Trent Bates Posted November 10, 2004 Share Posted November 10, 2004 Great diagram Craig! Might be a little harder to actually do with the strips of metal they used to interconnect everything. :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
c_hunter Posted November 10, 2004 Author Share Posted November 10, 2004 Whoops, I forgot to add something -- I revised the sketches (may have to hit reload on your browser). The blue shading indicates add-on wiring, everything else is the metal bars they use in the lights. It would indeed be a pain to work with the metal bars directly! So the steps would be: 1) reverse pins on harness going into the map light, 2) add wiring/diodes as shown in blue to connect everything. There are strategic locations to solder into the light circuit, basically where terminals from the switches hook into the metal bars. Craig Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trent Bates Posted November 10, 2004 Share Posted November 10, 2004 I had my lights out on Sunday just to see what was up there and gave the existing circuit a quick look. There is a surprising amount of room up there! The blue shading helps a great deal! In your efforts to solder to the bars, did you find the coating to be a problem? I was wondering if a person was to etch the area first with a wire brush or a drop of acid if it would work better. Another idea, is to clamp onto the bar from the side with a slightly larger screw/bolt and nut with washer combination. There's not much surface area to drill into! Maybe a notch on the side of the bar with the screw/bolt & nut idea. That would hold it in three directions at least. Combined with the clamping force, it would probably never go anywhere. Thanks for working on this and posting your findings! It's looking like a nice little project to tackle! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
c_hunter Posted November 10, 2004 Author Share Posted November 10, 2004 Yeah, it was not possible to solder to the bars because of the plating, but I was able to solder to the terminals on the switches quite easily (just read my caution about possible heat issues when soldering, it's up near the top). I do think you could drill a small hole in the bars and use a small screw to attach the wires, or clamp it as you have noted. Craig Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
taddison Posted November 12, 2004 Share Posted November 12, 2004 I just did this mod, including the diodes (3A rectifier diodes from Radio Shack). It works great! I was able to get solder to stick to the bus bars by abrading them with a Dremel tool and using a lot of heat. I removed the bulbs first to release the tension they create so that the plastic rivets wouldn't be pulled apart when heated up. After I got the solder to stick I attached the diodes directly to the bus bars. Thanks for your work, Craig! Tim. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
c_hunter Posted November 12, 2004 Author Share Posted November 12, 2004 Cool Tim! Glad to hear you were able to solder to the bars. Craig Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
schulztt2 Posted November 12, 2004 Share Posted November 12, 2004 I also didn't like the darkness of the front seat area, so I was really glad to see this thread. Will be doing this mod myself. Ques I have for those that have done it concerns the routing of the wire between the front map light area to the lights over the rear seats; if I understand, the idea is to "pull back the vinyl trim around the edge" of the moonroof, push the wire under the headliner to the moonroof area, around the moonroof and again under the headliner to the other light area. Has anyone taken pictures of running the wire? Any more specific directions? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
c_hunter Posted November 12, 2004 Author Share Posted November 12, 2004 That pretty much describes it. I did tape/pad the wire in some spots to eliminate possible rattles. Craig Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xenonk Posted November 12, 2004 Share Posted November 12, 2004 I'd rice out my car with small WHITE neon tubes from [url]www.streetglow.com[/url] and install the lights in the foot wells. There should be two empty switch slots next to the mirror heater/defroster button.. you can wire a seperate switch and install the switch there or trace the door curteousy (sp) lights just at the footwell area instead. Keefe Keefe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
c_hunter Posted November 13, 2004 Author Share Posted November 13, 2004 The bad thing about the door courtesy lights is that they are not tied to the main courtesy circuit -- so they won't fade on/off with the keyless remote. And they are tied to each specific door (each door's light only comes on when that door is opened). I think the door light circuit might have other uses, however. Craig Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xenonk Posted November 13, 2004 Share Posted November 13, 2004 well, do you need that much lighting in the car prior to getting into the car? Usually, this is where the creativity will come in and people can add as many switches and lights to wherever and however they want. Keefe Keefe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trent Bates Posted November 13, 2004 Share Posted November 13, 2004 I just finished Craig's modification with 1A diodes (each bulb draws a maximum of 0.6A at 14.5V by my calculations) that I had lying around and it works perfectly. I must have heated the rear dome switch too much in the wrong position though. I ruined the middle position and had to add a little extra wire to bypass that position until I can get a new dome unit. Those switches do seem extra delicate! As I have it now, I can't turn off the overhead lights completely with a door open. In all honesty, I don't see that as a big deal since I rarely use that feature. I have some 1/8" spade lugs that I might try to use next time. It's such a simple concept, I really wonder why Subaru didn't do this themselves! