# How To: Install PC Cold Cathodes inside Car..



## UnkalledFor (Sep 21, 2004)

Well i have always wondered if it was possible to wire cold cathode neons made for computers to a car.. they have many advantages... cold cathode lights stay cool and have VERY long lifespans (~ 30,000 hours).. they have a durable and unshaterable acrylic casing, which to my surprise was much sturdier than i expected... they are also much thinner, making it easier to hide..they are also. in my opinion, brighter than neon tubes.. and the best part is you can get them for about $10 shipped to your door...

I bought my Cold Cothodes for $7.99+ $3.00 s/h= $11.00 from http://www.xoxide.com/bluecathode.html... they got to my house in 3 days.. and i was ready to start my project.. so here it goes..

1. First thing is to make sure that you have everything you need.. i forgot to take a picture of the velcro pieces used to mount them.. but just make pretend they are there... :thumbup: 









2. Go find an extra molex connector.. You can find these on old power supply units, case fans, or if you have none lying around, you can even use the extra one that is attached to the switch and wiring.. I myself retrieved mine from an old power supply unit... If you want to make it simpler, but risk being a little messier, you can even cut off the molex connector and just wire it directly..you choose how you want to do it... here i show it how i did it and it worked like a charm...









Here is a quick explanation of how molex connectors work..








The yellow wire is what you will need.. as this is the 12v source.. the red wire will not be needed, as it is the 5v power.. to have less wiring i removed the red wire from my donor molex connecter.. the two black wires are ground..









3. Next, I pulled out the center console.. I wired my ground to an existing ground on the metal piece that holds the head unit.. As a power source i disconected the cigarette lighter connector.. since i had previously wired my power antenna switch to it i just spliced the wire and connected them.. this actually worked out well.. as i did not want to forget i had them on and leave the car.. as you know the cigarrete lighter only recieves power when the car is either on or standby... this way if i am not in the car the lights will not remain on...


















4. I then brought the inverter through the back of the console and put the console back in... then connected the both cold cathode tubes and mounted them with the velcro they came with...




























and that is pretty much it.. the location is pretty much up to you to decide.. I set them up in about 30 minutes or less.. very easy install.. hopefully this will help someone save a few bucks..

I will probably add on to this in the future, because i am planning on changing the switch it comes with, because i find it too small.. so a trip to radio sock or maybe even using a switch from an old power strip/surge protecter.. who knows.. and i also want to mount them better, where they are less visible, but other than that.. they are awesome and really bright..

Enjoy.. here are some pictures of the after the installation.. :thumbup: 

Taken just before sunset, with the sun still out and about..







...







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Taken at night..







...







...







...


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## wildmanee (Nov 21, 2004)

Good lord, that is sick. I should buy me some of those, to go along with my blue LED speedometer/tach console :thumbup:


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## asleepz (Feb 24, 2004)

Yep, screw 30 dollar neons.


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## jlee1469 (Dec 4, 2003)

looks really nice! one question tho.

does your power outlet still work? looks like you have your cell phone adaptor or whatever that is still connected. really good write up, something i may consider however i have my radar and ipod charger i'd like to keep as well. thanks


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## UnkalledFor (Sep 21, 2004)

jlee1469 said:


> looks really nice! one question tho.
> 
> does your power outlet still work? looks like you have your cell phone adaptor or whatever that is still connected. really good write up, something i may consider however i have my radar and ipod charger i'd like to keep as well. thanks


yea.. the outlet works fine.. i charge my cell phone on it while the lights are on, and no problem.. :thumbup:


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## jlee1469 (Dec 4, 2003)

oh i thought i read you disconnected your cigarette lighter, so wouldn't the power outlet not work anymore?


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## myoung (Apr 15, 2002)

just a thought, but why would you want to light up dirty floor mats?


