Map Lights Come ON with Dome Light (New Method)

[Pb]

Have you Double Cab owners noticed that when you get in the truck, especially at night, the single dome light just doesn't light up the cab enough? The cab is lit up much better if the map lights are turned on along with the dome light, but who wants to reach into the cab and turn on the map lights everytime you get in and out of the truck?

Well, I figured I'd fix that. Toyota could have easily done this, but decided not to for some reason.

When I open door I want the dome light AND the map lights to come on at the same time. But I also want to be able to turn the map lights on and off independently of the dome light. It took me a couple hours, but I got it to work, and the cab is lit much better now. Entering and leaving the cab seems more "luxurious" .

:EDITED:

This mod has been updated. Click HERE to see the easiest way to do this mod (8-14-07)

[Pb]

:UPDATE:

With the help of a couple other guys, we figured out how to get the same results using a transistor insted of a relay. This method is much better, and doesn't produce the clicking sound that a relay does.

First, here’s the correct diagram.




I found that a 680 Ohm resistor works just right for this. The light dims in unison with the dome light and is just slightly less bright than normal once full brightness is achieved. A 333 ohm resistor will give you full brightness. I like the fact that the map light is not so bright when the door is opened so I left the 680 ohm resistor in place. You could go to a 1K ohm and have it a little dimmer for kind of a mood light. No matter which one you choose you can always get full brightness by depressing the map light switch.




The current draw on the circuit is about .65 amps. This equates to about 8.08 watts. The 2N6667 can handle 10 amps so it is very capable of handling this load. I added a heat sink but I always go overboard when I do something like this. It’s really not needed. CAUTION!!! This package type (TO-220) has the collector tied to the mounting tab so when the light is on there is +12vdc on the tab. You cannot mount this directly to the body else you will have a direct short. I mounted mine to the plastic assembly on the compass using hot melt so I have no problem with this. Also, I soldered the base connection directly to terminal 3 as the plug will still fit if you use a small enough wire. All mine was done with 18ga solid.



Dome light



The wire on the middle of the transistor goes to the bent out terminal on the maplight console.







One other note. There is NO current drain when the door is closed so you do not have to worry about draining the battery if you do not use your truck for a long time.

Thanks to omslaw here's an update to this mod:

Originally Posted by omslaw

For those who would like to have the map lights function correctly with the dome light switch, I just got done wiring mine up and everything works off the dome light switch!

The key is to hook up to the ground contact of the actual dome bulb socket! Instead of tapping into the blue wire, I used a screw to hold a ring terminal onto the ground contact of the socket.

If you pull the dome bulb out and look at the contacts, one of them has a silver 'bus bar' and the other is 'brass'. The silver is the ground. Run your wire from the base of the transistor to this contact. VOILA! When the switch is on 'door' both map and dome lights come on, if it's in the on position, they are all on....and if I put it in 'Off', all lights are off! No need for an add'l switch!

Here are some pics:

Here's the screw on the 'silver' bus side:




And here's the other side with the terminal:





Enjoy!

[MTBBill]

Nice Mod. For the 06 DCs the Doom light does the Fade on and Fade off thing so I'm wondering if anyone has done this Mod on an O6? I'm wondering if the circuit that handles the dimming could handle the additional load of the maplights.

Bill

[bowen1]

The map light mod works very well on the 06. One of the best mods I have done. Just follow the sticky diagram and use the resistor type and all will be well.

[Pb]

Originally Posted by MTBBill

Nice Mod. For the 06 DCs the Doom light does the Fade on and Fade off thing so I'm wondering if anyone has done this Mod on an O6? I'm wondering if the circuit that handles the dimming could handle the additional load of the maplights.

Bill

The 05 and 06 wiring is exactly the same. This maplight mod has been working perfectly for many months now. It's a real nice upgrade to any double cab. I still don't know why Toyota isn't doing this from the factory.

[MTBBill]

Originally Posted by Pb2theMax

The 05 and 06 wiring is exactly the same. This maplight mod has been working perfectly for many months now. It's a real nice upgrade to any double cab. I still don't know why Toyota isn't doing this from the factory.

Thanks, This mod is on the to-do list.

EDIT/UPDATE: I just completed this mod using a TIP42 PNP tranisistor. I had my laptop out in the garage (with the wireless connection) to this thread for reference. Cool Stuff, and thanks for the effort to document the mod.

[Pb]

Originally Posted by MTBBill

Thanks, This mod is on the to-do list.

