can i do this to my gauges?

[Byzantium]

the main thing i dislike about my DSM is the UGGGLY orange color used on the interior lighting. i know you can change out the color on the a/c buttons and stuff, but can you change it out on the gauges? i'm trying to go for all blue interior lighting, and was wondering if i could just change it out, or if i have to buy some indiglo gauges in order to get them to be blue. any ideas?

[EcstasyTSi]

I went to Radio Shack and bought 16, 5mm Blue LED's 3200mcd (brightness) and wired them into the back of my gauge cluster. I wired them in series of four sets. I originally bought six LED's but the viewing angle on most LED's is so small that there were "hot" spots in the gauge cluster.

The orange light that is stock on the cluster is actually a thin layer of orange paint on the back of the gauges faces. This must be sanded off first when trying to change the color. After about $80 and 20-30 hours of preparing, soldering, and testing, the cluster was finished. It emits a very bright blue light that looks really nice. After I got the project done I realized that I could of just painted the back of the gauges a blue color or whatever you want and you could leave the original lights in the cluster however this wouldn't give you the LED brightness that is one of a kind.

I will get picks up soon.

[GST97ORL]

I actually thought about this a while back. I think it's impossible to do. If you look at the back of your gauge faces (don't know if you've seen what they look like) it seems as if the faces are built onto a tan (orange) colored piece of plastic. I don't think this back part comes off. So yeah, I think you'll have to go with some indiglos. You might want to try different color bulbs back there, I don't know what that would do.

Now, this is on my 2g, so I don't know if it's different on your 94. It very well might be. One thing that is different though...your gauge backlight bulbs are #194's. The 2g's are #74's...very very very small so no one makes a blue #74. But there is probably every color #194, I have blue ones all over in my car. Give it a try, can't hurt!

**edit** Whoops, looks like Ecstacy got his post up before mine!

[roadpie4u]

After about $80 and 20-30 hours of preparing, soldering, and testing, the cluster was finished. It emits a very bright blue light that looks really nice. After I got the project done I realized that I could of just painted the back of the gauges a blue color or whatever you want and you could leave the original lights in the cluster however this wouldn't give you the LED brightness that is one of a kind

Ummm... $80?? Okay, dude, no. Granted I know what you did and how you did it, so that can be done, but here, look at this:



For reverse indiglo....
http://www.procarparts.com/productimages/ING-1990EC-R.jpg

And the needles....
http://www.importcarpartsplus.com/Blue1.jpeg

And regular indiglo....
http://www.moneyzipper.com/kindiglo/images/ikac_indiglo_9294_mitsubishi_eclipse_nonturbo_blue.jpg

With indiglo needles....
http://www.importcarpartsplus.com/Blue2.jpeg

Check ebay for that stuff... Take your pic, which do you think looks best? I chose the reverse indiglo and needles...

[Byzantium]

well, EcstasyTSi, if you could get some pics up, i would greatly appreciate it! :D

[Corn]

hi roadpie4u just wondering where to get the needles i cant find them on ebay or any other import site thnxs.

[GST97ORL]

Import Intelligence (http://www.importintelligence.com)

[Byzantium]

actual, after thinkg about it, i would love to get some reverse gauges, but i can NEVER seem to find them with the right numbers on them. i have a nt w/ 140 mph and 8000 rpm. anyone seen them? (i've seen them in normal indiglo, but not in the reverse ones)

[EcstasyTSi]

Those reverse indiglo gauges dont look too bright to me. Have you ever seen a 3200mcd blue LED? If you shine one of them into your eyes its blinding. Just imagine 16 of them. It cant be imitated. I'll try to get some picks up tonight.

[AWD Terror]

I found another vendor of gauge faces last night and they carry SO many - their DSM ones look good to me:
http://www.nrauto.com
Click on the "Gauges" link on the menu on the top right and scroll to your car. Just a thought.

[CanuckDSM]

Here is another place to check out:

www.blackcatcustom.com

They make complete gauge faces/coloring + HVAC stuff for $155 CAN.