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rubberman Posted November 13, 2004 Share Posted November 13, 2004 Craig, I belive that you mentioned the fade function is controlled by a capacitor. I have a '00 Outback and plan to link the map lights to the dome light in the same fashion that you have laid out, but I would also like to add-in the fading lights. Any way you could tell me what capacitor to get? I would assime that I would simply wire the cap inline on the orig power feed on the dome light? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
c_hunter Posted November 13, 2004 Author Share Posted November 13, 2004 [quote name='Trent Bates']I just finished Craig's modification with 1A diodes (each bulb draws a maximum of 0.6A at 14.5V by my calculations) that I had lying around and it works perfectly. I must have heated the rear dome switch too much in the wrong position though. I ruined the middle position and had to add a little extra wire to bypass that position until I can get a new dome unit. Those switches do seem extra delicate! As I have it now, I can't turn off the overhead lights completely with a door open. In all honesty, I don't see that as a big deal since I rarely use that feature. I have some 1/8" spade lugs that I might try to use next time. It's such a simple concept, I really wonder why Subaru didn't do this themselves![/QUOTE] Dang, so you probably had the same experience as me with the switch! It was one of the map swtiches that stopped working. When I took it apart, I saw no signs of heat damage, but did notice that jiggling the terminals on the outside of the switch can interfere with the switch movement and contact. So I assumed that was the issue. By jiggling the bus bars and terminals a smidge, I got the switch working same as before. So maybe try that before you buy a new dome light unit. I had the same conclusion, that the switches are oddly delicate and it may be best to avoid soldering all together. I also wonder why Subaru didn't design their lights to work this way, especially when the front seat area is conspicuously dark at night. My wife's TSX turns on the map lights with the courtesy light and it always seemed like a great idea to me. Craig Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
c_hunter Posted November 13, 2004 Author Share Posted November 13, 2004 [quote name='rubberman']Craig, I belive that you mentioned the fade function is controlled by a capacitor. I have a '00 Outback and plan to link the map lights to the dome light in the same fashion that you have laid out, but I would also like to add-in the fading lights. Any way you could tell me what capacitor to get? I would assime that I would simply wire the cap inline on the orig power feed on the dome light?[/QUOTE] I assumed it was, but I am not sure because the lights are switched on ground. When I tested the ground connection going to the dome, it's resistance went from zero (full ground) to infinity (off) during the fade out to off. It did the opposite as it faded in to on. So I think there are some other electronics governing the fade. If it was a capacitor on the + lead, it would just slowly drop the voltage going to the light. But I don't know how you would use a capacitor on a ground-switched light. Maybe an EE could comment on that and give you guidance on choosing a capacitor. I do remember working with exponential decay equations for capacitors during my one EE course in college (I am a ME) and you can certainly calculate the fade time based on the specs. Craig Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trent Bates Posted November 13, 2004 Share Posted November 13, 2004 I'm fairly certain that the fade is controlled by a more advanced circuit judging by the constant fade time. A large enough capacitor could replicate this, as long as it was connected in series with the light bulbs. But it doesn't take a whole lot of parts to make it work with smaller capacitors and more uniformly. See the attachment for a schematic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trent Bates Posted November 13, 2004 Share Posted November 13, 2004 [quote name='c_hunter']Dang, so you probably had the same experience as me with the switch! [/QUOTE] I was thinking about what you'd written at the time. :) I also wondered if I've slightly moved the contact. The thing is, it was the common contact for the rear light and one side still works. (Not that it means much without knowing what the inside of the switch looks like.) I didn't see or feel an terminal movement either. I would bet that these switches are only meant to be connected to with the interference fit method that they are using. The plastic of the switches are probably not very heat resistant. And it's not like I haven't soldered stuff before. I was using a 15W pencil iron. I didn't let it sit on the terminal for a long time. Taking apart this switch is kind of a pain. I'll have to break off some plastic heads that hold the bars to the fixture, bend all three bars out of the way, remove the switch, then take the switch itself apart. :( I honestly might not worry about it for a while. I'll just add it to my list of things to buy one of these days. Still, it's really a nice modification! :) I have to agree that soldering isn't the way to go about it unless you can solder to the bars themselves as Tim did. I had quite a time trying to solder the diodes to the map switches too. (I was already nervous after ruining the dome switch.) Screws, clamps, something else would work better! