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Connections for RGB Lights


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Do y’all know if there is a pre-wired connection in the 2018 21 MLX for RGB lights? I have the option to turn it on and off on the 7” screen but didn’t order the lights as an option. If there is one or multiple locations could you please tell me where I could find them?  I am assuming that I’ll just need to buy the controller and run the lights once I find it. Thanks for the help!

If this is a repeat topic I apologize, I couldn’t find the information on the forum. 

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So not even a two-wire power cable? Curious as to how the screen could turn it on or off? Is there a proprietary connection on the back of the screen or something?

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As far as I can tell, this is an option on the M235. To use that option on the 7" screen, you'll need the controller from Malibu to interface with the screen switch. then wire your LED's off that controller. There my be more as I haven't looked at it that close. From COOP's post above, and you should trust his opinion, it looks like it needs to be 5v LEDS but most 12v LEDS may light up with 5v, just won't be very bright.

LED Controller.jpg

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19 minutes ago, TexasTurner said:

So not even a two-wire power cable? Curious as to how the screen could turn it on or off? Is there a proprietary connection on the back of the screen or something?

There are plugs for two wire LEDs for docking and underwater lights. The screen switches for these can be turned on in the screen settings.

Edited by COOP
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Sorry, I just re-read the post above. Didn’t realize he said to use the factory controller. I’ll do that and buy the 5v LEDs online. Thanks for the help!

As far as docking lights; where is that connection? I am almost positive I know where the swim light connections are (based on info from this forum) just haven’t actually looked for them yet. 

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8 minutes ago, COOP said:

There are plugs for two wire LEDs for docking and underwater lights. The screen switches for these can be turned on in the screen settings.

There is also a two wire plug (Neg connection) for front and rear tower lights that can be enabled and used to switch 12v lights.

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18 hours ago, TexasTurner said:

Sorry, I just re-read the post above. Didn’t realize he said to use the factory controller. I’ll do that and buy the 5v LEDs online. Thanks for the help!

As far as docking lights; where is that connection? I am almost positive I know where the swim light connections are (based on info from this forum) just haven’t actually looked for them yet. 

If you hook up 5v leds to a 12v setup they will pop. You would need the 5v controller.

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I ordered the ShadowCaster RGB controller. It’s the one that hooks up to the factory 7” screen. According to the installer it uses 12v LEDs but I’ll research more of that later. For now I need to know what wires I run to the CAN connection on the RGB box. According to the same guy I have to tap into two wires from the back of the screen. He said it should be a blue wire and a white wire. He also said that it’s not an obvious connection nor is it labeled. Does anyone have a picture of this? Also, which wire goes where on the box?

Sorry for all the questions. I’m just trying to save $250 for him to hook up two wires. 

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I'm out on that question. I don't have a knowledgable answer. I have run Shadow Caster transom lights before and they were the best. If you buy the controller from them you should make sure that the one from Malibu hasn't been tweaked to work with the system Malibu uses and the one from Shadow Caster hasn't. 

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  • 1 month later...
On 8/8/2018 at 6:47 AM, TexasTurner said:

I ordered the ShadowCaster RGB controller. It’s the one that hooks up to the factory 7” screen. According to the installer it uses 12v LEDs but I’ll research more of that later. For now I need to know what wires I run to the CAN connection on the RGB box. According to the same guy I have to tap into two wires from the back of the screen. He said it should be a blue wire and a white wire. He also said that it’s not an obvious connection nor is it labeled. Does anyone have a picture of this? Also, which wire goes where on the box?

Sorry for all the questions. I’m just trying to save $250 for him to hook up two wires. 

Texas Turner,  Did you ever figure out where it connects to the viper ii system?

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  • 2 months later...
On 9/24/2018 at 1:52 PM, Lakelife18 said:

Texas Turner,  Did you ever figure out where it connects to the viper ii system?

Hi, did anyone work out where the RGB controller connected? Does it connect to the Medallion viper II controller?

 

 

Edited by Malibuvlx2018
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On 12/8/2018 at 2:55 AM, Malibuvlx2018 said:

Hi, did anyone work out where the RGB controller connected? Does it connect to the Medallion viper II controller?

 

 

I'm being told the Shadow Caster/Wetsounds/Malibu RGB connection box connects (red arrow below) to the Can Bus connector on the M235 Black Box. That Can Bus connector is only on the M235 box from what I understand. You'll need the M235 black box as well as the Connection Box to complete this project.

