Comprehensive Lighting Modification Thread

CRE

7M-GE + MAFT Pro + T = :D
Oct 24, 2005
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So you won't be coming by for that ultra thin copper clad board? Did you end up etching a board or what? Looks great!
 

cricketjoe

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Mar 27, 2010
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Good job suprarx7nut. Your needles seem to "bleed" out less light compared to mine.

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suprarx7nut

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Nov 10, 2006
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CRE;1765675 said:
So you won't be coming by for that ultra thin copper clad board? Did you end up etching a board or what? Looks great!

No copper board needed! I ended up using shaved down proto boards. It's all installed and perfectly functional. I'll post up more pics and a write up soon.



Sent from my ADR6400L using Tapatalk
 

suprarx7nut

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Nov 10, 2006
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Updated with the LED needle process. I had more pics, but I lost them somehow. If I come across them I will add to the post.

Albert has done this lighting as well and used a completely different manufacturing process.
 

Avicii

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Nov 4, 2011
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suprarx7nut;1812695 said:
Updated with the LED needle process. I had more pics, but I lost them somehow. If I come across them I will add to the post.

Albert has done this lighting as well and used a completely different manufacturing process.

quick question, what is the green sheet that connect's to the back of cluster where the lights screw into? i have a little rip in mine where it leads to my coolant gauge and guess what! my coolant light does not come on so could this be whats causing it? guessing if it is the problem might want to just buy a new gauge cluster .
 

suprarx7nut

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Nov 10, 2006
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Avicii;1816868 said:
quick question, what is the green sheet that connect's to the back of cluster where the lights screw into? i have a little rip in mine where it leads to my coolant gauge and guess what! my coolant light does not come on so could this be whats causing it? guessing if it is the problem might want to just buy a new gauge cluster .

The green sheet is the circuit for your cluster. It's like a circuit board, but it's a sheet. You can try to repair the section that is broken or replace the sheet altogether.
 

mkiiichip

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Sep 10, 2007
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Anyone tried to tackle the clock yet? I am pretty sure its been covered, I just cant find it at this point.
 

suprarx7nut

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Nov 10, 2006
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I haven't seen anyone replace the clock with an updated display. I'd like a nice red. Unfortunately, unlike the CC number display, the clock does not appear to be any kind of standardized size and shape.

As an update to my needles, the solder joints in the LEDs appear to be intermittent. Looks great when they decide to work, but annoying when they dont. A decent iron and improved soldering skills would probably fix the problem.
 

CRE

7M-GE + MAFT Pro + T = :D
Oct 24, 2005
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The clock uses a VFD.... I never found a compatible one in any color. Lighting gels to change the color to a degree or a complete replacement clock are the only ways I came up with. Gels dimmed the display too much though so I drafted a circuit for a replacement using LED displays but never etched any boards as I decided to remote mount a blue display for my MAFT Pro in that location.
 

suprarx7nut

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Nov 10, 2006
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Found some of the finished product pics for the needles. They've been working well for over a year now. It really updates the dash appearance at night. I rarely drive at night now, but when I do it's always a nice upgrade to make it feel like you're driving a newer car.

I'd love to get an actual circuit company to make some boards with real SMD's that are perfect, but I imagine the custom shape and required tolerances would make it a little pricey. Should mine start to fail on me down the road perhaps I'll pursue it.

Check the end of post 2 for the updated pics.