Hi All – Have a project Im trying to make happen – wire up some GM OEM Bed Perimeter Light kits. I don't think these are under any "strict" legal constraints, as they are for Accessory lights, mounted up under the pickup bed lip, and provide indirect lighting, downward into the bed. These lights are not combined with any other lamp on the vehicle, thus, If I am correct, I believe these fall under the US regulations for CARGO LAMPS, in but I defer to the experts.
I came across several GM truck bed perimeter lighting kits for almost free, so I couldn't pass them up, as they are normally quite expensive. I can't post pics, and don't use file sharing sites, so I post a link to the GM OEM product on Amazon.
GM Perimeter Bed Lighting
These kits are meant to be used 1 per truck, and come with a pair of sealed lamp housings, and a y-harness, that plugs into a chassis block, using only power and ground. The lights have circuitry on the boards with the SMD LEDs, so perhaps they have the resistors built in, given how simple the wiring harness is? The lights also have a 12.8V stamping on the back, so perhaps that is the forward Voltage (these are automotive kits, after all)?
I was hoping to splice the two sets of lights together, and adjust the schematic to use all 4 in parallel, with 2 SPDT switches (1 in the cab, 1 in the bed), so that a loss of any of the light assemblies would not affect the others…is this a bad idea?
Is there a way to limit current in case of a loss of light assemblies, so as not to get a current overload on the remaining lights?
How might I actually measure the operating current – hook up one set and measure the current to each light using a clamp/voltage meter?
Are there any considerations that need to be taken?
I didn't think I needed a driver, since they appear simple and <I believe> low current applications, but obviously I am not an electrical engineer, nor terribly well versed in LED circuit design.
I have drawn up a draft schematic, but I cannot post that up to the forums yet…
Thanks for any and all comments!
David
I came across several GM truck bed perimeter lighting kits for almost free, so I couldn't pass them up, as they are normally quite expensive. I can't post pics, and don't use file sharing sites, so I post a link to the GM OEM product on Amazon.
GM Perimeter Bed Lighting
These kits are meant to be used 1 per truck, and come with a pair of sealed lamp housings, and a y-harness, that plugs into a chassis block, using only power and ground. The lights have circuitry on the boards with the SMD LEDs, so perhaps they have the resistors built in, given how simple the wiring harness is? The lights also have a 12.8V stamping on the back, so perhaps that is the forward Voltage (these are automotive kits, after all)?
I was hoping to splice the two sets of lights together, and adjust the schematic to use all 4 in parallel, with 2 SPDT switches (1 in the cab, 1 in the bed), so that a loss of any of the light assemblies would not affect the others…is this a bad idea?
Is there a way to limit current in case of a loss of light assemblies, so as not to get a current overload on the remaining lights?
How might I actually measure the operating current – hook up one set and measure the current to each light using a clamp/voltage meter?
Are there any considerations that need to be taken?
I didn't think I needed a driver, since they appear simple and <I believe> low current applications, but obviously I am not an electrical engineer, nor terribly well versed in LED circuit design.
I have drawn up a draft schematic, but I cannot post that up to the forums yet…
Thanks for any and all comments!
David
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