SolaraGuy.com

Finally finished my DIY Illuminated Entry. Check out http://www.cardomain.com/memberpage/575434/2
I saw another guy post this, but it didn't work for my car, so I put my electronics skills to use. Later,
Josh

damn..u da man...very detailed....!!

nice work!

Great DIY!

Soon I plan on replacing the neons with red LED's. With the amount of electricity I'm pulling thru there I can string up around 20+ LED's! Any Q's let me know,
Josh

You rock man, I've tried following the other DIY twice and I couldn't get them to work (most likely my fault). Maybe I can get em going using this way. Thanks man!

ToyotaN00b wrote:You rock man, I've tried following the other DIY twice and I couldn't get them to work (most likely my fault). Maybe I can get em going using this way. Thanks man!

Thanks. I've found running a new (fused) line from the battery very useful for other things too. PM me or post if you run into any probs.

Does the illuminated entry need to be connected to a switch??????

TS04 wrote:Does the illuminated entry need to be connected to a switch??????

Actually, no. But you will need switches if you want them on while driving, and you'll need another switch for the door sensor wire while the neons are on.
I have a switch to turn them on while driving. And to keep the car from thinking the doors are open when I'm driving with them on, I also have a switch on the door sensor. I noticed that without the door sensor switch the doors would unlock because of the alarm I had. And the switch for the door sensor wire also works as a dome light switch in case I want to turn on the dome light while driving I don't have to reach all the way back there to turn it on. There are also 2 channel switches at Radio Shack or other electronics stores so you can make it all one switch, but then you wouldn't be able to use the switch to turn on the dome light while driving.

Thanks again PythonJosh. Here are the pics you wanted. Gen 2 Solara. Now just for that ugly green dash. Hmmmm.

Lookin nice dude! I like the pic with the flash better. Never seen the interior of a gen 2 and it looks NICE! (except for the solara green theme) But the only way to change that would be to get an aftermarket deck. But liking the neons dude! So for all you gen 2'ers, this DIY works for you too!

Has anyone considered something I was thinking of doing?

While the tutorial is comprehensive and good, the jury rigging of the kill the door sensor worries me that I might kill my battery, or not have my regular door sensor work if I forget to hit a switch.

So has anyone considered two sets of neons? One just for the illuminated entry, and one that is easy to turn on with a regular switch that is connected to an ACC 12 volt source?

I got two 6 inch mini's on eBay for 28 bucks shipped...
i think the 28 dollars may be worth having a spare set to avoid complications with wiring, and the chance of draining a battery and needing a jump.

Any input?

You don't need to worry about draining your battery because the door sensor is a ground wire. It is only grounded when the door is open. If the door is closed, there is no circuit, therefore no electricity spent. A spare set of neons is a good idea to have because neons don't last forever, but they are cheap..... I've had 3 go out already. But this is not because of wiring, it's because neons just simply aren't built the best and do not last a long time. This is why I support anything LED. Less energy consumption, longer life, and brighter. There is no need to worry about draining your battery with wiring anything up to the door sensor, as long as you close your doors! 6's might be kinda small for under the dash applications. I like my 12's a lot better than anything smaller.
Josh
PS, I think $28 for 2 6's is pretty spendy. I've got 4 12's for $10/pc shipped before.

I bought the streetglow brand neons...
I think the really tiny mini ones were a little more costly.
I bet all whites look alike though.

Whats the deal with that three channel switch?
I have a convertible so I hardly would have a reason to turn the "dome" lights on, as they only exist in map light form.

I think a three way switch would work good.

One wire spliced from the door switch into one channel
One wire from the Accesory line into the second channel.
some neutral ground.

This would give me three options, right?
Off, Door, On.

Someone sign me up! : )

Grant516 wrote:Whats the deal with that three channel switch?
I have a convertible so I hardly would have a reason to turn the "dome" lights on, as they only exist in map light form.
I think a three way switch would work good.
One wire spliced from the door switch into one channel
One wire from the Accesory line into the second channel.
some neutral ground.
This would give me three options, right?
Off, Door, On.
Someone sign me up! : )

What do you mean by neutral ground? The door sensor wire is a ground connected to one of the channels of the switch. And in order to turn the neons on while you are driving, you would need a constant ground, like the frame of the car which you would connect to the other channel of the switch. You would need this kind of setup especially if you have an alarm. Because if the door sensor is always connected, the alarm will do what it does when the door opens, ie lock/unlock, when you turn on the neons while you are driving. Any Q's let me know!
What u wanna be signed up to?