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Dual LED lighted key ring

4K views 43 replies 15 participants last post by  CaptainMorgan 
#1 ·
Hello guys, popping back in from a long break with a little something to show you that I just whipped up.

I used to have key ring that I installed two red LEDs into to match my other interior lighting that was all converted to red LEDs as well. I gave that to Will a couple years ago at a meet and just never got around to making myself my new one.

I also got the idea that I wanted it to be the factory blue/green with the other indicator lights, and go red when the cabin lighting circuit is on. Here is the key ring built on the bench, that really is the same key ring in all the pictures.







When I get a slight break from work (not happening until at least Sunday) I'll pop it in with a relay to turn off the blue/green when the red turns on. The relay will be wired in the circuit for the blue green on the power pin going in and out on the pin that is live when the relay trigger is not on. This lets the power flow right through during normal operation of the blue/green. Then the red LEDs will be powered directly from the same circuit all the other cabin lights are on, but it will also be connected to the trigger on the relay that will cause it to break the circuit to the blue/green. I'm sure I could wire this a little differently but the 5 pin automotive relays are a five finger sale at the yards, so I just have them sitting around.
 
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#8 ·
Alright well I quickly realized when I went out and looked at my key ring in the car that I wired this one backwards. I forgot that because I installed it aftermarket as a red LED ring initially the factory plug was tapped into the overhead lights that are red. No problem, a quick little switch and I'm good to go.

I then went out and installed the key ring in the car and fished my extra wire for the aqua LEDs over to the junction box. I only need one wire because I just shared the ground connection on the key ring for the red.

I'm going to go see how far I can get tonight, but I don't expect to wrap it all the way up. I have a few steps.
1. Solder a "trigger" lead off the connection to the red LED power wire that will go to the trigger on the relay.
2. Crimp female connector onto aqua LED power wire.
3. Splice into power and ground for dimmable cabin lighting.
4. Hook up and secure relay.

That should be it, but I do work early tomorrow.

As it stands now it's back to functioning as the red LED key ring (much better than bland stock), just waiting for the other part to be installed to make it fully operational.
 
#10 ·
Well it'll be a tad bit longer.

It's been a while since I wired with the lighting and I forgot about a couple little tricks in how Chrysler did things. It won't stop me, just isn't quite as simple as I had hoped. I'll keep everyone informed.
 
#11 ·
I went ahead and ordered some new relays and a diode for it, so I'll fill you guys in on what I forgot about.

The overhead lighting circuit does not have a ground. It has a positive and negative, but both return to the junction box (or BCM, forget which plug it's on). I was treating it like it was just another ground.

To make my plan work is pretty simple. I redo the grounds so that the aqua LED ground is wired completely separately from the relay and splice the ground connection for the relay into the negative for the overhead lighting. This way I am completing my circuit correctly with the red lights on to energize the relay, and I'm not mixing it up with a regular ground connection.

That should be a pretty simple fix, and I'll have it wired and tested with an old relay tomorrow night.


Also, I have enough spare parts laying around to build another one of these as a kit for someone. I'm sure there will be some interest :).
 
#14 ·
I like the idea - but I'm not sure I follow the outward appearance rules - when will it be red, and when will it be green?

I think a fun variation on your project would be to trigger the relay based on what the last signal from the door lock module was - red when doors are locked, green when unlocked. ehhehehe
 
#19 ·
The weekend is here, so now you get the goods.

I had a little set back because apparently the courtesy light circuit can not handle a quenching diode. It just immediately blows the fuse. Took out the diode and it works perfect. Good news for anyone trying to do this later, but an extra trial and error step for me.

Here are two videos of it running. The lighting is tough on my cheapo camera, but you get the idea. One video shows the dash lights so you can see them dim together. The other shows the courtesy light so you can see the red come on together.





I can't find my grab bag of fuses so I'll run to the store tomorrow and replace the ones I blew testing and button it all back up.
 
#21 ·
Pretty Cool!
 
#22 ·
It looks even better in person. Cameras don't usually capture the look of LEDs that well.

I really can't wait to expand on this. I now have a pair of relay driven circuits to add as much lighting like this as I want. I'll use the aqua LEDs for mood lighting and for upgrading factory lighting that is done with bulb condoms.

I can insert a few more red LEDs on the courtesy light circuit if I so desire, and I'm sure I will.

I just need to add some brighter white LEDs for reading lights in a few places on switches and the interior will be good to go.
 
#24 ·
Not at all, once I figured out what works with a little trial and error.

There is a single five pole relay. I'll break it down for others to follow.

For the coil circuit - pins 85 and 86 on the relay - splice into the same two wires used for courtesy lights (the red LEDs). You could even get these backwards and it makes no difference. My splice is into the roof harness at the junction block.

For the aqua circuit jumper from the orange wire that powers the interior dimmable lighting to the power for the relay - pin 30. Then hook up the positive wire to your aqua LEDs to pin 87a. This is just a pass through when the relay isn't energized, and then is broken when it is.

Wire the aqua LEDs negative to any ground. For both the wires for the aqua circuit I just went from the headlight switch. The wiring is easy to solder to even with everything in the car. Just pull the trim piece and switch out to work on the wires.

That's it. The one extra thing I recommend is to use disconnects to splice into the roof harness so if you ever need to pull it or the dash you don't have to cut the wiring apart.
 
#26 ·
Thanks guys.

The only weird thing left is that the relay is LOUD. The clicking when it switches on and off is loud but not a big deal, but when the courtesy circuit fades out it makes a buzzing sound. It functions perfectly with switching off at the right moment so there is no overlap as you can see in the video.

I'll try a different relay and see if there are some tricks to cure the issue, but I might just go ahead and make an extension harness to put the relay under the hood so the noise just doesn't matter.
 
#29 ·
Thanks Ed, I did the key ring mod the first time years ago. I've envisioned the dual stage for a while and finally just decided to start it one day when I saw my spare key ring on the table.

I managed to get the information I need with my new multi meter, and Bill is on the job helping me out. He is such a great guy offering advice on all this stuff. I have a few other questions to answer and then I'll start building the circuit to handle the dimming.
 
#31 ·
I don't know if I plan on selling a lot of them, but I'll have the parts to build one more after all is said and done.

I know Ed sells them, and I'd never step in and try to steal business from another member.
 
#40 ·
I have the one that goes with the spare key ring I'm going to build, but no extras.

I have to hit the yard this week to get a new fuse cover dash end piece since I can't find mine, I'll just grab an extra pigtail.
 
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