How To: Automatic Toolbox Lights, Self Contained
I originally got this idea when looking for a way to have light in my horse trailer without having the truck hooked up or adding a marine type battery. I got some of my ideas from a build thread on another forum (https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/boden-build-2015-dclb-4x4.362640/page-4#post-10719464), where a guy added some under hood lights, and a jeep youtube channel (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P2RI8fl0a5I). I took the information from these sources and made it fit my needs. There are many ways you can set these lights up to suit your individual needs. For example, I used a dimmer switch in line for my trailer. It's a little bluer light than I like on those white trailer walls but works better in my tool box.
On the truck, I decided to keep them 100% within the toolbox so that I did not have to run any wires. I also wanted them to come on automatically so I had one less thing to search for in the dark.
Materials
Here are the materials I used. I have left out things I assume you already have or can pick up locally (ie electrical tape, soldering gun, wire/strippers, etc.). I was able to get everything else through Amazon and Home Depot.
LED Strip Lights - I used this
AA Battery Pack - I used this
Pin Switch* - I used this
DC Power Pigtail - I used this
Wire Connectors - I used this
Braided Wire Loom - I used this
Aluminum Channel - I used this
Adhesive Heat Shrink - I used this
Zip Tie Mounts - I used this
Double Sided Tape - I used this
Piece of Rubber - I used this
(mudflap, mat, etc)
*If you use the same battery pack I did, it has a switch on it. If you do not want automatic lights, you do not need the pin switch.
Assembly
I did not think about doing a write up originally, so I don’t have pictures from some of the soldering and stuff at the beginning.
Begin by taking your aluminum channel and battery pack out to the tool box. Find a good place to attach both (don’t attach yet) and figure out how much wire you will need between the two. Go cut your wire. Remember to figure in the wire on the DC pigtail and your switch location.
Next, cut off a section of the led strip to fit inside the channel. Do not attach the lights just yet. Melt through or scrape off the silicone weather proofing over the solder points on the LED strip. Solder your wires to the LED’s. Now cut some braided wire loom and use adhesive heat shrink tubing to secure one end of the loom and protect your solder points. Get a piece of heat shrink for the other end and slide it down over the wire loom and out of the way. Pull the wire loom down away from the wire ends and secure it with some tape while you add an appropriately sized ring connector to the positive wire. (If you are not using a magnetic or pin switch, solder the DC pigtail on instead.) You may want to cut the positive wire shorter than the ground or at least keep the wire loom down far enough to let the wires split. Looking back, it would have been easier if I had cut my wire loom shorter so that my ground wire didn’t get kinked.
Now you will need to work on the dc pigtail. Check that this pig tail will be long enough to reach from your battery box to the switch. If it is to short, solder on some extra wire. If it is long enough, use your heat shrink to secure a length of wire loom on the plug end. Push the wire loom down out of the way, secure with tape, put another piece of heat shrink on for later, and add a female spade connector on the positive wire. You can stick the light strip in the channel either now or after you attach the pigtail.
At this point, you can either solder the ground wire on the light with the pig tail ground, or use a butt connector. Don’t forget to slide the heat shrink on first. This would be a good time to mock up your lights and make sure the wires run how you want them to. I originally made my wires too long and tried using a magnetic switch, which didn’t work with my tool box. Because of this, I had to cut down the wires and add a pin switch.
To be continued...
I originally got this idea when looking for a way to have light in my horse trailer without having the truck hooked up or adding a marine type battery. I got some of my ideas from a build thread on another forum (https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/boden-build-2015-dclb-4x4.362640/page-4#post-10719464), where a guy added some under hood lights, and a jeep youtube channel (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P2RI8fl0a5I). I took the information from these sources and made it fit my needs. There are many ways you can set these lights up to suit your individual needs. For example, I used a dimmer switch in line for my trailer. It's a little bluer light than I like on those white trailer walls but works better in my tool box.
You must be registered for see images attach
You must be registered for see images attach
On the truck, I decided to keep them 100% within the toolbox so that I did not have to run any wires. I also wanted them to come on automatically so I had one less thing to search for in the dark.
Materials
Here are the materials I used. I have left out things I assume you already have or can pick up locally (ie electrical tape, soldering gun, wire/strippers, etc.). I was able to get everything else through Amazon and Home Depot.
LED Strip Lights - I used this
AA Battery Pack - I used this
Pin Switch* - I used this
DC Power Pigtail - I used this
Wire Connectors - I used this
Braided Wire Loom - I used this
Aluminum Channel - I used this
Adhesive Heat Shrink - I used this
Zip Tie Mounts - I used this
Double Sided Tape - I used this
Piece of Rubber - I used this
(mudflap, mat, etc)
*If you use the same battery pack I did, it has a switch on it. If you do not want automatic lights, you do not need the pin switch.
You must be registered for see images attach
Assembly
I did not think about doing a write up originally, so I don’t have pictures from some of the soldering and stuff at the beginning.
Begin by taking your aluminum channel and battery pack out to the tool box. Find a good place to attach both (don’t attach yet) and figure out how much wire you will need between the two. Go cut your wire. Remember to figure in the wire on the DC pigtail and your switch location.
Next, cut off a section of the led strip to fit inside the channel. Do not attach the lights just yet. Melt through or scrape off the silicone weather proofing over the solder points on the LED strip. Solder your wires to the LED’s. Now cut some braided wire loom and use adhesive heat shrink tubing to secure one end of the loom and protect your solder points. Get a piece of heat shrink for the other end and slide it down over the wire loom and out of the way. Pull the wire loom down away from the wire ends and secure it with some tape while you add an appropriately sized ring connector to the positive wire. (If you are not using a magnetic or pin switch, solder the DC pigtail on instead.) You may want to cut the positive wire shorter than the ground or at least keep the wire loom down far enough to let the wires split. Looking back, it would have been easier if I had cut my wire loom shorter so that my ground wire didn’t get kinked.
Now you will need to work on the dc pigtail. Check that this pig tail will be long enough to reach from your battery box to the switch. If it is to short, solder on some extra wire. If it is long enough, use your heat shrink to secure a length of wire loom on the plug end. Push the wire loom down out of the way, secure with tape, put another piece of heat shrink on for later, and add a female spade connector on the positive wire. You can stick the light strip in the channel either now or after you attach the pigtail.
You must be registered for see images attach
You must be registered for see images attach
At this point, you can either solder the ground wire on the light with the pig tail ground, or use a butt connector. Don’t forget to slide the heat shrink on first. This would be a good time to mock up your lights and make sure the wires run how you want them to. I originally made my wires too long and tried using a magnetic switch, which didn’t work with my tool box. Because of this, I had to cut down the wires and add a pin switch.
To be continued...