[smither_t]

Hey, Byzantium

How do you change the color of the buttons, like the a/c. heater, hazard, fan, i think you get the idea. I want to go to the blue background aswell but the thing that has stopped me is the buttons

thanks

[gearbasher]

Just like EcstasyTSi said go to Radioshack and get the led's on take off the paint from behind you can also paint it blue with transperint blue paint and get an nice deep blue look. You can do the same for everything else that is backlite. All of the buttond are just screen printed so it is easy to take the paint off.:D

[3aGleTal0n]

Alright im going to try this little project, but i need some more info. I've been searching though the achieves and reading up on a LOT! of stuff today. I bet i spend 4 hours reading though those FAQ's and I can say that really helped.

I went to RadioShack and im looking for Blue LED's and all they had was 5mm 300mcd for $2.99! (You bought 16!) You guys recomended 3200mcd. They had 3000mcd in Red, but i want to get away from the orignal look. They also had a 5000mcd which i bet would look like a Supernova so i ingorned it ;)

Basicly I just dont know for sure what bulbs to buy, I read this in a forum a while back and its a good thing i kept the site http://www.mpja.com/product.asp?product=12568+OP

Will those work for my Eagle Talon ESi 95' ?

I just dont trust myselft on that judgement and would like confermation.

Thanks

[EcstasyTSi]

At the time I bought mine 3200mcd was the brightest you could get and they were $3.99 a piece. The ideal LED is one that is bright and has the widest viewing angle. Unfortunatly these characteristics are opposite of each other. Go here http://www.ledmarketplace.com and there a lot of suppliers for LED's.

[fspdeejay]

You might want to try something like this if you can find it in a blue LED:
http://www.mouser.com/products/detail.cfm?mpart=512-QL484IT&CustRef=&source=search&CFID=16785413&CFTOKEN=84558190
with an inverted cone at the tip for better light distribution so that there won't be any "hot spots". It would look like this one:
http://secure15.dellhost.com/~d30022975/images/light_bulb/LED/194-led-blue.gif

[Pudrowtalon97]

I recently did this mod for my main gauge cluster. Let me clear up a few issue. Behind the gauges is a orange (I know we all hate it) coat of paint. You can easily sand this off and not damage your gauge (the #'s etc.) I bought these LEDS from AutoDynamic.com. (fourth pair down 194/168,LED Blue) Click me (http://secure15.dellhost.com/~d30022975/colored_bulbs.htm) The best thing about these LEDs, they are VERY bright and they can handle 12 volts. This means you don't have to mess with soldering any stupid resitors. All I did was replace the existing bulbs with these LED's and they work GREAT! It keeps the stock look, but at night it looks better than any indiglos out there. If you want, I can post some pics of how they look at night, and how i wired them in. Let me know.

Travi§

[Byzantium]

i DEFINITELY would like to see some pics, especailly since i don't have the ca$h to buy indiglos, and i do like the black gauges better than white. and the diagrams would be nice, too!!

[Pudrowtalon97]

Byzantium,
I am having some problems with the pictures showing up at night. My digital camera is a cheap pos that only works well in day light. But I assure you, You will love the way they look when they are done. I will try to take some pictures of how to wire them in, and give some simple directions. I only have my Rpm gauge done (looks kinda funny at night with one blue gauge and the rest orange) I only did one so I could see how they look. I will try to explain the install tomorrow...with a few pictures to go with it. If you have ever taken the gauge cluster apart, or ever installed Indiglo's, this install is a little bit harder, and you won't be able to put back in the stock lights after you have put in the LED's. Its up to you if you feel comfortable doing it. Idiglos=$60-$120 (and they are tacky :rolleyes: ) LED's=$40 and Look 100 times better than when you drive by someone and thier whole face is lit up from the indiglos. Just my $.02

Travi§

[dayrecka]

if ur talkin about hvac guages all u gotta do is get a colored condom for the bulb thats in there stock i used the condom off of colored strobe lights that came in a kit i had along time ago... cut the tip off and slid it on like a condom and slid it back in and now i have blue hvac guages

[3aGleTal0n]

Thanks man, i'd like to see how you did it before i try.

[pIOUs]

Lets see some pics. Thanks for the info on the orange filtering mitsu uses. I'm gonna do something soon with the gauges. I've already done my Honda.
Midway through pic:
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid28/p2653b638c4b952e15c3b848b21b19216/fdf71dc8.jpg
These needles are lit with 6 LEDs. I used acetone to get the needle paint off.

[$Big Pimpin$]

pIOUs did you just soak them in acetone or what.

