do and it is pretty basic and adds a nice touch to your ride. BUT IF YOU WANT MORE LIKE ME there are a lot more places that you can put these cold cathodes. Example I also have put them in my headliner....this is how i got that glow on the seats and my car looks like an alien. Here is a pic of where I placed mine in my roof. While most people say you shouldn’t ever see the tubes, they are right, but this is a nice addition for show in my opinion. ---DISCLAIMER--- Do not drive with cold cathodes on if you put them in the roof. Check local laws before doing this......blue and red for example could be impersonating an officer....and you most likely will get pulled over!!! HOW DO I WIRE COLD CATHODES Here is what the inverter looks like. A transformer can handle two cold cathodes If you need extra transformers they can also be purchased from Oznium.com here… TRANSFORMERS IMPORTANT WIRING TIP Cold Cathodes are also designed to go in a computer, you will see a molex connector and an expansion slot backplate cover w/ a switch. Cut that part off you won’t need it. The white wires attached to the cathode tube itself cannot be lengthened. They need to stay the same length as how it originally comes. If you extend it you risk lowering brightness, not working, or half power. If you need to its best just to get an extra transformer to be safe. You can extend the wire from the transformer to your switch as far as you like. WHERE CAN I RUN THESE WIRES FROM UNDER THE SEAT? You can run the wires through the floor mat where your Airbag control goes to. Follow it under the foot wells and over the center console behind your radio. (right side obviously) For all other applications wiring is pretty straightforward. If you choose to add them into the headliner like I did, run the wiring down the behind the seatbelt cover, (the transformer will go behind the seatbelt cover) and pull up the weather stripping part, it just clips back in so don’t worry. HOW DO I POWER COLD CATHODES? Your power line goes to a switch anywhere you want. Then from your switch choose any fuse that is at least 3amp, and wire it to the fuse. As I said these things take up so little power. Make sure the fuse is a fuse that is always on no matter what state the car is in. Some fuses only work when the headlights are on, or the car has to be on or little things like that. Other fuses are always powered. I run my entire glow off of one fuse, that being said I have a lot of glow and have never blown a fuse. Also if you take it to a fuse it’s a lot easier than going through the firewall to the battery. WHERE DO I GROUND THE WIRE I have chosen one of the screws on the fuse box for grounding my wires...any of them will do I did the upper left one. IM HAVING TROUBLE PUTTING A TUBE ON THE DRIVER SIDE FOOTWELL...help me This one got me for a while too, the easiest place I found is not the best, but it works. This picture is messy in terms of wiring, but it hopefully gives you an idea of where to place your tube. I placed the tube over the hood release and zip tied it basically to a couple of wiring harnesses that were in the area. This pic is looking from the floor up at the tube. On the left is the fuse box for reference. K MY CAR IS IN THE SHOP BUT I WILL UPDATE THIS PIC WHEN I GET IT BACK HOW MANY SETS WOULD YOU SUGGEST BUYING TO START? I always recommend 4 sets of cathodes and I will explain why. Lets say your doing all blue. 1 set of tubes for under the dash. (one tube per side) 1 set of tubes under the front seats. (front part of each seat) I recommend this one ^^^ because it helps to give a nice even glow in the front floor. If you don’t do this one, you risk not getting a full glow from under the dash all the way to the seat. Here in the driver side of this picture is an example of not having a tube under the front of the driver seat. (esp. in the driver side the dash tube placement isnt perfect and only goes so far) Okay so onto what I recommend some more, that’s 2out of 4 sets covered. 3rd set goes in the back of your seats so that you get a nice glow in the back too, I really like that one and the people in the back think it’s nice too. SO THAT IS WHERE I'D PUT TUBES……..BUT WHY THE FOURTH SET??? You need a fourth set because you will need an extra transformer for the front tube under the passenger side dash. Don’t forget that you can’t extend those wires its better to play it safe and get an extra set with another transformer. So while you won’t use the tubes from the fourth set it’s a real good idea to keep them around in case one of your friends decides they don’t like them and decides to kick them....or something like that....in case any tube breaks you have extra. RECAP 1 tube and one transformer under driver dash 1 tube and one transformer under passenger dash 2 tubes and one transformer under each seat (one under back...one under front of seat) 2 extra tubes in case one breaks (unlikely but just in case) So those 4 sets plus shipping and handling (which on every order from Oznium.com is $2.95!!!!!) Comes out to be under 30 dollars. SOMETHING ADVANCED One last thing I have failed to mention is there is a trick with cold cathodes if you have them in a visible are like my headliner, is that the tubes have a 1/2” protective cover (acrylic) around them. I found that it was annoying having them their because