Shadow Caster Box.jpg

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  • 1 year later...

I did this on my 2019 23LSV for "Factory" integration. That small connector on the Shadow-Caster/Wetsounds box in my pic above needs to connect to the CanBus system. You'll have to find a way to splice into the CanBus system to make it work. Well that and a lot of RGB lights, RGB wiring and connectors. The three big plugs are your RGB lights. The black wire is your signal wire from the Black Box so the controller can pick up the music pluses. The + and - go through the left side of the box. Make sure you use large enough wire to handle all of the power your RGB lights will consume.

I did it once. I won't do it again. When they were on and pulsing to the music, most everyone in the boat thought it was too much. It was great for a demo of what it COULD do but to leave it on wasn't good. (YMMV) The thing I did like about it was I could control the color of the light. I had the Azure interior in 2019 and the blue lights didn't look good. I could make the light more of a green/blue to match the interior. 99.9% of the time I left the lights that color.

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If you are just hooking up the high/low beam docking lights and some underwater lights in blue do you need to do all of this or is it a simple plug and play?

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3 hours ago, phinz said:

If you are just hooking up the high/low beam docking lights and some underwater lights in blue do you need to do all of this or is it a simple plug and play?

You don't. The transom underwater lights may have the harness back there already, not sure on the 21VLX. The docking lights should be PnP also if the harness is there. You'll have to select those options on the small screen for them to get power and switch.

 

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  • 1 year later...
On 6/6/2020 at 10:49 AM, Ronnie said:

I did this on my 2019 23LSV for "Factory" integration. That small connector on the Shadow-Caster/Wetsounds box in my pic above needs to connect to the CanBus system. You'll have to find a way to splice into the CanBus system to make it work. Well that and a lot of RGB lights, RGB wiring and connectors. The three big plugs are your RGB lights. The black wire is your signal wire from the Black Box so the controller can pick up the music pluses. The + and - go through the left side of the box. Make sure you use large enough wire to handle all of the power your RGB lights will consume.

I did it once. I won't do it again. When they were on and pulsing to the music, most everyone in the boat thought it was too much. It was great for a demo of what it COULD do but to leave it on wasn't good. (YMMV) The thing I did like about it was I could control the color of the light. I had the Azure interior in 2019 and the blue lights didn't look good. I could make the light more of a green/blue to match the interior. 99.9% of the time I left the lights that color.

Hmm would love a pic of how you connected the shadow caster to the black box for CAN

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57 minutes ago, Diebold said:

Hmm would love a pic of how you connected the shadow caster to the black box for CAN

Lol. That 2019, was 3 boats ago. No pics.

I made a connector to go between a CanBus male & female plug with the 4 wires coming off it going to the SC/Wetsounds controller. IIRC, the only thing that went to the black box at that time was the wire to pick up the audio signal to make the lights go with the stereo. 

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  • 7 months later...
Mclovin1019
On 6/6/2020 at 9:49 AM, Ronnie said:

I did this on my 2019 23LSV for "Factory" integration. That small connector on the Shadow-Caster/Wetsounds box in my pic above needs to connect to the CanBus system. You'll have to find a way to splice into the CanBus system to make it work. Well that and a lot of RGB lights, RGB wiring and connectors. The three big plugs are your RGB lights. The black wire is your signal wire from the Black Box so the controller can pick up the music pluses. The + and - go through the left side of the box. Make sure you use large enough wire to handle all of the power your RGB lights will consume.

I did it once. I won't do it again. When they were on and pulsing to the music, most everyone in the boat thought it was too much. It was great for a demo of what it COULD do but to leave it on wasn't good. (YMMV) The thing I did like about it was I could control the color of the light. I had the Azure interior in 2019 and the blue lights didn't look good. I could make the light more of a green/blue to match the interior. 99.9% of the time I left the lights that color.

The black wire that picks up the pulses looks like a aux cord correct? And the black box that it goes into? Could you go into more details on that?

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45 minutes ago, Mclovin1019 said:

The black wire that picks up the pulses looks like a aux cord correct? And the black box that it goes into? Could you go into more details on that?

2 years and 3 boats ago. I don’t recall. 

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  • 10 months later...

Anyone have any luck recently with the canbus wire connections for the shadowcaster box? I’m about to get into this with my 22lsv. Wasn’t sure if anyone had info on the actual canbus colors or location?

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