[pIOUs]

Originally posted by $Big Pimpin$
pIOUs did you just soak them in acetone or what.
Plain nail polish remover, q-tips, and makeshift pics of various kinds. Dip the q-tip. You have to rub hard, so support the needles or they will snap right off. It's just an alternative to removing the needle. It take patience, but not more patience than calibrating messed up needles.

[$Big Pimpin$]

Oh alright, yeah I've heard alot of horror stories about recalibrating needles.

[gotboost 97GST]

out of curiosity, how much does it cost to get ur needles recalibrated, any know? Not like I've messed up my needles or anything (looks other way) lol.

[Eclipse97]

just a quick question for you all...i cant seem to find it anywhere on here...but

does anyone know how many leds you need to do the gauge cluster led conversion?...

also...does anyone know where i can get some push in leds?

[pioneertalon]

from www.importintelligence.com it doesn't say what color it changes your lights to if at all. does anyone know if it based on the gauge color you order or what?

[EcstasyTSi]

I used 16 LED's to fill my gauge cluster and there are minimal hot spots. Some are inevitable due to the arrangement of the electronics and gauges in the cluster. If I did it again I would probably do 20 but it started to become a long process and a little messy with all the wires. Elaborate on push in LED's

[Pudrowtalon97]

Im only going to use 8 LEDs in my gauge cluster. I don't really see the need for more than 8. The LEDs I got are much bigger than normal LEDs and are VERY bright. Just my $.02

Travi§

[Eclipse97]

sorry...didnt mean gauge cluster...meant behind the heat knobbers......i heard 4 from someone previously...but im not sure if i heard right...also...is it possible to put one behind the hazard button as well?...

[ntexdsmracer]

Originally posted by fspdeejay
You might want to try something like this if you can find it in a blue LED:

http://secure15.dellhost.com/~d30022975/images/light_bulb/LED/194-led-blue.gif

THESE SUCK! I got some for my side marker lights. Ordered the clear LED, and they are very poor! Very disappointed in them.

[Pudrowtalon97]

THESE SUCK! I got some for my side marker lights. Ordered the clear LED, and they are very poor! Very disappointed in them.
I don't know why you had a problem with them. I have been very pleased with these same exact LEDs. Mine were blue though....not clear. The blue are very bright...and for 10 bucks...it wouldn't be a bad idea to check them out. If you hate them your only out 10 bucks.

Travi§

[FrankJr.]

pIOUs, i have a question about getting the orange off of the needles. Did you just take the whole needle off and then rub nail polish remover on it or leave it on and do it? Also, hany led's will i need to light up the needles really good? Thanx.

[pIOUs]

Originally posted by FrankJr.
pIOUs, i have a question about getting the orange off of the needles. Did you just take the whole needle off and then rub nail polish remover on it or leave it on and do it? Also, hany led's will i need to light up the needles really good? Thanx.
Minimum 2 for the large faces and 1 for the small ones. I left the needles on for my project. Painting the needles without removing them will require more skill, but it's possible (and taking them off wasn't worth the trouble IMO).

[Turbo2]

I am thinking of doing this, but I am planning on using both the large size led's for the backgrounds and some smaller ones for the gauge needles, I also wanted to subscribe to this thread :D

[JJLuke]

Byzantium,

I did a red interior conversion on my DSM. Sorry I dont have pics, but I'll try to explain...


LITTLE SWITCHES
The little knob switches are easily or hardly done... you can either take a sharpie and color in the white at front, or you can go into the switch and color it from behind. (I COLORED THEIR FRONTS)

DASH PANEL KNOBS
Remove the panel and unscrew the back. There's some see throug material. Color it from behind and watch it magically turn the color you made it when you light up the panelling. Or again you can resort to coloring their fronts. (I COLOREd THEM FROM BEHIND)


now... GAUGES

Go to an automotive store and buy a bunch of colored 194/168 lights (in the ones you want: my store had red and blue). Also go to a junkyard (pick your part) and grab a bunch of turn in SOCKETS for these bulbs. You can buy them at an auto shop but they cost like $2 each; you can pocket them at a pick a part. Any import will have these, just look.

Open the bloody thing up until you get the instrument cluster. Remove the lights (they are 168/194 type). Take a look and notice that these lights are the whole unit (socket and bulb are inseparable). I realized this only after the fact....