the tubes became an eyesore in the daytime. Keep in mind if you have them under seats and dashes you don’t need to worry about this. There is a way to take the actual cathode element and remove it from its tubing The thread in the Oznium.com forum section is here: Cathode out of tube By doing this you will reduce the visibility of the tube into a pencil lead thin product. They will now fit very nicely into your headliner, and still are extremely bright. You must be careful however, they become EXTREMELY FRAGILE in doing this. I’ve broke probably 3 tubes, 1 tube while trying to take it out of the tube, and my friends who forget they are their. (they were dumb though) However if you plan on having a tube visible it is well worth it to buy a couple sets and if you break one, oh well. In terms of securing the cathode, I was able to pressure fit it up there just fine, although I would suggest if you want you can take some clear thread and sew it into the headliner. Also you have two choices with the transformer, behind the headliner or in the seatbelt cover. This is a very clean look though if you can accomplish it. It’s not as hard as it looks, but it is a delicate process is the right word. I THINK THAT ABOUT COVERS EVERYTHING ABOUT COLD CATHODES PLEASE POST OTHER RELEVANT QUESTIONS AND I'LL BE HAPPY TO ANSWER THEM....as well as update you on the extra colors to be coming out soon NOW ONTO LED's LED's are super cheap...under 50 cents per LED Depending on which color you want more or less but never more than 55 cents! Before i go any further here is the link for buying LED's Super Bright LED's Here are the colors with prices: BLUE .34c UV .35c WHITE .44c GREEN .45c RED .47c ORANGE .49c YELLOW .49c ALL OF THESE NEED A RESISTOR PER LED so add .05c per LED I recommend getting the 5mm LED's for every application. The only times 3MM LED's come in handy are for this little write up: Door Handle and AC control LED swap LED's can be mixed and matched to do more colors than the ones posted above. These LED's are truly the brightest i have ever seen/purchased i've bought from other places but i can honestly say that i haven't gotten better quality as well as reliability from LED's than the ones sold from Oznium.com WHERE CAN I PUT LED's Literally you can put LED's anywhere you want there is really no limit to where and what you can do with LED's. The most common IMO is putting them in the AC and defroster vents. (bad pic here but the point is made) Other places such as cupholders: for that application ^^^ 4 led's were placed in each cupholder I also have taken out the bulbs in my overhead light and replaced them with LED's The places that I have put them to go one step beyond content with my glow is the door panels. Myself and intuneauto (mostly intuneauto ) took out the door panel and drilled holes for LED's in the side pocket, behind the door grab handle, and one LED in the actual door opener handle. PIC GOODNESS This pic shows better my AC/defroster vent glow as well as the one in the door opener handle and the three behind the grab handle. Here is a picture of the LED's that are in the door pocket... I put alternating blue/green on the whole pocket. Going back to my first picture again now you can see the LED placement better Here is a better picture of what the glow creates There are still more subtle places to put LED's for example: Behind speaker grilles, or if you have a ZX3 in the back those deep deep pockets could use some subtle LED lighting! One trick I use often is because LED’s shoot a “beam” of light they spot in certain applications. So on all of my LED’s in the door panels, I filed the tops of them down flat with the door panel. By filing them flat you make the beam more diffused and non-spot. LED's are not just limited to inside your car, with proper use of silicone to protect wires they can go anywhere. I have turned the clear E-Bay side marker lamps into something pretty custom with 6 white LED's in each! I will be shortly putting about 20 orange LED's into my clear front grille recently purchased. THE POINT WITH LED's are that they really can go anywhere, are extremely cheap, and can get any lighting project complete. Okay now that you have ideas on where to put them HOW DO YOU WIRE THEM? Here are some wiring diagrams courtesy of the forums on Oznium Forums LED Wiring Diagram Notice the load resistor that IS needed. Also notice that the Anode on the LED is connected to positive. The Anode is the LONGER lead. NOTE: If using a light up switch connect the 3rd connection on the switch to ground. That is for single LED usage. Here is one for multi LED usage: Similar LED Wiring Diagram Here's a similar LED wiring diagram showing 4 seperate LED's (NOT connected). Notice the load resistor that IS needed for each LED. Also notice that the Anode on the LED is connected to positive. The Anode is the LONGER lead. NOTE: If using a light up switch connect the 3rd connection on the switch to ground. Those are some simple wiring diagrams for LED's Don’t forget you can still use the same fuse and switch if you want from your cathodes if you want to. Again these don’t take up much power at all. So that pretty much sums up the basics of GLOW AGAIN IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS PLEASE FEEL FREE TO DISCUSS THEM WITH ME IN THIS THREAD D A N N Y

