Lighted glovebox

[B.D.F.]

We lost a lot of info. moving from the old forum to this one so I was poking through some old photos and thought I would re-post some of them. This one is about how I added lights to the glovebox on my '08 C-14.

The glovebox is really handy but I found it to be problematic anytime I was on the bike and it was dark. A lot of my riding is done at night and this situation got old pretty fast. So I put a couple of white LEDs on either side of the box, wired them externally and inserted the LED itself into a small hole drilled into the box itself. Note the resistor in series with the LEDs, it is a 1K- Ohm resistor and the two LEDs are wired in series. There is no switch, they are on anytime the ignition is on but they should last for over 100,000 hours and only draw 8 ma of current so that is not a problem. They do not get warm in use either.







A silly farkle for sure but surprisingly handy.

Brian

[Pokey]

What is the title of that  one song? Ah................."Too much time on my hands"!!!

[B.D.F.]

Could be, but then again, I can find the button to the garage door opener every single time now rather than the ole' 'stab and hope' method. It works even better when my wife asks me to turn up the volume on her headset just a tad: that used to take a streetlight and a lot of bad words to accomplish. 

Machines should serve me (us) and if it is the other way around, something is terribly wrong. I have spent my entire lifetime beating serving devices to be better servers.

Besides all that, how in the world would I read books in the glovebox when I am on a trip unless there was some light in there?

Brian

What is the title of that  one song? Ah................."Too much time on my hands"!!!

[booger]

I like it.

I also like to ride at night and have the same problem.  I carry my surefire in the box, but it takes up too much room.

I am not much on electrical stuff.  Why the resistor?  Where did you tie into the ignition?  Where did you purchase the LED's?

Thanks

[B.D.F.]

The resistor limits the amount of current that can pass through the circuit: if you wire the LEDs to 12 volts directly they just burn up instantly. You can buy the LEDs and the resistor at Radio Shack- there is probably $4 worth of parts there. I tied into the accessory lead for the (+) side and tied the ground side (-) to the front screw that holds the glove box on. The accessory lead is under the top / left fairing cover, inside the black rubber boot; it is buried in there so you have to fish around a bit for it. The (+) lead is a female bullet connector (4mm or 5/32 inch diameter) so you will need a male bullet connector to connect to it. They are readily available at auto supply stores like Auto Zone, etc.

I soldered mine together but you could just crimp all the connections with butt splices and a crimping tool, again readily available at auto supply stores. It is a simple job, just remember that LEDs have polarity and must be wired in the correct direction regarding (+) and (-). Absolutely nothing bad will happen if you wire it backwards, the LEDs simply will not light. If you are unfamiliar with wiring I suggest temporarily wiring it by holding the wires together with tape (any tape, even Scotch tape) to get it working and then crimp or solder everything later.

Brian

Edited to correct bad data: small white LEDs are reverse voltage limited to 5 volts, at least some of them. Do NOT wire them backwards.

I like it.

I also like to ride at night and have the same problem.  I carry my surefire in the box, but it takes up too much room.

I am not much on electrical stuff.  Why the resistor?  Where did you tie into the ignition?  Where did you purchase the LED's?

Thanks

[booger]

The resistor limits the amount of current that can pass through the circuit: if you wire the LEDs to 12 volts directly they just burn up instantly. You can buy the LEDs and the resistor at Radio Shack- there is probably $4 worth of parts there. I tied into the accessory lead for the (+) side and tied the ground side (-) to the front screw that holds the glove box on. The accessory lead is under the top / left fairing cover, inside the black rubber boot; it is buried in there so you have to fish around a bit for it. The (+) lead is a female bullet connector (4mm or 5/32 inch diameter) so you will need a male bullet connector to connect to it. They are readily available at auto supply stores like Auto Zone, etc.

I soldered mine together but you could just crimp all the connections with butt splices and a crimping tool, again readily available at auto supply stores. It is a simple job, just remember that LEDs have polarity and must be wired in the correct direction regarding (+) and (-). Absolutely nothing bad will happen if you wire it backwards, the LEDs simply will not light. If you are unfamiliar with wiring I suggest temporarily wiring it by holding the wires together with tape (any tape, even Scotch tape) to get it working and then crimp or solder everything later.

