*Feeler* Plug-and-Play Switch Illumination Harnesses

Hello from the 3rd Gen forum!

@caribe makaira and I are developing some harnesses that will allow 2nd Gen owners to illuminate aftermarket switches without splicing into their factory wiring. My goal with this thread is to gauge demand for something like this on the 2nd Gen platform. I don't own one, but have been asked to make harnesses for the older trucks on several occasions.

Essentially, if you get one of these harnesses, they come with a new connector for the Ch4x4 / Cali-Raised / Air on Board switches. These types of switches seem popular on the 2nd Gen so I am designing the harness around them.




To use the harness you just plug it into an existing connector on your truck (which connector you plug into depends on the harness you get!), and then plug the new green connector into your new switch. Here's an example of a "kit" for the 3rd Gen:


Another example (plugged into a switch):


If you want to add more than one switch, I could make a daisy-chain to add illumination to an additional switch. It would be infinitely expandable so you would just get as many daisy-chains as you need.



I am thinking about making harnesses so that 2nd Gen owners can illuminate switches to the left of the steering wheel, below the head unit, and above their heads (with the use of an extension). The harness to the left of the steering wheel would utilize the Rheostat and I would make an extension if you wanted to run the illumination leads up to the sunglasses holder. The harness below the head unit would utilize the A/C control connector.

Would you guys and gals be interested in something like this? Let me know and I could potentially start something up! If not I'll just kill the idea

 

Great engineering there! I think it'll take off.

 

I could be interested in your idea, @kmorgan3, depending on how a few mods in planning develop on my 2015 Gen2.5.

It could be helpful to have a no-splice way to tap into a switched and/or unswitched 12V source for some low-power mods I have in mind. In that case it would be the jumper harness for the source and free pigtails for the custom hookup on the other end. (If that makes sense.)

 

Im in! Not having to source all the connectors, crimp and solder, hope and pray the connectors fit into the housings... priceless

 

Im in. This would me save some time with wire runs and would be a cleaner install.

 

I'm using 4x push style buttons from AOB or CH4x4. This is to the left of the steering wheel.

 

Thats a nice option for some of the members who aren’t so electrical savvy. Im currently converted over to the switchpro. But would have definitely got these in the past to keep things neat and tidy

 

If you had them in stock, I’d order one right now.

 

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I'd be interesting in this. I have an overhead switch panel from MESO with CH4x4 switches, and I'd prefer to reduce splicing as much as possible.

 

T harnesses are awesome.

 

Okay — I am going to order a small run of materials for you folks on Monday. I’ll post a for sale thread in the coming weeks. It looks like I can make one for the left of the steering wheel and one for below the head unit. After consulting it doesn’t seem plausible to make a harness for the overhead area. However, I can make an extension wire that can run from the left of the steering wheel, up the A-pillar, and to the overhead area. It would be a fairly cheap add-on.

 

Any ETA? I’ve got a bench full of stuff to install curious about the lead time.

 

The harnesses for the rheostat (left side of steering wheel + overhead extension) will take me about 1-2 weeks to get done. Below the head unit will take longer, although you can just get a rheostat harness and run the extension to below the head unit.

 

Looking for a left side harness, have 90% of the parts together for a bed light install. I was going to splice into the illumination wires of the dog light switch till I saw this.

I’ll probably do the install and not hook up illumination till your harness is available. Consider me in line please.

 

Materials for the rheostat breakout harnesses will be here on Saturday so I should have some ready to go next week. For those unaware of where the rheostat is:



This will make it very easy to illuminate switches to the left of the steering wheel. I am going to sell a separate extension that will give you wires to run up your a-pillar to the overhead console area. I know the overhead is a very popular spot for 2nd gens. The extension can also be used to illuminate switches below your head unit. This method consolidates the number of SKUs I need to provide. I plan to have 2 sets of pigtails on the harness: one to illuminate switches to the left of the steering wheel + a set that interfaces with the extension harness (with a nice little connector on that set). That way you can illuminate switches in multiple areas using 1 harness.

I'll post prototypes in this thread next week!

 

Awesome, thank you for your contribution to our "older" trucks!

 

Alright the first batch is available now! Here are images of the two versions. The first one is a simple set of pigtails -- do with them as you please. The second one is of the extension version designed to accept an extension harness to run up your a-pillar to the overhead area (or elsewhere):

 

Sub'd.

 

Are you doing them for 2nd Gen?