DIY Cathode Lighting: License Plate, Dome Lamp, Trunk lighting.

kevinbo03

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I'm sure you may have seen some of the guides out there for using cold cathode tubes to replace the license plate lighting, to achieve a Lexus-like result. I was in the process of installing some, and decided I'd attempt to do the dome lamp, and the trunk lighting as well. Since I had not seen a guide on how to do the dome/trunk on 6GA, I decided I might as well write up a DIY, and that it wouldn't be bad topic for my first one.

This was performed on my 6th gen Accord Ex V6 Sedan. I do not know if any of this is different on Coupes/DX/LX trim levels.

For all these mods, you can use just any any color you want!

So, Let's get started!

Sections:

1- Preface
_1a- Disclaimer
_1b- Tools required/est time/difficulty



2- The Guides
_2a- How to prepare the cathodes (Applies to ALL guides)
_2b- License Plate cold cathode installation
_2c- Dome Lamp cold cathode installation
_2d- Trunk Lamp cold cathode installation


3 - Conclusion





1 - Preface


1a - Disclaimer

I, nor 6thgenaccord.com are not responsible for ANY damages that may be caused by the installation or instructions in this guide. Attempt at your own risk!

Many people have said on these forums that these cold cathodes are a fire hazard. I have used literally dozens upon dozens of these kits in PC's and decorative bottle lamps, And I have had them fail before. When they fail, the "ballast" (blue box) just smokes a little bit, then dies. I have never had a flame or anything remotely dangerous occur. Here is a picture of one ballast that burned out in a Hypnotiq bottle lamp I made awhile ago:

img0060z.jpg


They do not burn out due to heat, and when they do burn out, they produce at most 1/10 of the amount of smoke created from lighting a match, so you would likely not even notice until you saw that the lights were not working. Many times, they would not smoke at all. Try not to use the ballast outside of it's plastic shell. HOWEVER... It has been reported that non-sunroof 6GA's have a smaller space in the roof, and you may need to remove the plastic shell. If this is the case, cover bare the solder points and the top of the ballast with electrical tape, and you will be fine. If you do not, the contacts may short on something and cause a fuse to blow. A picture of vorin's stripped and prepared ballast is in the dome lamp section.



1b - Tools required/est time


Supplies:
4" or 12" cold cathode kit (made for PC's) color of your choice

I bought mine from Petra's Tech Shop. South Bay Area residents can pick up a set of TWO cathodes + ballast for $5.50-$5.75. Just order online, choose "Local Pick up" as the shipping option, and call before arriving to make sure your order is ready. If you live elsewhere, you can have them shipped or find another web store to order from. The Dome lamp uses 4", The trunk and license plate can use either 4" or 12". Other websites have many different colors, All of them are great except for red. red always looks pinkish, so be aware.

PTS:
http://www.petrastechshop.com/lighting.html

ONLY needed for the trunk lighting:
-1/4 Amp or less resistor diodes, resistance of 1600k Ohms or LESS. (Less is better, will provide more optimal voltage)
-Multimeter (Very optional, to test load voltage/resistance through diodes)


Required tools:
-scissors/wire clippers
-wire stripper/strong teeth
-double sided tape/other form of adhesive
-small (3-4 mm) flat head screwdriver
-5/16 or equivalent metric socket and wrench (vice grips may be used)

Optional:
-heatgun/lighter/oven
-solder and soldering iron
-heatshrink tubing
-Electrical tape
-Zip ties
-Plastic polish



Estimated time/Difficulty/cost:

License Plate light:
5-15 Minutes
2/10 difficulty
$5-15 dollars, shipping included

Dome light:
10-25 Minutes
4/10 difficulty
$5-15 dollars, shipping included

Trunk light:
30-90 Minutes
5/10 difficulty
$7-25 dollars, shipping included (Varies depending on number of lights you want to use)






2 - The Guides



2a - How to prepare the cathodes

For all of these mods, you will need to prepare the cold cathodes and their accompanying wires. The goal is pretty simple, cut off the non essential wires and switch.


