MP3 Player reading light and GMKENX audio control

 

Kensington FlyLight Notebook USB Light

http://www.kensington.com/products/pro_cas_d1334.html

http://www.kensington.com

Now that the MP3 player is in place, there needed to be an easily accessible switch to tell the GMKENX to start feeding AUX audio as input. In addition, due to the placement of the player itself, the screen needed to be illuminated to read it from the drivers seat. The solution to both problems was to add two switches and a miniature spot light just behind the front center console drink holder, mounted to the front of the center lock box. The light beams out from between the two rocker switches. One switch is for the GMKENX and the other to control the light.

The light used is a Kensington FlyLight Notebook USB Light. This white LED light is on a long flex neck with a lens on the end providing a perfect spot light for the MP3 player display. The tip of the light (aimed at the player) goes through an appropriately sized rubber grommet with the neck running down the inside empty area of the center console. The Kensington FlyLight is very bright, and very white, and so provided a perfect solution to the problem at hand. Since the USB reading light wants 5 volts to power it, and only 12 volts are available, a modified power solution was devised.

One end of a USB extension cable was used as the plug end to plug in the light, the other end of the of the extension cable was chopped off, a 390 ohm resister was added inline to the red power wire, and the red and black wires plugged into the 12V power supply of the AUX battery. A 390 ohm resister is needed to bring the operating current of the light back down to what is when powered by a 5V line, thus preventing undue damage to the light. This resister value was found empirically, and yes, a larger value resister was tried first, working down to the size that gave a current match to the 5 volt source.

email:SubRider

10/16/01