Appearance & Detailing Interior & Exterior Appearance Modifications

Tried something new... Trunk lighting

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Old Jul 11, 2008 | 07:47 AM
  #41  
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I still tapped into the dome light for power with an inline switch to the ballasts.
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Old Jul 11, 2008 | 12:22 PM
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have you seen any problems with the cathodes/ballasts yet since you've tapped into the dome light for power? How long ago did you do this to get an idea of life of the cathodes.
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Old Jul 11, 2008 | 12:32 PM
  #43  
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Originally Posted by Creed420
have you seen any problems with the cathodes/ballasts yet since you've tapped into the dome light for power? How long ago did you do this to get an idea of life of the cathodes.
It's not the fact of taping into that power source, it's when the cathode is left on while the dimming feature is being processed. Seriously if you're worried, it's REALLY not that big of a deal to just turn the switch off
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Old Jul 11, 2008 | 01:02 PM
  #44  
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Dang it Brian.... you just ruined the whole "put a live cobra in your buddys trunk at night and tell him to put his t-tops away" bit!

great idea!
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Old Jul 11, 2008 | 05:02 PM
  #45  
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Originally Posted by Brian2006
It's not the fact of taping into that power source, it's when the cathode is left on while the dimming feature is being processed. Seriously if you're worried, it's REALLY not that big of a deal to just turn the switch off
Exactly.

Originally Posted by Creed420
How long ago did you do this to get an idea of life of the cathodes.
I've had the driver-side one for a few weeks and installed the passenger-side one this past weekend. CCFL can outlast incandescent bulbs.

Last edited by VIP1; Jul 11, 2008 at 05:34 PM. Reason: wrong word
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Old Jul 11, 2008 | 05:28 PM
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that's so weird, my 96 vert camaro has a trunk light stock (i know b/c i went to get a new lens for it at the local dealership). it's mounted right by the trunk lock. this area is shaped the same from 93-02, i wonder why GM didn't include it in all f-bodies (i assumed before this that they did)?? hahaha, we get the trunk light, you guys get the ls1, fair deal??? hahaha...or maybe it's a convertible thing?
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Old Jul 11, 2008 | 05:37 PM
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Originally Posted by mtedenajimenez
that's so weird, my 96 vert camaro has a trunk light stock (i know b/c i went to get a new lens for it at the local dealership). it's mounted right by the trunk lock. this area is shaped the same from 93-02, i wonder why GM didn't include it in all f-bodies (i assumed before this that they did)?? hahaha, we get the trunk light, you guys get the ls1, fair deal??? hahaha...or maybe it's a convertible thing?
Pics??? That would be a cool factory mod
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Old Jul 11, 2008 | 07:00 PM
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Pics of the trunk light. I don't have one in my 96 WS6.
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Old Jul 11, 2008 | 07:07 PM
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All verts have lights in their trunk. Remember, they have an actual trunk, not a hatch.
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Old Jul 11, 2008 | 07:33 PM
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Brian, Brian,Brian... Once again you prove that you have way too much time to on your hands..

Looks great!!

I also hate your car, and that stupid looking hood.

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Old Jul 11, 2008 | 07:53 PM
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Looks great man, very good idea.
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Old Jul 11, 2008 | 07:59 PM
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Originally Posted by PewterY2KZ28
Brian, Brian,Brian... Once again you prove that you have way too much time to on your hands..

Looks great!!

I also hate your car, and that stupid looking hood.

I have anything but time on my hands This was a 15 min job
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Old Jul 11, 2008 | 08:09 PM
  #53  
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so... why not get the best of both worlds as far as on/off.
if you don't want to bother yourself with flipping a switch, install a pressure switch, like the one that detects when doors or the TRUNK LID is open, inline with the cathode balasts, with only on/off, and don't hook it up to your dimming lights at all...

just a thought.
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Old Jul 11, 2008 | 08:24 PM
  #54  
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Originally Posted by AxisOfOil
so... why not get the best of both worlds as far as on/off.
if you don't want to bother yourself with flipping a switch, install a pressure switch, like the one that detects when doors or the TRUNK LID is open, inline with the cathode balasts, with only on/off, and don't hook it up to your dimming lights at all...

just a thought.
I guess I could but... jesus christ its not that big of a deal!
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Old Jul 11, 2008 | 08:28 PM
  #55  
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Originally Posted by Brian2006
I guess I could but... jesus christ its not that big of a deal!
not you... all the people who are bitching about the manual switch.
My mustang has a house-style switch mounted to a side panel in the trunk, complete with outlet box and a plate cover (just like your bedroom light switch) lol.

I KNOW it's not that big of a deal. i'm saying for the whiners on here.

sorry if i upset you brian. looks great.

make me a set? and i'll add my own pressure switch. lol


p.s. another way around the good ol' ballast problem... add a resistor inline to the ballast. Have it require as much (if not slightly more) current to run through it to activate than the ballast requires to operate safely. You have to put them in an area not particularly sensitive to heat, since they WILL heat up while the dimming is occuring. But that could be another way of doing it if you want to get fancy.

Last edited by AxisOfOil; Jul 11, 2008 at 08:30 PM. Reason: p.s.
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Old Jul 11, 2008 | 08:33 PM
  #56  
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Brian is VERY sensistive
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Old Jul 11, 2008 | 09:19 PM
  #57  
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Originally Posted by AxisOfOil
not you... all the people who are bitching about the manual switch.
My mustang has a house-style switch mounted to a side panel in the trunk, complete with outlet box and a plate cover (just like your bedroom light switch) lol.

I KNOW it's not that big of a deal. i'm saying for the whiners on here.

sorry if i upset you brian. looks great.

make me a set? and i'll add my own pressure switch. lol


p.s. another way around the good ol' ballast problem... add a resistor inline to the ballast. Have it require as much (if not slightly more) current to run through it to activate than the ballast requires to operate safely. You have to put them in an area not particularly sensitive to heat, since they WILL heat up while the dimming is occuring. But that could be another way of doing it if you want to get fancy.
You really didn't make me upset... only 6LE can upset me

hell there's a number of ways you could do it really. You could also use a capacitor in between the ground and power wire, or even a relay. I'd say if you wanted to give it a try, wire it to the dome and use one of the 3 mentioned routes
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Old Jul 11, 2008 | 09:23 PM
  #58  
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i don't think a traditional capacitor would work actually.
i think it would create even larger fluctuations in voltage.
i don't see any reason to get as complicated as a relay.

hell! let's put a midget in there to flip the switch on/off.
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Old Jul 11, 2008 | 09:40 PM
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Originally Posted by AxisOfOil
i don't think a traditional capacitor would work actually.
i think it would create even larger fluctuations in voltage.
i don't see any reason to get as complicated as a relay.

hell! let's put a midget in there to flip the switch on/off.
A capacitor will actually hold the voltage and might work. A lot of people put it in their diesel trucks for aftermarket HID lights to stabilize the voltage and prevent light flickering.

A relay would act as an on-off switch for the ballast and basically get rid of the dimming feature to the ballast.
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Old Jul 11, 2008 | 09:42 PM
  #60  
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Holy ***** this thread is getting WAY too serious, like someone asks "How's it going?" only to hear, "Great, I'm f@cking your wife!"
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