Load area lights - 2019 Berlingo Van

[TJG]

New to the forum having just bought a 2019 Berlingo van. As its used for work I am wanting to improve the load area lighting. Currently managed to put a 12V strip light in but can only get it to work if the existing light is switched to permanently on. I want it to come on when the doors open with the existing light. Any help would be appreciated. I'm sure there is someone on here that will know exactly what to do.

Cheers in advance all.
Tom

[Sol]

The lighting, along with everything else, is controlled by a multiplexer known as the BSI (body systems interface) computer and it does not like LEDs.

You'll find the led might work if you take the original bulb out. But maybe not. I've tried and usually they stay on all the time as the BSI uses bulb detection and tries to power any "strange" devices it finds connected to it. Pulling the original bulb often works for lights.

Welcome to french electrical systems.

The switch which "controls" the rear light, is not actually controlling it at all, neither are the door locks. They only tell the BSI you opened a door or you want the light on, and it in turn, powers up the light. If it finds something else connected like an led, it's likely to cause the output to turn on and stay on.

I have had many tussles with it and I'm an electronics engineer. It's not designed to be messed with believe me.

[clarkydnb]

Taking into consideration the s**t way the lighting works in these vans an easy solution to this is fit a 12v PIR to the roof fed from the permanent live of the factory fitted light unit to supply your new lights.

[chipmunk2]

Taking into consideration the s**t way the lighting works in these vans an easy solution to this is fit a 12v PIR to the roof fed from the permanent live of the factory fitted light unit to supply your new lights.

Thank you for this suggestion... Imma fit a normal switch to do some LED strip in addition to the factory stuff... I wonder if a relay in parallel with the existing bulb, would work? (thinking a very high impedance relay, not a standard automotive type, which tend to have very low impedance coils) to  fire up the LED strip from a secondary battery (12v sealed lead acid). Have decided with modern vehicles, not just French, that messing with the  existing wiring  is fraught with frustration (I have a 2017, but assuming it's the same).

[Sol]

Taking into consideration the s**t way the lighting works in these vans an easy solution to this is fit a 12v PIR to the roof fed from the permanent live of the factory fitted light unit to supply your new lights.

There isn't a permanent live at the lights. The BSI wakes up when a door is opened and then it puts 12v onto the bulb itself via the local switch, so that you can keep it off if you wanted to.

Once the eco timer expires, the BSI shuts down all power to the interior lighting. Usually 10-15 mins and that can't be prevented.

All power to the interior lights comes directly from a BSI output. If you connect an LED strip across the bulb pins of the interior light with the bulb removed then it will light up. If you connect anything across the bulb circuit with the bulb still there, it will stay on all the time until eco mode kicks in.

I've already tried it. Front and rear do the same thing. Here are the schematics for the interior lighting if you want to have a go at modifying it.

[clarkydnb]

Taking into consideration the s**t way the lighting works in these vans an easy solution to this is fit a 12v PIR to the roof fed from the permanent live of the factory fitted light unit to supply your new lights.

There isn't a permanent live at the lights. The BSI wakes up when a door is opened and then it puts 12v onto the bulb itself via the local switch, so that you can keep it off if you wanted to.

Once the eco timer expires, the BSI shuts down all power to the interior lighting. Usually 10-15 mins and that can't be prevented.

All power to the interior lights comes directly from a BSI output. If you connect an LED strip across the bulb pins of the interior light with the bulb removed then it will light up. If you connect anything across the bulb circuit with the bulb still there, it will stay on all the time until eco mode kicks in.

I've already tried it. Front and rear do the same thing. Here are the schematics for the interior lighting if you want to have a go at modifying it.

Cheers for them dude I'll have a tinker and update with what I do to make them work when I sort mine out in the next week or so.

[Romahomepete]

Look for and enable the permanent live that provides the power for the towing electrics (it may involve a bit of messing about including fitting a 40 amp maxi fuse in the relevent slot in the engine fusebox) You can then connect your lights up to that including a switch that works when the dorrs are openned and closed

Peter

[Sol]

It will be obvious the drawings are for the B9 but I don't suppose it's too far from the K9 version of the wiring.

[clarkydnb]

Finally got around to putting some LEDs in the back, bought 2 durite lamps, wired directly to the existing wiring for the rear load area light but with the factory light disconnected, the BSI is fussy about any additional load on the circuit but with the bulb lamp assy connected it all flashed and went out until the BSI had powered down and then they come back on, with it disconnected it works exactly as it did before but now I can actually see what I'm doing

[Sol]

Good stuff. I did say up there at post #5 for anyone else trying the same, if you add any LED to any circuit on the Berlingo then you have to remove the originals or it doesn't work - it stays on, or flashes and shuts down, the whole 9 yards. Bloody BSI. That's it trying to work out what the "thing" connected to it is doing, yet with no bulb fitted it works fine, and doesn't care.

(for external lights it throws a bulb failure warning however)