When I bought this Camry the dome light was out. I fixed it, but my car has no way to turn it on without reaching up to the dome. I don't want to do that just to grab something off of the passenger seat, nor do I want to use a flashlight.
So I'm going to make a modification to illuminate the lower center console area. It will be very dim, though, as I don't want the light to interfere with my vision.
Lazy Option: Lighter flashlight. I would simply stick this into the lighter socket and "while charging" it would glow a faint blue, which might provide enough light. However, anyone know if this blue light will turn off after the batteries charged or just stay on the whole time the car is? If it turns off it's useless.
Medium Option: The lighter has a clear ring around it and small bulb behind it. I could remove the lighter and its interior assembly (I have another light socket so no big deal) and secure the bulb in the middle where the lighter is now. I could alter the dimness of the bulb with a rubber cap. Or, I could put a bright LED in there and when I don't want it, create some type of hinged door cap that I could simply close when I want it dark. Any ideas for a cheap cap?
Best Option: I know how to take the whole center console out and the light bulb illuminating the lighter isn't important. So, I could solder thin 2' long wires to the wires for this bulb and run them under the console. I would drill a hole where the center container is and have the wires poking out facing toward the front of the car. I'd then re-solder the bulb housing there, fit it into the hole the wires are coming out of, and insert the bulb (same bulb, colored LED, etc). The light would be facing forward, it wouldn't interfere with the console space, it would illuminate only the lower part of the console, and, if it had a cap (or a switch!?), I'd be able to turn it off. Any suggestions of parts to use, switches, or caps would be appreciated. Thanks!
Linear Mode
