Just installed glove box illumination :)

[TrevorS]

Thanks to this inspiration: http://www.scionlife.com/forums/showthread.php?t=212877 I decided to make glove box illumination my next xB2 project -- just finished today !

[pyroman131]

Now that I like!

Does it close okay when it pushes in the switch?

[TrevorS]

Originally Posted by pyroman131

Now that I like!

Does it close okay when it pushes in the switch?

Thanks !

Yes, it closes perfectly and I don't feel the switch when closing the door. I've adjusted it so with the door closed, it's only barely pushed, enough to break the contact plus a tad. If the door is to any degree open, the box is illuminated.

[pyroman131]

You should totally make me one that I can buy from you and install in my own box! I've wanted one for so long!

[TrevorS]

Originally Posted by pyroman131

You should totally make me one that I can buy from you and install in my own box! I've wanted one for so long!

If you're serious, I'm willing to do that -- expect it to look much the same. If you want, I can include the metric mounting hardware and the power pigtail that feeds the glove box. There are a couple things you would have to do that you need to gauge your comfort with.

1) It's necessary to tap the small gauge dark green ILL+ wire (pin 10) on radio connector C1 (front door speakers plus other) for a power pigtail to feed the glove box (you can see the end of mine at the left of the second photo. It needs a female connector to accept the illumination male (red wire). If you have a harness adapter installed (aftermarket radio), then you can alternatively tap the adapter harness equivalent wire (which is what I did).

2) As you can see from the second photo, the assembly is bolted to the two steel braces above the glove box. If you remove your glove box door, you'll see they each have three holes, the bolts pass through the holes closest the passenger seat. If you sit on the passenger sill and feel down over the edge of those braces with your forefinger, you'll find the access space is very limited. I found it to be adequate, but positioning the fastening hardware to the bolt requires finger dexterity and patience. Basically, it's a three step process, the easiest being positioning a split ring lock washer over the end of a partially inserted bolt, next maneuvering a nut over the end of the bolt, and then carefully starting the bolt into the nut -- takes plenty of patience getting them aligned properly when you can't see the nut, only feel it. My guess is it'll take a couple or so tries to get some feel for it and a dry run without the light assembly is probably the best way to start.

[kyleee]

Great job. Just wondering where did you buy the switch?

[DJ_Moonbass]

very intuitive i must say. allthough i dont like the switch and i would personally put in more thought on re designing it. (meaning if i was going to build one i would do it not that YOU need to, it works for you right?) i give you mad props for it non the less. good work. im curious how come you didn't use a continuous LED strip? instead you used to separate little strips.

for future reference if you want a brighter ouput. use 5050 SMD led cool white or neutral white strip. they are closer together and have a brighter output than anything else.

[pyroman131]

Trevor, if you're willing to make it and ship it to me, I'm down for it. I don't have the experience with doing custom brackets and LEDs, so getting it in my hands will give me an opportunity to play around with it and learn from it.

Let me know what kind of price you're looking at for materials and assembly. Then we'll talk shipping ha ha.

[trdscion]

Ive been looking for a switch like that but a little more low profile but not easy to find

[TrevorS]

Originally Posted by DJ_Moonbass

very intuitive i must say. allthough i dont like the switch and i would personally put in more thought on re designing it. (meaning if i was going to build one i would do it not that YOU need to, it works for you right?) i give you mad props for it non the less. good work. im curious how come you didn't use a continuous LED strip? instead you used to separate little strips.

for future reference if you want a brighter ouput. use 5050 SMD led cool white or neutral white strip. they are closer together and have a brighter output than anything else.

Actually, I did spend some time thinking about it and specifically wanted a simple bolt in assembly that wouldn't affect any of the plastic panels (my personal experience is that simple is generally preferable to complex). What I used was natural white 3528SMD (didn't spot 5050) and in my judgement there was no need for more than the six. I find 12 5050SMD adequate in my dome light, and I just don't need blinding light in the glove box, just enough to be easily able to see -- this accomplishes that.

[TrevorS]

Originally Posted by kyleee

Great job. Just wondering where did you buy the switch?

Originally Posted by trdscion

Ive been looking for a switch like that but a little more low profile but not easy to find

I got the switch via Ebay, previously installed one just like it under the hood for my alarm system !

There are also car door open pin switches out there, but I specifically needed one that had a long adjustable reach.

Originally Posted by pyroman131

Trevor, if you're willing to make it and ship it to me, I'm down for it. I don't have the experience with doing custom brackets and LEDs, so getting it in my hands will give me an opportunity to play around with it and learn from it.

Let me know what kind of price you're looking at for materials and assembly. Then we'll talk shipping ha ha.

We can do that, but are you OK with pulling your radio and attaching a power pigtail? Also, seriously, remove your glove box and check out those braces -- if install won't be practical for you, it's a waste of time and money. If you like, I could send you a pigtail and metric hardware so you can see if install will work before we go on the assembly itself.

[pyroman131]

^ Install shouldn't be too tough to me as I'm Asian and very good at crawling into tight, dark spaces. I've also installed the TRD remote start into the glove box area and was able to handle it fine. I'm sure my nimble fingers can access it!

[TrevorS]

I decided the pin switch would be better located further off to the side, so I moved it out roughly 3" further. Definitely better now, though at first I had clearance issues between the side of the glove box and the aluminum bracket -- guess I went 1/8" too far !

[DJ_FroZone]

i love you. that is all.

[CIONIDE]

Originally Posted by DJ_FroZone

i love you. that is all. No homo.

Fixed it for you... I think.

[TrevorS]

Just an aside -- I expect some might prefer to simplify a bit further by using a single strip of nine LEDs instead of my approach of jumpering two strips of three. It would also make the center region brighter, but for me, the six works fine and I like the reasonably even illumination. A question of personal choice !

Originally Posted by DJ_FroZone

i love you. that is all.

Thank you sir, happy to please !

Originally Posted by pyroman131

Let me know what kind of price you're looking at for materials and assembly. Then we'll talk shipping ha ha.

In case anyone was following this discussion, we've switched to PM for the time being.

[pyroman131]

I just wanted to bump this thread and bring it back to light.


I've ordered a custom kit from Trevor that he kindly made for me at a fair price and installed it today. The outcome is fabulous! Not having a light there always drove me bonko, but now that I have one I can rest easy!.

I simply tapped into the cigarette lighter because I was too angry to wire it elsewhere. Reaching my hands in a tight enclosed space and working in the hot Florida sun basically drove me to the funny farm pretty quickly. And I didn't have time or patience for that jargon.


If you want pics, I can post some, but it would basically look the exact same as Trevor had it.

[trdscion]

more pics the better

[TrevorS]

This is what I sent Daniel !

[KaneoheKoa]

I wonder if a mercury tilt switch would work instead of a pin switch?