Installing a light in the boot.

Here is my LED solution. It switches off when the boot is closed.
The full effect is much better than in this photo and it lights the boot well.

I have tested it with the roof down, with no problems - as an extra bonus it lights up the roof in a very cool way when the roof is opening and closing!



Parts list:
- LED Strip lights from Ikea. We don't need the transformer, just the connector (cut the cable comming from the transformer), the light strips, clips & screws.
- Lever type micro switch with normally closed or changeover contact - I used NF21X from Maplin
- Wire, fuse, screw connection block, terminals and two small bolts to secure the switch in place.




Note: The lever was straight when I bought the switch, but needs to be bent to this sort of shape. Final bending can be done after it is fitted.

The first stage is remove the felt cover from the boot lid. This is done be unscrewing the two plastic screws and removing the clips. Then all that holds the cover on is Velcro. One strip by the lock and three along the back edge shown by the arrows.



I used two of the three LED strips. The third is lighting up my glove box!
To mount, use the clear plastic clips and screws supplied with the strips.



I found the screws supplied with the clips held firmly in the felt, but for safe measure, add a little glue.



Light mounted!

 

Now to mount the switch. The good news is the actual position is not too critical, as the lever can be bent to suit.

The mounting position is shown below. To find where to drill the holes, hold the switch in position with screws (not bolts) through the switch mounting holes. Then tap the screws with a hammer to mark the metal.



With the two holes drilled for mounting the switch.



And fitted...



This is the view from INSIDE the boot when closed.

 

Now the wiring....

To make things simple, I decided to put the switch in the 0V line.

What this means is one connection of the switch goes to the negative side of the LED lights, and the other to earth.

The below shows the earth connection - I use the bottom tab on the switch that I earthed via the bolt that holds the switch in place.





One advantage of wiring this way is you only need one cable (the 12V supply) to be routed up to the boot lid. So where to get the 12V supply??

I check the cables already run to the lid, but none has a 12V supply we could use.

The easiest connection I found to use was the roof ECU unit (located next to the tyre compressor). Remove the polystyrene cover by pulling it up. Here there is a permanent 12V supply.



But don't connect this end yet, until after you have run the wire up to the light.

I used the same route as the cable run on the left hand hinge.
Here you can just about see my black wire run along side the existing cables. I used black so it wouldn't show up to much and it doesn't - not even in the photo!



Be careful not to damage the insulation of the wire when you pull it through.



Then I use some black (and one yellow!) cable ties to route the wire. You can see the end dangling.

I used the connector from the Ikea pack for the final connection to the LED strips. The wire we have just run, is the positive. The strip has positive and connections marked on the back and it is important to get the the correct way around. The Negative cable from the strip, goes to the top connector on the switch.



The white cable you see is the cable to the LED strip. I used another screw block to join the positive supply. Now to see if anybody is reading this text - the photo is wrong! The negative terminal from the light, should go to the TOP switch connection. It is shown on the middle connection - this is why my light did not work when I first tried it!

Now for the bottom supply connection.
You need to install an additional fuse. The ECU supply has a 30A fuse and this it too big for our light. I used a 1A fuse. Again, I'm ashamed to admit, I didn't have a fuse holder to I soldered directly to the fuse. I'm sure you will do a better job and install a fuse holder!



The cable you want is the Blue / Yellow. Be careful, as the 12V will be present when you cut it [you could remove the fuse first, it is called ROOF ECU, 30A but as I didn't, I can't tell you where it is!]

I prefer to use the screw terminal blocks rather than the 'Scotchlok' type. I have had too many problems with these connectors in the past.

Whilst I'm on my soap box, a common mistake people make when using screw terminals is to put solder the wire (to make it neat) before putting in the screw block. This is a very bad practise. Why?
Well solder is soft, even if you screw the terminals tight, it tends to relax with time and you end up with a loose connection. The professional way is to crimp 'bootlace ferrules' onto the wire, then use a screw terminal, but if you don't have ferrules, it's okay to use the bare wire. Just make sure there are no exposed strands of wire.

Finally, you need to cut a small hole in the felt, for the lever of the switch to protrude through.



And thats about it! I had to bend the switch lever a little more so it was almost horizontal and vertical. Don't forget to test if the switch fouls when opening the roof. Mine was fine, so I expect yours will be fine too. Enjoy...

 

Thanks Guys,

I'm considering putting complete a kit togeather to sell, as not everybody has Ikea and Maplin shops close to them.

What do you think?

 

Don't forget, if you only use two of the three strips, you can but the third in the glove box. Click here for the thread.

Rex.