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## pete? (Jul 6, 2004)

^ time for ebay nismo mats :thumbup: (get the black, they look good)




UnkalledFor said:


> so a trip to radio sock


^they any good? never heard of them :thumbup: im going to get a few white cathods. 2 for under the dash like you have, and 2 for the trunk. i like alot of light at night time  (hell, i have an HID flash light lol)


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## UnkalledFor (Sep 21, 2004)

jlee1469 said:


> oh i thought i read you disconnected your cigarette lighter, so wouldn't the power outlet not work anymore?


oh my bad.. i forgot to put that i reconnected it.. what i did was i tapped into the red wire that powers the cigarrete lighter.. i then reconnected it and it works fine... sorry i am still new at write-ups.. thanks for catching that.. :thumbup: hope everything is clear now



myoung said:


> just a thought, but why would you want to light up dirty floor mats?


yea i know...i knew someone was going to mention my dirty car.. its been raining the last couple of days so i havnt really had a chance.. anyways.. these are so bright they make the dirt invisible at night.. its like staring into a blue sun  




Self Fornicator said:


> ^ time for ebay nismo mats (get the black, they look good)
> 
> 
> 
> ...


i am going for new floor mats soon.. but rather save up for some nice ones, rather than getting the discount autoparts "NOS" or "TYPE-R" mats lol...

and you know what i mean butt hole.. Radio Shack... i am either thinking of some type of dimmer switch or a rocker switch.. i am looking more towards a dimmer one though..


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## pete? (Jul 6, 2004)

UnkalledFor said:


> i am going for new floor mats soon.. but rather save up for some nice ones, rather than getting the discount autoparts "NOS" or "TYPE-R" mats lol.....


the "nismo" mats on ebay look to be the exact same design as our OEM mats, its just not a plush pile carpet so it wont mat down at the heel over time. you might wat to check them out, for $20+ship you cant go to wrong.



UnkalledFor said:


> and you know what i mean butt hole.. Radio Shack... i am either thinking of some type of dimmer switch or a rocker switch.. i am looking more towards a dimmer one though..


haha, you know im kidding.

maybe you could make some type of light diffuser to put over the tube, im not sure it you can dim thse with a dimmer switch (i think the need a constant 12v of power) try this. go to home depot and buy some plasic mesh you would use for your screen window. cau to size and wrap around the tube (make sure you buy the plastic stuff or you will get all cut up and scratch your neon tubes too) this should block some of the light and diffuse it even more....hence, dimmer light..........and a trip to home depot

i swear on my life that every snaffu is always fixed by a short trip to home depot and alittle ingenuity.


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## UnkalledFor (Sep 21, 2004)

Self Fornicator said:


> the "nismo" mats on ebay look to be the exact same design as our OEM mats, its just not a plush pile carpet so it wont mat down at the heel over time. you might wat to check them out, for $20+ship you cant go to wrong.
> 
> 
> haha, you know im kidding.
> ...


well i dont want my lights to be always dim, thats why i would like to be able to control them..its more for my girl.. she likes them, but she says theyre too bright for her(she likes the car to be dark).. i dont really care, its my car, but if a dimmer switch is possible, then we will both be happy.. if not i will either get a rocker switch or just leave this one...


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## TheMadCheshire (Dec 30, 2004)

thats hotts. I like the addition of the poor mans switch panel too. Those are definately brighter than my LEDs i have in the same place. I want some! 
Very nicely done :cheers:


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## Mad_Eyes (Jul 20, 2006)

I'm considering purchasing a dual cathode kit that has everything in it (connector, molex, switch, etc). I'm a complete :newbie: so the more elementary the explaining the better lol. Anyways I'm not really sure where to connect the wires to or how to remove the center console. Here's a link to the kit http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dl...70009895999&rd=1&sspagename=STRK:MEWA:IT&rd=1. The more help the better for me. Thanks.

Edit: Pics would be nice too.


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## UnkalledFor (Sep 21, 2004)

Mad_Eyes said:


> I'm considering purchasing a dual cathode kit that has everything in it (connector, molex, switch, etc). I'm a complete :newbie: so the more elementary the explaining the better lol. Anyways I'm not really sure where to connect the wires to or how to remove the center console. Here's a link to the kit http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dl...70009895999&rd=1&sspagename=STRK:MEWA:IT&rd=1. The more help the better for me. Thanks.
> 
> Edit: Pics would be nice too.


those are fine... i noticed that all the pictures i had used before are no longer wokring... if i find those pictures i will reupload and that should be enough for a 4 yr old to install them... it's pretty simple...


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## UnkalledFor (Sep 21, 2004)

Repost of the writeup.. w/ working pictures...07/20/2006 (if some pics seem bad quality, its because they were lost, then recovered after a computer crash)...

