aragrev7

DIY Guide for Illuminated Door Sills
~Machined, Fabricated, Installed using 2006 Acura TSX Parts and Vehicle~
Written and Designed by A.T. Vergara (aragrev7)


Wiring Diagram Information provided by TSXFiles (http://www..com/forums/1st-gen-electronics/44627-illuminated-door-sills.html)
Fuse Tap Information provided by Kuma912 (http://www..com/forums/1st-gen-electronics/41209-where-tap-into.html)

**Legal Stuff**
This Do-It-Yourself Guide is designed for and permission given for personal use only. I do not intend this guide to be sold for any profit, nor the products produced using this guide to be sold for any profit without permission. I hope this prevents anyone being taken advantage of by individuals claiming to be the only source of this guide and techniques included. This guide is for free, not-for-profit use. Use this guide at your own risk. I take no responsibility for any damages, malfunctions, or any such detrimental and negative effects that occur during and after the use of this guide. I take responsibility for only part of the awesomeness that is your new door sill as you will have put in many hours of work to complete this. Warranty on related parts I can imagine will be voided, although I don’t expect anyone to do damage if this is done properly.

**Author’s Note**
This guide is designed using my 2006 Acura TSX Premium Edition. 1st Generation TSX’s will be similar. That said, this guide can be applied and adapted to any vehicle with the right wiring diagrams. I have no experience on other vehicles, so I am of limited help in that respect. You can always ask. Please read the guide through to make sure you know what you are getting into. This guide was designed around the techniques I used. If you are able to hire a machine shop, or similarly capable and technologically adept labour, then you are certainly well on your way big spender. This guide is intended for the simple, do-it-yourself enthusiast. Simplest tools, with minimal cost. I am more than willing to help anyone with any question, suggestion, or correction that you may have. Just shoot me a message. I would also love to have pictures of your finished work to see how everyone does! I hope you enjoy.
P.S. Canadian Spelling!

Direct Questions to: PM box or
AcuraTSXenthusiastREMOVETHISPORTION@gmail.com (Remove the portion indicated. Reduces spam for me.)

aragrev7

~Mechanical Stage~

**MUST WHILE GRINDING: Long sleeves, Pants, Shoes, Safety Glasses, Mechanics Gloves(or equivalent) This is not an option when grinding. You will get small painful slivers of metal landing on your skin, face while attempting this. Without protection, they will land on your skin and as soon as something brushes them, i.e. your hand, they will become embedded in your skin as tiny, impossible to see slivers that will ITCH and BURN constantly until your skin forces them out like any sliver. Scratching rubbing will make things worse. If they land in your eyes, you blink and now have slivers embedded in your eye. Please listen to this warning. It doesn’t matter if it is hot out, these are MINIMAL PRECAUTION. No sense having nice accents that you can’t see**

Supplies:
-Long sleeves
-Pants
-Shoes
-Safety Glasses
-Mechanics Gloves
-Bandanna for face (or similar protection)

-Cap for head/hair
-Clean, well ventilated area. No flammable materials nearby (Don’t do this over your living room carpet) Garage is a perfect place.
-Rotary Tool w/ accessories (or equivalent)– This is required for cutting the Lettering “Acura” out of the metal door sills. There are better tools, but this is what I used, so this is what is described in the guide.
I used carbide tipped drill bits, grinding wheels, sanding tips, polishing tips, carbide carving tips, precision grip (all for use on metal of course.)
-Small and Large Quick Clamps (for holding pieces in place)
-Needle Nose Pliers
-Side Cut Wire Snips
-Durable Flathead screw driver
-80 Grit Sand Paper or Grit you feel would be appropriate (Returning the “Brushed” looked to plates)
-sheet of thin translucent (not transparent!) white plastic, used to cover cut-out lettering and refract LED light to fill lettering. Get something durable, +1mm. Do not use anything like cellophane or wax paper.
-Permatex black silicon sealant.
-Work Space
-I used a 2x4 to do my work on. I clamped the 2x4 to a sturdy edge, and clamped my Metal sills to the 2x4. This way I can cut, drill, grind etc. through the sills onto the wood. No damages to a work surface.
-Felt pen (Markings)

Step One:
Read over this guide before starting. Know what you need. Wear the proper Protection. Read carefully before asking questions. If you’re still lost, then ask. I would rather have people not make any terminal mistakes J. And always remember, you alone are responsible for what you do to your vehicle. This is a do-it-yourself guide, you must attempt this project at your own risk. There is always a risk of permanent damage, and warranty voids when modifying your vehicle. I imagine this guide would void the vehicle warranty on parts related.

