For a while now i've been wanting to get my rear center panel wired up with and el panel;

actually ive had the actual el panel since last june when our very own phutumsch converted my 99 spec one.

So over the last week i've been redoing some wiring internally; adding a button here and there and getting things going.

 

Now i didn't want any old switch on my dash but rather some extra cool functionality that i've never seen before in a zed.

 

First off the switch is a small two way brushed aluminum switch which i've placed to the right of the hand break area, its purpose

is to switch a 12v current down two lines going which i installed from the head unit area to the rear of the zed. The first line goes

directly to the el transformer and the second goes into a relay which is triggered by a spur coming off the break light system.

 

So when the switch is in its normal off position the relay is energized and when i break the el lights up along with the other lights.

 

When the switch is on it over rides the relay and powers the el transformer directly.

 

A month or so in the planning and yesterday and today i stripped the zed and wired it all up to this result :

 

 

and this is what i get with the breaks engaged :

 

 

The whole system works perfectly although i think i have a voltage drop via the relay as the el actually lights up more orange now than red.

 

Also it doesn't trigger any bulb warnings in the dash so that's a plus too.

Looks great buddy, really nice. Must get mine done sometime..

Nice work Lee :cool3:.

 

This was my set up at just a year ago, I don't have this no more as I am always trying different things.

 

http://www.300zx.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?157693-Illuminated-Reverse-Panel-Incorporating-3rd-4th-Brake-Light&highlight=brake+light+reverse+panel

Lol, did you get the idea from my original thread ?

 

think ill stop posting ideas until there fitted and tested, haha

Looking good mate defo starting to get the urge back to get mine all done seeing threads like this

Lol, did you get the idea from my original thread ?

 

think ill stop posting ideas until there fitted and tested, haha

 

Just read that thread of yours again and it looks like it give me the idea but as I said way back about strips inside not fitting so I was already experimenting, so you only get half credit !!

 

Also, it was a year ago so yours as certainly took some planning :lol:.

lol, I know, I was only messing, it does look like it but you did state it was a year ago !

Nice work Lee it looks great:thumbup1: looking forward to seeing your zed at JAE mate

Thats a fab set-up and something i have,nt seen before.

Nice work Lee - it looks good mate!!

 

Richard:sorcerer:

I like it!!

Drove the zed to work today and thought the rear panel switch i pain stakenly fitted at the week end was broke.

 

I first thought it was broke when i stopped at the traffic lights as the blue neon light on the button was lit and when

i looked at it it was in the off position so i thought to myself how can it be lit as its only supposed to be lit when depressed.

 

But then as the traffic lights changed i drove off and it turned off again; then i realised that my bad habbit of foot on the break

was actually causing it.

 

With a twist of fate i created a cool feature in that the secondary cable that is suppose to bypass the relay from the switch actually

gets voltage when the relay triggers and in turn lights the led as it has its own seperate ground.

 

So now i know when the rear panel is lit as the switch lights blue when i break and when i press it on permantely.

 

Cool eh !!:cool3:

Nice little outcome there mate, and now truly original. Good job matey.

It is, still have the issue with the panel looking more orange as I'm sure when I tested it a few months back it was much darker red!

It is, still have the issue with the panel looking more orange as I'm sure when I tested it a few months back it was much darker red!

 

I will try and replicate your set up Lee on the bench and see if I get the same thing happening :cool3:.

Looks fantastic mate :thumbup1:

What I'll do is get an extension out and power it up from a dc main adaptor directly at the transformer.

 

Then I'll know for sure, could be I've stuck the wrong transformer on it as I have a few lying around or it simply could be a drop in voltage.