Low voltage distribution block

So these winter months have me going stir crazy and I tend to map out my spring projects pretty regularly.

I am going to install courtesy lights in the foot wells and most likely under the seats. Ive been reading to tap in to the "B" pillar wire right from the main courtesy light. But then I got to thinking... What if I want to add an exterior courtesy light or something in the cup holder, or glove box etc etc to run when the doors are open only.

Would adding a mini block under the dash to run off the courtesy lamp be too much?

Im looking at 3 or 5mm led's much like the ones in this link

http://www.amazon.com/Qty-Lights-wi..._UL160_SR160,160_&refRID=1VBD4ER6KQ0Y1889CCVW

I know I can string a bunch together but probably would add them in pairs whenever I have time or want something else.

Also, has anyone used these type of lights? Do they put out ok light? Im not looking to turn my interior into a club scene. I just want to see shit.

 

after further night time review. I would most likely want the subtle foot well lights on with the other accessory lights.

 

Any suggestions?
Ive been mulling over where i want to put these things. I know I can tap into the green and green/white wires or the cigarette lighter.
Still curious if anyone has added a small distribution block.

Say an add a fuse to the open space on the top row (comes on with parking light power) below and run the lead to a small terminal strip? Grounding can be done with these led's pretty much everywhere i would eventually want to run them but it would be easier to use a block vs splicing into wires all over the place i would think.



I was thinking something like below but smaller and have it placed in the center console/armrest area so i can add led's under the rear seats and perhaps the storage compartments behind the seats etc whenever im ready to do so.

 

Anderson powerpoles might work for you. They make some very simple 4 and 8 position distribution blocks. There are also more advanced ones called Rig Runners.
http://www.powerwerx.com/powerpole-power-distribution/

When you use the power poles to build your power cables, you pretty much need to use their proprietary crimper. I tried every way around and was not 100% satisfied till i spent $40 on the crimping tool, and now I look for reasons to use Powerpoles. I do a lot electronic tinkering projects.

 

those look legit. Thanks for the link.

 

You might look at LED strips instead of what you have pictured. Those LEDs most likely have a "spot" pattern and will not light up a large area.

Led strips on the other hand already have adhesive tape, are much brighter and illuminate a larger area.

Here are a couple pics of my interior lights. I know you just want to be able to see, I just tend to over do things a bit.

 

I personally tapped off my cigarette lighter wires. And have had no problem.

 

I am just looking for something subtle but your work is noteworthy o0oSHADOWo0o.
worst case scenario I can always swap the little guys out for strips like you have mentioned down the road if I choose.
Ill be wiring them so they can easily be swapped out if one is defective or I decide to change the color up.
Which I still haven't decided on. Red or Amber to match the gauges.
I considered blue but I think my stereo and the 4x4 switch is enough blue to contrast.

 

Most of the adhesive strip lights can be trimmed down to run as few lamps as you want (or as many as come on the package), but can be a little pricey if you're only using a couple off each strip. Since I'm assuming you're mounting in hidden areas, the strips also simplify the mounting. I've never thought of 3mm or 5mm LEDs being appropriate for area lighting, they're generally used as "power on" indicators or for simple projects with logic circuits to make signal levels detectable quickly in real time; the "low gas" light on the dash probably uses a LED similar to one of those, or if you've got a 12V phone charger that lights up when it's got power that might be using one of those LEDs.

I'm assuming you've got a crew cab, are there any sort of lights mounted in the back doors (probably low near the back to help make an open door visible to traffic at night)?
If you don't mind popping the trim off the doors, you could tap into that, it's probably on the same circuit as the dome light.

 

valid points. I have been wondering if they will be enough or not. I have also been meaning to go outside with a 9v battery and a loose led at night and test one to see how they light up footwells, etc
there is nothing for lights in the rear doors.

 

Another suggestion for courtesy lights would be to use either red or blue rather than white, green or yellow light. Red won't wreck someone's night vision if they happen to look at a lit area, and blue won't seem to spread as far from the source. For source power to these, you might also consider wiring them to the dash light circuit for power (look up the lighted 4WD switch mod for pics showing places to tap into that circuit); this has the advantage of already being in a factory fused circuit so you don't need to worry about that, and the wires to tap are near panels where it's easy to run the connection under the carpet, and LED lighting draws so little current, a single 16-18ga wire (or twisted pair if you want to also use the ground point near the fuse block under the dash could be run around the cab to feed all of the new locations)

If you're looking to get fancier than adhesive strips (and this might work out a little cheaper, depending on several variables), you could put in some 194/168 wedge sockets or festoon mounts and install appropriate LED bulbs. Sockets should be available at most auto parts stores or online, and wedge bulbs can be found in bulk online fairly cheap.

 

That's not a terrible idea either. I used those a few years back in one of my wranglers.
would just be a matter of swapping bulbs moving forward.