Door jamb switch

[silverscottsk10]

How is the switch wired?
I want to take one out of my parts truck and made it work so that when I open my toolbox and it lights up
My trouble is how to wire that switch

 

[HotRodPC]

So you're not wanting to turn the dome light on in your truck when you open the box right? You're wanting to put a light in the toolbox and have it work off the switch???

If that's the case, you'd add a hot wire to the positive side of the light, then from the ground side of the light, take a wire to this switch. When the door opens, the switch will ground the wire and the light will come on.

 

[silverscottsk10]

Exactly
I've about 10' of white LEDs and need a place to use them
And my cargo light doesn't work when the lid on the box is up
Thanks
I'll get it all hooked up after I get the switch from home

 

[Hoodbj]

That's a good idea, I just built a bedcover and was thinking of putting led lights under it, didn't think of a normally closed button though. I will be adding this to the "to do" list on the ole truck.

 

[silverscottsk10]

I was trying to find them on eBay but it never said nc or no
So I'll use one from my parts truck and maybe put one under my hood too

 

[ScottyB]

So you're not wanting to turn the dome light on in your truck when you open the box right? You're wanting to put a light in the toolbox and have it work off the switch???

If that's the case, you'd add a hot wire to the positive side of the light, then from the ground side of the light, take a wire to this switch. When the door opens, the switch will ground the wire and the light will come on.

Is automotive wiring backwards from household? I'm used to going hot-->switch-->light-->ground.

 

[Hoodbj]

I'm not a wiring expert by any means but I believe you can break either the ground or the hot as long as the other is direct. I'm sure there is a good reason for breaking the ground (shorting/arcing) that I'm not smart enough to know

 

[HotRodPC]

Is automotive wiring backwards from household? I'm used to going hot-->switch-->light-->ground.

Lots of foreign cars do **** backwards, but in these trucks and many american vehicles, the door jamb switch just completes a ground to the chassis for the interior lights to come on.

 

[Hoodbj]

I do know that auto is different from home in the aspect that in automotive black is normally the ground and in home wiring it's hot , don't mess that one up or bzzzzz.

 

[HotRodPC]

I'm not a wiring expert by any means but I believe you can break either the ground or the hot as long as the other is direct. I'm sure there is a good reason for breaking the ground (shorting/arcing) that I'm not smart enough to know

I'm sure the reason that door jamb switches and dome lights are wired this way is so that you just have hot to the lights, then don't have to run hots to all the door jambs, and all the door jambs are natural chassis grounds, so it mean running alot less wire too.

 

[Hoodbj]

Makes sense to me hr, one smart honcho

 

[silverscottsk10]

Those little bastards are 8$ a piece lol
I guess I'll wait until I make a trip back home and steal them from the Scottsdale lol

 

[HotRodPC]

Those little bastards are 8$ a piece lol
I guess I'll wait until I make a trip back home and steal them from the Scottsdale lol

Where is trafalager? I know someone that just pulled 4 of them out of Suburban.

 

[silverscottsk10]

Trafalgar
Lol
Raglafart backwards
And bout 45 minutes south of Indianapolis

 

[HotRodPC]

Trafalgar
Lol
Raglafart backwards
And bout 45 minutes south of Indianapolis

Ahh OK, so you're in the states. You might want to change your Location and put IN. Many times members might have parts, or swinging thru town so it might help you to let everyone know. How many do you need? May not be that much to First Class mail them.