Step Two:
Remove all the door sill assemblies (metal plates attached to black moulding) from the Vehicle. This can be done easily by sliding a flathead screwdriver under the sills and popping them up gently around the edges. They are simply snap on pieces. The screwdriver goes between the car’s paint and the black moulding that the metal plates are attached to. The black moulding and metal plates will come off together to be pulled apart after. Don’t scratch the paint.

Step Three:
Once you have the sill assembly off, you will notice on the bottom of the assembly are several tabs that belong to the metal plate. Gently bend them straight so the plate slides off easily. Give both the black mouldings and metal plates a good clean.

aragrev7

Step Four:
Prepare a work surface. What I did was Quick Clamp a 2x4 to a sturdy edge. I used my Dremel to carve out a piece of the 2x4 a bit bigger than the ”Acura” lettering, and ½” deep. This leaves room to cut through the sills without burning the wood, which may discolour the sills. Then I used two small Quick Clamps to clamp the metal sills onto the 2x4.



Step Five:
Put on proper PPE (Personal Protective Equipment). Ensure the Sills are securely clamped on the 2x4. You do not want to slip during this process, although it may happen. The Dremel has an attachment that becomes extremely useful in this process. It is a Precision detailer’s grip. Essentially a pistol grip attachment. I found it useful because it stabilized the Dremel when making detailed cuts and helps you control the tool as it frequently kicks off edges etc. When the tool does kick of an edge, you may find yourself grinding parts of the sill that don’t need grinding, leading to scuffs around the surface. These can be fixed easily, depending on how deep the scuff is.
**Remember, wear the PPE. I learned the hard way when I was lazy one day and did some quick cuts. I had slivers all over my arms, shins, FEET (the worst to put shoes on), cheeks, neck hair. It was extremely irritating, itchy, and it feels like needles are being stuck under your skin. Just cover your skin please.



Step Six:
Using the Dremel (Rotary or any tool to cut out the lettering), I started with grinding wheels to cut out the long lines of each letter. (See picture)
This is a delicate process. I started off leaving a small space between my cut and the edge of the letter until I got comfortable with the handling of the cuts. Basically, grind out as much as you can with the grinding wheels, then use the carbide tipped bits to carve out and clean up the edges. This is because the wheels cut the fastest, and in straightest lines. The cuts will necessarily by rough, refinement comes later.
**Please read the manual that comes with your tool to properly understand its safe usage.**

aragrev7

Step Seven:
Bend out the thin long rectangles you should be making. Using the grinding wheels, cut off each piece from the underside to reduce any scuffs on the brushed side.



The Metal Sill should look similar to this. This is my first one, so I left ample room between the cut and the edge of the letters to get used to handling the cutting tool. It is essentially easier once you’re comfortable, to grind close to the edges to save time with less clean up and refinement.




Step Eight:
This is where the precision grip really comes in handy. Using the Carbide tipped bit, clean up the edges. The tool may skip around in the cut-outs if you don’t concentrate on keeping it stable. Contrary to the picture, I actually found it more comfortable to have the sill and 2x4 apparatus flipped 90 degrees down so it was facing me so that I could sit in a chair and work as opposed to leaning over the project for long minutes. Here you can see the notched out 2x4 as well.




