28 replies to this topic

[djshongo]

Model:sprite
Year:1993
Description of problem (please be as in depth as possible):how to light up interior?

Hi folks,

Just looking to see if anybody has lit up the interior of the car in any way. As we all know, the switch panel of the mini is desperatley missing sum light, esp at night time!

Was thinking about doing something about this, maybe wire up sum switched lights..?! Suggestions?

Cheers
johnny

[cooperdan]

minispares/ moss

do a illumination kit which lights your switchs up....have look

[Min E]

Danny's fitted flat, blue LED strip lights under the parcel shelf on both sides, wired up to the panel/side light circuit.

Depending on what dash you've got you could perhaps fit some sort of 'downlighter' over the switches. A bit like a small numberplate light.

[cooperdan]

Danny's fitted flat, blue LED strip lights under the parcel shelf on both sides, wired up to the panel/side light circuit.

Depending on what dash you've got you could perhaps fit some sort of 'downlighter' over the switches. A bit like a small numberplate light.

Good idea

[djshongo]

Danny's fitted flat, blue LED strip lights under the parcel shelf on both sides, wired up to the panel/side light circuit.

Depending on what dash you've got you could perhaps fit some sort of 'downlighter' over the switches. A bit like a small numberplate light.

yea was thinkin of sumthin like that!

just gotta figure out how to do it now!

[Retro_10s]

Minispares sell a proper kit for this exact situation (as pointed out by 'cooperdan'), that only requires novice level of skills to install and leaves you with a professional, reliable system.

It really is the tidiest, most aesthetically pleasing method of getting your switch panel illuminated..... but it may not be the cheapest.

[djshongo]

Been on there, but cant seem to find the right thing :s
All I can see is the switches for sale seperatley.. am I blind lol

[Retro_10s]

....It's the first Product that appears if you search for 'Illumination'.

[newdawn1st]

Been on there, but cant seem to find the right thing :s
All I can see is the switches for sale seperatley.. am I blind lol

10 seconds later, bam! Here you go >>clicky.<< searchs are a wild beast and you need to know how to tame them

[djshongo]

got it! I was on the wrong mini spares site... doh! lol

[djshongo]

Ohhhh that looks nice! And the wee chime is a real seller! Anybody fitted this?

I dont think all of my switches CAN light up?! Thought they were solid plastic

[Retro_10s]

Depends what you have fitted, but the Hazard switch lights up, the brake fail lamp test switch will light, and so will the rear screen demister (if fitted), fog lamp switch (if fitted)

the headlamp switch is usually blank...

[newdawn1st]

Depends what you have fitted, but the Hazard switch lights up, the brake fail lamp test switch will light, and so will the rear screen demister (if fitted), fog lamp switch (if fitted)

the headlamp switch is usually blank...

Would I be right in thinking that it uses the telltale bulb for this purpose then? If so doesn't it kind of defeat the purpose of the brake fail lamp test switch>

[djshongo]

Yea you're right, my headlamp switch is blank

Im sure i could buy one with a light tho?

[Min E]

This:

http://www.minispare...00/MSSK2007.jpg

Appears to actually light the bulbs that are bult into the switches themselves...Yes?

That could be very confusing if you actually needed to have one of the switches 'on'

But...If that was what you wanted to achieve you wouldn't need to go to the expense of a 'control boxed' kit.

Each of the switches has a small contact on either side, one is earthed the other is fed from the harness of the item it is switching.

Simply unclip that feed, insulate the wire with heat shrink tubing or simmilar, and then loop a feed to each of the switches with a wire from the side-light circuit.

Hey Presto!!!!!Job done....free....and you'd have to do all that work to fit the kit anyway.




Having said all that above I have realised that to have the bulbs alight all the time would probably damage the swich from the contained heat they produce.

When you think about it the illuminated switches are all on items that are only suppsed to be on for a short time which is probably why the headlight switch itself is not illuminated.

One idea to perhaps alieviate the heat problem would be to use a voltage dropper resistor and a diode to feed the bulbs and then they would just glow and then get brighter when they were swiched on.

I'll put my thinking cap on and try to come up with a simple circuit.

Edited by MINY, 20 November 2009 - 02:32 PM.