Help Wiring Switches for Bedlights.

Hey all,
I know guys have asked similar questions on here and cant seem to find the exact answer I'm looking for.

I am purchasing some bedlights from another user on here and want to wire a few switches to them.

I plan on putting a switch inside the cab (heard of some other guys using a SPDT switch inside the cab), on in the bed of the truck, and another push-type switch on the tailgate so that the lights can come on when the tailgate is open.

I am curious if there is a way to wire 3 separate switches to run the lights regardless of the position on the other switches. kind of like how a 3-way switch works.

If you could let me know how I can accomplish this task while using minimal wires running all over the place that would be greatly appreaciated.

FYI i have already installed a blue seas fuse block and a 100A circuit breaker for safety and cleanliness inside the engine compartment.

Thanks All!!!

 

Yes its possible.
But you are not going to get away with minimal wire. IF you use the truck chassis as ground that will help. But if you are using LEDs, they really don't like that. IF you were to elaborate on the project exactly, it would be allot easier to draw a schematic of the project.

 

Yes, i will be using LED's. I will install 6 LED rigid bars in the bed that measure 10" each. they come with connections and everything needed to install them, just no switch. If i need to run a lot of wire its fine. I was actually planning on putting my grounds onto the frame to help minimize.

Im getting the lights from Drunknsloth. Here is the link.

http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/group-buys/188606-led-strips-rock-lights-bed-lights-etc.html

Let me know what other info you need to help me figure this out.

Thanks for your time

 

You want the switches to behave like house wiring, were as they will each be able to Turn the lights on or off from any switch?

 

yes if possible, just because when i go camping i want to be able to turn them on and off from the bed without worrying about the position of the switch in the cab.

 

Those are some cool LED strips.
Ok let me draw it out and i will get you a schematic of what you need to get/do.

 

Ok man thanks! and yeah i cannot wait until i get them. Hoping some more people get buying them so they can get shipped out!

 

I'm interested in this too. I actually have the same lights to put in my bed. I plan on just putting the switch in the cab so I know if the bed lights are on or off but it would be a pain to always go into the cab to turn em on. I'd like to see how this draws out.

 

Hey man,

http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/2nd-gen-tacomas/184602-little-wiring-help.html

Check this out and see if it is closer to what your wanting to do. check out post #3. he explains how to wire the lights with just 2 switches instead of using three. hope this helps.

 

Except for the tailgate latch, that's how I have mine wired.

I don't understand what you want the tailgate latch switch to do? Always off when the tailgate is closed, and when open, on only if the user has switched it on from cab or bed?

 

I am wanting the option to have my lights turn on when my tailgate opens. I do work at night sometimes and feel it would be a pain in the ass having to turn them on and off with an actual switch. thought it would be convenient to have them turn on automatically when the tailgate opens, and then they turn off on their own when i close the tailgate.

That way i dont have to worry about accidentally leaving them on and draining my battery.

 

So what's the switch in the cab for?

 

To turn the lights on-off-on (with tailgate).

 

Let's try this: you've got a switch in the cab, a switch on the bed, and the tailgate latch switch, right? If I've got that right, let's imagine they're toggle switches that can be either UP or DOWN (except for the tailgate that's either open or closed.) Then depending on the switch positions, the lights are either ON or OFF.

Walk out to your truck, everythings off, and the switches are in the following state:

Cab: UP Bed: UP Tailgate: CLOSED. Lights: OFF.

So far, so good, right. Open the tailgate, and the lights stay off.
Cab: UP Bed: UP Tailgate: OPEN. Lights: OFF.

But now I want the lights on, so I flip the switch in the bed, and the lights come on.
Cab: UP Bed: DOWN Tailgate OPEN. Lights ON.

I close the tailgate, and they shut off.
Cab: UP Bed: DOWN Tailgate: CLOSED. Lights: OFF

I drive to a buddies house, and we open the tailgate again.
Cab: UP Bed: DOWN Tailgate OPEN. Lights ON.

We sit on the tailgate for a while, knocking back adult beverages. I don't want to kill the battery, so I flip the bed switch.
Cab: UP Bed: UP Tailgate OPEN. Lights OFF.

I go into the cab to get a jacket. He goes inside to bring out a second cooler. He says, "Hey Moose! My hands are full. Flip on that light, OK? So I hit the switch in the cab to turn on the light:
Cab: DOWN Bed: UP Tailgate OPEN. Lights ON.

We load up a bunch of lumber into the back, so the tailgat has to stay open. Then we hop in the truck and drive away. I hit the dash switch to turn off the light while driving:
Cab: UP Bed: UP Tailgate OPEN. Lights OFF.

We get there and go to unload the lumber. I flip the switch in the bed to turn the lights on.
Cab: UP Bed: DOWN Tailgate OPEN. Lights ON.

We're done with the lumber, so we close the tailgate, and drive away.
Cab: UP Bed: DOWN Tailgate CLOSED. Lights OFF.

Next time someone opens the tailgate, the lights will come on. Is that what you're looking for??

 

haha well first of all that would be some fun driving considering you just pounded down atleast a case of your finest

and the switch in the cab i want to have 3 positions. an ON, and OFF, and an ON WITH TAILGATE.

other than that, yeah thats about it. want to be able to have the option of them being automatic, or being able to control them from the cab, or controlling them while im camping and the tailgate is closed

 

I think you can have that three-position switch in the cab, only by giving up the separate user-activated switch in the bed. I don't think you can have them both.

 

yeah i wasnt sure if i would be able to run it that way. hoping someone on here is more knowledgable with electrician work than i am.

if its not possible i will probably just dump the tailgate switch and run the switch in the cab and in the bed.

 

I should modify that. You can have the three switches, but they all have distinct "ON" and "OFF" positions, and they ALL have to be ON for the lights to come on - not like in your house where you can come into a room from either door and no matter which way the switches are, by flipping the switch at the door your at cause the lights to come on.

Cab: OFF Bed ON: Tailgate: OPEN Lights: OFF

Cab: ON Bed: ON Tailgate: CLOSED: Lights: ON

Cab: ON-TailGate Bed: ON Tailgate CLOSED: Lights: OFF

Cab: ON-TailGate Bed: ON Tailgate OPEN: Lights: ON


Cab: ON-TailGate Bed: OFF Tailgate OPEN: Lights: OFF
You see the problem with this state, right? No matter WHERE you are, you have to go to the BED switch to turn the lights on.

Cab: OFF Bed: ON Tailgate OPEN: Lights: OFF
Same thing here - no matter where you are, you have to go to the CAB to turn them on.

Basically - this is NOT a very useful configuration for the switches.

 

You can build it the way I first described it, with a two position switch in the cab.

 

Also, when I wired mine up, I included an indicator light in the cab. That way, if the lights are on - I can see that light on the dash and I know to flip them off.