LED wiring question

['Buru in the Burgh]

I bought some LED strips a while ago on eBay, I just wanted something cheap to wire into my car for under the dash lighting.

This is what I have:
https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2011/02/DSCN0935-1.jpg

Effect I'm going for:
https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2011/02/DSCN0564-1.jpg

Info from the seller on these strips:
* Each strip contains 12 Large 5050 SMD LED light chips
* Each of the 12 LED chips has 3 light emitters
* 12 LED chips x 3 light emitters = 36 light emitters PER STRIP
* Highest quality, brand new, never used
* Thin and flexible
* Waterproof, heat and vibration resistant
* Adhesive backing, simply peel and stick to a smooth surface.
* Emits a 180 degree, bright, pure color glow
* Can be cut to 9, 6, or 3 inches long (cut between every 3rd LED)
* Comes with 2 ~ 18" long connecting wires (see gallery picture #1)
* Low current consumption
* Easy to install
* 100% satisfaction guarantee
* Lifetime warranty

Ok, so here's the deal:
I know hardly anything about wiring. At all. I want to wire these into my parking light on top of the steering column. The only thing I know how to do is connect the two light strips together, but I'm not sure how to take off my dash, what tools to use, and where to look for the parking light wire. I googled around but I would rather hear a solid answer from one of you guys. I also don't know how I'm going to get the strip under the passenger side footwell connected to the driver side LED strip, seeing as I think the included 18" wire is going to be too short. I also don't know how to get a wire through the middle divider of the car from footwell to footwell.

So, pretty much, I'm lost. I'd really like to do this in the next week, so if anyone has any help or advice, please post.

Thanks!

[bulldozer24]

Well all you need to do is find the wire for the parking lights and tap the positive wire of one set into that.

Then take the negative of the first set and attach it to the positive of the second.

Then just ground the negative of the secound and they should work.

Remember that LEDs have a polarity and if the wires are not hooked up right they will not light up.

['Buru in the Burgh]

Well all you need to do is find the wire for the parking lights and tap the positive wire of one set into that.

Then take the negative of the first set and attach it to the positive of the second.

Then just ground the negative of the secound and they should work.

Remember that LEDs have a polarity and if the wires are not hooked up right they will not light up.

I don't know how to tap, like where to cut wires or strip them or anything.

[anothernord]

Here's a good wire tap to use while you're learning about electrical stuff. You can put it on and take it off with minimal damage.

https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2011/02/5601gif-1.jpg

You can do what Bulldozer suggested, which is to wire them in series, but then they won't be as bright as they could be. What I would do is:

Get the following materials:

Electrical tape
Enough wire to reach up to the switch
A multimeter (volt meter)
Solder, soldering gun (crimp connectors can be substituted)

Get to the back of the fog switch, bust our your multimeter, switch it to read volts (turn dial to the "20"), then test each wire by sticking the probes in the back of the connector until you touch the metal. Make sure the car is on, and find the wire that makes the meter turn to 12 when the switch is turned on. Use a vampire tap like the one above to connect the red wires (both of them, twist, solder, or crimp them together) then put that in with the vampire tap.

Then take the two black wires to the lights, twist, solder, or crimp them together, then find a bolt on the nut and stick the wires under the nut. That should make it work. If you want to be really clean, get an eyelet crimp connector.

[02_Legacy]

My .02 is that you shouldn't be doing this without absolutly knowing what you are doing. If you grab the wrong wire bad things can happen. Remember the wires to the airbag are in the same vacinity and you don't want thoes going off plus you can fry wires and cause fires.
Get your self a friend who knows about automotive wiring, get him a wiring diagram, and have him do it for you.

[jey]

To run wires between the footwells just go behind the center console (where the radio is) - there's a reasonable amount of space there.

[chuckthefuk]

LEDs are simple tech.. Nothing fancy and its almost impossible to screw it up.

Things to know.
LEDs run between 3.3volts - 5volts.

Your car run 12volts off the battery.

Usually there is some sort of transformer built into the LED strip or theres a small box that you connect the strip to.

Usually LEDs can be bi-polar so you can connect the + with either of the two wires..

To TEST the LEDs just put the + - from the strip to the + - of battery terminals. if all lights up and your satisfied just use the connector posted above to "tap / splice " into the parking light wire or if you want to be fancy you can use your e-brake ground so the lights only come on when the ebrake is up.

Cheers