The quest for better interior lighting revisited (inst. for Direct Replacement LEDs)
#161
i tried this with drop in replacement units, was not happy with the results(even after acetone/sandpaper to make the faces clear of green)
i'm going to be soldering in rings of single LEDs...
is the resistor necessary or will it work okay without as long as you add the proper number of LEDs in series?
here's some info i found-
http://www.theledlight.com/ledcircuits.html
also i want to retain the ability to dim them, if i solder into the stock illumination leads will i be able to dim them?
i'm going to be soldering in rings of single LEDs...
is the resistor necessary or will it work okay without as long as you add the proper number of LEDs in series?
here's some info i found-
http://www.theledlight.com/ledcircuits.html
also i want to retain the ability to dim them, if i solder into the stock illumination leads will i be able to dim them?
#162
cation, i know u posted that a while ago (almost 2 months i guess) but i didn't respond as I was hoping someone else would ask... I must say though that it looks very nice.
1) How did you scrape off the green film from the gauges? did you leave them on and scrape behind with something? or take off the needles? or... I'm assuming you didn't take off the needles as all the problems I've read about would suggest that isn't a viable option.
2) blue gels? I'm assuming thats some kind of blue film that replaced the green from your description, and searches suggest that its some kind of theatre stuff, but could you confirm this? or perhaps better yet give a link?
3) and finally, the blue leds were truly necesary? I'd think replacing the green film with blue would make it so that the stock lights would light it up perfectly fine? were the gels to dense or...?
Thanks
1) How did you scrape off the green film from the gauges? did you leave them on and scrape behind with something? or take off the needles? or... I'm assuming you didn't take off the needles as all the problems I've read about would suggest that isn't a viable option.
2) blue gels? I'm assuming thats some kind of blue film that replaced the green from your description, and searches suggest that its some kind of theatre stuff, but could you confirm this? or perhaps better yet give a link?
3) and finally, the blue leds were truly necesary? I'd think replacing the green film with blue would make it so that the stock lights would light it up perfectly fine? were the gels to dense or...?
Thanks
#164
okay- so i made an LED circuit to brighten and even out the cluster illumination since the red was faint and blotchy even with the entirely scratched out green film on the back of the faces.
i'll tell you upfront, i failed in my attempt. the placement of my led's along with the craftsmanship of the wiring made my dimspots into hotspots and instead of dim blotchyness i have bright blotchyness.
while i did fail at my goal, it's actually pretty cool and i'm sure with another couple tries i can make this setup pretty sweet.
first off the circuits- i used LEDs from LEDtronics, which were 12.50 plus shipping for a package of 25 LEDs. this isn't a terrible price, but it's not cheap either. the LEDs are 100mcd, "ultra-red" in color, and have 20mA current and 2.0 V forward voltage drop. they have a maximum operating voltage of 2.6V and a viewing angle of 110degrees. they have a flat top of the lens which is better for throwing light, at least i think.
i learned to solder while i did this project, and with the help of a friend who is an amateur(but very good) electrician/tech/computer technician/cool dude, i got pretty damn good at it. using 18g primary wire and my LEDs, i wired up some circuits with 330ohm, 1/4watt resistors in order to make sure the LEDs worked and have a better chance at dimming*(more on that later)
the circuits looked like this:
+12v side-----RESISTOR-----LED----LED----LED---- negative side
it's important to remember that LEDs are diodes and therefore directional- so the anode side, or plus side, must be facing the plus end of the circuit or the led won't light and won't pass current. for more on that, visit the link in my previous post on the last page.
when i finished soldering i insulated the leads with black electrical tape(THIS WAS A MISTAKE!!! use white components so there will be less absorption of light behind the cluster, it really makes a difference.) and made sure to label what side was plus and minus.
i ended up with five circuits of three LEDs- that's 15 100mcd LEDs completely devoted to making sure you can read your gauges
now for the hard part- putting the damn things in the cluster!!!!