Brian

Brian,

Much apppreciated.  Now I know what I will be doing this Saturday.

[SVonhof]

Great little addition Brian!

I don't feel the need to add lights to my glovebox now as my garage door opener is normally in my jacket pocket so I can just press it when riding down the street, but it is an easy mod and I already have resistors and white LED's laying around from other projects!

BTW, if you wire the LED's backwards, many times they will burn up. No big deal if you have a bunch, but a problem if you only have a few.

[B.D.F.]

Glad to help if I can.

It is a silly little project but the benefits are all out of proportion to the time and money spent IMO.

Brian

Brian,

Much apppreciated.  Now I know what I will be doing this Saturday.

[Jeremy Mitchell]

What a great idea, I might just have to try that.  I think I even have an extra LED strip laying around in my garage.  That would keep me from wiring in a resistor.

[B.D.F.]

Thanks.

I just looked up a data sheet for a generic white LED of 20 ma and you are absolutely correct- the max. reverse voltage is 5 volts! My mistake: do NOT wire the LEDs backwards! Thanks for the correction.

Brian

Great little addition Brian!

I don't feel the need to add lights to my glovebox now as my garage door opener is normally in my jacket pocket so I can just press it when riding down the street, but it is an easy mod and I already have resistors and white LED's laying around from other projects!

BTW, if you wire the LED's backwards, many times they will burn up. No big deal if you have a bunch, but a problem if you only have a few.

[stevewfl]

my lighted glovebox works same as my lighted trunk an panniers:

"sweetheart please hold this flashlight a sec"

[koval68]

my lighted glovebox works same as my lighted trunk an panniers:

"sweetheart please hold this flashlight a sec"

[Bob]

 I did that mod as well. I use to keep the tools needed to get under the left filler panel in the glove box (to get to the grey plug) if the KIPASS screwed up again. The problem was the the KIPASS would fail at night and I couldn't see in the glove box, because I couldn't turn the key on! 






Only kidding. I actually like the mod. Simple little things can make things much more convenient! 

[koval68]

...or a lot more complicated, when things go wrong.
I will continue to use my good old flashlight, and since you got me so paranoid about the KIPASS.....maybe some extra batteries and I will need a trailer for my toolbox...
Like someone said before...:
Styx - Too Much Time On My Hands Live 1996

[Bob]

That was great to watch. That said it was in 1996 and the guys already looked old. Well Tommy Shaw didn't look too old. I'd hate to see what they look like now!    Probably as bad as most of us! 

[SVonhof]

For those that might be scared of your Kipass not working, which means no light in the glovebox, you can use batteries to light the LED's and wire in a switch that only allows the LED's to come on when the door is opened...  Would take a little more work, but it could be done and the batteries would last a long time.

[koval68]

That was great to watch. That said it was in 1996 and the guys already looked old. Well Tommy Shaw didn't look too old. I'd hate to see what they look like now!    Probably as bad as most of us! 

I love that song!
You got that right, I try not to look in the mirror too much.....and take my shirt off.

[B.D.F.]

Yep, that would be an alternative method but I think the switch and wiring inside the glovebox (for the switch) would get overly complicated. Besides that, if someone is really worried about KiPass not working, there is no point in making a [KiPass proof glove box light] in my opinion; better to just get rid of the bike and buy something you like better IMO.

Brian

For those that might be scared of your Kipass not working, which means no light in the glovebox, you can use batteries to light the LED's and wire in a switch that only allows the LED's to come on when the door is opened...  Would take a little more work, but it could be done and the batteries would last a long time.

[TimmyG]

this would be great for the saddle bags

[B.D.F.]

The idea would work anywhere, including the saddlebags or even a top box. You would need some type of electrical disconnect but something inexpensive like a 3/32" phono plug would work and would even pull off safely if you forgot to disconnect it when removing the bags. For the current they draw (8 ma. if I remember correctly) you could string them all over the bike and not make any impact on power consumption.

Brian

this would be great for the saddle bags