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vidmaster Posted November 16, 2004 Share Posted November 16, 2004 I just finished this mod, with the diodes (accidently had them on the wrong way at first - made me panic at first) and used binding posts to attach to the map light. Had to drill a hole through the metal bus bar which was a bit tricky as I was trying to be real carefull. Radioshack part 274-661 (they were a bit bigger than needed, but all I could find) Now enjoying not entering a cave anymore. :) Thanks for all your work, Craig! Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Limeydriver Posted November 17, 2004 Share Posted November 17, 2004 I have managed to run my battery down twice now because I inadvertantly left one of the maplights on. Being so small it is easy to miss the fact they are on. Would there be a way to wire the maplight to always turn off with the ignition switch if it is switched on using the console switch. I really don't want to spend another cold night at O'hare airport long term parking waiting for the customer service van to arrive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trent Bates Posted November 17, 2004 Share Posted November 17, 2004 Hmmm. There's surely a way. Are you turning on the maplight while driving and then leaving it on when you park or is it a case of turning on the map light as you are getting out of the car to see something? I ask because I had the dome light turn off by itself while I was working on the map light modification. If you are just wanting to see better as you are getting out, Craig's dome/map modification is very useful! Otherwise, the mirror circuit is right there above the map lights. A person could install a relay to shut off the map light power when the car is off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
taddison Posted November 17, 2004 Share Posted November 17, 2004 Here's my understanding of how it works: If the dome light is on because a door was left open then it will turn itself off after a while (this is documented in the owner's manual). I presume this timeout function is performed by the door dimmer circuit. After doing this dome/map modification then the map light will also switch off automatically if a door is left open. However, if you turn the dome light or the map lights on manually then they won't ever switch off automatically and the battery will run down. Yes, you could probably hook a relay into the mirror's power supply, and have it switch the ground side of the manual map light switch. You could even put a delay circuit on the relay if you wanted. Tim. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest *Jedimaster* Posted November 20, 2004 Share Posted November 20, 2004 I want to thank c_hunter for this mod. I did it tonight and besides popping a fuse, it went off without a hitch and wroks so nicely. I've been wanting to do this, as I work more and more OT and get out late and can't see a thing without flipping the maplights on. Thank goodness my wife was over at PMS Park taking a ride on the Mood Swing- perfect excuse for me to go outside and do this mod :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GTWag Posted December 11, 2004 Share Posted December 11, 2004 Is there anyone in Los Angeles that could do this mod for me? I am an electrical idiot, and would LOVE to have me map lights come on with the dome. I will pay someone if they could do this! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FAST4DR Posted December 16, 2004 Share Posted December 16, 2004 [size=2]I did this to our 97 legacy when we got it and I am going to do it tommorrow to our new outback. It works great. I also put in the floor lights and had them work with the same circuit. No need for a different circuit. Just use the wire in the dome light that gets grounded when a door is opened. Run a single wire along the headliner and down the window post to under the drivers side dash. Same setup you are using for the map lights. But tap off of a constant 12v source under the dash, run that to the lights and then hook the other side of the lights to the wire you are bringing down from the dome light. When a door opened, the circuit grounds and the two kick panel lights come on and also fade off.[/size] [size=2][/size] [size=2]Will[/size] [size=2][/size] [size=2]05 Outback XT Ltd.[/size] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FAST4DR Posted December 22, 2004 Share Posted December 22, 2004 Help!! I was messing around with installing the floor lights today and accidently touched the two map light wires together and I guess I blew a fuse. The interior lights will not work nor will the radio, climate control, clock, etc. I have pulled every fuse I can find and they are all fine. What blew? A relay? Taking it to the dealer tommorrow. Will Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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