Just figured I would copy and share my write up on KCPMC on this in case anyone wanted to do it.

Well, here is the very basics to this mod.

First I started out at Radio Shack and picked up a small variety pack of 5mm LEDs and a pack of 560ohm resistors. I got the variety pack because it was actually cheaper than buying the LEDs seperately and it had 4 red ones in it so in case I messed one up I would have a couple extras.

These first few sanding steps can be skipped if you want to order your LEDs from http://www.superbrightleds.com since they actually sell 5mm LEDs that are already flat on top. This would save you some work if you want to wait on them to be shipped to you. I had the means to make them myself, so I did it this way.

First thing I did was to take my dremel tool and stack a bunch of sanding disks on top of eachother. This was to make it more solid so I would end up with a more true flat surface on the LED.


Next I sanded down the rounded end of the LED so that it was flat.


Here's after the dremel sanding. I used a green one just for these pics since I probably won't ever use it anyway and I already had the ones in my cupholders done.


Next I laid a piece of 1000 grit sandpaper on a block of wood (again, just to keep things flat) and wetsanded the end of the led to take the roughness off from the dremel sanding.



Here's the LED after the wetsanding. Not totally clear but much smoother than just after the dremel, and this probably diffuses the light a little better anyway.


Next you need to wire up your LEDs and resistor. You will need a short piece of wire to connect in between the LEDs. When I soldered mine together, I covered all of the wires and resistor with shrink tube so there were no bare wires when I was finished. Here is a very helpful website for calculating what resistors to use if you decide to use different/more/less LEDs - http://ledcalc.com/


Now you will have to remove the top of your center console. I measured out and drilled one hole in each cupholder with a 13/64 drill bit. I then inserted the LED circuit I made in from the bottom of the cupholders. The LEDs fit very tightly and could probably be left as is, but I did use a drop of glue on the bottom side of each one to make sure they never fell out. You can also see in this picture where I marked true center of the cupholder if it were a complete circle. I ended up changing this since most bottles will not fill the entire cupholder. There was a slight ring on the bottom of the cupholder left behind from cans and such, so I centered the LED in that circle so it would end up more centered under a bottle. After thinking about this a while, I am glad I did this. I think they would have looked odd over closer to that flat edge of the bottom.


Now all that's left is to wire your LED circuit to power and ground. I will leave these decisions up to you. I used a switch to turn mine on and off and got power from the auxillary power outlet on the front passenger side of the console. This is a constant 12v source. You could also easily tap power from the light bulb in the shifter display if you would like them to just come on and dim with the rest of the car's lights. You could get fancy with a mercury switch on the cupholder itself also if you wanted them to just some on when you open the cupholders. As for the ground, the easiest place was directly below the cupholder to one of the two 10mm bolts that hold the center console in place, which is where I grounded mine.

I highly suggest using some sort of disconnects so that you can easily unhook the wires in the event you need to remove the top of the center console. It also makes wiring easier since you can get it all ready then just plug it right in when you put the top of the console back on. I used these on both my power and ground wires.


Here's the finished product.





My switch location. I already had a switch there from an old performance shift install which I changed once I got a perf shift knob, so I just made use of what was already here.

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That's actually kind of cool. I like how it makes the Smirnoff look pink. Just don't drive with it in the car!!! LOL

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One Big Ass Mistake America

Awesome write up. I did this over the weekend and it turned out great. I also put 2 leds in the big cubby hole under the ash tray. Thanks for putting this on here.

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Dubs:00 VW GTI VR6, Low and Slow 91 VW GTI 8v, Shave the Bay!! 91 VW Cabriolet 8v, bitch Basket
GP's:04 GP GT, Past now G-Ma's Girlfriend's 97 GP GT, "Project Pink Power"

not bad, clean install...

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Custom Tails to come eventually, possibly, hopefully!

Now that's pretty cool!

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Mods: Vector ECM/TCM tune | VG Sharkfin | Volant CAI w/Amsoil Filter | Spyder Tails | GXP Rear Diffuser | Debadge | SLP Spoiler
Erebus: 2000 Grand Prix GTP Sedan
2009.5 G8 GT
GPONA's June COTM 2011 & March 2012

nice mod

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http://www.cardomain.com/ride/3305211

so me and krayman have been talking about doing this for a loooong time....hopefully this will be simple enough to guide us through it if we do decide to try it lol, im not too much of a handyman but, a project is always fun...thanks for the write up

Great writeup. Real nice mod. My LED is a little bright though, shines right in the eyes when you're looking to back up.

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[url=http://www.xboxlc.com/profile/austin0150]

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you dont even want to see my led's

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Mother of God. How many are there and where did you get them?

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[url=http://www.xboxlc.com/profile/austin0150]

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Hove any other pics of all them led's?

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Air Bagged Impala SS

That's my one. Unfortunately it is aimed almost directly at my face.

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[url=http://www.xboxlc.com/profile/austin0150]

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oh right. i have roughly 70 blue lights and 30 white

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Ouch... I was thinking about putting mine in the Dakota, dang cab is so dark at night. However, if I don't keep it, what's the point lol. I also don't trust myself with electrical stuff, I get too nervous lol.

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Mods: Vector ECM/TCM tune | VG Sharkfin | Volant CAI w/Amsoil Filter | Spyder Tails | GXP Rear Diffuser | Debadge | SLP Spoiler
Erebus: 2000 Grand Prix GTP Sedan
2009.5 G8 GT
GPONA's June COTM 2011 & March 2012

mine turned out pretty good. i did cupholders, under dash, and rear floor

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So was I at first, but after doing a couple little projects and wiring an amp in my car I got less scared of it. Now I'll run wire without a second thought =P

Something like an LED cupholder is a great first project and is something you'll see every time you turn the lights on. Seeing the results of my work always perks me up. Give it a shot!

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Day late and a dollar short with pics....
You can only slightly see the LED's in the cubby in the second pic. I should have taken better pics way back when.

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Dubs:00 VW GTI VR6, Low and Slow 91 VW GTI 8v, Shave the Bay!! 91 VW Cabriolet 8v, bitch Basket
GP's:04 GP GT, Past now G-Ma's Girlfriend's 97 GP GT, "Project Pink Power"

awhhhh how cute matt =P

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Gt2256v, FMIC, Port & Polish Head, Stage 2 Colt Cam. Rosten Rods, PD150 Pistons, Oil Cooler, Fuel Cooler, Diablo W/M kit, Built 5 speed with LSD
I work on enough GP's to know I don't want to own one =P

how many leds can you jumper together?

It depends on the LED, the resistor, etc etc.

FWIW I highly recommend installing a voltage regulator as well. LED's are very sensitive to voltage, and I would hate to see someone set this up just to have the LED's fail from overvoltage. I got a pack of 5 7812's at my local electronics supply store for $2.

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[url=http://www.xboxlc.com/profile/austin0150]

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i always do 1 led 1 resistor
i also use home speaker wire as the pwr and ground since it's small enough and it has the wires stick together

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ok because i want to do some lighting under the dash and like under the seats so it lights up the rear floor area but i want it all on one on off switch. I was thinking I can do the cupholders and also run wires to these locations so that this one switch controls it all. DOes that make sence? Would i just run a bunch of wires off the switch that have a resister and a few leds? Will this draw too much off of the shift indicator light? Sorry if this is jumbled im not good with electronics and trying to figure out the smartest and cleanest way of doing this. Any imput would be awesome. Thanks