I'm looking for a 12v dimmer switch to dim some LEDs in my car.But I can't bloody find one! I just want a dimmer that clicks off. Sort of like house fan rotary switches (household ones have too high of a voltage for a car, and I don't like the look of them, and its not worth modifying one to get it to work,but that is sort of what I'm looking for).

Anyone have any ideas? I've checked every store nearby that sells switches (lowe's, homedepot, radioshack, and a few local electrical shops), and I searched around online, but the only ones I could find were around $50 an did tons of things. I just want an on/off dimmer and I'd like to spend $10-15 at the absolute most. Has anyone here bought a dimmer switch online? Where?

I was actually somewhat suprised that Oznium.com didn't have one. I guess they don't want people trying to dim their cathodes....

 

Radio should has one, its called a potentiometer, or a variable resistor. It doesn't click but it does the same thing as a dimmer. And the sell the ***** for them too.

 

An OEM dimmer control like the one for the dashboard lights will dim LED's, though it doesn't click to fully off.

 

I'd kind of like it to turn off. Pretty much I have cold cathodes in the footwells, LEDs in the cupholders and air vents, and I'm going to be doing something of a gauge cluster and climate control convert.
Mainly, I'd like two dimmers, one for the random LEDs, cause the air vents seem to draw a lot of attention, not in a good way, whereas I never had any issues with just the cathodes on. And another for my cluster and climate control. I may end up really liking my cluster to the point I want to use it full time and wiring it into the OEM dimmer, but for now I'd like it wired by itself so I can choose when I'd like it to be on.

That said, I found this switch at radioshack
http://www.radioshack.com/product/in...entPage=family
Only issue is I'd have to convert AC to DC to get 12v, totally doable just a bit annoying on the math part (yeah, I forgot that formula). Then I'm not entirely sure how the 10k thing would affect lights. I know it changes tone significantly on guitars, but what does that do to lights?

 

10k means 10,000 ohms. And you don't need that many for an LED powered by 12 volts it would probably be too much especially since the LEDs you have probably already have resistors so if you ran it through that i might not work at all. And it shouldn't matter AC or DC a resistor is a resistor.

 

is your cluster, climate controls still hooked up thru the stock wiring? if you want to dim the leds just use the stock dimmer control and run the wires from your stock clusters wiring for the bulbs. and your done....

but dont do the cathodes, you wont get much if ANY dimming i have cathodes in my 94s climate controls BUT with the dimmer they VERLY CHANGE! not worth wiring it up any different.....