here's pics of the cluster being disassembled... be sure to take off the back plastic too, as you'll need to unbend the tabs on the metal needle barrels behind each needle.
once you've unbent the tabs, pull on the clear plastic behind the faces and lift the needles and guages right up out of the cluster. you'll expose the white plastic that covers the circuit board and this is where you'll be positioning the LEDs. you'll also be able to see your existing bulbs/leds in the stock locations- this is a good way to find out how light gets dispersed through the stock cluster.
i'll tell you upfront, i failed in my attempt. the placement of my led's along with the craftsmanship of the wiring made my dimspots into hotspots and instead of dim blotchyness i have bright blotchyness.
while i did fail at my goal, it's actually pretty cool and i'm sure with another couple tries i can make this setup pretty sweet.
first off the circuits- i used LEDs from LEDtronics, which were 12.50 plus shipping for a package of 25 LEDs. this isn't a terrible price, but it's not cheap either. the LEDs are 100mcd, "ultra-red" in color, and have 20mA current and 2.0 V forward voltage drop. they have a maximum operating voltage of 2.6V and a viewing angle of 110degrees. they have a flat top of the lens which is better for throwing light, at least i think.
i learned to solder while i did this project, and with the help of a friend who is an amateur(but very good) electrician/tech/computer technician/cool dude, i got pretty damn good at it. using 18g primary wire and my LEDs, i wired up some circuits with 330ohm, 1/4watt resistors in order to make sure the LEDs worked and have a better chance at dimming*(more on that later)
the circuits looked like this:
+12v side-----RESISTOR-----LED----LED----LED---- negative side
it's important to remember that LEDs are diodes and therefore directional- so the anode side, or plus side, must be facing the plus end of the circuit or the led won't light and won't pass current. for more on that, visit the link in my previous post on the last page.
when i finished soldering i insulated the leads with black electrical tape(THIS WAS A MISTAKE!!! use white components so there will be less absorption of light behind the cluster, it really makes a difference.) and made sure to label what side was plus and minus.
i ended up with five circuits of three LEDs- that's 15 100mcd LEDs completely devoted to making sure you can read your gauges
now for the hard part- putting the damn things in the cluster!!!!
here's pics of the cluster being disassembled... be sure to take off the back plastic too, as you'll need to unbend the tabs on the metal needle barrels behind each needle.
once you've unbent the tabs, pull on the clear plastic behind the faces and lift the needles and guages right up out of the cluster. you'll expose the white plastic that covers the circuit board and this is where you'll be positioning the LEDs. you'll also be able to see your existing bulbs/leds in the stock locations- this is a good way to find out how light gets dispersed through the stock cluster.
#165
you can see how the needle barrels connect on the three posts, with the two tabs unbent from behind you will be able to pull the whole face/clear plastic/needles off from the white circuitry and backing.
the most important part- positioning the LEDs in a way that will make the light even, dispersed, and not hot-spotted. i failed miserably at this.
here it is all ready to reassemble- i highly reccommend not doing it this way- because you will see how uneven the light is with some LEDs facing back, some front, and having black electrical tape that will absorb the light bouncing around in there...
reassembled the faces onto the cluster, with the wires routed out the back through two of the existing bulb holes(i just removed two of the bulbs...)
fully reassembled, now the rest of the wiring-
with five series circuits, only one is soldered parallel into another inside the cluster(be sure to solder them in parallel BEFORE the resistor and AFTER the last LED in the series), leaving virtually four series to be wired into parallel.
i had tested this out to make sure it would work prior to installing the circuits into the cluster.
putting it back into the car, with the final + lead and - lead running to the stereo harness-
the most important part- positioning the LEDs in a way that will make the light even, dispersed, and not hot-spotted. i failed miserably at this.
here it is all ready to reassemble- i highly reccommend not doing it this way- because you will see how uneven the light is with some LEDs facing back, some front, and having black electrical tape that will absorb the light bouncing around in there...
