How To: illuminate switches for windows and mirror adjust

Jenni · Post by **Jenni** » Sun Sep 30, 2007 5:04 pm

http://picasaweb.google.de/LegomanBerli ... berSpiegel

Please pay attention before you start that this is not the first time you handle a soldering gun...
The switches are very easy to open with a small screwdriver.
My translation under the pics could be inaccurate, my english is horrible.
Please help me with your comments.

Hope you enjoy my very easy HOW-TO.
You don't have to drill any holes, rewire your harness or such brute force things....
AND: The switches are ready for plug-and-play. You could prepare them and they'll work in every Neon without modifications.

HOW-TO for the door locking switch will follow...

MoparNeonMan · Post by **MoparNeonMan** » Mon Oct 29, 2007 5:09 pm

Interesting. I could use a little more info for the less mechanicly inclined but I get a good idea of how to do this.

GreeNeons03 · Post by **GreeNeons03** » Sun Mar 29, 2009 4:13 pm

Wouldn't the lock for the door be the same? Or is it a different type of switch?

Swordfish2Cowboy · Post by **Swordfish2Cowboy** » Mon Mar 30, 2009 12:36 am

What size resistors? Did you use regular LEDs or wide angle LEDs?

GreeNeons03 · Post by **GreeNeons03** » Mon Mar 30, 2009 1:56 am

You might be able to find an LED that will eliminate needing a resistor at all.

Jenni · Post by **Jenni** » Wed Apr 01, 2009 5:53 pm

Pah - the 480 Ohm resistors came with the LED and install is easy.

evilneon02 · Post by **evilneon02** » Sat Aug 14, 2010 12:14 pm

ok i got two types of resistors i got 100 ohms and 480 ohms and i have tried both and everytime i reinstall the switch it works the first time and then when i turn off the car and turn it on they dont work anymore???

Jenni · Post by **Jenni** » Sat Aug 14, 2010 1:01 pm

hmmm, i have no idea. 100 Ohm is not enough!

evilneon02 · Post by **evilneon02** » Sat Aug 14, 2010 8:49 pm

im going to retry with the 480 again maybe i got the resistor to hot when i was putting it in???

Jenni · Post by **Jenni** » Mon Aug 16, 2010 9:14 am

how could that happen??

ZeroChad · Post by **ZeroChad** » Mon Aug 16, 2010 9:36 am

The leds probably overheated. The 100Ohm were probably provided for a 9VDC source, and the 480 for a 12VDC source.

evilneon02 · Post by **evilneon02** » Mon Aug 16, 2010 4:47 pm

ok well i installed the 480 ohm and it worked fine for a day. when i left work to go home the drive side switch was already burnt out i dont understand this do i need a bigger resistor???

ZeroChad · Post by **ZeroChad** » Mon Aug 16, 2010 9:02 pm

Is the led burnt out, or has one of the leads shorted to the metal inside the switch? I ran into that problem on one of mine.

You could need a bigger resistor if they didn't spec them out right. A lot of people forget that automotive voltage can get up to values greater than 14.0V

LI NEON 72 · Post by **LI NEON 72** » Tue Jun 14, 2011 8:25 pm

Need some help here. I did all the switches no problem. Finished the window switch and when I connect the window/turnsignal fuse blows??? The switch lights up but as soon as I go to put a new fuse it instantly blows!!! I do have the switches that had LEDs and the illumination wires. I soldered the led in and soldered the resistor on the wire. Any ideas?????

Jenni · Post by **Jenni** » Wed Jun 15, 2011 1:56 am

hmmm, somewhere a short circuit.
maybe one of the moving fethers inside out of its position.
reopen the switch and check that!

LI NEON 72 · Post by **LI NEON 72** » Wed Jun 15, 2011 8:39 am

You wouldn't happen to have any better shots of the boards to compare the fingers?

Post by **Diablo0** » Wed Jun 15, 2011 9:35 am

evilneon02 wrote:ok well i installed the 480 ohm and it worked fine for a day. when i left work to go home the drive side switch was already burnt out i dont understand this do i need a bigger resistor???

My guess is you're going to need a 560ohm resistor.

Here's a calc that might help you.

http://ledcalc.com/

LI NEON 72 · Post by **LI NEON 72** » Wed Jun 15, 2011 2:39 pm

I have installed the resistor in the harness just before the switch plug like shown. Im not sure what ohm but was the same as the rest of the switches and it's the one I got from oznium.

Jenni · Post by **Jenni** » Wed Jun 15, 2011 3:18 pm

480 or 550 Ohm or even smaller will never burn the fuse!

what do you mean with "fingers"??

LI NEON 72 · Post by **LI NEON 72** » Wed Jun 15, 2011 6:03 pm

I meant the feathers.

LI NEON 72 · Post by **LI NEON 72** » Wed Jun 15, 2011 8:54 pm

The feathers turned out to be the problem. Wish the switch lighted up as well as the window switch. Overall looks good.
Thanks

Jenni · Post by **Jenni** » Thu Jun 16, 2011 3:38 am

this is not detailed enough???

NiteHawk · Post by **NiteHawk** » Thu Jun 16, 2011 11:03 am

that's a very impressive writeup.

another option also, is you could use driver window switches for everything so it has the needed pins, then just add that wiring into the door harness (easy to do on driver door, but a little harder on passenger door)

you just have to cut off the plastic locating tab on the switch casing...

LI NEON 72 · Post by **LI NEON 72** » Fri Jun 17, 2011 11:26 am

I was talking about the mirror switch thanks!

Jenni · Post by **Jenni** » Sat Jun 18, 2011 3:35 am

ah maybe you should have written that...
that one is tricky. maybe you produced a short circuit in the switch...