EDIT/UPDATE: I just completed this mod using a TIP42 PNP tranisistor. I had my laptop out in the garage (with the wireless connection) to this thread for reference. Cool Stuff, and thanks for the effort to document the mod.

Cool. Glad I could help. Do you like the results? The cab looks a lot more luxurious huh? What size resistor did you use? I ended up using a 333 ohm for maximum light.

This is certainly one of my favorite mods.

[MTBBill]

Originally Posted by Pb2theMax

Cool. Glad I could help. Do you like the results? The cab looks a lot more luxurious huh? What size resistor did you use? I ended up using a 333 ohm for maximum light.

This is certainly one of my favorite mods.

I went with the 680 ohm resistor since I had one in my bin. I am very happy with results, the front is really bright now.

[Turtleboy]

where do you get these resistors at? Can you possibly retake the pic of the resistor installed so its clear? Thanks for all your great mods!

[Pb]

Originally Posted by Turtleboy

where do you get these resistors at? Can you possibly retake the pic of the resistor installed so its clear? Thanks for all your great mods!

you can get resistors at any RadioShack. You should be able to find everything you need at RadioShack, including a transistor.

The value of resistors is labeled by color stripes. Read this.

http://xtronics.com/kits/rcode.htm

Anybody at RadioShack should be able to help you find the right one. They are sold in packs. You don't have to get the exact resistance, a 5% or 10% variance is OK. A resistors physical size and power handling is rated by watts. A 1/4 or 1/2 watt resistor will be fine for this application.

Resistors don't have a polarity. It doesn't matter which end you connect to.

[Turtleboy]

I picked up a transistor and a pack of resistors. Could you help me out on which wires go to what? I picked up the TIP42 PNP transistor. It says viewed with heat sink down, is that the side where you can see the metal tab or the bulkier black side that the wires come out from? And now that is squared away and I know which pins are 1, 2 and 3, where does pin 1, 2 and 3 get wired into? Thanks!

[Pb]

Originally Posted by Turtleboy

I picked up a transistor and a pack of resistors. Could you help me out on which wires go to what? I picked up the TIP42 PNP transistor. It says viewed with heat sink down, is that the side where you can see the metal tab or the bulkier black side that the wires come out from? And now that is squared away and I know which pins are 1, 2 and 3, where does pin 1, 2 and 3 get wired into? Thanks!

The metal part is the heatsink. Don't touch it to ground.

There should be a diagram on the back of the transistor package as to which terminal is which. The 3 terminals on a transistor are named: Base, Collector, and Emitter.


Base goes to the blue dome light wire.
Collector goes to +12v.
Emitter goes to the map light terminal.

Refer to the diagram I posted on page 1.

And don't forget to put the resistor inline on the wire from the dome light.

[Rice Toy]

Just completed the mod using a 1/2 watt 680 ohm resistor.

The map lights are very dim with this resistor - barely having any effect. Is it because of the 1/2 Watt as opposed to 1/4 watt? Or do I just need to get a lower ohm resistor? Since I don't think the wattage has anything to do with it, I would recommend either the 330 ohm, or something just above that like a 400-something ohm.

Also, I have noticed that after getting in the truck, closing the door and starting, the map lights remain powered slightly with a very weak orange glow after the dome light goes out - probably only noticeable at night. They remain like this while driving, until the truck is turned-off and the dome light goes out.

Otherwise, everything works great. Has anyone else noticed this?

[bowen1]

The 330 ohm resistor is the hot ticket!

[Pb]

Originally Posted by Rice Toy

Just completed the mod using a 1/2 watt 680 ohm resistor.

The map lights are very dim with this resistor - barely having any effect. Is it because of the 1/2 Watt as opposed to 1/4 watt? Or do I just need to get a lower ohm resistor? Since I don't think the wattage has anything to do with it, I would recommend either the 330 ohm, or something just above that like a 400-something ohm.

Also, I have noticed that after getting in the truck, closing the door and starting, the map lights remain powered slightly with a very weak orange glow after the dome light goes out - probably only noticeable at night. They remain like this while driving, until the truck is turned-off and the dome light goes out.

Otherwise, everything works great. Has anyone else noticed this?

Yeah, you need a 300 to 350 ohm resistor. The wattage has nothing to do with the brightness. 1/2 watt is fine.

As for the dim light that remains on, I think it could be the transistor. What kind are you using? I haven't seen or heard of that problem before. Make sure all your connections are clean. Go to the lower ohm resistor and then see if anything different happens.