Bed lights 2 Switches

So ive been following this thread
http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/lighting/205103-bed-lighting-question-4.html

and it completely confused me even more.
What i am wanting to do is have a switch in my cab so i can turn the bed lights on, however i also want to have a pin switch installed so when i open my tail gate it turns on.

So basically what i am saying is that i want the lights to turn on either way.
Anyone know how i can do this?

Thanks
-Chris

 

But i also want to be able to turn off the bed lights with the in cab switch, for when i have my tail gate open for a long time

 

3 way switch? On off on...

 

huh?

 

ill try to clarify this i guess.
So I want to be able to push a switch in my cab to turn on the bed lights.
But i also want to be able to just open my tail gate and have the lights automatically turn on.

And i want to be able to turn the bed lights off with the switch inside my truck so i can drive with my tail gate down if needed

 

Right. I think a on-off-on will work if u run one side to a pin switch at the tailgate.

 

http://www.oznium.com/pin-switch

http://m.grainger.com/mobile/details/?R=1XWP9

 

yea i was planning on using a pin switch,

 

anyone know if they make 3 way switches that look like this
http://www.amazon.com/Rocker-Toggle...X4/ref=sr_1_23?ie=UTF8&qid=1333068161&sr=8-23

 

If you run power from one side of the switch and use the pin to interior the power and the other on side to turn them on full time and the off to bypass and keep them off it should work....?

 

Seems about right, I think..

 

Here's a wiring schematic for ya... 2 switches, 1 relay, and a pin switch.



Personally, safer than running power through switches

 

Awesome.

 

Awesome, just what i was looking for.
But what does SPDT and SPST stand for?

 

Single pole single throw. An on off switch. Single pole double throw. On off on switch.

 

This is the same Idea I used for my LEDs under my doors. Switch in the Up position the LED's are always on (OP's suggestion of tailgating and not wanting to run the battery dead, except always off), Middle position the LED's are off no matter what, and the down position the LED's are controlled by the door pin switches for the Dome light.

 

and for the SPST i couldnt just hook it up to the Pin switch? or is that what you are reffering to

 

You don't need to use the SPST switch if you don't want to. The only reason you would want that is to be able to turn the lights on from the rear of the truck without opening the tailgate. Seems redundant to me. Rest of the diagram looks good. You need the relay because the pin switch can't take full current to two decent sized lights.

 

might as well throw one in there since i have one laying around. And i figured i might as well use relays.
Thanks for the help everyone.

 

I know the thread might be dead but what relay would be recommended? http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=12466796&clickid=prod_cs Does the relay need to be a SPDT 12V like this one from radioshack?