Anyway, look to see which are the lights for the gauges... I screwed in soemthing like 9 bulbs and my low fuel light changed from orange to red (wanted stock orange for this) and my turn signals were so dark with red that they were barely visible even at night. Youll know what i mean when you see them. I think on my second run I removed four (L/R signal, high beam, low fuel)... so buy 6 colored 168/194.

All you do now is pop in the lights into the socket, turn them into the cluster, light em up and no more crappy orange.

What's even cooler provided you dont go overboard is that you can cut apar side marker sockets from hondas, etc. (lol) at the junkyard and use these 168/194 lights with wiring to put them under the dash, for floor ligting (like when you open your car)... you can replace those too with the colored 168/194...

hope this helps

[eclipsekid82]

Just finsihed doing this, looks awesome and took only about 20 minutes. I need to do the rest of the interior lights now. I used 3000mcd led that I got off of ebay for $3. Looks great with reverse indiglo gauges.

[SupaFresh]

where can i get white faced hvac controls?

[ippkiss]

I Just got the Wide angle LED's (In blue) from autodynamic.com and they work realy well, I'm using them to ligh up my autometer boost gauge, and it looks realy good. I'm going to try to get the faces that light up blue form BlackCatcoustoms, they all so sell the hvac controls.

[Eclipse97]

ippkiss...just a warning...the blackcatcustoms hvacs dont light up a very nice blue...its more of a tourqouis...however if you put an LED behind the HVACs it might light up a nicer blue...im going to try it in a few days and ill let you know...

[greyforestgst]

has anyone just repainted the orange backing? id like to see how this turns out

[Turbo2]

Originally posted by greyforestgst
has anyone just repainted the orange backing? id like to see how this turns out

Depends on what paint you use. I would think stained glass apint would work, but just a light coat.

[MitsuBeastly]

Originally posted by gotboost 97GST
out of curiosity, how much does it cost to get ur needles recalibrated, any know? Not like I've messed up my needles or anything (looks other way) lol.
i love your sig picture!!!!! bwahahaha i laughed so hard when i saw that

[gotboost 97GST]

haha thanks, man this thread keeps gettin dug up. By now i bought a used cluster and jsut switched the speedo over, too bad i blew my motor :( so I won't even get to test the new speedo needle for a few weeks :)

[shortdahri]

Originally posted by Pudrowtalon97
Im only going to use 8 LEDs in my gauge cluster. I don't really see the need for more than 8. The LEDs I got are much bigger than normal LEDs and are VERY bright. Just my $.02

Travi§

Hey Pudrowtalon97,

Were the bulbs you bought from autodynamic an exact/direct replacement for the tiny bulbs (w/ the orange condoms) that illuminate the gauges? Was there any modification necessary? How did you wires them (in series or parallel)? Got any pics? Thanks.

[Pudrowtalon97]

shortdahri,

The LEDs I bought from autodynamic were not a direct replacement. I had to modify the housing so that the LEDs would fit. I made the holes bigger with a few drill bits, untill the LEDs fit in nice and snug. As far as the wiring goes, On the plastic backing of the gauge pod where all the power goes through those copper runners....I just followed the + and - and tapped the wires directly where the original Bulbs got their power. By doing this, it kept the back of the cluster neat, with not a bunch of wires running all over the place. I don't have any pics yet, Im still waiting for my friend to bring over his digital camera. But I will post them ASAP. If you have any other questions...Post Em!!

Travi§

[v8_kllr]

i just did the clear needles and gauges, but now for some reason my hvac , hazard, defog, rear wiper, fog light switch dont light up anymore. but my dash cluSter looks wicked!

ANY THOUGHTS?

thanks in advance.

[TOTalon]

ippkiss:

How did you rewire your autometer gauges to accept LED's? Right now I have those blue condom things over the bulbs and they suck.

[Eclipse97]

v8_kllr

check your fuses...i burned out my tailight fuse (the one in the fusebox under the hood...its a 15) when i touched 2 wires together tryin to change my cig lighter bulb...

[ippkiss]

Originally posted by TOTalon
ippkiss:

How did you rewire your autometer gauges to accept LED's? Right now I have those blue condom things over the bulbs and they suck.

I ordered the 12v LED's from auto dynamic. they are a drop in replacement. you just twist out the black base the holds the light globe in the gauge, then just start pulling on the Globe, and it will pop out of the black plastic base, then just pop the new ones in. it looks wicked, if you want pics I can send you some just drop me a line.

