i jus bought these dash led lights....look like reading lamps
well they need to be plugged into the ACvolt (lighter thing) and i was wondering how can i wire them so that i dont need to plug it in the lighter thing....and also how can i make a switch for it...they're 12volts i believe
any help is appreciated and yes i've search but didn't find anything
i have no knowledge on electrical stuff

thanks

 

Run a wire to to + battery to the + of the light, run another wire from the (-) of the light and ground the wire somewhere on the car. get a interrupter switch (on/off) and put that between the + wire.

 

What if you more that one thing,,,,
My system is hooked up to my battery , But how do I hard wire,, my TV, PS2 and Radar Dector, PLus exta light?
Will i need a hevey duty alternater?

 

so i can wire it directly to the battery even though these are just 2 small LEDs? i think 12 volt total...i guess these lights are similar to the small neon light stick that are like 3inch long that uses that lighter thing for power

and is there a hole in the firewall or do i have to drill one? i thought all cars have a hole in the firewall..i can't seem to find a hole

 

As far as wiring goes whatever you are powering doesn't care where it gets a + and ground from. You can run from the battery, but an easier way is to use an unused fuse in the fusebox to the left of the steering column. I used an empty (I think 10A) fuse labeled telephone to power my black lights, radar detector, and Harlan Rpm Switch. There are 3 types of slots in the panel and they are labeled (BAT, ACC, IGN). If you wire to Bat the device will always draw current as long as it is on (like wiring straight to the battery). Acc will power thigns whenever the key is in the accessory position (or the car is turned on; this is how I wire everything). IGN will ONLY power things when the car ignition is on. I also hid my switch in the fuse box.
If you do decide to run wires from the engine bay I use a gasket to the far left of the car that is under the plastic inside the wheel well. You have to take off the wheel and unscrew the plastic screws to get under the panel.
http://bba01.bus.utexas.edu/Matthew.Quon/max/sub.htm

-hype

 

using an unused fuse seems like a good idea....but how do i go about doing it? and wat fuse should i use if the leds are 12volt?

 

Open the fuse box and look near the bottom right for telephone (there are two I think). The fuse is already there and should be a 10A fuse, so pull it out put your wires on the right side and put the fuse back in. As long as you don't draw over 10A (or whatever the fuse is rated) everything will be fine. You can use any fuse you like, but unused ones are the safest because you know you can use the full current of the fuse rating.
BTW when working with cars almost everything is 12v so you just hook up the power (+) and it will work. The car battery is 12v, and you only need to worry about voltage if what you're connecting takes less than 12v. For example, I just wired up some LEDs for my shift light and had to use resistors to drop the voltage from 12v to 1.8v and 2.1v.
-hype

 

ok..i looked at the fuse panel and the 10A telephone fuse is near the top in the middle....there's 3 telephone fueses but the other 2 (one of the one on the bottom right) are 7.5A

the LED has two wires coming from it...do i just stick both the wires into the right side of the slot and stickk the fuse back in?

thanks

 

I don't mean to be rude, but you should play with circuits some to learn something about wiring if for no other reason than safety. Not only would you be able to wire your light, but it would help keep you from causing problems now or in the future when installing things. Never cross a black wire with a red wire because you'll most likely get a spark.
To connect your light (I'm assuming you already spliced in extension wires) you'll put the red into the fuse (+) and then your black wire will run to a ground (any screw that goes to the unpainted car body will work fine). I ground most of my devices in a screw behind the brown panel by the kick panel. I have also grounded things to metal in the center console under the shifter panel as well. There is also a ground behind your gauge cluster if you feel like going there.
Finally, even though you are tapping into a fuse that won't be on without the keys in, disconnect the ground (-) from the battery. It's very unpleasant to spark something when you don't mean to.
-hype

 

i know i should try to do this on my own...i'm jus afraid of blowing things out

thanks

 

I understand, but if you are ever unsure test on batteries first. AAA, AA, C, and D batteries are all 1.5 volts so put 8 of them together in series (in a row) and you have yourself a 12v circuit. Then hook your LED up to the + and - and your light should light up close to how it would in the car. If you want to save yourself some trouble a 9 volt battery is 9v You could also hook up your LED to 1 battery to see if it works, but it won't be as bright as it would on a 12v circuit. Everyone has to learn for the first time sometime, but it always helps to read a little
-hype