Well i have always wondered if it was possible to wire cold cathode neons made for computers to a car.. they have many advantages... cold cathode lights stay cool and have VERY long lifespans (~ 30,000 hours).. they have a durable and unshaterable acrylic casing, which to my surprise was much sturdier than i expected... they are also much thinner, making it easier to hide..they are also. in my opinion, brighter than neon tubes.. and the best part is you can get them for about $10 shipped to your door...

I bought my Cold Cothodes for $7.99+ $3.00 s/h= $11.00 from http://www.xoxide.com/bluecathode.html... they got to my house in 3 days.. and i was ready to start my project.. so here it goes..

1. First thing is to make sure that you have everything you need.. i forgot to take a picture of the velcro pieces used to mount them.. but just make pretend they are there... :thumbup: 
[Couldn't find this picture...]

2. Go find an extra molex connector.. You can find these on old power supply units, case fans, or if you have none lying around, you can even use the extra one that is attached to the switch and wiring.. I myself retrieved mine from an old power supply unit... If you want to make it simpler, but risk being a little messier, you can even cut off the molex connector and just wire it directly..you choose how you want to do it... here i show it how i did it and it worked like a charm...









Here is a quick explanation of how molex connectors work..








The yellow wire is what you will need.. as this is the 12v source.. the red wire will not be needed, as it is the 5v power.. to have less wiring i removed the red wire from my donor molex connecter.. the two black wires are ground..









3. Next, I pulled out the center console.. I wired my ground to an existing ground on the metal piece that holds the head unit.. As a power source i disconected the cigarette lighter connector.. since i had previously wired my power antenna switch to it i just spliced the wire and connected them.. this actually worked out well.. as i did not want to forget i had them on and leave the car.. as you know the cigarrete lighter only recieves power when the car is either on or standby... this way if i am not in the car the lights will not remain on...
Edit: to be a little clearer... I CUT the wire supplying power to the cigarrette lighter... There should only be 2 wires going to the lighter, Red and Black... cut the red one, and splice the YELLOW molex wire with the one you just cut... you are pretty much just tapping into this power source.. the cig. lighter will still work.. just make sure to use wire connectors and some electrical tape so it wont move...

Edit 2: Pop the cap off the console, and you will find a screw under it.. unscrew it and just pop it off.. don't be scared to pull hard, it won't break... also, disconnect the hazard button and defroster.. you can snap the connecters back on when you're done... Here's a small picture of what to pop off...




























4. I then brought the inverter through the back of the console and put the console back in... then connected the both cold cathode tubes and mounted them with the velcro they came with...




























and that is pretty much it.. the location is pretty much up to you to decide.. I set them up in about 30 minutes or less.. very easy install.. hopefully this will help someone save a few bucks..

I will probably add on to this in the future, because i am planning on changing the switch it comes with, because i find it too small.. so a trip to radio sock or maybe even using a switch from an old power strip/surge protecter.. who knows.. and i also want to mount them better, where they are less visible, but other than that.. they are awesome and really bright..

Enjoy.. here are some pictures of them after the installation.. :thumbup: 

Taken just before sunset, with the sun still out and about..









Taken at night..







...







...







...


Any questions... feel free to email me at [email protected].. or just post here, i'm subscribed to the thread...


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## Mad_Eyes (Jul 20, 2006)

UnkalledFor said:


> those are fine... i noticed that all the pictures i had used before are no longer wokring... if i find those pictures i will reupload and that should be enough for a 4 yr old to install them... it's pretty simple...


Thanks, u can also PM me with a link to a website or somethin if that's easier.

:fluffy:


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## UnkalledFor (Sep 21, 2004)

also, taking off the console will be different for other cars (obviously).. but the lighter should still only have 2 wires... and you should tap the red one...


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## Mad_Eyes (Jul 20, 2006)

Thanks for the help. Now I just gotta wait for the kit to arrive... :asleep:


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## Mad_Eyes (Jul 20, 2006)

I'm sort of confused on how to connect the red wire to the lights. Do I stick it in the molex connector or do I cut off the molex and tape the wires together? Thanks.


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## Mad_Eyes (Jul 20, 2006)

This is what I got so far:



















Little help on what to do?


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## toussi1 (Jul 26, 2006)

there is some instructions here too: http://www.plasmaled.com/neon_installation.htm


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