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Omelet's LED Rock Lights!

16K views 28 replies 14 participants last post by  Frank728 
#1 ·
This is for those of you who would like to do the same thing. Total cost was about $40.

First thing was to get some lights. I knew I wanted LEDs, so I started looking around. All the kits I found were $100-200 and were pods. I was ok with spending that amount, but then I found the LED strips and decided to give them a try. I bought mine off ebay for $35:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=380352363111&ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT

It was a 5 meter waterproof roll with 600 white LEDs.



My main concerns were 1. Were they going to be bright enough and 2. Was I going to be able to make 4 pieces out of the one. I knew I could cut the strip every three LEDs, but not sure I could connect wires after ever cut.

So first thing I did was cut 3 LEDs off the end (about 1"). Here you can see the lines where you can cut:



And here is the test subject:



I used a 9V battery to test each strand after they were finished.



Now that I knew they would work I made some measurements and began the build. After cutting I had to trim the waterproof seal to expose the leads.



Now I am not the most capable guy with a soldering iron, but I made it work.



Then I used some heat shrink and sealed the end.



And tested it with a 9V.

 
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#2 ·
I decided to mount the front one on the 4xGuard skid. I don't see them getting hit in that crevice, and they are at a good angle to provide ample light to the front skids. It measures 27”



The rear was also mounted to a 4xGuard skid. This time the leading edge shooting the light in and down to illuminate the axle, suspension, and skid. It measures 30”



Because they are attached to removable skids I had to wire in disconnects so that I can still drop the skids when needed.

On the sides I found a wonderfully angled surface that ran the full length of the rocker. As nice as it would have been to mount the lights to the 4xGuard sliders or frame for max light dispersion, this spot was the best for protection. They measure 57”



All that was left now was the wiring. I ran all the wires up into the engine compartment with the rest of my wires to connect the relay and then to the fuse box.
 
#3 ·
Luckily this took me long enough to do that I did not have to wait for night. I finished at about 2100 so it was nice and dark. I snapped a few pix of the light show before I parked it for the night.

Before:



After:



The Rear:



And looking up at the sides:



These suckers are a lot brighter than I was expecting (that's a good thing
). I plan to take more pix somewhere besides my driveway. So check back later!

All of the LED strips were just stuck on using the already applied tape. In the rear you can see I used zip-ties to better secure it to the skid because the holes were already there. I plan to do the same with the front after I drill a few small holes. The side will be a little different and will basically be screwed down with little brackets that I have not made yet. So more on that later. For now even after them sitting all night a going for a drive this morning they are holding strong, but I would rather not rely solely on the tape.

The last thing I plan to do but ran out of time last night, is to tap into the interior lighting. I want to make it so that when I unlock the car or open a door the Rock Lights illuminate. It is really just one more wire with a diode, but as I said I ran out of time.
 
#5 ·
Update!

I had to go out the other night and decided to snap some night shots of the rock lights. I pulled up onto a pile of rocks and sand to try to simulate off road conditions where I will need to see rocks under the Jeep. Unfortunately all I had was my phone which doesn't take the greatest night shots. I will have to bring a real camera the next time! Enjoy!

















 
#7 ·
Thanks man! Saw this on the other forum. I'll be doing this soon-looking forward to it :)
 
#9 ·
pretty freaking cool dude.
 
#13 ·
That's American innovation. Nice work!
 
#15 ·
Amazing. Those are sick. its like daylight under the jeep. Have you tried and see how far the lights would go outward?? Like an led light bar on top.
 
#20 ·
Thanks Guys!

I used the interior light that is under the dash in the drive side foot well. I just ran a jumper over the my switch. The tricky part was figuring out the wiring! Since Jeep uses the negative as the trigger instead of the positive, I had to get a new switch and completely rewire everything from my original design. I will post a diagram for those who are interested.
 
#21 ·
Yes!!! please :) The more wiring diagrams the better, so ppl like me dont start fires :) More good work and thanks!!
 
#22 ·
Here you go!





And here is the switch I got:




Unfortunately I was not able to use the LEDs in the switch because of how it had to be wired. The the switch works just fine! With the switch down it is tied into the interior lights, middle is off, and up in rock light only. The wife is really enjoying it too. She is a big fan of the courtesy lights at night!
 
#23 ·
also thought i would add that if you make all of your wire lengths the same you shouldnt have any line drop and all the lights should be the same brightness......example being that if it takes 15' to reach the back you should use 15' to reach the front ....
 
#24 ·
looks good. nice work
 
#27 ·
This is awesome, I may have to copy!

Are the LEDs holding up well? Have any burned out?
They are holding up great! I haven't had a single problem with them. I usually take the time to wipe each strip clean while I am under there touching up the skids after I get back from a day of wheeling. That keeps them shining nice and bright!


Nate how'd ya run the wires from each strip? Are they all wired as one? My strips should be in soon
Well the wires from the rear come up the drive side and mate with that strip, then procede up into the engine compartment where it meets up with the front and passenger wires. There I spliced them all together and then to the relay.
 
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