Here's a dual 4" package
img0019y.jpg



Pull out the wiring harness, it will look like this:
img0031haq.jpg



You only want this part, snip the wires leaving 8-12 inches of slack. For the trunk lighting, leave as much slack as possible, and trim what you decide you do not need later.:
img0032dbx.jpg




Then, Continue with the guide of your choice:






2b - License Plate cold cathode installation

First, begin outside the car with the trunk open. Pop off the light bulb capsule with a small Flathead screwdriver:
img0041lpw.jpg



Unplug the capsule from the car's wiring, leaving just the plug:
img0042pmj.jpg



Next, you have a few options. The ultimate goal is the take the wires clipped from the kit's harness and attach them to the car's wiring. you can simply insert the wires for the ballast into the plug, or snip and solder/shrinkwrap them together. Either way works, whatever you prefer. i chose to just insert them, as I wanted to be able to put the original lamp back in if I were to ever sell the car. Very simple color scheme, Black is negative and striped red is positive. match black to black, red to red, and attach using your chosen method :
img0043d.jpg




Shrinkwrapped:
img0044ttc.jpg





*** ALTERNATIVE!!! ***

If you want the stock bulb to light up along with the new cathodes, attach the wires as show, and keep the stock bulb housing plugged into the car's wiring. This way, if either breaks, you're still covered, and wont get hit for a fix it ticket.
cimg0179qks.jpg




Next, attach the ballast (the blue plastic box) to the wires that you have just connected. the small two pin connector plugs in the end of the ballast. After that, plug the cold cathodes into the other end of the ballast, and shove the ballast up into the hole. I wrapped mine in some bubble wrap insulation, to keep my subs from rattling it. The ballast DOES get warm during use, so I'll to wait and see what happens. As stated before, I have had these burn out before in PC's, and I am comfortable with the risks.
img0045t.jpg




With the cold cathodes hanging out, clean the surface where they will be attached with rubbing alcohol. If you do not, they will soon fall off and you will look like a moron who is undoubtedly driving down the road with a neon tube hanging off of his/her trunk. apply some double sided tape, or whatever alternative adhesive you have chosen:
img0046cfn.jpg




Attach the cold cathodes, makes sure they are securely in place. Lastly, pop the original light capsule back on. the left side has to go in first, then the right snaps in. Be sure to let the wires exit from the top or bottom, so they wont get damaged:
img0048cst.jpg





Lastly, fire up your lights and make sure it all works!
img0049n.jpg





If you chose to heave the stock bulb and the cathodes working in unison, they should both light up:
cimg0180b.jpg




Congratulations! You just pimped out your license plate lamps for only $5.50!

Here are some night shots for a general reference. They are not the best quality because my camera does not shoot well at night.

img0061g.jpg

img0063wni.jpg








2c - Dome Lamp cold cathode installation


This mod requires a little more prep on the cold cathodes. The glass element inside the plastic tub needs to be removed so they will fit in the dome light. First, prep the wire as shown in section 2a. Then, take one of the cold cathodes, and use a heat gun to warm up the end the wire protrude from. This is to loosen the hot glue that was used to keep the glass element in place.
img0021p.jpg



If not using a heat gun, you have a few options. You can use a lighter (carefully!), or put the cathodes in the oven @ 220 degrees for a few minutes, Or power the cathodes for an hour. They will warm up over time to loosen the glue a little, allowing you to CAREFULLY pull out the glass element. You can pull hard, just as long as you pull it out straight. One way or another, you should be able to get it out without too much trouble. Do this to both of the cold cathodes:
img0022haa.jpg



One problem you may encounter when removing them, is the heatshrink on the end of the cathode coming off. You need to cover it, so it wont break easily. This happened to one of mine:
img0024tgr.jpg



Use some heatshrink or electrical tape to fix it if it happens:
img0025n.jpg




You should eventually have both cathodes removed from the protective plastic shell:
img0026k.jpg




Now, it's time to get in the car and remove the dome lamp. Start by prying the clear shell off with a small flat tip screwdriver.
img0029w.jpg




