maybe im missing something that i havent thought of. im trying to wire my cold cathodes to my interior dome lights (front and rear). i tried this the other night and blew up 2 transformers. i had the ires right (negative to negative, positive to positive). i have no idea what it is im doing wrong, but i hope someone has a solution...

 

Do you mean you blew two fuses?

 

I think he did. The "transformers" for the cathodes are made to run off of 12v.

If its fuses you are blowing, you probably have a short somewhere. Check all wire connections, and make sure you are properly grounded

 

the fuses are fine. its the transformers for the cathodes that smoked, melted, poped, sparked, and other stuff, lol

 

OMG!
How'd you wire them up?

 

the right way. positive to positive, negative to negative. i wanted to use it so that i can have the cathodes replace teh interior dome light, but i guess not

 

do remember that the dome light has a variable switched NEGATIVE, not positive as you might expect

 

on the dome lights, which color wire would you say is positive and which is negative? Where did you access the wires? Where in the circuit is the fuse?

If you can explain a little more, then I think someone will be able to figure out the problem.
Something isnt done right, otherwise they would work. (I have a gift for stating the obvious LOL)

 

also, please disconnect your negative battery cable before you do anything electrical. I'm sure you knew that, though.

the biggest risk when wiring to the dome light is the potential to fry the $400 door lock control relay behind the speedo. I have a wiring diagram for both the relay and the dome light, but when I did my puddles, I just tapped off of the pos and neg driving the dome itself.

 

i tried tapping off of the pos and neg driving the dome itself as well... i was just going to install a switch... but still the transformer to the cathodes blew up, lol

 

You said you are frying the transformer, not the fuse, right? What size fuse are you using and where do you have it fused?
The fact that the transformer is frying would lead me to believe that you have the leads to the cathodes themselves shorting out on something, and you are using too large a fuse. Any additional info you can give might help us solve your dilemma.

 

if im not mistaken, teh D/L in teh fuse panel...the one inside the car... stands for dome light. i think is a 15A fuse, if not a 6.5A fuse

 

You might want to run some extra wire to the cathodes from wherever you are tapping into the dome light with an additional fuse in line before the transformers. I dont think that the fuse in the fuse box counts for the cathodes. I would give them their own.

 

^^^ good advice, I use a 2amp inline fuse for cathodes and LEDs - haven't blown one yet.

 

^^^ My suggestion exactly. The transformers are somewhat sensitive and shouldn't be using a fuse any larger than 3-5 amps. The Oznium (FlowLighting) cathodes only draw .7amps of current each, so anything beyond the 3-5 amp range is allowing way too much current fluctuation before finally blowing. I use a 3 amp on mine with two transformers running from it and have never blown anything.
If I were you, I would take things apart and reassemble the setup using a second fusible link close to the power source with a much smaller (3 to 5 amp) fuse. Pull EVERYTHING back out and inspect every inch of wire. If you can, set up a small test bench using your car's battery as a source and your fusible link in between the battery and transformer and ensure that everything works properly before you start installing. This is always a good idea, because everyone hates to install something only to find that they have a piece of faulty equipment after all their hard work.
Test beginning with a basic setup.
Battery --> Fusible link --> Xformer --> Cathode
When these work, then add the switch at its location to ensure it functions with the setup.
Battery --> Fusible link --> Switch (on the positive wire) -->Xformer --> Cathode
When you are sure all your components work properly with each other, then proceed to install them in the car. Again, it is a good idea to install these components with the negative off the battery to avoid any possible damage.
It sounds like you are headed in the right direction with your install. Just make sure your components are in good working order before you start installing them in the car, and ALWAYS use the appropriate fuse for the job.