LED light strip gauge cluster lighting (1 Viewer)

[woytovich]

So I tried the EL wire gauge cluster mod and had some problems. One, which was my fault, is that I must have bent the EL wire too much and broke it to the point it shorted out. I didn't discover this until I had it all installed (I used hot glue) and had to tear it all out and start cutting it to find the bad spot, and by then it was a mess. Second, the inverter I got gave out a pretty significant whine - not that I'd be able to hear it in a running 40 but it was still disconcerting to me.

ANYWAY: I found an alternative that I think might be good for some.

LED light strips are available in 12v (so no need for an inverter), can be dimmed and can be color changing (if you buy the kit for that, also not $$$) and are cheap ($12 for 16 feet)
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01339F5ZO/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I thought I'd post up my final install (I went through a little R&D to get to what I consider the best solution for me.)

Here is the final result:

 

[woytovich]

One of the things I like about this solution is that the odometer and speedo numbers get lit up nicely. It seemed that the EL wire didn't get much light to these areas.

(Disclaimer: Do this at your own risk. Be sure to disconnect your battery BEFORE you remove the cluster from the dash - the AMMETER is wired directly to the battery and can EASILY short out on the metal dash when you are removing the cluster. Be careful when disassembling the cluster and installing the LED strip - it would be very easy to damage a gauge or the black panel.)

After removing the cluster from the truck I started by pulling the face and black panel off of the cluster.

Then I removed the speedometer. There are 2 screws holding it in place and 2 wires going to the speedo that can be accessed from the backside.

 

[woytovich]

I used 2 pieces of LED strip instead of one long one. This enabled me to better balance the light going to the speedo with that going to the 4 lower gauges.

Cut the lengths of LED strip and solder leads (there are plenty of YouTube videos abut this process - it is easy) (Note: the lengths shown here are 2" too long, I ended up trimming both pieces by 2")

 

[woytovich]

The cluster was originally lit by 2 light bulbs that fit in from the back through 2 holes and the bulbs are shrouded by these little "hoods"

I used the holes left when removing the bulbs to route the LED strip wire leads out to the back of the cluster.

At the end of the install of the actual LED strips I soldered the wires to the circuit board where the original bulb's sockets got their power. Note: you need to make sure to have the + and - in the right orientation or the LED strips will not work so test before you do a final solder.

 

[woytovich]

Routing the lower LED strips is pretty straight forward. I started that piece of LED strip at the right most (when looking at the cluster) bulb hole and ran it down and around the outside of the cluster housing. If you get LED strip without the waterproof coating this will be a little easier as the clearance between the housing and the gauges is tight in spots. BE CAREFUL not to damage the gauges! The ammeter is especially easy to bang into and bend the needle - don't ask me how I know.

I used the adhesive on the back of the strip and added a few dabs of hot glue - belt and suspenders kinda guy that I am.

When going over the "hump" I tried to set the LED themselves up symmetrically to avoid hot spots

 

[woytovich]

The top piece of strip ended up being a little more complicated. When I ran the strip around the housing like I did on the bottom I ended up with too little light on the speedo AND I could actually see the LEDs when looking from the passenger seat angle.

I ended up building a little "shelf" so I could face the LEDs out towards the white of the housing, this gave a nice even distribution of the light and eliminated the direct LED view. I used a piece of vinyl Venetian blind that I had laying around but any thin strip of steel, aluminum or plastic should work. I bent it to fit over the speedo and to be able to be attached to the 2 shrouds for the turn signals. I hot glued it in place.

 

[woytovich]

I started the top LED strip at the left side bulb hole and stuck it to the shelf.

 

[woytovich]

This is how it looks before reassembly.

This shows the "better" light on the inner area of the speed vs what I saw in the EL wires pics that are around.

 

[woytovich]

Yes, be sure to clean the glass, gauges and black panel before reassembly as any dirt or dust will really show with the new lights.

 

[woytovich]

This is a diagram of the multi pin connector on my cluster that I got here on MUD - different model years will have different ways power gets to the cluster so you will need to figure that out for your application. I used this to supply power to the cluster to test the orientation of the LED's leads on the circuit board.

 

[woytovich]

It is 11 degrees out so I have not had a chance to reinstall the cluster to check this out in use but I'll post up pics once I get to that.

 

[Jerry D.]

XLNT,

Thanks
Jerry D.

 

[woytovich]

Now I think I might use the rest of the LED strip for some interior, overhead or foot well lighting. Certainly to replace the light up under the center of the dash pad!

 

[John McVicker]

Good job Mark. I like your solution.

 

[bigredmachine]

that's some nice work

 

[Varty Yo]

Wow thats impressive attention to detail! I need to find some of this in 24v for my 42 now.

 

[White Stripe]

I did the led strip in my my gauges as well. I probably would use dimmer strips if I did it again. Even at full dim it's pretty bright. If I turn them all the way up its like having a arc weld on my dash.

 

[SD_rdcruzer]

Great write up. Thanks

 

[woytovich]

View attachment 1605808 I did the led strip in my my gauges as well. I probably would use dimmer strips if I did it again. Even at full dim it's pretty bright. If I turn them all the way up its like having a arc weld on my dash.

I agree about the brightness... With the strip mounted deeper into the housing and the top part mounted facing outward a lot of the light is lost bouncing around inside the thing.... but this reduces the hot spots evening out the light and a less-bright end result. I'll see if I need to add a dimmer once it is in the truck.

 

[White Stripe]

I agree about the brightness... With the strip mounted deeper into the housing and the top part mounted facing outward a lot of the light is lost bouncing around inside the thing.... but this reduces the hot spots evening out the light and a less-bright end result. I'll see if I need to add a dimmer once it is in the truck.

Ya my strips aren't toward the back like yours. Having actual light coming out of the gauges sure is nice. For the money, it's a great mod for as little as it costs. I tried led bulbs first and they did a poor job lighting the gauges. The strips are awesome.