Once you get it off, use the socket wrench and/or vice grips to remove the two bolts holding the base onto the ceiling. For future reference, the connection on the RIGHT is the negative lead.
img0030u.jpg




While you have the dome's clear shell off, you may want to polish it a little bit to clear it up for the new lights! I used Meguiars's PlastX, but there are plenty of other things you may buy or have lying around that would work. Before:
img0027o.jpg



After:
img0028y.jpg




Now connect the wire leads from the harness to the connections on the dome light's base. I chose to twist them on and then solder, but you should be fine using any method.
img0034yit.jpg




With that done, feed the cathode wires through the hole in the base, and zip tie everything up if you want to:
img0035b.jpg




With everything ready to go, you are going to want to stuff the cathode's ballast into the ceiling. Just pull a little on the roof liner, and you should be able to slide it in, along with the extra wiring. Once in there, it DOES NOT create a lump in the liner. It sits in there very well hidden.
img0037fcr.jpg




***NOTE FOR ALL NON-SUNROOF 6GA's***
It has been reported that non-sunroof 6GA's have a smaller roof space, and you will need to take the protective plastic shell off of the ballast. do so with a flat tip screwdriver, prying the top off from the bottom. Make sure to safely cover any electrical contacts with electrical tape to avoid a short. Here is vorin's example:
osfr6r.jpg





Screw the base back into the roof, making sure to tuck all of the wires in to place. I decided to give my new lights a quick test at this point:
img0038lnq.jpg




Now, carefully snap the clear shell back into place, making sure not to crush the cathodes in the process. An easy way to do it is to hold the shell up to the base, set the cathodes up against the walls of the shell's edge, then snap it in:
img0039bvx.jpg




All done! You can see the wires if you look directly at the lamp, But I don't mind. You could drill holes for them in the base if you want to hide them, It wouldn't be very hard.
img0040x.jpg



Congratulations! No now have a dome lamp just as bright if not brighter then the $20 LED ones, except it only cost you $5.50! I Will add a night shot later

Here are some night shots for a general reference. They are not the best quality because my camera does not shoot well at night.



img0066dkl.jpg

img0072e.jpg

img0077x.jpg


Here are some night shots from 6GA member vorin. He also added foil tape to the inside of the roof lamp base's dish, reflecting the light and making it even brighter, with GREAT results:
25f1278.jpg

k0t3j4.jpg











2d- Trunk Lamp cold cathode installation


The trunk lighting is slightly trickier then the other cathode mods. In our car's electrical system, the stock trunk lighting bulb is wired in series with other devices. Because the cathodes consume very little power, if you attach them to the stock wiring harness, current will actually flow backwards for short bursts. Not allot, but enough to blow the internal fuse on the ballast.

To solve this problem, you can use diodes:
cimg0191c.jpg



Diodes are essentially a one-way gate for electronics. Electricity can pass through them in one direction, but not the other. Using pair of diodes on the leads heading to the cathodes will prevent any cross flow from occurring. They are fairly inexpensive, I was able to buy an assortment of 25 for 2.79. You will only need 2 diodes. When buying them, be sure to look for ones that have the least resistance. Diodes naturally act as resistors as a side effect of their technology. If you use a diode with too high of a resistance, the actual voltage reaching the cathode ballasts will be lower. I used 007 rated 1/4 amp diodes, with a resistance of 1665k ohms. this is much higher then necessary, but was the lowest i could find. Anything near or less this this will work fine. amperage does not matter much, as the cathodes consume 5 mA.

cimg0192v.jpg




The For the trunk lighting, you may want to use more then one pair of cathodes. I would recommend going with the 12" ones, since they provide plenty or even light, but any size will do. As always, use ANY color you desire!

Take the 2-pin leads you separated from the cathode's PC harness, and splice them together. I would suggest leaving one or multiple (depending on how many cathode kits you have decided to use) of the leads longer then the others, since this harness you are making will connect to the stock wiring in the center of the top of the trunk. The longer leads will be good for reaching the far left and right sides.