Step Nine:
Using a fine-tipped bit coated in carbide, clean out corners of the lettering, and smooth out the edges. The fine tipped Bit will be a pointed tip like a large needle, textured like metal sand paper. You are essentially sanding out the corners of the letters with high speed metal sand paper.

aragrev7

Step Ten:
If you have and scuffs, scratches etc, you can use a polishing tip or sanding tip to smooth out the problems, then slide the sand paper across the surface in the same direction as the brushing to re-introduce the brushed finish. If you are refinishing the whole lettering area, use a small sanding block. I used several grit ratings, but found 220 grit to work for me. You will need to apply your strokes with light pressure, continuous across the sill, and well horizontal with the plate. If you stop halfway in the sill with hard pressure, it will be noticeable. Gently feather on/off the pressure at the start/finish (respectively) of your strokes. Note, that there are some scuffs that you may not be able to completely heal, but can only diminish. Also you may consider using the polishing brush to clean off any burrs stuck on the metal.






**Repeat these steps 1-10 for each sill. You will get better as you repeat. You may even figure out something more efficient on your own. PM me and if I like it I will get it added to the guide with credit.**

aragrev7

Please do not Post in this thread as the DIY is not Complete! I will open a separate thread and subscribe (or someone else can if there isn't one yet when you have issues) so I can see questions and comments, and pics if anyone complete a project! I will declare the DIY complete so ppl can comment etc without breaking up the guide! thx!

aragrev7

Step Eleven:
Apply these newly cut-out metal sills back onto the mouldings and trace in the lettering onto the black moulding so you know where the lights will need to be placed. Using the Dremel, carefully cut out a trapezoid shape that will encompass the lettering. At this point it is important that you pay attention to where you are cutting. On the underside of the moulding are several support walls that hold the mouldings shape and several mini pillars that either snap in the car door frame, or protrude down into it to keep the sills from moving. You will cut through several of these walls, but you can plan ahead to keep certain walls that you can glue the *side-emitting* LED strip to. Take a look at the area to understand what I mean. (If you use top-emitting LED strips, they will simply lay on the bottom of the trough you will build later. **Also! It is important that you pay attention to the placement of important pillars and clips in the lettering area. I did not cut these out, just cut closely around them so the sills do not lose too much integrity. They will leave a slight shadow in your back lighting, but it is small and barely noticeable. Refraction by the translucent plastic (not transparent!) will push some light around the small bridges of plastic you will have to leave to keep these pieces intact.
**Repeat this for each moulding.



Step Twelve:
Cut out a trapezoid piece of the translucent plastic slightly larger than the lettering area you ground out. Do not make the shape too much larger than the lettering. This will prevent the metal plate from fitting snug back on the moulding. Leave an amount less than 5mm. If you have fitment issues later, you may have to trim off excess. You simply need to leave enough room to apply a silicon bead without blocking light through the "ACURA." This can be done with the sharp blade. Trace out the edges with the Knife and you can bend at the cut to snap off the pieces. You will use this to cover the lettering and refract the light from the LEDs to fill the cut-out lettering evenly. You can get this plastic from Home Depot, Rona, or possibly Canadian Tire. (Refer to picture in Step 14)

Step Thirteen:
Carefully and quickly apply the super glue to perimeter of all the lettering on the underside of the sill and press the translucent plastic shape onto the glue. Use the small quick clamps to keep firm pressure on the plastic until the glue dries. You can use something to spread out the pressure evenly over the lettering. Avoid apply too much glue so that it does not leak into the lettering cutouts and sticking your clamps where they are forever. Ensure all pieces of the lettering have glue on them, and are being pressed firmly onto the plastic. Pay special attention to which side of the plastic you face up through the lettering. One side may be rough and the other side smooth. Make the smooth side visible.
(Refer to picture in Step 14)

Step Fourteen:
Apply a strong bead to the underside of the metal sill around the perimeter of the Translucent Plastic. Using a rubber blade, (or your gloved finger) press the silicon down onto the edge to ensure a water tight seal all around. This will prevent moisture from dripping down through the lettering, as well as will the firm pressure and glue from the previous step.



*Repeat Steps 11-14 for each sill.

