LED Bed Light Wiring Help

Ok Tacoma World, I need some help with wiring LED bed lights.
First, I have searched, exhaustively, to find the answer to my problem. And what I've found is that everybody who does bed LED's, does them in their own unique way, which has led me to my current dilemma.

My goal: 1. Install LED strips in the bed of my truck.
2. Use a toggle switch inside the cab to control the LED's/pin switch
3. Install a pin switch at the tailgate to act just like a dome light

When the tailgate is closed I want to be able to turn the LED's on from inside the cab of the truck. When the tailgate is opened, I want the lights to come on automatically (just like a dome light) independent of the cab dome lights.

I found a great thread located here and is exactly what I am trying to do, however; whenever I mock up my circuit in my living room with a 12v power source, it just doens't work.

So, how should I be wiring this?

I know my schematic (below) is incorrect but is how I currently have things wired and the pin switch does function like a dome switch but the toggle switch does not work...obviously.

I am frustrated, tired, and pissed at myself for not being able to figure this out. I wired my motorcycle with LED's and was so much more difficult than this but for some reason I cant figure this out. WTH and I doing wrong?

 

your diagram is close but confusing too. all you should need to do is take the positive for the led strip a run that to the battery side. the led strip negitive side should run to the off pin on your switch. on your switch, one wire to chassis ground and the other to you tailgate pin. i assume what you are trying to do is control the ground side of the led strip(s) with both swtiches.

 

with the led strips in the bed, you will have to run a ground side wire all the way back to the switch and another wire all the way back to the tailgate switch.

 

one side note, make sure you have a 3-way switch. a single lighted switch will have 3 terminals. one of them is used to power the light in the switch.

 

BAZINGA!!!!!!!!!

Got it! Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!!!!

I don't know what the hell I had wired up but after reading your explanation I had a lot of extra wires left disconnected. Rewired per your explanation and it works!!

And just for giggles, a new diagram - understandable to me

Again, thank you for the help!

 

Proof of concept

(Take note of the position of the toggle switch and "pin switch" position)

Simulating turning lights on from inside cab (tailgate closed):




Simulating tailgate open:

 

Maybe a dumb question but I have seen a lot of lights and such where folks are switching the ground side of things. Is there a specific reason for this with LEDs and such? Being an electrician it goes against everything I know to not switch the "Hot" lead. Seems with switching the ground you could run into issues if any wiring or such shorted out, or got grounded when you were working on it as even though the switch is off, there would still be power to the lights etc.

 

Interesting you mention this.. (I was thinking the same thing..)

 

What would you suggest then? Use of a relay?

 

Ultimately it's going to be up to person on which way they go with. I do see what you are stating.

i will try to be brief is the explanation to this situation.

To me it's ease of installation. a positive trigger circuit and a negative circuit electrically is the same. weather you control the load before or after is up to you unless you have other factors to deal with. Since the bed lights are located outside the cab of the truck, to me (imo) it is easier to 1 power wire back to the lights and 2 ground side wires. the OP wanted the lights to be controlled by the pin switch at the tailgate. to me, these are the only 2 wires that need to run through a body/firewall grommet.

the way this is wired up, if a wire was to be grounded/shorted to ground after the led strips (ground side). all that would happen is the led strip would light up and stay on.

The led's provide the load on the circuit and would prevent a fire hazard - unless something was wrong internally.

a short on the positive side would just blow the fuse at the battery - as long as the fuse was sized for the load/wire correctly.

The amount of wire length needed is actually shorter wiring it this way also.

as a side note, the Tacoma dome light is wired this way exactly from factory. the BCM acts like the tailgate pin switch.

 

What type of electrician are you? i am just curious.

 

a relay is not needed in this case. you are not running a high amp circuit. What is the total amp draw on the whole led strip?

 

You could use one if you really wanted to isolate the positive side from having 12V at the LED strip(s) until one of the switches is activated.

but honestly, that is overkill imo.

 

I am not sure, actually. Packaging did not come with specs so I'll see if I can research.
Appreciate the explanation as well.

EDIT: According to the Q&A section of the Amazon web site that I purchased them from - "It's 4.8 Watts per Meter @ 12 Volts, which means it requires 0.4 Amps per Meter" The strip I bought is 16.4 feet (5 meters).
Triangle-Bulbs-3528-IP65-White-60L

 

if you used the whole strip the max current pull should/would be
2.4 amps @ 10 volts
2A @ 12 volts
1.74A @ 13.8 volts
1.67A @ 14.4 volts

a little more information then you probably want to know... lol

 

potentially less wires to run.
For example the pin switch only needs one wire, + a short wire to a nearby ground.
A common ground is easily available on the truck metal, don't need to run a separate wire for it. If +12VDC source is fused, then a short before the LED will blow the fuse and a short to ground after the LED, will just turn on the LED. Its a common practice in many vehicle electrical circuits.

 

Not at all. Every bit is helpful.

 

Great info. I'm trying to do the same. What and where did you get the pin switch from? I'm thinking of buying a door pin switch from Toyota, but am afraid of it being too tall. Where are you planning to install the pin switch?