Next, you want to attach the diodes to the wires. One for the positive, and the other for the negative. The diodes are directional So makes sure that they are arrange in the proper directions. You want they to allow current to only go towards the cathodes on the positive, and only go away from them on the ground. Think of them as yield/no entry signs on the freeway. Only allow traffic towards the free way on the onramp, and away from it on the offramp. Different diodes are marked differently to represent their direction. Use a multimeter with a continuity or resistance testing mode. try testing them on both sides, only one direction will give a reading. If they say on the package, then go by that.

Solder the leads for the ballasts to the diodes in the proper direction, and also solder on a short distance of wire the the ends of the diodes, to plug into the stock wiring.

cimg0185k.jpg




Diode directionality:
cimg0187v.jpg




Heatshrink or use electrically tape to keep the diodes from shorting out on each other.

Now, attach this newly made harness to the stock wires. You can cut and splice, or just insert into the front or back of the connector. Use a ziptie to keep the wires secure and from falling out.
cimg01931.jpg






At this point, all you need to do is feed the wires through the holes in the trunk, and attach the cathodes will your chosen type of adhesive.
cimg0195m.jpg




That's it! Put away the tools, and open up a nice cold beer!

cimg0196m.jpg



I Will add better quality night shots later...


0403092142.jpg

0403092142a.jpg

0403092143.jpg



The trunk lighting is a little more difficult then the rest. I would recommend first replacing the bulb to see if that satisfies you, since if you are not familiar with diodes and a soldering iron, this mod will take a hour or more. I would still have to say it works GREAT, and provides a very large area of bright light. I wouldn't have done it any way.






3 - Conclusion


These are all very simple mods, and it should cost you $20-50 to do ALL of them, depending on where you live and how many lamps you chose to stuff into your trunk. I completed the license plate and dome lamp mods myself in around 30 minutes, and with this guide, it should take much less time. Trunk lamps should take 30 minutes to and hour and a half, your electrical experience being large determining factor. If you like this guide, please give +rep, or whatever it is you do on these forums! :hihi:

Thank you for reading, best of luck!

-Kevin A Bond
 
Last edited:

mista jc

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Re: DIY Cathode Lighting: License Plate, Dome Lamp, Trunk lighting... **56k=certain d

CCFLs in the dome light?! Looks great, man ! Keep up the work
 

JMillerUA6

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Re: DIY Cathode Lighting: License Plate, Dome Lamp, Trunk lighting... **56k=certain d

VERY nice write-ups :thumbsup:
 

ActNow

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Re: DIY Cathode Lighting: License Plate, Dome Lamp, Trunk lighting... **56k=certain d

Thats awesome
 

henreeezy xp

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Re: DIY Cathode Lighting: License Plate, Dome Lamp, Trunk lighting... **56k=certain d

rep given :thumbup:
 

98ExAccordwv

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Re: DIY Cathode Lighting: License Plate, Dome Lamp, Trunk lighting... **56k=certain d

Nice write up man :thumbup:
 

iHazSnail

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Re: DIY Cathode Lighting: License Plate, Dome Lamp, Trunk lighting... **56k=certain d

:thumbsup:
 

ryan s

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Re: DIY Cathode Lighting: License Plate, Dome Lamp, Trunk lighting... **56k=certain d

thorough write up for sure.

my curiosity wonders...why use ccfls over leds? beside the cost, i mean.

if they tend to burn up, wouldnt you be afraid of being pulled over for no tag lights? at least here in WI, any light out on your car's exterior is a primary offense. meaning...you could be driving back from grandma's house after tea, abiding by the law, even coming to a complete stop...and they can pull you over for a tail lamp out (not to mention a brake light or head light!).

personally, id rather spend a little extra for leds. time vs money, and this time well throw in reliability...
 

juicebox00

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Re: DIY Cathode Lighting: License Plate, Dome Lamp, Trunk lighting... **56k=certain d

very nice write up, i'll probably just do LED's but if i don't this may come in handy
 
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