Finished Mechanical Stage!!
Good work, if you’ve made it this far, you’ve finished the longest and most delicate part of the project. Hopefully you’ve worn your PPE or you’re feeling the burn now. PM me how it went. I’m always interested in helping out and learning who’s actually using the guide. I’m here to help!

aragrev7

~Electrical Stage:~

**Now comes the LED stage. This part requires the use of electricity. Electricity is dangerous. You will be handling live test leads. Never touch live test leads together. Never connect live test leads with your body or your tongue. Never overload LEDs or they will burn out. LEDs are most simply bought as LED strips online. This is to avoid current complexities in dealing with Resistors, etc. Buy strips that are waterproof, have the LEDs grouped how you prefer, colour of choice, and are “cuttable” at every 3 LEDs. Some Strips are rated 8-14V or higher. The optimal max voltage would be 14VDC because when the alternator is running, the batteries generally hold stable around 13.9V. LEDs rated at 12VDC are most common for vehicle applications, and will run fine, at the 13.9VDC. That said, they WILL run brighter, but generally not last quite as long as they are being overdriven. I could not tell you how much of a difference, but LEDs are design to last a very long time as it is (Claim range from 50 000 – 80 000 hours or more). This may not be an issue if you generally only open and close your door when the engine is off, which is usually the case. I would advise against driving around with your doors open .

The soldering process releases vapours that are hazardous to your health. Work in a ventilated area and avoid breathing in vapours as much as possible. Please research on proper technique for Soldering LEDs and Soldering in General. Personal injury and damage to the LEDs is easily possible. Soldering irons get very hot.


Supplies:

-Black plastic part that the brushed metal plates rest on (remove metal plates)
-12 volt DC Power Supply with Test Leads and alligator clamp heads
-Extra alligator heads for holding things in place
-Spool of solid core 18 gauge wire (preferably multicolour strands for at least pos+/neg- reference)
-Soldering Gun, fine tip, soldering stand, Rosin core solder, flux, SOLDERING SKILLS J.
-Electrical Tape (Can use multicolour for reference)
-Heat shrink tubing, lighter/microtorch
-Industrial glue (loctite super glue, crazy glue etc)
-Aluminum foil
-Wide strips Chrome Tape (Canadian tire, Any automotive store)
-Precision Industrial Knife (Stanley/exacto/ofal/”box cutter” etc)
-12-14vDC LED strips in the colour of choice. Can be side-emitting or top-emitting style. I used side shine because I bought them for more than this application. Top shine may be easier to install. (Buy online)
-1 add on fuse (10amp replace,20amp accessory)
-Scissors
-Wire strippers
-Precision Industrial Knife (Stanley, exacto, ofal etc)
-Felt Pen (Marking measurements)
-Ruler (for straight lines)
-Precision Flathead Screw Driver
-Small Quick Clamps (for holding pieces together)
-Industrial Super Glue

aragrev7

Step One:
Lay the moulding top side down. Fold piece of foil into a sturdy strip the same height as the small walls inside the moulding. You will use several of these to line the perimeter of the hole you cut out. They will reflect the light back into the space, trying to contain the light and let it escape only into the translucent plastic. They will also serve as a surface to glue the LED strips onto. Using electrical tape, tape the foil strips on at several places along the perimeter where they’re needed to create a wall for the strips to adhere to. You may chose to only make the foil wall where necessary.


Step Two:
Test the LED strips to ensure that they work. There are usually wires already connected to one or both ends of the strip. This will help determine later on whether or not you’re messing up the wiring. Remember! LEDs are polarized! The DC source’s positive lead must contact the LEDs positive contact. The DC negative must contact the LED negative contact. Always apply the ground (negative) first as a habit. Connect the leads to one end of the strip properly and turn on the DC voltage source. Your strip should light up completely. If there are no LEDs lit up, check your leads and power source. Make sure the wires are soldered on properly to the strip and not loosely waving in the waterproof coating. If there is a set (or several sets) of LEDs not lit up in the strip, there is most likely a trace, resistor, or LED in that series that is damaged. You’ll have to avoid using that set in your project. You can cut out that set at the indicated markings on the strip as explained in Step Three


Step Three:
Fit the LED strips into the opening, laying them along the perimeter to test how much you need to cover the inside. You will only use two strands that each curve around the opposite sides. **REMEMBER: You can only cut these strips at every 3rd LED. They should be clearly marked on the strips as a thin line drawn across the width of the strip. There is a reason for this, and it has to do with the combined forward voltage of the three LEDs which are in series and run parallel with all the other sets of 3 LEDs. If you look closely at your strips, you will notice that there are actually several layers of traces throughout the length of the strip connecting the LEDs in the method above with resistors etc. Like I said, complicated stuff, and that is why we’re using prefabricated stuff instead of wiring these paths ourselves! Cut the strip at the appropriate length, after a 3rd marked LED.


