Goemon Posted October 10, 2019 Report Share Posted October 10, 2019 What are the numbers for the instrument & dash lights? I want to change them all out while the cluster is out. I do not want to burn up the plastic with a bulb that is too high in wattage. Thanks Guys........ Quote Link to comment
Goemon Posted October 10, 2019 Author Report Share Posted October 10, 2019 My owner's manual says #161 bulb, 2.66 watts for instruments. I have the dash light bulbs 1445, 14v, 1.9 Watt. The Manual calls for 1.7 W #158 incandescent for heater control & dash. I am a bit confused........some help? Thanks Quote Link to comment
datzenmike Posted October 10, 2019 Report Share Posted October 10, 2019 If not burned out, I would leave them. Very uncommon for them to burn out. Quote Link to comment
Goemon Posted October 10, 2019 Author Report Share Posted October 10, 2019 Well the truck is almost 41 yrs old, and while I have the cluster , ashtray & glove box out.......... I don't want to have to ever pull it out again if I can keep from it. Too old for that shit ! I did finally find the #161 for .18 ea. 6 bucks shipping. They are in Florida.https://www.jacksonelectricsupply.com/161-Miniature-Bulb-Glass-Wedge-Base-p/b161.htm Quote Link to comment
Chopper Jim Posted October 10, 2019 Report Share Posted October 10, 2019 Not a bad deal. Napa, Car Quest,Autozone are priced around $2.25 ea. Chopper Jim Quote Link to comment
flyerdan Posted October 10, 2019 Report Share Posted October 10, 2019 I just went out and checked my bulb drawer, I have a lot of these type bulbs from when we swapped out fuel gauge lights to 24v ones at a place I worked at. Most are GE or Toshiba 158 which are 3.4w, there are also some Westinghouse 194 in there as well, those are 4w and are probably from parting out stuff with them in the marker lights I figure they are pretty much interchangeable, and I have probably about 70 or so, a lifetime supply for me. Quote Link to comment
Goemon Posted October 10, 2019 Author Report Share Posted October 10, 2019 1 hour ago, Chopper Jim said: Not a bad deal. Napa, Car Quest, Auto Zone are priced around $2.25 ea. Chopper Jim The Guy at O'Reilly gave me the tip to try the net after he saw what I was going to have to pay for 8 bulbs. $25.00???...!!!!!!!! They didn't have the 161 in stock. He suggested the # 194, that is 3.78 Watt, the 161 is 2.66 Watt and is what the manual suggests. This was the cheapest I found on the net, and in America........Most of the parts I have coming are from Thailand...ugh..... I don't want to make the plastic any more brittle than it is with a higher watt bulb. I am glad I found the owner's manual !!!!! Thanks Guys ! Quote Link to comment
DanielC Posted October 10, 2019 Report Share Posted October 10, 2019 (edited) There are LED replacement lamps (bulbs) that you can get. superbrightleds.com is a source I used when replacing lamps in the instrument cluster on a 521. Edited October 14, 2019 by DanielC Quote Link to comment
Goemon Posted October 12, 2019 Author Report Share Posted October 12, 2019 There are a lot of things about LEDs that need to be taken into consideration. I have been experimenting with them for over 3 yrs now. My entire house is lighted at night with 10 mm colored LEDs running off modified garden light circuits and 1.2 v cells. Oscillating Transformer Boost circuit. If the power goes off, I can still see . I have You Tube videos on that and LOTS of other things https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKOuKlKWSvj9sBBaz82qvRw When you are running 12 v, they have to have a step down circuit that can fail before the LED ever does. Step down circuits create heat, along with the LED. The flat one in the video has 3 resistors and 8 LEDs and too thick. I have seen several reviews and I will just stick to the time tested ones that have lasted 41 yrs. They only have 1 part that can go bad. Thanks This guy butchered his vehicle because he wanted LEDs Quote Link to comment
