footwell lights

[Matt e]

i want to fit led strip lights in my footwells, im going to wire to the interior light so it comes on when the the doors open and they go off when i close the doors

but i also want to fit a switch to also turn them myself, im going to them to the battery or fuse box if theres a outlet in there?

would this be alright to wire them in? or is there a different way to do it?

​thanks

 

[MicKPM]

That's the basic circuit yes but I wouldn't wire the switched live from the battery directly, rather pinch it from an interior feed such as the cig lighter and add a small fuse to that (5A).

 

[Matt e]

is the cig lighter always live? i saw a post on about something that it only works when the ignition is turned on?

​thanks for the reply

 

[MicKPM]

No its an ignition controlled live.

If you are adamant that you must use these when the keys are out (why I won't understand) then you will need a battery sourced live but I'd urge the use of a relay rather than it going thru a switch.

 

[Matt e]

ahh ok thanks for your help

 

[Killerpip4]

Why does it need to go through a relay? Sorry

 

[Matt e]

Instead of the cigarette lighter would it be ok to use the remote on the of the headunit?

 

[MicKPM]

Why does it need to go through a relay? Sorry

He doesn't have to but I prefer a controlled relay to switch a battery feed rather than a switch of unknown spec

 

[msremmert]

I wired my lights directly to the interior light in the roof and they work perfectly. They turn on and off when and exactly mimic the courtesy light. Fading and everything. Very pleased with them. I'm happy to film them and upload a video for you too if you like.
If I were doing it I'd stick the switch between the light and the LED strips and hide the switch somewhere in the glovebox or underneath it. There's a guide on here that does exactly that.

Here's the guide I used:
http://www.cliosport.net/forum/showthread.php?691792-Footwell-LED-s

For what it's worth, I actually wrote my own guide based on the one linked above but without the switch. Adding the switch however should be minimal effort.
Also please note the links in my guide have gone dead and I've not had a chance to rewrite it and update it but it uses the same equipment in Tom's.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/dtmxjf4dyofuusd/Fitting Front Footwell LEDs in a RS Clio.pdf