more light in the trunk?

[GTSTISL]

I need to be able to get more light in my trunk to see things inside it at night. the stock one is'nt bright at all, and even if I had 2 more, it still wouldnt be bright enough. so is there a way I can wire up maybe 3 light isntead of 1, and still have them brighter? I can attach them to one of the many holes near the OEM light. any opinions? I'm also curious about power source.

[evan938]

oh you upset me. youre not even a newbie and i gotta tell you to search

http://www.elantraxd.com/forums/showthread.php?t=9165&highlight=trunk+light

[vsolo]

check here,, step by step Trunk lighting (http://elantragtclub.tripod.com/elantra/id346.html)

if I did not edit it I would have been first :)

[GTSTISL]

evan- that lighting is not enough to see something in the trunk. I need alot more light than that. i put my remote control cars in my trunk and I need to be able to see them well enough to work on em if i have to.

im lookin to do the same thing that vsolo posted, just more light than that.

[ilanpro]

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/HyperBrite-White-Neon-Interior-Light-Neons-Lights-NEW_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQcategoryZ33714QQitemZ8004965 614QQrdZ1QQtcZphoto

[GTSTISL]

"12V cigarette adapter plug"- it would be a pita to run electrical from trunk to cig lighter, but i'll ask my tuner buddy to help. any other ways of hooking it up?

[hyunelan2]

I did mine (the Blue LEDs) not for more light, but for appearance. However, you could use the same principle with super-white LEDs for more light.

In addition to using LEDs, you could put as many lights as you want in the trunk. I would say you could steal power from the OEM trunk light, but that will only go so far if you are using incandescent bulbs (which is why super-white LEDs would be better - no need to run more power to the trunk).

What ilan posted is a good idea as well. Don't worry about the Cig. lighter plug. Just cut that off, and splice in the leads to the wiring of the normal trunk light. The voila, when you open the trunk, it will turn on.

[GodisintheTV]

tap it into the trunk light so it will only come on when you open the trunk, thats what i'd do

-edit-hyunlan beat me to it :rolleyes:

[GTSTISL]

yea, but does the trunk light get enough power to be as bright as that neon tube has the potential of?

[hyunelan2]

That 'neon' tube is just a big LED. Cold Cathode is another term for it. Power consumption is very low, especially when compared with traditional neon lighting.

In short yes, there is ample power in the trunk light circuit to light that to its full potential.

[GTSTISL]

allright, ill just head up to autozone and check out the ones they have. anything I should look for in particular? ie brand, voltage, etc.?

[paki]

i'd recommend the redline series if you're going to autozone or pep boys. i've had a handful of blue ones and they practically blinded me.. which is why i had to get rid of a couple of them

[05xd]

I recently installed a red neon in my trunk and wired it into the trunk light harness.Im still not sure what purpose it serves,it just looks cool

[GTSTISL]

employees at advance auto parts know nothing about cars...i finally found these neon bars, tucked away behind the registers, from street glow. http://www.optxbystreetglow.com/ledaccenttubes.htm couldnt find anything else in the store. I guess i can splice em, and hook em up to the trunk lights wiring. $25 though, i wish I had a paypal account.

[01elantra4dr]

update?

[GTSTISL]

i think today or tommorow im gonna go to pepboys or something and get the light, then my buddy with a 1200hp MR2 can help me install it. he knows just a bit about cars, if you cant tell.

[XTRAWLD]

My small neon bars light up lots, but they are blue and I wonder if white is sold. I've always wanted more light in there too, so perhaps I should just run one more on the same switch and voila. Sucks that the stocker is so poor in the massive hatch area espeically.

[GTSTISL]

well im plannin on gettin either the 20" or the 12". i think its $30 and $25. hopefully ill get it done soon.

[hyunelan2]

Just to refresh, you want LED bars, or Cold Cathode lighting (CC is similar to indiglo). True Neon lighting takes a lot more power than the more modern types.

The link you posted above would be a good choice. Those LED bars are the same thing as adding a bunch of LEDs, just in a pre-assembled bar-form.

[GTSTISL]

ok kool. now i just have to go snag em from advance...i hate goin there but i guess its my only choice. on the wire for that tube, its clear, not red and black, so how do i know negative and positive? also, where do i cut from on the wire from the car? i guess before the little plug since i dont need that.

[hyunelan2]

Thought your MR2 friend was helping you with the install? (jfwy).

The wires should have some type of symbolization... if not red/black, one should have a stripe or a dash, or something. If you get the type that has a cig-lighter plug, you can figure out which wire is + and which is - by where they attach to the lighter insert. This is what I had to do with the blue CC light I wired in. A word of wisdom, don't get them backwards or the inverter inside the light is toast (if it's CC - LED won't have an inverter).

I think rather than expalian all scenarios, just come back with the lights and we'll tell you exactly how to hook up what you bought.

[GTSTISL]

allright, i got it. now i gotta disconnect the battery, but do i just remove the negative terminal by taking that hex bolt off?

[hyunelan2]

Yes, you'll remove the negative bolt, then take the negative cable off the battery. Place it in a manner where it cannot move/slide and make contact with the connection post.

[GTSTISL]

is there a way i can test each wire to be + or -?? i cant get the cig attachment off? Can you IM me or are you at work?

[hyunelan2]

I'm at work, but I'll help you as much as I can.

You'll probably have to cut the lighter plug off with wire snips. Before you do that though, see if you can take it apart, there's usually a screw in the side of the plug.

Just so you know what to look for here, on the plug, there are 2 connectors. 1 that is in the center of the piece you 'stick in' the lighter... it will go all the way into the back of the lighter socket. This is the + connection. The other connector, which is on the side of the plug, and will slide down the outer edge of the lighter socket is the - connection. When you take the plug apart, you can see which wire attaches to which connector. You can then mark/label the wire and you'll know which is + and -.

http://www.prairie.mb.ca/images/gilsson_gps76_12v.jpg
If you look at that picture, the + is the pointy part in the bottom right of the pic.

[GTSTISL]

hmm. this ones hard to tell. if i hook em up to a battery, it should only work when i connect it to the right sides right?

well that didnt work with a D battery...theres gotta be some way i can test it since i cant tell from looking at the lighter

[hyunelan2]

D cell battery is 1.5 volts. No chance. Sometimes a 9-volt will work. You've also got the 12v in your car.

What type of light is this? Depending on what type it is, you can destroy it by hooking it up backwards during testing (like Cold-Cathode).

Did you already cut the plug off it?

[GTSTISL]

ok, i found the + side. now i just need to hook it up. im guessing with the trunk light, the red is negative and green is positive?
http://x10.putfile.com/10/28516164028.jpg

[hyunelan2]

my suggestion for power hookup would be to remove the factory trunk light blub, splice the wires for the new light into the factory wiring, then reinstall the factory light, and put the new light where it needs to go.

[GTSTISL]

would this take away power from both, or would they still both be just as bright as if seperated?

i cut the OEM light off the wires, its hard to just get the outer part off. should i solder, or can i get away with just wrapping the wires together?

[hyunelan2]

If you've got the tools, solder. If not, use crimp connectors. Just wraping them together and taping won't last, and isn't very safe/secure.

And there'll be plenty of power to supply both lights.

[GTSTISL]

Heres the DIY: http://www.elantraxd.com/forums/showthread.php?p=130566#post130566