Cargo light switch repurpose...looking for ideas

So I recently converted my cargo lights to 3rd brake lights which results in the cargo switch no longer being used. I am looking for ideas on what I can use it for instead of it being just "dead" in the dash. I'm thinking maybe some led strips for floor lighting that can be turned on if you drop something in the floor since the Vled footwells only come on when you open the doors.

@RainMan_PNW My Vleds footwells are powered from the footwell adapter. Instead of putting led strips in, could I disconnect them from the adapter and connect them to the back of the cargo switch and have off/door/on functions?

 

are your puddle lights connected to the cargo switch?

I hooked my Tacoma footwell lights to the cargo switch, turn them off during daylight use. So yes, to answer your question. Even thinking about adding some VLED pods to the bed for cargo / bed lights and or adding one next to the license plate for a rear courtesy light

 

Now that I'm thinking about it, my puddle lights are tied into the footwell adapter as well. I could move them and the footwells to the switch.

 

That sounds like a good idea. I like having lights on a switch.

I have my Tundra footwell lights pugged in to the footwell adapter. I've been thinking about moving them but just unplug it when I'm working on or detailing the inside and have the doors open for an extended period of time.

 

I have a shell which made the cargo lights useless — so I tapped into that circuit at the dash and added some scene-type lighting that uses the OEM switch.

 

I installed LED strips under the bed rail to light up the entire bed. They're switched at the back of the truck but also triggered off the cargo light switch. At least on my 2nd Gen, it turns them on when I unlock or open the door.

 

I have my led strips under the bed rail on a switch as well. Mine are tied into the trailer harness so I have to turn the parking lights on to power the switch. They will never get left on that way lol.

 

Looks like you've got your answer already, but here's my 2¢

The cargo light circuit is one of the simplest, fitting on a single page for the actual output. The key is to find pin 28 from connector 3K in the instrument ECU/Relay box (in a 2017 and older, it's a different pin on a different connector).

Hijack that ouput wire and you've got the cargo light controlling whatever you connect instead.

 

Another way to do it (this is how the "factory" SE Toyota Bed Light kit is wired via the instructions) is to draw power from whatever source you want (in this case, they used the Cargo Lamp circuit, but direct from the battery), and then ground the load through the violet wire in the cargo light switch (see below). Functionally, it's the same, but it separates the source load (while still using a common ground) - theoretically if you were to use too much load on that circuit, you could cause issues with the cargo switch by overloading it.

 

So if I want to move the Vleds footwell kit and the Vleds puddle lights from the 74 adapter, these would overload that cargo switch. I pulled the switch out yesterday but had no idea if I could tap it for the power and ground and have it work properly without issues. The goal is to be able to turn them off during the day and also use that switch if possible so that it's not just dead and filling a dash spot.

 

I don't know about using the switch directly. I've used the connection at the lower kick panel area, not used from the direct switch.

 

I used the below connections / not the switch ~ The switch does control the function still.

DIY: Tow Mirror Puddle Lights | Toyota Tundra Forum (tundras.com)

Same for my Tacoma in the wiring sense but different tapping due to different truck

EDIT: Doing this, you will not have the fade ON / OFF. It's instant ON / OFF

 

You’ve removed the load of the two filament bulbs in the cargo light. I don’t know what the load is off the puddles and the footwell lights.

If it were me, I’d grab the output from the cargo light relay (pink wire on pin 28 from connector 3K out of the main ECU) for source power and ground it direct to a frame ground point. Leave the switch alone, but have the original switch function preserved.