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WK (and possibly others) LED lighted cupholders

116K views 806 replies 148 participants last post by  w6pea 
#1 · (Edited)
**** And we are live! http://jeep-core.com/

Okay guys, as promised, here are a few pics of how I made and installed my lighted LED cupholder rings. Had I known the response would have been so positive I would have documented things a little better. I think you'll get the gist of things though.

I'll start by saying that this isn't exactly easy to replicate unless you have access to a CNC. I build small form factor computers as a hobby, and I make frequent use of the CNC for those projects. I've only now started playing with it on other projects. It's small, but more than adequate for the work I typically do.

I took a few measurements and came up with a simple design in CAD. I converted the design for milling and pulled out some 5mm acrylic I had left over from a previous project.



I clamped it to the CNC and let her rip.



A few minutes later I was left with a small disk with a recessed pocket.



With the backing peeled...



I used Little Dot SMD LED Accent Lights. They are pretty cheap, and already have the resisters built in, along with substantially long lead wires. They fit perfectly in the smaller pocket I milled in the disk. In this pic you can also see I lightly sanded the surface of the acrylic disk. I did this to help diffuse the lighting a bit.



Although I didn't get a picture of the disk insert being made, it's simply a piece of 1mm PVC sheet. The tolerances are very tight, but the insert just presses in place. Once there, it's not ever going to fall out on it's own. In fact, I had tap on it a bit with a rubber mallet to get it seated.



A test lighting... and success!



I basically repeated the same process above for the second cupholder with a slightly larger ring, since they aren't the same size.

Now, in order to get them seated in the cup holder, I had to do a little trimming of the rubber. Using a very sharp x-acto knife, I just made the bottom openings a little taller. I really only needed to take a few mm out.





Lastly was the wiring. I tapped into the 12v switched auxiliary plug (left) on center console stack.)



As far as wire routing went, I just ran a wire to the left and right of where the rubber on the front of the cupholder 'snaps' into place. I didn't have any at the time, but I'll likely go back in and add a simple plug to disconnect the wiring should servicing of some kind be needed.

Overall I'm pretty happy with them, although I'm going to try and tone down the boldness of the green to match my instruments. I've ordered some white LED's and some colored filters to attempt this. I also ordered a simple PWM dimmer to play with. Either might get me the results I was looking for.

Now, some of you have expressed interest in me having a few of these fabbed up. I'd be happy to do that. I'd need to get some more materials and LED's. Just let me know! :D

**** Update! Check this post for the first color samples with a white LED and gel filter.

**** Update 2! Check this post for the second color samples with colored LED's.

**** Update 3! Check this thread for an informal poll on colors.

**** Update 4! Check this thread for information regarding the switch to RBG LED's with a controller.

**** Update 5! And we are live! http://jeep-core.com/
 
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#158 ·
Awesome! Its looking better by the day. Did you get a fit for a 2008+ cup holder yet?
 
#161 ·
I certainly will man. Due to the switch to strips, I need to make a few revisions to my design. Externally it will look the same, but I need to make a larger pocket underneath. I'll be away this weekend, so it's looking more like Monday or Tuesday before I can fab a set.
 
#163 ·
Yes, as a matter of fact. I ordered a bunch of components from some overseas suppliers, but I probably won't get them for at least 2 weeks. I need to get bhawks28 a test set for the 2008+ WK's, but otherwise I'm just waiting on parts. I'm going to make these as plug and play as possible. So, I also ordered some 'Y' adapters and some male/female plugs. It should make for a pretty painless install. I'll update as the parts start rolling in.
 
#167 ·
I am selling the WK but am still interested in a set for my new JK!!
 
#170 ·
Awesome cannot wait. Thanks for lookin out
 
#171 ·
Okay guys, I've got an update for you. As of today, I've got enough parts to make 50 sets. It appears there is more demand than that, so I'll order more parts as soon as I get a few orders in. Please bare with me as these take a little time to produce, but I'm currently working on a few ideas to help me streamline that process. The milling is done by CNC, but there is still some hand finishing and soldering that has to take place.

I'm almost finished with a dedicated website/storefront for taking orders. I'm hoping to have that live this weekend. It's a pro setup hosted by Squarespace and using Stripe.com as the payment processor. Unfortunately I won't offer PayPal as an option. That may dissuade a few of you from ordering, but I've been burned by PP in the past and wanted something more secure here.

So, the basic gist is this. All the initial kits for the WK's will be priced at $37.50, which includes shipping anywhere in the US. For that price, you'll get a pair of LED rings, a 'Y' splitter, a RGB controller, and a pair of wire taps and spade connectors. I won't have full install documentation up right away, but it will come shortly. I'll compile my info, as well as the info from bhawks28 into a useful guide. I'll also get a picture of the included parts up tonight.

One last thing for now, in case you are wondering where my pics in this thread disappeared to, they should be back in a day or two. I'm in the middle of switching hosting providers and still have a little config work to do. :D
 
#177 ·
I won't have the website live until this weekend. (Once I do, there were a few people that called dibs first.) I'll PM the site link and give them a chance to order before I publicize the site for everyone else. It's really the only fair way I could do it. After all, if not for their initial interest, I'd likely not have headed in this direction. I'm anticipating that the orders may come in faster than I can produce. If that happens, I'll just keep making them and adding them to stock. I won't take orders unless I have the kits ready to ship. I do appreciate your enthusiasm though! ;) Just watch this thread for updates!
 
#178 ·
Excellent, cannot wait
 
#181 ·
Just an update guys. I've got some good news and some bad news. How about the bad first? I took a little time tonight to get some more rings cut, however my CNC wasn't cooperating. More specifically, the special end mill I'm using for the acrylic wasn't playing nice. I ended up with about 8 sets that are pretty rubbish. (I cut a sheet of 16 rings at a time.) I was having issues with the acrylic melting despite the feed speed. Any attempts to raise the speed, and I would get edge chipping. Basically it bounced back and forth between melting and chipping. I'm guessing the end mill is duller than it appears, despite the fact that it's pretty new. So, the only immediate remedy it to switch from the 3-flute 3/16 mill", to a single flute 1/8". The biggest downside to doing that, is simply the milling time. I've got to slow the feed rate down a little more, reduce cut depth, and it won't remove as much material per pass. Oh well, there's not much I can do about it at this point until I buy a suitable replacement. As part of this end mill drama, I've not got as many sets done as I'd hoped. I'd like to get a few more done before I send out PM's to the new site.

So, on to the good news. The website is up and ready to take orders. With the exception of a link to some install instructions, we're ready to go there. I'm hoping to get the link out there to a few of you by the first part of next week. Also, for you cheapskates out there, I'll have some 'B' stock to sell for the 05~07 WK's. Here is why. On a few of the rings that were chipped during milling, I can't sell them as first quality. However, due to the fact that the 05~07 cupholders have those 3 'grips' around the bottom of the hole, those chips are easily hidden underneath them and will never be seen. I figured I'd sell them at a discount. Sorry I probably won't be able to do the same for the 08~10's. There would be nothing to hide the chips, and I think it would look bad when lit up.

Anyway, thanks for your patience will all of this. I'll get these things worked out soon enough! :D
 
#183 ·
That's a bummer to hear, but you gotta do what you gotta do. It's completely understandable about wanting to push the release date out a little further. I mean we have been waiting this long, what's a little longer. :) Just take your time. I can't necessarily speak for everyone else, but I know I am patient and don't mind the wait.
 
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