MikeRL411 Posted October 13, 2019 Report Share Posted October 13, 2019 LED are reverse biased avalanche diodes and NEED current limiting resistors. Without current limiting they will burn out instantly. Low voltage bulbs may get away without resistors if the current supply internal resistance serves as the current limiter. Quote Link to comment
Goemon Posted October 14, 2019 Author Report Share Posted October 14, 2019 Yeah, I took a 40 Watt LED house bulb apart and the circuit steps it down from 120 AC to 57 volts DC. The LEDs are in series. There is heat also........... I wired them up parallel, a 12 v car battery would light the ones I didn't burn out, and they had to have a heat sink since they got so hot. The thing lit up the whole area, but eventually I burned out all of the LED chips on the panel. That is what experimentation is all about...... The highest power 1.2 transformer I have made puts out 165 volts . No Heat. It will burn out the transistors in 3.7 v 10 mm RGB LEDs unless you have a few plugged in. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Today, as I was cleaning my cluster......I noticed there were 4 Toshiba Bulbs still in the instruments. Original stuff from 1979. Quote Link to comment
datzenmike Posted October 14, 2019 Report Share Posted October 14, 2019 Yeah they last virtually for ever, they're just not very bright. You know you can just buy LED dash lights and plug them in. Quote Link to comment
thisismatt Posted October 14, 2019 Report Share Posted October 14, 2019 I will just stick to the time tested ones that have lasted 41 yrs. They only have 1 part that can go bad. Yes and no. Everything is a crapshoot now. Apparently nobody is willing to even make a half decent quality incandescent bulb anymore. Quote Link to comment
datzenmike Posted October 14, 2019 Report Share Posted October 14, 2019 Well, they generate heat, they draw more power for less light, and god knows the Datsun cars and trucks have about the dimmest dash lights I have ever seen. Quote Link to comment
Goemon Posted October 14, 2019 Author Report Share Posted October 14, 2019 backtrackhttps://allbatterysalesandservice.com/cec-miniature-incandescent-bulb-161-10-pack-161c Quote Link to comment
Goemon Posted October 14, 2019 Author Report Share Posted October 14, 2019 Bad reviews...... Quote Link to comment
Goemon Posted October 14, 2019 Author Report Share Posted October 14, 2019 Try You Tubing ,Sun Foil Project" If your battery is charged at all times, there is no load on the alternator/ generator. Better gas mileage............ Quote Link to comment
Goemon Posted October 14, 2019 Author Report Share Posted October 14, 2019 My invention has got almost 20,000 views, no commercials and I gave away my invention. Energy Reclamation, there is a # 2 & # 3 box fan video on my channel Quote Link to comment
G-Duax Posted October 14, 2019 Report Share Posted October 14, 2019 My dim original dash bulbs are finally going out, one here, another there, I started carrying my weapon light in my pocket. (without the weapon) Some day, when I finally get around to pulling my cluster to install the tach that has been sitting in a box for 10 years, I'll change them out. Quote Link to comment
thisismatt Posted October 14, 2019 Report Share Posted October 14, 2019 Aaaaaaaaaaaaand, I'm out Quote Link to comment
Goemon Posted October 14, 2019 Author Report Share Posted October 14, 2019 As far as BRIGHTNESS, I never keep my dash dimmer turned all the way up. If I put in brighter bulbs, say a 194, I would just keep them turned down anyway. I have never had any issues with my dash lights being too dim. #161, No Problem. Thanks. If your illuminated knobs loose the white: Quote Link to comment
datzenmike Posted October 14, 2019 Report Share Posted October 14, 2019 Surely you can't read them properly at night. This is one of the universal things about almost all Datsuns..the extremely dim dash lights. The gauges are extremely difficult to read. The odometer for example. Quote Link to comment
Goemon Posted October 14, 2019 Author Report Share Posted October 14, 2019 Not Really. And don't call me Shirley........LOL Quote Link to comment
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