led gauge cluster

[danfiveten]

Well since being laid off, ive been bored as hell. For a while i had been playing around with updating our gauge clusters with led's. A week ago i ordered led strips from online, good amount of brightness, but not TO bright. Well just one of them showed up today (jerk ebayer refused to combine shipping). Well i tore apart the speedo and gas part of the cluster, tommrow if the other led's show up comes im doing the tach. I just laid the strips on the bottom of the plastic housing so they are pointing up, put the housing back together and hooked them up to my battery in the trunk to see what they would look like. And oh my god they look so very good. Ill be posting pics later when the wife gets home so she can hold up the laptop camera as i hold them on the battery. But im impressed, there not to bright, but they are brighter than the stock lights, and provide way way way more light distribution on the gauges.

[Skib]

cant wait to see pics :D

 

the new goons lighting sucks on the instrument panel :rolleyes:

[gokiburix]

i wanna see!

[danfiveten]

well i managed to keep it hooked up to the bat and hold the laptop for pics lol.

I dont know why one of the pics came out very very bright lol.

[gokiburix]

LOOKS VERY COOL! I might want to copy :P

[datrod]

I think I only have one light that works. :( I think I might copy your idea also. :D

[danfiveten]

Thats what i put it up for. I have gotten tired of the weak lighting in these things. Ill post a diy up when i do the tach, i don really want to unscrew the speedo assembly again, plus ive learned that when i un-do something i just did i usually cant get it back to being as good as what i had it at before lol.

[1badsrd510]

Ive been wanting to do this for a long time...Im inspired...now

[lowdatsun620]

Hey guys, nice work! These strips are fantastic, they are what we use for a lot of our applications. SUPER versatile. Expect to see alot of the RGB stuff on Sic Sic. This was actually the next topic I was going to breach since there is lots of interest in the LED tails so far and I haven't even started yet :D and I know I hated that my guage lights weren't visible at all if I was anywhere near civlization. I haven't yet taken a look at my own guages to see if led backlighting is possible without risking breakage but as I recall it shouldn't be difficult to build a board with the SMD LEDs. This is how modern clusters are lit.

Anyways, not trying to hijack this thread if you are interested in that aplication PM me or post under my LED tails thread in the Electrical thread until I make a separate thread.

If your interested in doing it this way though, I can probably supply you guys with the strips at lower cost than through eBay since we order larger quantities direct from overseas. For those of you located near each other, organize a group order among yourselves for max savings. I'll post pricing and color selection tomorrow.

 

Again, nice work buddy, looks good.

[danfiveten]

Problem is with the 510 gauges the light seeps through the sides and the bottom to light up the gauge, the boards will have a hard time mounting on the inside with even light distribution, thats why i used the strips because they can go under the gauges, and yet not be seen from the outside so it looks stock, the 510 gauges are a pain in the ass to do anything like this to since light cant pass through the black faces. And i dont mind the hijacking. Im just glad there is alot if interest in this. I tried the led bulbs, and they just didnt do crap, the strips look way better. Im thinking about keeping the bulbs in as well to try to add a lil more light to it, i plan on posting more photos once i get the entire assembly reinstalled, got my tack apart and ready for the next strip....when they show up that is. I also plan on experimenting some other things with the other strips, and the remains of the strip im going to have to cut up for the tach. Im thinking lights under the doors, puddle lights so when you open your doors they tie into the dome light circuit and light up as well, kind of like my altima. Really nice if you drop something out your door, just open it and have some extra light. Sometimes having to much time durrin the day can work out pretty well.

Edited October 27, 2009 by danfiveten

[bonvo]

take lots of pics of how its wired and how there installed into the gadges im very very interested in this mod and i got the wheels spinning in my head for the 610

[72240z]

I think madness's led conversion came out looking very nice. Like the single led method much more.

 

[lowdatsun620]

Mind if I ask what you paid per foot for the strips?

How many lights per foot?

Are they sheathed (wrapped with plastic heat shrink) or bare?

 

A product called E6000 is an excellent adhesive (or UV6800 for UV protection) or any other clear flexible silicone based adhesive. It cleans up very easily once dried and will rub right off your hands after a minute or two, but also forms a very strong, flexible bond. It is easy to remove from metal when you try but won't give up on it's own. A few pieces of good double sided tape help hold the strip in place while it cures, but don't get the silicone adhesive on the tape or it won't help.

 

Also, and most important for external applications, seal the cut ends with either an inch of glued heat shrink (Leave at least 1/4" past the end of

the strip, squeeze together after heated to seal, careful it's hot!) or with some silicone, but be sure it's water tight. Also make sure the plastic does not get pierced anywhere along the length, moisture will ruin your strips in a very short time if it can get inside.

 

Remember those tips and your new lights should out last your

Ratsun.

[lowdatsun620]

I think madness's led conversion came out looking very nice. Like the single led method much more.

 

 

ooo i really like that install, very clean, looks like it could have been factory, only cooler :D

[Unclejesse88]

I used four pin green leds in my 510 cluster, with four per gauge. Basically one siliconed in each corner. I wound up playing with the placement, to get the lighting correct. Don't bother using the stock bulbs with your leds, it is a complete waste. Save that electricity for something else. NOW, what you can do with your bulbs, is use them to power your leds. I took the black plastic bulb holder, and drilled a hole in the back. Then I ran my power and ground for the led up through the hole, and soldered the two wires to the two bulb contacts in the bulb holder. So, all you have to do to power your leds is twist in you bulb holder, for instant power and ground. The best part is that the led wiring doesn't have to leave the cluster to find it's power, and you don't have to take it all apart if you have to remove the cluster

[BJW's FiveTen's]

Also If you paint the inside/back of the gauge semi gloss white, it reflects the light more evenly. :D

[danfiveten]

I got the led strips for around a buck a piece from a guy in hk on ebay. Only thing is he wouldnt combine shipping for me so im waiting for each one individualy to show up it seems. They are waterproof, and insulated, and come with a 3m strip on the back to tape them down which was very nice. They are also black, so they blend in with the gauges so you cant see them when in the dash. Was a good price, and they are guaranteed to last a good amount of time. But the nice thing replacing them will be very very easy. Each strip is about a foot in lenghth, and if people want i can get the ebayers store address for you guys.

[lowdatsun620]

wow, thats actually a good deal, and sound very similar to the stuff we use, with the 3m tape (just a note, that stuff will eventually dry up and let go, especially in an automotive environment where it is subject to vibration and such, not the greatest, which is why we use the silicone. the double stick we use while the silicone cures is the "No More Nails" its pretty heavy duty, but the silicone does all the work anyways.)

 

the only difference i can tell from our strips is that you say yours are black... mind posting a pic before you install the next batch?

ours are just copper coloured but id rather use black when it comes to doing my own truck.

[danfiveten]

Yah ill post a pic of the strips next batch to show up. Only problem is they havent shown up yet. Im pretty pissed of with this ebay guy for not combining shipping in the first place. And now i havent received any of the others.

[FujiyamaMama]

Oh man I am so gonna copy you!

[thisismatt]

Why is everybody obsessed with blue? Blue is about the most glaring color you can use.

[danfiveten]

Mines not blue...its white. I cant stand blue it gives me a headache when its in my face all bright for long periods of time.

[FujiyamaMama]

I think I'm gonna try and find green. Everything in my dat is green!

[danfiveten]

well its done :-D. Tommorow ill get pics up :) and it looks good. Even my dad likes it, and hes usually a stick in the mud on stuff like this.