reassembled the faces onto the cluster, with the wires routed out the back through two of the existing bulb holes(i just removed two of the bulbs...)
fully reassembled, now the rest of the wiring-
with five series circuits, only one is soldered parallel into another inside the cluster(be sure to solder them in parallel BEFORE the resistor and AFTER the last LED in the series), leaving virtually four series to be wired into parallel.
i had tested this out to make sure it would work prior to installing the circuits into the cluster.
putting it back into the car, with the final + lead and - lead running to the stereo harness-
#166
i didn't get pictures of it, but by far the coolest, nicest, and most fulfilling and happy part about this whole thing was finding that there was an unused COMPLETELY DEVOTED illumination plug that was UNUSED on my single-cd single-din stock head unit... the violet(+) and orange/white(-) wires going to the stereo are the illumination and by using two male quickconnect spades i was able to just use that plug for the wiring. so if i decide to uninstall my LED illumination, all i have to do is pull out my wires from that plug and then pull them from the cluster(the soldered ends of the four circuits that make an effective parallel of series will need to be cut, but that's better than having to desolder everything while it's behind the dash)
off:
on:
notice the hotspotting!!! it's worse than before but at least it's true HOT spotting instead of DIM spotting! with better arrangement and using more diffused light i'm sure this kind of setup could be very successful... alas, mine freaking sucks. here's more dusk pictures, blurry but whatever...
as you can see, the output is really blotchy and hotspotted, but it's a lot brighter than before and the best part-
IT DIMS USING THE STOCK LIGHTING STALK!!!!
now this is completely dependant on the kind of LEDs you get and what kind of circuit you put them in, but the kind i got with the 330 ohm resistors dim beautifully over the full range of the dimming ring- i haven't tried it for an extended period, so i don't know if it will shorten the lifespan of the led's or not(a possibility) but i'm just happy it works at all!
if you're thinking of doing this, i suggest you think about the placement of the LEDs more than anything else- making circuits, learning to solder properly, and finding out what kind of resistor to use is CAKE when compared to guessing how to position the leds. if i did it again, i'd face ALL my led's backwards(away from the faces) and use ALL white for the wires, tape, and anything else i put in there. the black is probably absorbing a lot of the light and making it more blotchy than if i had used white tape to insulate the LED leads.
also, don't be afraid to cut off long leads that you don't think you'll be using. for the majority of my circuits i had way more wire than i needed and it got in the way- you can see how crowded the wiring was in the guages in the picture before i put the faces back on.
off:
on:
notice the hotspotting!!! it's worse than before but at least it's true HOT spotting instead of DIM spotting! with better arrangement and using more diffused light i'm sure this kind of setup could be very successful... alas, mine freaking sucks. here's more dusk pictures, blurry but whatever...
as you can see, the output is really blotchy and hotspotted, but it's a lot brighter than before and the best part-
IT DIMS USING THE STOCK LIGHTING STALK!!!!
now this is completely dependant on the kind of LEDs you get and what kind of circuit you put them in, but the kind i got with the 330 ohm resistors dim beautifully over the full range of the dimming ring- i haven't tried it for an extended period, so i don't know if it will shorten the lifespan of the led's or not(a possibility) but i'm just happy it works at all!
if you're thinking of doing this, i suggest you think about the placement of the LEDs more than anything else- making circuits, learning to solder properly, and finding out what kind of resistor to use is CAKE when compared to guessing how to position the leds. if i did it again, i'd face ALL my led's backwards(away from the faces) and use ALL white for the wires, tape, and anything else i put in there. the black is probably absorbing a lot of the light and making it more blotchy than if i had used white tape to insulate the LED leads.
also, don't be afraid to cut off long leads that you don't think you'll be using. for the majority of my circuits i had way more wire than i needed and it got in the way- you can see how crowded the wiring was in the guages in the picture before i put the faces back on.
