Upfitter switch pilot lights?
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Posting Guru
Joined: Nov 2005
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From: Wyandotte, Michigan
Upfitter switch pilot lights?
Anyone know if it's possible to put a couple small pilot lights on my dash to help remind me if I have my upfitter switches on? I had my mechanic wire my strobes into Aux 1 & 2 switches and as you well know there is only the small little light on the end of the switch. I have caught myself driving down the road with strobes on thanks to my daughter playing with them.
Junior User
Joined: Aug 2005
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From: Ames, Iowa
Check out your Radio Shack store, they have quite an assortment of LED's that would look nice in the dash. Just power the LED's with the same wire you used for your strobes. That way when the stobes are on you LED would light up.
Fleet Mechanic
Joined: Apr 2007
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From: NH
You can use the LED 's but make sure it is not wired in series. You will need to add a resistor in series with the LED though. The value will be determined by the turn on current of the LED. As a guess if you have 20ma of turn-on current @12 V you will need about a 600 ohm resistor at a 1/4 Watt (minimum).
Depending on the type of Strobe you have if the current draw of the srobe varies you may have some flicker from the LED.
Depending on the type of Strobe you have if the current draw of the srobe varies you may have some flicker from the LED.
Junior User
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 59
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From: Ames, Iowa
They also have blinking LED's that would somewhat simulate an alarm, I've thought about it myself when I first got to college and was strapped for cash, a $.02 LED costs alot less than an alarm and would hopefully do the same thing. Long story short, I never did it, never bought an alarm and never had any trouble.
But like Dave brought up... those LED's don't always run on 12v so you may need a resistor, unless you have a 12V one. If you have a 12V LED for each switch then you wire each LED to each upfitter power wire, just like you wired to your strobes. I'm not 100% sure it'll work but if it doesn't the LEDs are cheap and worth a shot.
But like Dave brought up... those LED's don't always run on 12v so you may need a resistor, unless you have a 12V one. If you have a 12V LED for each switch then you wire each LED to each upfitter power wire, just like you wired to your strobes. I'm not 100% sure it'll work but if it doesn't the LEDs are cheap and worth a shot.
Posting Guru
Joined: Dec 2006
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From: NorCal
I added a LED to my dash because I have some backup lights hooked up to my upfitter switch #1 and want to be sure that I don't forget when I have them on!
I drilled a hole just above my a/c vent and installed the led:
I drilled a hole just above my a/c vent and installed the led:
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