DIY: Blue LED gauge and dash lights - Page 9

JoshEH · 03-29-2005

hmm .. im dumb. though in my defense never been in a civic sedan, they just arent as cool. lol. j/k
i'll look around for one, but still gonna try to do it myself. so will look for your expert advice this weekend.

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AlienX · 03-29-2005

i'm talking bout 03-04 clusters + the only reason urz came out alittle foggy because u used acetone. I used acetone on my last cluster and it foged up also. I used water down acetone ( nail polish remover ) and alhocol which came out perfect.

benya7thmix · 04-15-2005

if i shave anything i'll screw it up.....
2mm leds? is that right?

--BENYA

AlienX · 04-15-2005

what is it that you want to shave ? the head of the LED ? if so, you can as long as you sand it flat without hitting the diode inside.

paradoxblue · 04-15-2005

2mm.. leds come in 3mm and 5mm i havnt seen 2mm before :|

AlienX · 04-23-2005

dont shave everything...
you will be able to see the leads inside the LED. dont go that far. If you want to put some risk in it and dont have sand paper, you can break the plastic with cutting tool (pliars, ect )

id post more pics, but they are all on the first page. and yes.. 3mm and 5mm... no 2mm.

ncirom2003 · 04-23-2005

...........im still trying to get my dash done for about 2 months now....... just no time, while ive got time to screw with does anyone know how to wire it so the dimmer works cus i dont like it realllllly bright

AlienX · 04-24-2005

dimmer control doesn't make a big differance. You need to hook up your own pot, somewhere in the range of 0-1000000 ohms. that should be good enough =) but again it depends on your LEDs. You need to do ohms law to find out how much ohms it will take to have 0V under your LEDs operating conditions. Make sure to grab one that is linear also.

1of_many · 07-07-2005

http://ledautomotive.com/
This site is what I used and converted all of my lights over to blue LEDS and it worked great. They also include instructions for each kit or offer installation for those who dont want to do it and after doing it I can say it is a pain so it might be worth while.

gearbox · 07-07-2005

ya they're good if you're the lazy type. ook so long to diy it but i ran extra wires and stuff too.

2slow2run · 07-13-2005

the kit wit the resister i got from ledautomotive is 2 small..i seem to burn them out wit my big fingers..
well i just got the resister at radio shack
is 470 ohms not 470k ohms. it work fine. the 1/4 watt is kinda big so i got 1/2 watt
witch r smaller n been using it since..i guess it thats y mines is not as bright as gearbox

so hopefully in the long run after they blow up.. is back to square 1
i forgot 1 of u guys gave me the link to the led.
www.lsdiodes.com all the leds there r 4000 mcd and up N start at $.45 cent a piece

gearbox · 07-13-2005

i only used 2600mcd leds and they're bright enough but still dim in some spots. Still visible at least. I got all radioshack stuff.

Big Rob · 07-13-2005

I guess that I have a few questions that I have been meaning to ask.

This question is more aimed at gearbox because I remember him mentioning something about it before. What is the main difference in terms of looks between led gauges and gauges wraped with el-wire?

I recently bought a Pioneer Deh-p8600mp and the buttons are a really dark blue. Is there any way to get the leds that same color so that everything is flush? Maybe a tint on the leds and then run more power to compensate for the loss in brightness?

If I want to adjust the brightness of my leds from time to time, is there a knob that I can install that will regulate power or will I have to change the resistors? It would be nice to have access to that type of control while driving. I never was a fan of the factory dimmer anyway.

Big Rob · 07-15-2005

gearbox · 07-15-2005

el wire gives a much more even coverage (light looks like stock). With leds, it will be very hard to get this unless you have alot of leds everywhere. The el matches the pioneer el display. Buttons are harder, because the company uses its own leds (which could be any wavelength of blue). Mine are actually purple. And filtering leds is not good because they get really dim. Easiest way would be to wire through the factory dimmer. The wire for that is the power going to the auto shifter light if you have one. But mine are always a constant brightness. I want them at full brightness anyway.