DIY LED Gauge Cluster II
#33
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Rep Power: 271 that is pimp I think i might have found my self a new item to buy muhahaha... i love my DIY swap, but the blue rings are sick.. too bad the needles are still orange/red, but I can fix that
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Rep Power: 252 Hey diskreet...do u think those T1.5 Instrument bulbs will fit into the controls for the climate controls and the three buttons Vents, A/C, and Defrost? If so, then im getting them
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Originally Posted by scrimp
Hey diskreet...do u think those T1.5 Instrument bulbs will fit into the controls for the climate controls and the three buttons Vents, A/C, and Defrost? If so, then im getting them
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Quick question: I'm doing some research on converting to LED's in my dash and Instrument Panel, just figuring out some ideas and building off the DIY's here. I was wondering if the brightness of the LED's will Dim down when you adjust the "Dash Lights Brightness ****"?
I assume it does even with the resistor on the LED's.
Thanks!
Quick question: I'm doing some research on converting to LED's in my dash and Instrument Panel, just figuring out some ideas and building off the DIY's here. I was wondering if the brightness of the LED's will Dim down when you adjust the "Dash Lights Brightness ****"?
I assume it does even with the resistor on the LED's.
Thanks!
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Rep Power: 787 it does if you wire it to the actual power wires for each piece. chances are you won't have to dim it. and when you put leds in there, they will need to be facing forward or you will barely get any light.
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Originally Posted by gearbox
it does if you wire it to the actual power wires for each piece. chances are you won't have to dim it. and when you put leds in there, they will need to be facing forward or you will barely get any light.
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Rep Power: 787 i'm looking in one now, and they are all leds except the signal lights and far light which are bulbs. also the immobilizer, signals, and far lights have colored icons. i am pretty sure leds will still shine but with white its tricky. you'll prolly see green still for those 3 icons. blue would work. the rest of the icons are clear but you will have to replace the leds that are wired to the circuitboard.
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Rep Power: 787 well like i said before, you can't change any of those from the back. the cluster bulbs are clear but the face has a painted color coat. the other indicator lights are LEDS. the ones that you can change the bulb have green or blue color icons. so i fail to see how changing anything in the back will matter.
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You can change anything, but realistically I wouldn't do anything else even with a good electronics knowledge and a steady soldering hand. It is possible, with new leds, but I wouldn't do it.
About the bulbs, it says 1.4W which might mean that they are 1.4 watt bulbs. The wattage of anything tells you how much power it is using, or how many Joules per second it uses.
About the bulbs, it says 1.4W which might mean that they are 1.4 watt bulbs. The wattage of anything tells you how much power it is using, or how many Joules per second it uses.
Last edited by diskreet; 03-02-2006 at 10:08 PM.
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Rep Power: 271 they are all running at 12v.
Best way to connect the LEDs and maintain the dimmer control is to connect to the red for power, and red-black as a switched ground. These are both on the blue plug.
Enjoy.
Best way to connect the LEDs and maintain the dimmer control is to connect to the red for power, and red-black as a switched ground. These are both on the blue plug.
Enjoy.
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Rep Power: 787 well before you put leds in there, you have to clear the back of the gauge face with solvent (acetone and q-tip works well).
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Rep Power: 0 Here is a pic of my Gauges. I also did the AC, Def buttons, still need to do the climate control *****. Its still in the works. This is just Blue LEDs, I haven't removed filter from back of the face yet.
I removed the #74 socket piece and drilled a tiny hole in the back of it. I then cut the Neg side of the led short and connected it inside the socket. The positive lead goes out the hole and then I soldered the resistor on and then to the little copper connector (which contacts the circuit board). Here is a pic to help you visualize cause I didn't take a photo of it when I had it apart.
Still planning to:
-Replace weak LEDs with more intensity (I got 45deg not knowing they were 800mcd, BLAH)
-Remove filter/paint from rear of face
-Sand needles and maybe paint the back of them White for reflection
-Add white LEDs behind needles so they are bright!
