Need an Electrical Consultation

[fire13man]

Hoping one from the Camaro Experts on here can help me with this. I'm looking for a 12vdc wire I can tap into that is controlled by the light sensor on the dash? All I keep finding are wires with just under 5vdc, I need 12vdc. Does what I'm looking for exist inside the car and if so, where is it??

Thanks.....

[Tricksta]

you could always tap into the headlights, since they turn on by the sensor? I imagine you are trying to wire lights up to come on when it get darker out?

[gutterball]

Are you looking for just 12v, or are you looking for lights that dim at night?

[fire13man]

I installed the Diode Dynamics LED Cup Holder inserts in my SS, they run off 12VDC. I would love to hook them up so they come on at the same time the ABL lights do. I know the ABL light are controlled by the light sensor. Being able to dim them isn't all that important to me.

http://www.diodedynamics.com/store/a...holder-inserts

[Tricksta]

Originally Posted by Comrando

LEDs all use 5VDC. The kit probably uses a Zener diode to restrict the 12VDC to 5VDC.

You should be fine connecting to your ABLs.

Light sensor doesn't have 12VDC from what I see in wiring diagrams. but if you need 12VDC you could like I said tap into the headlights, or interior Dash/Center Console Lights, These will turn on if you manually have lights on or also if set to auto they will come on when the light sensor tells the interior lights to kick on.

[gutterball]

First of all LED'S work on current not Voltage, you want approx 40ma going through the led's . If you bought this kit for the car, then it probably has a res. to limit the current and is made for 12V. You can get the 12V from the 12V Pwr connector in the Arm Rest

[Tricksta]

Originally Posted by gutterball

First of all LED'S work on current not Voltage, you want approx 40ma going through the led's . If you bought this kit for the car, then it probably has a res. to limit the current and is made for 12V. You can get the 12V from the 12V Pwr connector in the Arm Rest

Except that is not what he wants. He wants them to turn on when light sensor tells lights to turn on.

Originally Posted by fire13man

I installed the Diode Dynamics LED Cup Holder inserts in my SS, they run off 12VDC. I would love to hook them up so they come on at the same time the ABL lights do. I know the ABL light are controlled by the light sensor. Being able to dim them isn't all that important to me.

[Mean Green Z28]

no, he wants them to dim and work just like the abl lights on the door. they only come on somewhere halfway through the range and get brighter

Typing fat fingered on my GS3...excuse any sfelling mitcakes

[Rainbow1616]

Originally Posted by Comrando

The OP only wants the LEDs on when the ABL is on. The power in the console is on whenever accessory power is on.

A resistor does not limit current. A resistor in-line with a load divides the voltage proportionally between the resistor and the load.
For example the LED has 125 ohms resistance. The maximum supplied voltage is 16V. We limit the LED to 4.5V.
16/4.5 = 3.56
We need a resistor 3.56 times the LED resistance.
3.56 X 125 = 445
You would use a 445 ohm resistor. The voltage loss across the resistor would be 11.5V and the voltage across the LED would be 4.5V.


If the kit uses resistors to lower the voltage and you want to power them from the 5VDC your ABL uses you will have to bypass the resistors.

Too much wrong information here I don't even know where to begin.
Different color leds are different voltages. A resistor must always be used in series with leds TO LIMIT THE CURRENT.
The formula for figuring out the resistor is as follows:
R=supply voltage -Led voltage/LED current

If the resistor is not a standard value always choose the next bigger size.

[gutterball]

Originally Posted by Rainbow1616

Too much wrong information here I don't even know where to begin.
Different color leds are different voltages. A resistor must always be used in series with leds TO LIMIT THE CURRENT.
The formula for figuring out the resistor is as follows:
R=supply voltage -Led voltage/LED current

If the resistor is not a standard value always choose the next bigger size.

Tnx Rainbow, To put it simply, a resistor is added to limit current
Volt source 12/15V - LED volt. (2-3V) = 10-12V, div by led current (30-40ma)
=resistor value (approx 300 ohms)

[tomlink]

Sorry Comrando, I'm with Gutterball and Rainbow.

As far as the question about where to tap a source, I connected my cupholder lighting to the traction control wires. As I recall there are three wires into that switch, and one is ground and another for the switch backlight, which is on the same circuit as the ABL. Check the "lighting and cosmetics" section here on Camaro5 and you should get details.

[RedRaven]

Series resistance divides the current over the total resistance of the loop. An LED is about 100 ohms at 2 volts (it takes less than 2 vdc to bias, or "turn on" an LED). Therefore, if you have a 300 ohm resistor in series with the LED, the LED will draw about 1/4 of the total current available, given the voltage drop across the 300 ohm doesn't go below bias voltage.

That being said, looking at the manufacturer's page, the kit is 12 volt powered, so unless there is a built in voltage based dimming circuit, they will be the same intensity at all times. The Body Control Module controls the dimmer circuit, and may be 5 or 12 volt. Dimming could be accomplished by voltage regulation or by Pulse Width Modulation. If it's PWM the kits may dim.

[turboguy327]

If you HAVE to make life hard and hook up to the sensor and HAVE to use 12v. Use a relay triggered by the 5v off the light sensor. There are easier ways but if you want to make your life harder use a relay.

[Mean Green Z28]

V = I x R

or get an Arduino and write your own program to control lighting

Typing fat fingered on my GS3...excuse any sfelling mitcakes