#167
I have a 2005 WRX.
I put in the Blue LEDs as said in the first post... and above is what i got. Any idea why it's so dark vs Salty's? I bought the #74s (NOT the T5) and there were basically only 5 slots that i could put in that lighted up the gauges. They're not bright enough to light up the needles either.
If you look at this picture... I put in the blue LEDs where this guy circled red except for the middle one
http://img84.exs.cx/img84/2194/cluster139td.jpg
Anyone have any ideas/suggestions???
I put in the Blue LEDs as said in the first post... and above is what i got. Any idea why it's so dark vs Salty's? I bought the #74s (NOT the T5) and there were basically only 5 slots that i could put in that lighted up the gauges. They're not bright enough to light up the needles either.
If you look at this picture... I put in the blue LEDs where this guy circled red except for the middle one
http://img84.exs.cx/img84/2194/cluster139td.jpg
Anyone have any ideas/suggestions???
#168
Originally Posted by vicwrx
I put in the Blue LEDs as said in the first post... and above is what i got. Any idea why it's so dark vs Salty's? I bought the #74s (NOT the T5) and there were basically only 5 slots that i could put in that lighted up the gauges. They're not bright enough to light up the needles either.
Guess that doesn't help you, but you arent alone
#171
VIP Member
iTrader: (8)
Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: Fremont/Las Vegas
Posts: 2,470
Car Info: 2004 PSM WRX
Originally Posted by emosubaru
i've seen it, i think it turns out better than any of the others so far.
#172
Just a quick tip for using the superlumination #74 red LED's in HVAC.
To avoid all the cutting and grinding to get the 194's to fit, take the clear 74's and drill-bit slightly smaller that the diameter of the led.
Drill into the light-emitting end of the LED to create a inverted cone shaped, frosted front to the LED. It will give you almost 100% even distribution of light. Makes it much easier to get light out to the edges of the HVAC display.
(Props to everyone doing these mods, now if I can just get the cluster amber, I'll be pumped!)
To avoid all the cutting and grinding to get the 194's to fit, take the clear 74's and drill-bit slightly smaller that the diameter of the led.
Drill into the light-emitting end of the LED to create a inverted cone shaped, frosted front to the LED. It will give you almost 100% even distribution of light. Makes it much easier to get light out to the edges of the HVAC display.
(Props to everyone doing these mods, now if I can just get the cluster amber, I'll be pumped!)
#174
VIP Member
iTrader: (17)
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: Northern California
Posts: 3,969
Car Info: 04 STi
The problem with using replacement LED's in place of the filament type bulbs is that you will get dim spots - since the LEDs are directional while the filamentous type bulbs radiate light. Autoluminations now has new bulb replacements that I highly recommend, but only in red for the filament type. Do not get blue filament type, they will light up green/aqua. I used them as direct replacements for my 04 STi HVAC and they look wonderful, if anybody needs a picture, let me know.
#175
Registered User
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: Waltham, MA
Posts: 5
Car Info: 2005 Subaru Impreza WRX
Wow this is crazy thread going on here. Good work to everyone. I was wondering if anyone has found a way to do the lights on an 05 WRX for the HVAC controls. That seems to be the trouble area. It looks like someone has already done the cluster (check) and keyring seems pretty easy (check). Any word on the HVAC controls? Again this is for an 05 WRX.
#176
I have an 06 TR. I did my deck and the a/c area (forgot) name all red, with condoms and i think it looks fine. Im interested in doing my gauges, but are all the bulb sizes still the same for me? I have 6 194s left from my other car. Im wondering if i could use those since there just sitting here. I havnt read all the threads so if im re-asking same questions sorry. Just dont have time to go through the whole thread...
#177
ok after reading this threat for like an hour, there are a million things going on in my head
i have a 04 impreza, and im going to do the blue LED
#1. i went to autolumination.com and if you look at their site now, am i supposed to get the #74 wedge based bulbs for 2.50 each?