Step Four:
Using your sharp blade, GENTLY clean off the waterproof coating on one end of the strip just enough to uncover the positive and negative taps. They will be marked with a + and – symbol next to a small metallic circle. This is where you will solder on the strips of 18 gauge wires.


Step Five:
Measure out two strips of 18 gauge wire, one for positive (Red is standard), and one for negative (Black is standard). These should be around 8”-10” long. This will allow for flexibility when wiring. Strip a 1/2 “ of wire coating off each end. Use something to hold down the strips while you work on them to prevent them from moving around. **It would be a good idea to research proper soldering technique if you haven’t done so already.** Plug in and heat up your soldering iron. Apply flux to the positive and negative taps of the Strip, and to the wire ends you will be soldering. Place the wires so they rest on the taps of the strips and apply solder to the iron letting a small solder bead adhere the wire to the contact tap on the strip. Do not let the iron contact the wires or strips for more than 2 seconds. You can fry the LEDs as heat is conducted along the traces in the strips. Once your done, test the strip again to ensure you’ve done your work correctly.


Step Six:
Cut a piece of heat shrink tubing long enough to cover the work you just did. Heat the tubing with a lighter or micro torch in order to shrink the tubing snuggly around the wiring. Do not cook the tubing for very long, as you’ll just burn your work. The tubing has a certain diameter it will shrink to, so choose the appropriate size for how wide your wires are apart and how wide your strips are. This information should be indicated on your tubing’s package. Test your strips again, no sense installing them if you have to cut them out again to redo.


Step Seven:
Once you have created your strips to fit, use the adhesive backing on your strips by removing the wax stripping covering the glue. You could also use the industrial super glue just for added benefit, as I did. Press the strips firmly in place, positioning them appropriately around the perimeter of the hole. Glue the ends with heat shrink in place and use your sharp blade to cut a thin path in the walls to feed the wiring through. They should lead out to the top of the lettering as this is where the wires will have to exit the moulding and feed into the vehicle’s trim. You may choose to glue these wire in place as this will help reduce the chance that they are pulled or vibrated free at the solder points.


Step Eight:
Cut a piece of chrome tape wide enough to encompass the hole in the moulding, and to fold down around the perimeter. Essentially, you will be creating a cover over the hole to contain as much light. What I did was cut the rectangular shape large enough for the hole and an extra bit the same height as the little support walls running across the underside of the moulding. I then placed the piece reflective side down on the moulding and began cutting notches in the tape wherever walls ran so that I could fold an edge down. This creates an “upside down bowl” that fits like a puzzle piece against the moulding. Use electrical tape to hold this in place. You should now have a very shiny trench in your moulding. Test your strips!


**Repeat these steps for the rest of the mouldings.
Step Nine:
You should now have the completed metal plates and the completed mouldings. You can now reinstall the plates onto the mouldings. At this step you can decided whether or not you want to add a bead of silicon around the edge of the plates as you install them on the mouldings. This will help keep moisture out, probably even flowing water etc from driving rain or car washes. Just keep in mind, that in doing so, you are making it more difficult to remove the plates and repair the wiring if anything were to go wrong. That said, these LEDs should last for quite some time.


Step Ten:
Once you have the sills back together, test each one to make sure that everything is working as it should. Remember, if you are having any issues, please contact me via PM and I will do my best to help you out. Understand however, that because I am not with you and I did not go through the process with you, I may not be able to solve your issue! I will try

aragrev7

Thx. Not everyone has the time to read through this, and maybe others are frightened at its complexity lol.
It tools me a few weeks to do it. Cutting out the letters is by far the hardest part. All materials and tools were purchased at a super hardware stores (Canadian tire, Home Depot). Canadian tire had my dremel and auto wiring. Home Depot had the plastic sheets. Just as them where the Lexan plastic is. You don't have to use that brand tho as it is pretty expensive comparatively.
Let me know how I can help if you need it.