08-30-2005, 04:02 PM	#2 (permalink)
lyrrad3 TEAM Member Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Pomona, CA Posts: 567	Re: THE COMPLETE GUIDE TO GLOW & LED\'s wow great post! how exactly do you hook up a wire to a fuse for the positive source? i am not too good with electricity. i am looking for an orange glow theme.

08-30-2005, 04:07 PM	#3 (permalink)
DisrupTer911 Moderator Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Bloomfield, New Jersey Posts: 15,205	Re: THE COMPLETE GUIDE TO GLOW & LED\'s its not an IDE cable on the inverter wiring. its a molex connector and an expansion slot backplate cover w/ a switch.

08-30-2005, 04:14 PM	#6 (permalink)
mievil I have wonderous butt cheeks Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: San Diego, CA / Zhuhai, Guangdong, PRC Posts: 10,730	Re: THE COMPLETE GUIDE TO GLOW & LED\'s Might want to put a 56k warning on the title. That there's a lot of pictures, mmmmm hmmmm.

08-30-2005, 05:01 PM	#7 (permalink)
FocalFury Moderator Join Date: May 2004 Posts: 3,353	Re: THE COMPLETE GUIDE TO GLOW & LED\'s here is that wire tap thing i was talking about

08-30-2005, 05:08 PM	#8 (permalink)
lyrrad3 TEAM Member Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Pomona, CA Posts: 567	Re: THE COMPLETE GUIDE TO GLOW & LED\'s so you just hook ^that^ up to the stock fuse location and use the red wire for the positive source? it looks as if there is an extra place for another fuse. what is that for?

08-30-2005, 08:10 PM	#10 (permalink)
xerofall [FJ] Addict Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Kingdom of Unpopular Opinion Posts: 18,395	Re: THE COMPLETE GUIDE TO GLOW & LED\'s (56k no) I've added this to the uber stickie and will stickie it for a little while.

08-31-2005, 01:23 AM	#11 (permalink)
Chipmunk Rookie Join Date: Jul 2005 Posts: 28	Re: THE COMPLETE GUIDE TO GLOW & LED\'s (56k no) Dude it looks great.. I would like to see a pic of your switchs and were you have them???

08-31-2005, 12:40 PM	#13 (permalink)
Ray Driver > Car Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: CT Posts: 28,121	Re: THE COMPLETE GUIDE TO GLOW & LED\'s (56k no) in the last picture (parallel LED connection) you should be able to use only one resistor off the main feed then split it after that for the same effect.

08-31-2005, 01:18 PM	#14 (permalink)
Chaney Frushie took advantage of me Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Brighton, Michigan Posts: 2,345	Re: THE COMPLETE GUIDE TO GLOW & LED\'s (56k no) i wish i was more into playing with my cars wireing and putting these in cause i could handle the cold cathodes in my car...but i do not feel that i would not screw something up. Bah maybe one day...wireing really scares me, (and i work for an electrical contractor doing CAD)

08-31-2005, 01:44 PM	#16 (permalink)
j20000 When a man leaves himself WIDE open, I take advantage of it Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Hopewell, PA (But, San Diego at heart) Posts: 7,531	Re: THE COMPLETE GUIDE TO GLOW & LED\'s (56k no) I put these pics in the other LED thread...but i figured I would throw them in the sticky, so people can get some more ideas. For under the Ford Racing Engine Cover and the Diamond Plate Focus Floor Mats, I used thick piece of plexi-glass with LED's in drilled into the side of it, and used clear silicon to hold the LED's in the plexi-glass. Another tip for LED's...if you are gonna put them in the AC vents, paint the inside of the vents white, and put the led's in the bottom of the vent so that it shines up. Make sure that when you put the LED's in the vents, that you put them away from the "open/Close" flap so that you can still use the vent. This looks alot better now, I added more LED's And here is where I put my switches. I fiberglassed the hole under the stereo mount, and put two switches in there.

08-31-2005, 03:37 PM	#17 (permalink)
screwdiver Senior TEAM Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Kunia, HI Posts: 1,505	Re: THE COMPLETE GUIDE TO GLOW & LED\'s (56k no) Wow...that cold cathode setup are completely illegal here.

09-01-2005, 12:46 AM	#19 (permalink)
Toxin TEAM Member Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: menasha, WI / uw-sp (stevens point, wi) Posts: 140	Re: THE COMPLETE GUIDE TO GLOW & LED\'s (56k no) yeah you can get pulled over for having them if they are visable atleastin WI i know they are... but a slight window tint (like im planning) will make it so you cant see any floor lighting....

09-01-2005, 10:39 PM	#25 (permalink)
xMandax Senior TEAM Member Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Harrisburg, PA Posts: 3,658	Re: THE COMPLETE GUIDE TO GLOW & LED\'s (56k no) heres mine....well the ones under the dash....b/c i still havent gotten around to connecting the ones under the passanger seat yet so it doesn't look very bright, and i might actually add the extra set that i have..... Last edited by FocalFury; 01-30-2006 at 06:50 PM.

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