[v8_kllr]

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Eclipse97
[B]v8_kllr

check your fuses...i burned out my tailight fuse (the one in the fusebox under the hood...its a 15) when i touched 2 wires together tryin to change my cig lighter bulb...

ya, i know about that one..heheheheh
but the thing is that the dash cluster still works, i think i will attack that bastard HVAC with my multimeter tomorrow and do some troubleshooting. thanks for the help anyways, Eclipse97.

btw, the tail light fuse is a 10amp fuse. i suggest you replace yours back to the stock value. :D

-Deep

[OrangeGST]

i havent been posting anything on here..... just reading all this stuff is good enough because any question that i might have has already been talked about......... anyways.....
I just about finished tonight the TOTAL BLUE converson of the dash.... i mean, i went so far to take apart every switch in the dash ( fog light, power mirrors, ect......) and change them to blue... including the whole HVAC cluster... and the lighter.... It looks like a space ship... i also put in reverse indiglo gauges... so the whole thing looks BANGIN... it is alot of work.. i spreaded it out over a week doing a little at a time... but thanks to Raido Shack and about 37.00 for supplies it came out great!!:D

[Eclipse97]

Orange GST...i replace my Cig Lighter bulb with an LED as well...but the damn thing dont light up for sh*t...i dunno what the problem is...it lights up...sort of... it is no where near a blue color...it is almost a clear color...i think it has something to do with the orange plastic peice that is in there...what did you do for your cig lighter?

[fspdeejay]

i don't think it's a good idea to change the cig lighter light to a LED... it gets hot when you use the lighter....

[OrangeGST]

all i did with the lighter is remove the bulb, then i mounted the LED right on the end where the bulb was.... but before i put the led in.... i Shaved off the whole top of it, to make it flat... that makes the light spread out more.....

i have been using the lighter... no probs yet... but thanks for the warning....

[Pudrowtalon97]

Eclipse97,
The reason why your cig lighter isn't lighting up blue is because the plastic is actually orange itself. When you try to emitt blue light through the orange....thats why your getting that weird color. I think the best thing to try would be to buy some blue transparent paint.....it might work. In the worst case you can just unplug the light and you will never see it :)

Travi§

[Hubbs]

i have a really easy way to do this, and it'll only cost you about 2 dollars!!!
you take off your gauges and pop off the needles, but make sure you know what they are reading before you take them off so you know where to put them back on ( i speak from experience)
unscrew the gauge faces and sand off the orange part (i left it over the red part of the speedometer and redline.
keep the stock white bulbs in there, that'll save you some money.
to get the blue look, go buy a blue see-through folder. cut it out to put behind your gauges where the orange used to be.
then for the needles, i just took a razor blade, and took the orange paint right off, then dipped the tips in red paint.
the entire cluster looks INCREDIBLE! all the numbers are blue, the kph's are red, the needles are white, with red tips!
i can post pics if you would like.

[LQQKQIK]

anyone know how many leds are behind the gauge cluster so i know how many to buy??

[EcstasyTSi]

I did 16 high intensity 3200mcd blue LED's. This worked well for me as the LED's that I got had a very small viewing angle. I tried 5 then I eventually went to 16 to help with the hot spots. Now that I have a digital camera I will try to get some pics too. Anyone else have any they can post?

[Hubbs]

Originally posted by LQQKQIK
anyone know how many leds are behind the gauge cluster so i know how many to buy??

i think there are 6. there are a total of 9, but the other 3 are the lights that light up your check engine and gas light..etc....

[LQQKQIK]

do you think that if i bought 6 of the autodynamics it would be enough to light up the whole cluster for the 1gs.????
and how many are there for the hvac???? just so i know how many to order. so i don't or an excess amount or not enough

[pIOUs]

Originally posted by LQQKQIK
do you think that if i bought 6 of the autodynamics it would be enough to light up the whole cluster for the 1gs.????
and how many are there for the hvac???? just so i know how many to order. so i don't or an excess amount or not enough
NO

This will not give you the desired effect. There is a layer behind the gauge faces (like a dot-matrix pattern) that is not c ompatible with the beam pattern/light intensity of LED lamps. That layer is ment to tone down the hot-spots of incandescent bulbs and spread out the light.
Even if you do 16 LEDs as the guy said, it would benefit you to remove this layer altogether.

