yanki01

also, is the inverter necessary when tapping into the shifter lights? *noob on LED electrical. thanks

Raven2210

Did mine almost a year ago and the EL wire has just recently gone bad. When I bought mine I got two sets that came with the inverters. I swapped that out just to see if it was the wire or the inverter and it still didn't work. So I have a project on my hands to remove the old wire and replace.

kmaximus

Raven2210, that sux! sorry to hear that! Short life span was one of my concerns with the el wire tech. Initially playing around with em, I shorted 2 strings. I love the look and the install is much easier, but the other issue being locked into one color kept me plugging away for a LED solution

yanki01, if you are going the led route with the pilot tubing, you won't need an inverter that is specifically for the el wire. el wire is a different technology than led and typically uses on 5v vs 12v so the inverter is needed to take the trucks 12v down to 5v.

yanki01

but the pilot LED tubing is a little on the thick side correct? I was thinking your original post of 1.4mm would be sufficient to keep it subtle? not sure if pilot makes them in smaller diameter? I want to avoid any cutting to the cup holder if I can but I also like the fact that the tube will be clear and not noticeable in daylight like the EL wire is.

kmaximus

I think the dark blue matches well and is subtle, the only other color would be that blue/green option. I purchased 4 2ft strings all in the dark blue and once lit, for me, it gives off the same glow as the console lights.

the most important advice and I can offer regarding the el wire is to keep the bends loose, no sharp angles. doing so especially with the 1.4mm will short out the wire and cause it to stop working. when you start to curve it in the middle area of the cupholder keep that bend as rounded as possible. I killed 2 strings at that spot

http://www.thatscoolwire.com/store/i...SKU=WY-C14-12v

yanki01

hopefully others that have tried other methods will chime in on their product used. i'll have to go to autozone to see how "blue" the pilot LED flex tube is.

yanki01

http://www.f150leds.com/f150-cup-holder-ring-kit

is that yours in this picture, video? it looks like they used the EL wire?

kmaximus

Wow, guess I should have patented my design, that's new to me. Sure looks like my setup. I'm on my phone, I'll have to take a closer look when I get to a pc

kmaximus

yup, took a closer look at the pictures on their site and those are my pics. check post 19 in this thread and its the same water bottle pic.

i hate that someone is selling my idea for profit but thats what i get for not protecting it I guess...

yanki01

true, but it shows that they can't get their own pictures of their own product. for all we know, they saw your thread and bought the same items and are selling them for more for profit.