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View Full Version : its xmas time! how to make bass lights



staticpat
12-08-2002, 03:18 PM
how to make your own ricey bass lights for back window or trunk

note: you don't need subs for this, mine worked when i had stock speakers, but aftermarket hu. it may work with the stock hu too, im not sure.

what you want to do is go to walmart or kmart or whatever and get a small strand of battery powered x-mas lites, or even better leds. make sure its the kind that takes 2 C batteries!! its the only kind ive found that work with little adjustment. the strands usually have 15-20 bulbs. i think leds are better because they'll last longer, and probably wont blow as easy. mine have been on for over a year.

ok what your gonna do is cut off the battery box, but make sure you know which wires went into it (positive is red, negative is black). strip the wire, get it ready for splicing. if you know anything about car audio this should be relatively simple.

now somehow hook up the positive and negative ends to the corresponding positive and negatives on one of your back speakers. you'll probably have to take out the speakers to get access to the lines. there relatively easy to remove, all youll need is a 10mm socket.

now just somehow splice or clip the positive from the led strand into the positive power wire for the speaker. do the same for the negative. now set up the lites however you want, mine are outlining the back window, eld with paperclips.

now turn on your cdplayer or stock radio or whatever, and turn the volume on real low. now just tune it until you get enough power going to make the lites blink with the music. youll probably have to fade it to the back and crank the bass. just play with the fades and everything till you get it so they blink at reasoable listening volume.

now this will just hit off the music in general, if you want it to actually blink with the bass you'll need a cheap crossover to split the signal. and you may also want to wire in a toggle switch, so you can turn them off. i have one running to up front under the dashboard in case of cops.

feel free to ask questions, or call me rice. me and a couple friends do this all the time, different set ups in different cars. even covered an audis roofrack with lites.

Bobs89LXi
12-08-2002, 04:34 PM
Bad idea with a high powered amp. With the wattages they produce, it would no doubt blow those lamps big time. If the lamps blow, it may cause an internal short, which would damage your amp. The only way you can wire those things to the output of a high power amp is to use an isolation transformer and rectifier. Never connect anything to your amp that it is not designed to drive. It may cost you big bucks in repair or replacement costs

staticpat
12-08-2002, 06:48 PM
im assuming most people dont have amps to back speakers. im not talking about subs at all, just back speaks. i figure anyone who can afford a huge system wont care much about rigging up $3 xmas lites anyhow.

staticpat
12-08-2002, 06:52 PM
but im glad you told me that, because i had been planning on running real lites off my amp, like and 100 strand. thanks much.

ps. god i have an annoying avatar!

Thorny88Lx
12-10-2002, 10:28 AM
Whats a crossover? My lites stay on constant when i hooked them up to my back speakers.

staticpat
12-10-2002, 10:39 AM
a crossover cuts out certain sound frequency. you want a low pass one, itll cut out all the high sound. you can pick up a cheap one from radioshack or something.

also make sure to still leave the back speaker plugged in too.

safeel
12-11-2002, 08:13 AM
my m8 has that done but he has a bass box with the NEON tube built in. ever seen em?
So when the bass kicks in, the green neon tube lights up, and looks and sounds fucking awesome.