The dot-matrix black pattern can take an even spread of light and make it uneven because that's its job. it will work against you to leave it there unless you are using blue incandescent lamps, but then you still have the orange layer which kills all that.

the 3g sight has the solution...go read it.

[Hubbs]

Originally posted by pIOUs

NO

but then you still have the orange layer which kills all that.



all you have to do about the orange layer is take off the gauges and sand it away. don't even need to be that careful...its really easy to do, i did it myself.

[OrangeGST]

heres mine......
http://www.dsmtuners.com/gallery/data/500/1635gstinside1.jpg

[GSXtsy]

Call me crazy.......but, i had those indigo gauges, and took them out because the orange matches the outside of my car. I like it better! :D

[pIOUs]

Originally posted by Hubbs


all you have to do about the orange layer is take off the gauges and sand it away. don't even need to be that careful...its really easy to do, i did it myself.
If I remember correctly, the orange layer is behind the dot-matrix layer. If you loose them both, then you really won't get the OEM spread of light.

[Hubbs]

you may be right, i don't know, but the way that i did it, it still looks really good. i would post a picture of it, but i can't get my hands on a digital camera anytime soon...

[LQQKQIK]

so i sand down the orange layer. but how many bulbs am i suppose to buy without any soldering jobs and by just replacing the oem bulbs with the new one.

[LQQKQIK]

or am i better off buy the indiglos or reverse indiglos thanks

[GSXtsy]

buy the indiglos, they're pretty easy to put in.....and you can always take'em back out.

[94eclipseDSM]

I was taking my usuall stroll thru the junkyard today at lunch (I know I'm a sick fucker) anyway and I always notice the new arrivals so I see this newer looking 929 and check it out, well look what i found in the dash lighting.

http://www.villagephotos.com/pubbrowse.asp?selected=58209


I am going to try these tonight on my center hvac section and see what it looks like. I'll post pics tomorrow of before and after.

Never know this might work good! we'll see!

L8r:cool: :cool:

[loreak]

oh man that blue looks freakin awesome, im gonna get the reverse indiglo and change all the other stuff to blue

[Iceman21]

Originally posted by roadpie4u


I chose the reverse indiglo and needles...

How bright is the cluster at night? I picked up the reverse indiglos and I am considering the needles, although they look very bright

[gSx-LeX]

amber is better becuase it diffuses quicker. blue, although it loks cool, diffuses very slow (which is hwy the sky is blue).

[Turbo2]

You guys are ridiculous sometimes :D Since when were the stock gauges dependable? When you buy those kits, you have to pull them anyway just to put on the gauge face. Jeez, just buy some stained glass paint in whatever color you'd like, sand off the backing of the gauges, paint them and voila, stock looking colored gauges. You can also paint the clear plastic pieces on the hvac knobs.

[G'dUPGSX]

ok i know you guys have already explained all of this over and over but i wanna make sure before i do any of this. i am gonna buy aftermarket gauges and the indiglo needle kit. I plan on making every light in the dash blue. On the gauge cluster diagram it shows over 20 different things that use the light.... is there one led that supplies light to more than one thing or what cuz u guys talk about using 9 and 16 and the such. And with the hvac is there one led per light or what. I am sorta confused and would rather know before i go rippin out my cluster. Any help would be appreciated such as how many leds i need and how to do it. I've seen the led's that are 12 volt and don't need resistors and are plug in... can i just use these on everything. Thanks.

[FlyinEAGLE]

I've been reading posts about the LED conversion for weeks now trying to decide what to do because, like a lot of other people, I don't think too highly of the stock dull-orange. I'm wondering though how well the light disperses across the gauge face? I've seen a few pics where there are very noticable dark spots where the light cast from the LEDs didn't reach. I guess you could either keep adding LEDs or try to find some with a different dispersion pattern but now I'm thinking it might be easier just to go with reverse indiglos for the speedo/tach/hvac from BlackCatCustoms and then use LEDs for the smaller stuff. How does the light output of reverse indiglos compare to that of an LED dash at the same brightness level?

