Center console LED switch

I installed the LED's in the center console of my '06 w/ package 8 last weekend. The instructions from the archives were very helpful. I would like to add a few things that people may find useful.

1. I have the AUX AUDIO input in the console next to the power plug. The wires from both the audio and 12V power plug are bundled together as they run from the front to rear of the console. The tricky thing is that the wires to be tapped for the LEDs are gray (+12V) and white/black (ground). It's a no-brainer if there is no aux-audio, but if you have the audio plug-in, one of those wires is gray as well! When looking at the console from the rear, you will see 6 wires going into the connector plug. The two wires that need to be tapped are the two closest to the rear of the vehicle on the left. Also, to alleviate confusion, the gray wire that is +12V is slightly smaller in diameter than the gray wire that runs to the audio jack. The picture is not that great, but here is a diagram of the connector plug when viewed from the side where the wires enter. The power wires to the 12V plug are B & C.


F A
- -

E B
- -

D C
- -

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2. The switch from Radio Shack is not that great. It is flimsy to say the least. My installation was working great, but this week I reached across the car to get something on the passenger seat and put some weight on the console lid and broke the switch! With the geometry of the lid, the shaft on the switch is under more of a shear load than compression. The stroke of the switch is much more than needed. It only takes a fraction of a mm of actuation to open the circuit in the switch.
To fix the problem, I took a new switch (4 in a package), pulled the plastic plunger straight out with pliers until it broke at the base of the stem. I then trimmed about .07in from the shaft with a razor blade. This revealed that the plastic shaft is hollow with an inside diameter of .045in. I found some push pins (Sanford part number 72500) that fit nicely with a slight interference fit. You need to remove the metal pin from the plastic head. Just heat the metal with a flame and pull it away from the plastic. I trimmed the metal pin to the correct length and inserted it into the plastic switch plunger. After all was done, the plunger was now .426in from base of stem to top of the mushroom head. Now it just drops in to the metal base of the switch and tends to stay put since the switch is mounted at roughly a 20 degree angle from horizontal.

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I hope this helps!