Help: How do I install LED strip lights with marine panel?

[TheGoodEgg]

I bought both LED light stirps and a marine panel. I need some help on how to connect the switch on the marine panel to the LED strips so that it will be one when I open the door or lower the gate. A diagram or tutorial would be nice. I looked everywhere it seems people were kind of vague on how they installed the thing. Lastly, is it possible to have it trigger on when the gate is lowered?

s and this marine panel.

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[oysterville]

I think that the people who you saw that installed them have the experience that you don't seem to have. It might be best to find a local shop to do it for you if you don't know where to begin.

That's much better than doing something really costly to your electrical on a new truck.

 

[chiko]

I will try. This is probably a pretty good first learning experience and you have to start somewhere.
The important part is NOT the face of the marine switch but the backside. I installed a similar one. I apologize in advance but I have mine loomed up so tight that I cannot perfectly see what I did and have to go from memory but it was recent. I checked my bed and there are no good options for a tailgate activated. I have a hood activated body ground switch installed but there is no room in the tailgate area.

1)
Ford supplied a tap or "bare wire tap" so that you can leverage the 12V accessory port near the tailgate. Find that tap. Mine was in the glove box but it might be with the tire change tools. Its about 12" of wire and converts that harness piece to just two bare wires hot and ground. Hot will be with black with a white stripe. GND will be no stripe. I have a blanking panel near the tailgate and removing that blanking panel shows where that tap plugs into. Not sure what you have back there

2)
Make sure the LED strips work. 9V battery is good enough to confirm they work. Looks like these all have clips to be strung together but at some point you are going to have to expose bare wire.

3)
Not a step in the process, just my habit. I DO EVERYTHING BACKWARDS. I do NOT tap into a hot and bring it progressively to the load (in you case lights). I do all my wiring on a dead circuit and then make a final connection. If I fucked up, a fuse will blow exactly at that time but no chance of blowing fuses as I figure it out what I am doing.

4)
Since you have that Marine switch you have a good test case. My marine switch, like yours, included a volt meter. So do everything backwards and tie the disconnected from the truck Ford provided tap such that BLK/WHT stripe is connected with RED on the switch. BLK with BLK on the switch. THEN turn the key so that at least ACCESSORIES are lighted and confirm the bed light is ON. THEN plug the Ford provide tap into the connector on the truck. It should light up the voltmeter and show number of volts. I have been doing this stuff for so long that I did not contemplate doing it wrong, but I have enough knowledge that since almost everything now is Light Emitting Diodes, and I know what I diode does; NOTHING BAD WILL HAPPEN. Worst case is that you did the wiring wrong and a fuse will blow but these LEDs draw so little current I cannot see this happening. If the voltmeter is dark, disconnect, flip the leads from the Ford provided tap to hot and ground and try again making sure the bed light is on from the ACC key position.

5)
If the voltmeter works, disconnect the switch panel from the truck and do the rest of it disconnected from the truck. You can disconnect the female blue connectors from the panel or I would prefer disconnect the tap from the truck. It does NOT matter electrically but the Ford disconnects seem to be more durable than the female generics.

Now that the switch and POWER and a LOAD (based on the volt meter) are confirmed you can proceed but disconnected from the truck using a 9V battery instead..

6)
With a working voltmeter on the panel, vaguely do lights layout in the truck bed to figure out how to route the wires. Hook up a 9V battery where you previously tapped in the Ford accesory tap and connect the lights to each other and to the switch panel on the back using the generic female disconnects. 9V is a stand-in for the truck, voltmeter should show 9V, cigarrete lighter port should also be 9V constant but that is not important. You can test the USB but I am not sure what it will do with 9V instead of the intended 12V. Nothing bad. The switch should be able to toggle the LED strip lights on and off.

7)
Electricity is easy. Physics is HARD. Now you have to start making commitments. Automotive electronics need to be protected because they are exposed to things that electricity hates: foul weather, vibration, and lots of sharp metal edges. Attach the lights, route the wires, and use wire loom and zip ties to protect as best you can against those hazards.

8)
I mounted the switch panel in the plastic cover over the bed cubby. Think about where you want to mount yours. I screwed up the first time as I wanted to make sure that the switches would not come into contact with a 4x8 sheet in the half tailgate position but then I had a brain fade and it did so I had to do it again.

9)
Once everything is connected physically, do a final test with the 9V. If everything works as expected, connect the Ford truck tap to the switch panel and then plug the tap into the truck accessory harness.

Regular electrical tape is for temporary use only. First it melts in the hot conditions. Then it gets brittle with age. Then the vibrations cause the tape to disintegrate to dust and flakes. Also IMO, vampire taps should be forbidden.

 

[chiko]

Edit completed.

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