[CyByte]

the reverse indiglo can be MUCH brighter then the original lights. you will not want them as bright as possible. A buddy of mine has them on his 2g. I like them but wouldn't want to install them myself but then again I'm car stupid :)

[Tallen]

gauge faces can be installed without removing needles first off

to make the light spread better in the gauges (instead of buying 16, lol, LED's) simply grind the end of the LED flat. this will "even out" the light emitted a little better. i suggest this for the HVAC and other buttons too.

if you want "neon" needles...just do as said. sand the paint off, use NAIL POLISH to repaint the back. put them back one, and run a LED DIRECTLY to the point that the needle gets its light.

[xxhiyanxx]

has anyone found a blue LED with good light dispersion? the 30 degree ones from radio shack just don't cut it.. espcially on the HVAC for the IG. the light seems like it would need to come out of the side of the bulb in order to have it work right...

[mrecl1pse]

Originally posted by Pudrowtalon97
The best thing about these LEDs, they are VERY bright and they can handle 12 volts. This means you don't have to mess with soldering any stupid resitors. All I did was replace the existing bulbs with these LED's and they work GREAT!

Travi§

The resistors are typically to control current to the LEDs so they don't burn out. LEDs typically need 20-30 mA. It will work without the resistor, but the life of the LED might be shortened.

[mrecl1pse]

Originally posted by xxhiyanxx
has anyone found a blue LED with good light dispersion? the 30 degree ones from radio shack just don't cut it.. espcially on the HVAC for the IG. the light seems like it would need to come out of the side of the bulb in order to have it work right...

I'm not sure if this will work, but you can try putting a clear defracting lens cap on the LED. These caps might be too big for the what you need it for though. But take a look.

http://www.jameco.com/cgi-bin/ncommerce3/ProductDisplay?prmenbr=91&prrfnbr=3219&cgrfnbr=501&ctgys=


www.jameco.com
has a lot of different style LEDs. Try looking through their catalog.

[97GS-Toy]

Originally posted by mrecl1pse


The resistors are typically to control current to the LEDs so they don't burn out. LEDs typically need 20-30 mA. It will work without the resistor, but the life of the LED might be shortened.

This is correct. You can't put 12V across a LED. It will either blow up the LED or pull down the power supply. You NEED a current limiting resistor in series.

However, check the webpage. They're not LED's. LED stands for Light Emitting Diode. What he has is a blue bulb. A sealed glass container with a burning filiment inside. This is very different than a LED.

[MakinBeatz]

Originally posted by Byzantium
the main thing i dislike about my DSM is the UGGGLY orange color used on the interior lighting. i know you can change out the color on the a/c buttons and stuff, but can you change it out on the gauges? i'm trying to go for all blue interior lighting, and was wondering if i could just change it out, or if i have to buy some indiglo gauges in order to get them to be blue. any ideas?


how do u change the lights behind the buttons?!

[Airpoppoff]

Originally posted by MakinBeatz



how do u change the lights behind the buttons?!


easy, take them apart, take the stock bulb out and move a led in postion with it, make shure you dont forget your resisotor

[Turbo'dTalon1G]

Originally posted by ippkiss


I ordered the 12v LED's from auto dynamic. they are a drop in replacement. you just twist out the black base the holds the light globe in the gauge, then just start pulling on the Globe, and it will pop out of the black plastic base, then just pop the new ones in. it looks wicked, if you want pics I can send you some just drop me a line.

Well judging by the shattering bulb that went everywhere i need to buy a new black plastic base?

[Blackboost]

Originally posted by Turbo'dTalon1G


Well judging by the shattering bulb that went everywhere i need to buy a new black plastic base?

If you remove all the shattered glass from the base, you may re-use it,;)

[Turbo'dTalon1G]

Alright cool, it was late and i just figured the base of the bulb would be stuck in there.

[xxhiyanxx]

Originally posted by Airpoppoff



easy, take them apart, take the stock bulb out and move a led in postion with it, make shure you dont forget your resisotor


very very not easy... i just changed the switch lights on my 1G... after you take apart the switches you have to dremel out enough plastic so that you can solder a resistor and an LED into the spot where the bulb went.... plus you have to figure out which side is positive and which is negitive so you can put the LED in the right way.

[FiReBReTHa]

lotsa people have done this, and none have posted pics, not sure how long post has been up so dont think im flamin.


anyways, i was preparing for this project so i will do a step by step for a 96 TSI AWD.

BlUe LED dash conversion, with either blue Gauges and Intelli needle, or white face, or reverse indiglo and intelli needle.

then afterward i will get prices for anyone that needs the leds.


Laters