#2. for the #194 bulbs, could i get the "wedge matrix led bulb"? it seems like it would be a good choice.. if not, which ones do i get?
#3. i don't need to take off the green film right? i'm pretty sure that's already a no..........but i just wnat to ask anyways to make sure
it just seems like all the bulbs explained in this thread are no longer specifically described and named in the autolumination.com site
my car is completely stock right now, so if i just swap all the bulbs, it should work? my needles should look....greenish i think? and those #74 wedge based led bulbs for 2.50 each should produce an even amount of light in my cluster?
i have a 04 impreza, and im going to do the blue LED
#1. i went to autolumination.com and if you look at their site now, am i supposed to get the #74 wedge based bulbs for 2.50 each?
#2. for the #194 bulbs, could i get the "wedge matrix led bulb"? it seems like it would be a good choice.. if not, which ones do i get?
#3. i don't need to take off the green film right? i'm pretty sure that's already a no..........but i just wnat to ask anyways to make sure
it just seems like all the bulbs explained in this thread are no longer specifically described and named in the autolumination.com site
my car is completely stock right now, so if i just swap all the bulbs, it should work? my needles should look....greenish i think? and those #74 wedge based led bulbs for 2.50 each should produce an even amount of light in my cluster?
#178
Originally Posted by szeto
ok after reading this threat for like an hour, there are a million things going on in my head
i have a 04 impreza, and im going to do the blue LED
#1. i went to autolumination.com and if you look at their site now, am i supposed to get the #74 wedge based bulbs for 2.50 each?
#2. for the #194 bulbs, could i get the "wedge matrix led bulb"? it seems like it would be a good choice.. if not, which ones do i get?
#3. i don't need to take off the green film right? i'm pretty sure that's already a no..........but i just wnat to ask anyways to make sure
it just seems like all the bulbs explained in this thread are no longer specifically described and named in the autolumination.com site
my car is completely stock right now, so if i just swap all the bulbs, it should work? my needles should look....greenish i think? and those #74 wedge based led bulbs for 2.50 each should produce an even amount of light in my cluster?
i have a 04 impreza, and im going to do the blue LED
#1. i went to autolumination.com and if you look at their site now, am i supposed to get the #74 wedge based bulbs for 2.50 each?
#2. for the #194 bulbs, could i get the "wedge matrix led bulb"? it seems like it would be a good choice.. if not, which ones do i get?
#3. i don't need to take off the green film right? i'm pretty sure that's already a no..........but i just wnat to ask anyways to make sure
it just seems like all the bulbs explained in this thread are no longer specifically described and named in the autolumination.com site
my car is completely stock right now, so if i just swap all the bulbs, it should work? my needles should look....greenish i think? and those #74 wedge based led bulbs for 2.50 each should produce an even amount of light in my cluster?
#179
oh yeah i post much more regularly on TSC than here, and i've read trunk monkey's thread a million times.... but i dont want to use the condoms cause i want to make mine blue
but.... yeah i remember the #194's dont fit, but if we do a little shaving here and there it should fit ok right? and im talking about the 194 going into the HVAC, not the cluster... is there a green film in the HVAC?
but.... yeah i remember the #194's dont fit, but if we do a little shaving here and there it should fit ok right? and im talking about the 194 going into the HVAC, not the cluster... is there a green film in the HVAC?
#180
Originally Posted by szeto
oh yeah i post much more regularly on TSC than here, and i've read trunk monkey's thread a million times.... but i dont want to use the condoms cause i want to make mine blue
but.... yeah i remember the #194's dont fit, but if we do a little shaving here and there it should fit ok right? and im talking about the 194 going into the HVAC, not the cluster... is there a green film in the HVAC?
but.... yeah i remember the #194's dont fit, but if we do a little shaving here and there it should fit ok right? and im talking about the 194 going into the HVAC, not the cluster... is there a green film in the HVAC?