I removed the #74 socket piece and drilled a tiny hole in the back of it. I then cut the Neg side of the led short and connected it inside the socket. The positive lead goes out the hole and then I soldered the resistor on and then to the little copper connector (which contacts the circuit board). Here is a pic to help you visualize cause I didn't take a photo of it when I had it apart.
Still planning to:
-Replace weak LEDs with more intensity (I got 45deg not knowing they were 800mcd, BLAH)
-Remove filter/paint from rear of face
-Sand needles and maybe paint the back of them White for reflection
-Add white LEDs behind needles so they are bright!
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Rep Power: 787 i would stay away from using two different led colors in there. for the needles, take em apart and strip the paint off with 90% isopropyl alcohol. then paint only the bottom with white glass paint. you can use leds below the needle or use the light guides to put the leds from the side and they will work.
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Originally Posted by gearbox
...you can use leds below the needle or use the light guides to put the leds from the side and they will work.
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Rep Power: 787 the problem is the needles are designed to light up with bulbs. if you try and use leds, it will be very dim even with white. you could do what i did and clear the needles with isopropyl alcohol and then paint the bottom white. then you can use leds to make it light up any color.
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Rep Power: 0 A few things learned, no more guessing.
Ok, so I think I did as much as I'm going to with my dash. A few days ago I posted a pic of my gauges, the needles hadn't been cleared yet and now they are and a I did all the climate controls. I also decided to leave the blueish filter on the back of the faces. I noticed it was thicker in certain areas to eliminate/soften the hotspots. Its still noticable, but I think its not as bad as it would be without the filter stuff.
Here is a pic of the light socket..
Day, lights off..
Day, lights on..
Night, close up..
Night, full dash..
I also found a fool proof way for getting the needles back into position. I got them perfect, first try! (Tach and speed, you're on your own as for the temp and fuel, which was expained earlier) refer to this pic..
1. After you have cleared your needles don't put them back on yet, put the cluster in the dash and plug it in.
2. Turn the igntion to ON, but don't start it.
3. If you look at the magenta mark in the pic, this is the true 0 mark. Its not marked on the face. Look at the orange line. Take the distance from the 20 to the 10 line and then go that same amount from the 10 past the printed 0. This is your True 0, but the needle can't actually go there cause the post (red) stops it.
4. Now that you have found where 0 is, carefully put the needle (green) on while making sure that you keep it lined up with the true 0.
5. Push it on and leave a little space between it and the face, making sure it moves freely.
6. Ok, now its correctly positioned. All you have to do now is turn the needle about 3/4 turn counter-clockwise and let it settle on the post. Do this for the other one as well, same concept.
Sorry I had so many pics. I'm bored
Hope this helps!
Here is a pic of the light socket..
Day, lights off..
Day, lights on..
Night, close up..
Night, full dash..
I also found a fool proof way for getting the needles back into position. I got them perfect, first try! (Tach and speed, you're on your own as for the temp and fuel, which was expained earlier) refer to this pic..
1. After you have cleared your needles don't put them back on yet, put the cluster in the dash and plug it in.
2. Turn the igntion to ON, but don't start it.
3. If you look at the magenta mark in the pic, this is the true 0 mark. Its not marked on the face. Look at the orange line. Take the distance from the 20 to the 10 line and then go that same amount from the 10 past the printed 0. This is your True 0, but the needle can't actually go there cause the post (red) stops it.
4. Now that you have found where 0 is, carefully put the needle (green) on while making sure that you keep it lined up with the true 0.
5. Push it on and leave a little space between it and the face, making sure it moves freely.
6. Ok, now its correctly positioned. All you have to do now is turn the needle about 3/4 turn counter-clockwise and let it settle on the post. Do this for the other one as well, same concept.
Sorry I had so many pics. I'm bored
Hope this helps!
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Rep Power: 787 looks good to me. i've never had a needle problem so long as i put em back in the same position before turning the ignition. its supposed to have an auto calibrate which is the chattering sound the needle makes moving up and down for a few seconds.