How to wire LEDs to a Switch or Dimmer

darrenresa1988 · Jul 6, 2015

I am trying to figure out how to power some LEDs to come on with EITHER a switch or when the door opens. So with the doors closed I would like the LEDs to be off, but if I flip a switch or open the door I want them to come on. I am racking my brain to figure out how to make it work, with the little working knowledge of relays that I have, but cannot figure it out.

05daytona · Jul 6, 2015

Here watch this short video and see if it helps you.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tZOoBr4ghrw

This one's a little more involved but very well explained.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-PiB2Xd3P94

05daytona · Jul 6, 2015

So basically what you want to do is leave the positive and negative wires to the interior light/lights intact. Then you'll want to splice in a toggle switch between the door switch and the lights. Does that make sense?

darrenresa1988 · Jul 6, 2015

I think I am starting to understand it. could you draw it up? I having a hard time seeing how this would allow the switch to work, if it is dependent on the trigger from the interior light dimmer switch

05daytona · Jul 7, 2015

So you're going to tap into the hot wire coming from the switch to the interior lights. Because remember, you want to control that wire with your toggle switch. So when you flip the toggle switch voltage gets to the interior lights. By tap I mean you'll leave that hot wire intact, you'll just strip the insulation.That will go to one terminal on the toggle switch. A hot wire from the other side of the switch to a voltage source. And the last wire is your ground.
I don't have Microsoft paint on my computer or I would draw something. It's not as hard as it sounds.

darrenresa1988 · Jul 7, 2015

Thank you for the help

darrenresa1988 · Jul 7, 2015

That makes it much simpler. Could I also use a tapped wire from the dimmer trigger AND the signal from a switch pigtailed into one wire to activate a relay?

05daytona · Jul 7, 2015

I believe that will work but I don't think it's necessary. It just makes things more complicated.
I apologize for the confusion, it's easier to show you than to explain.

darrenresa1988 · Jul 7, 2015

It's ok, I know it doesn't help that I do not know much about this stuff.
So one last request, what do the wires connect to?

Hot wire from battery to a switch.
Ground to the switch
Wire from switch to the lights with a pigtailed wire jumping from the dimmer switch onto the output wire to the lights?

justin13703 · Jul 7, 2015

You don't have to do anything with the ground. Just run a 12v line from your battery to a switch, another line from the other terminal of the switch tapping into the 12v line that powers your lights. This will give the lights power when you flip the switch on, but they'll still function as normal even with the switch you added turned off.

How to wire LEDs to a Switch or Dimmer

darrenresa1988

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05daytona

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05daytona

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darrenresa1988

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05daytona

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