Tutorial: Installation of LED Strip Light in Suzuki Cultus Dashboard Drawer

[chshahid2k]

Installation of LED Strip Light in Suzuki Cultus Dashboard Drawer / Glove Box

Overview:
I have seen that the dashboard drawer / glove box is too much dark place to see anything at night, sometimes you don't want to disturb the driver by turning ON the dome light while putting or getting a thing from the drawer/glovebox. So I have made a solution in this regard.

I have installed LED Strip Light in Cultus Dashboard Drawer / Glovebox. It lights up when you open the drawer to its lowest. I have also told this trick to Montgomery Road(Lahore) electricians so if you go there and they ask you to install a light in dash drawer so remember its by me.

I guess the same technique can be applied for some other cars those have same dashboard drawer structures.

I will upload the pictures soon; unfortunately I haven't clicked any pics at the time of modifications.

Things You need:

• LED Strip 1 Feet or as per need.

• Copper or any other soft flexible metal piece so it can easy to bend without breaking.

• Solder Iron with solder wire (off course)

• Adhesive Material : Epoxy or Elfy (I recommend Magic Epoxy over Elfy)

  • 12v compatible wire; length dependent from where you get the 12v current

How to:

Cut down LED strip of desired length and solder a wire (Red & Black) with its positive and negative terminals. In my case, I cut down a 3/4 ft (9 Inches) LED Strip. I put the chrome tape on a cardboard/chart and glued it to the roof of dashboard drawer for extra light reflection and glued the LED strip on it.
You can get chrome tape from any Air Conditioner or Refrigerator wala.

1. First Open the dashboard front speaker (left) panel also open the dashboard drawer screws and grab the drawer out of the dashboard. (As shown in pictures)

2. Now wrap a soft/flexible metal (copper) piece on the left leg/stopper of the drawer (not shown in pic) and glue it with some good adhesive (epoxy, elfy) and Solder a red wire with this metal piece and join it with LED strip's positive/red wire. Make sure to leave some extra wire for the drawer movement and distance from LED strip

3. Now cut a tiny metal piece and solder a red wire with it and here is the tricky moment. Glue this metal piece on the place where the drawer leg stops. So in this way the circuit will be completed and a connection would be made and as a result the LED will be lit up.
   After solder and glued with body join it with the constant 12v wire of battery. In my case I found a spare power grip in Car's stereo power grips (It contains both positive and negative current), so I got both positive and negative current from there.

4. Connect the negative/black wire of the LED with the body of the car. Because car?s whole body has negative current. In my case I got the negative current from the spare grip of car's audio power grip.

I am not a very good elaborator but I have tried my best to explain everything in this thread. If there is anything missing over here then kindly inform

Regards,

Shahid Mehmood

[mehran]

Thanks for the detailed pics and guidance. I have always wanted to do such things but somehow was not able to as in my youth LEDs were not yet available:P. Though I did manage to rig a light in my car's trunk way back in 1986-87 using similar technique. Good work, sir!

[chshahid2k]

thanks for the appreciation bro,

i have seen around many ppl know the trick but they never share, and that electrician dude was saying he will charge 1000 for this, i was like is there anyone who gonna pay him 1000 Rupees for this simple work maybe many landlords around
i know one of my friend who used to kept a little LED torch light in his car's dash for this

[sarfraz121]

Installation of LED Strip Light in Suzuki Cultus Dashboard Drawer

Overview:
I have seen that the dashboard drawer is too much dark place to see anything at night, sometimes you don't want to disturb the driver by turning ON the dome light while putting or getting a thing from the drawer. So I have made a solution in this regard.

I have installed LED Strip Light in Cultus Dashboard Drawer. It lights up when you open the drawer to its lowest. I have also told this trick to Montgomery Road(Lahore) electricians so if you go there and they ask you to install a light in dash drawer so remember its by me.

I guess the same technique can be applied for some other cars those have same dashboard drawer structures.

I will upload the pictures soon; unfortunately I haven't clicked any pics at the time of modifications.

Things You need:

* LED Strip 1 Feet or as per need.

* Copper or any other soft flexible metal piece so it can easy to bend without breaking.

* Solder Iron with solder wire (off course)

* Adhesive Material : Epoxy or Elfy (I recommend Magic Epoxy over Elfy)

* 12v compatible wire; length dependent from where you get the 12v current

How to:

Cut down LED strip of desired length and solder a wire (Red & Black) with its positive and negative terminals. In my case, I cut down a 3/4 ft (9 Inches) LED Strip. I put the chrome tape on a cardboard/chart and glued it to the roof of dashboard drawer for extra light reflection and glued the LED strip on it.
You can get chrome tape from any Air Conditioner or Refrigerator wala.

1. First Open the dashboard front speaker (left) panel also open the dashboard drawer screws and grab the drawer out of the dashboard. (As shown in pictures)

2. Now wrap a soft/flexible metal (copper) piece on the left leg/stopper of the drawer (not shown in pic) and glue it with some good adhesive (epoxy, elfy) and Solder a red wire with this metal piece and join it with LED strip's positive/red wire. Make sure to leave some extra wire for the drawer movement and distance from LED strip

3. Now cut a tiny metal piece and solder a red wire with it and here is the tricky moment. Glue this metal piece on the place where the drawer leg stops. So in this way the circuit will be completed and a connection would be made and as a result the LED will be lit up.
After solder and glued with body join it with the constant 12v wire of battery. In my case I found a spare power grip in Car's stereo power grips (It contains both positive and negative current), so I got both positive and negative current from there.

4. Connect the negative/black wire of the LED with the body of the car. Because car?s whole body has negative current. In my case I got the negative current from the spare grip of car's audio power grip.

I am not a very good elaborator but I have tried my best to explain everything in this thread. If there is anything missing over here then kindly inform

Regards,

Shahid Mehmood

bro does ur car have a pioneer cdplayer coz i am also looking to do in my cultus 2008 vxri and need to knw where wo get the 12v current from???

[chshahid2k]

bro does ur car have a pioneer cdplayer coz i am also looking to do in my cultus 2008 vxri and need to knw where wo get the 12v current from???

i dont have stock stereo now, but yes there is a black spare grip available u can get 12v from that pin

[sarfraz121]

i dont have stock stereo now, but yes there is a black spare grip available u can get 12v from that pin

black spare grip with stereo or cigar lighter??? will that grip have the red and black wire both??

[chshahid2k]

black spare grip with stereo or cigar lighter??? will that grip have the red and black wire both??

no it was a spare grip , not of cig liter.. and its colors i dont remb now,,

[himmi_Pak]

good one sir.nice pictorial /textual explanation !

[sarfraz121]

no it was a spare grip , not of cig liter.. and its colors i dont remb now,,

can u help me find that spare grip where is it located?? any pix would be helpful

[chshahid2k]

good one sir.nice pictorial /textual explanation !

thanks buddy

[chshahid2k]

can u help me find that spare grip where is it located?? any pix would be helpful

sorry to say, not have much time, my job hour is too long to do anything after that, i only get time on Sunday,

you can ask many pakwheelers around in electrical and wiring thread, they will surely help you out