Running Board LED's

So i got bored and decided to order an LED bed light kit on Amazon but use them as running board light/ puddle lights. I didn't take pics of the install but it was pretty simple.

The kit was all plug & play so no stripping wires or adding an in-line fuse (power wire already had the in-line fuse)

There are other write-ups on doing this ill explain my install since i used a bed light kit:
I wanted the lights to turn on when I unlock the truck, and when I open the doors, so I tapped into the dome light wires. The A-pillar on the driver side is where the dome light wires run up, and is the easiest place to tap into them. In the split-loom that covers the wires there is a blue wire (this may differ from vehicle to vehicle) the blue wire is the negative trigger wire for the dome light. I spliced the ground wire for the LED's into the blue wire. For the power wire I spliced into a white wire. There are two solid white wires and on white wire with a black stripe. Im pretty sure both of the white wires deliver a constant 12v current, so I just picked one.

I tested the lights before running the wires through the dash to prevent extra work. Once I knew they worked correctly I ran the wires through the dash and out the truck cab. I ran the wires through a rubber grommet under the floor carpet, then sealed the hole up with clear waterproof silicone caulk.

I mounted the LED strip to the frame underneath the truck. This was the only place I could put them so they wouldn't be too bright and would shine on the ground and on the running boards. The LED strips had 3M tape already on the back, but i added a few zip-ties onto the strips just to be sure they wouldn't fall off.

It took about 1.5 hours to do the entire install, and the kit was only $30 on Amazon

 

Nice
I have wanted these for a while.
Wasn't sure the led connections would be waterproof enough for maine.

I have led strips all around..footwell..glovebox..bedlighting ect.
I even did back side of front grill..but haven't done much exterior....yet...

 

the way i installed mine, all the connectors are inside of the cab. the LED strips have a 6 Ft wire running from them so i had plenty of wire to run into the cab. the part where the wire runs into the LED strip is sealed and appears to be very water tight. i havent driven it in rain yet but they look very well build.

this is the exact one i bought:

$23 MICTUNING 2Pcs 60" White LED Cargo Truck Bed Light Strip Lamp Waterproof Lighting Kit with On-Off Switch Fuse 2-Way Splitter Cable Compatible with Pickup RV SUV and More

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01JUE9OLM/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s02?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

Did you still use the switch to be able to turn on/off whenever you like?

 

Yeah I kept the switch on it. I thought about cutting it off, but instead I just hid it behind the A-pillar, which ended up being a smart choice. Yesterday I wripped out all my interior and carpet and put dynamat throughout so I removed the A-pillar and turned the led's off so it wouldn't drain the battery going in and out of the truck.

 

So you just ran the ground wire from the switch to the the dome light wire?

 

Yes. The kit already had the switch built in, so all I did was splice into the blue dome light trigger wire with the led's ground wire. Then the power wire was spliced into the white wire that delivers a constant 12v power. When I get a chance I'll take a picture of it and upload it

 

That would be great, appreciate the help.

 

Interesting... I've been thinking about doing something similar. Want it to tap into dome light so it comes on when unlocking and opening doors. Saved the Amazon link until I can scrape some money together

 

sorry for the wait, work has been nuts... everyone seems to want to go to jail this month lol

 

Looks good

 

Nice. Looks simple and fast enough OP. Thanks.
Is the video linked in first post yours (do the lights have a sort of animation effect when on/off)?

 

Yeah the video is of my truck. There is no animation built into the lights. The running board lights work the same way as the interior dome light, they slowly get brighter and then slowly dim until off.

 

Hi! I am trying to do this same install, but under my driver's side A pillar I can't find any blue or white wire, please help!!
I have a 2016 SR5 TACOMA

 

I'm not sure what color the wires will be on the 3rd gen Tacoma bro. If I were you I'd refer to the owner's manual or try to find a wiring diagram online to tell you what each wire is. That's is your best and easiest route.

 

Thanks for your answer, I've been searching for the answer for more than 2 months now. Maybe I'm not looking where I should. Every post I have seen talks about a yellow and blue wire.

I checked I few wiring diagrams but they are too complicated, I'll check again.

 

I'll do some searching and see if I can find the answer for you bud

 

the wire at 19 will splice into the power wire on the running board lights. the wire at 11 will splice into the negative/ground wire on the running board lights.

 

I have a 2012 Tacoma and the Nilight running board light strips I bought have a black (ground) white (turn signal) red (door assist) and green (parking). Where do I tie these wires into? No switch, no relay.