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Old 04-03-2021, 07:56 AM   #1
BigPapa
 
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Dimming? LED gauge lights

I’ve read several threads on using LED’s in the cluster but I have some questions from those that have done it.
  • Can you dim the LED’s?
  • What angle works best?
  • What lumen works best?

Thanks.
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Old 04-03-2021, 01:19 PM   #2
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BigPapa View Post
I’ve read several threads on using LED’s in the cluster but I have some questions from those that have done it.


  • Can you dim the LED’s?
  • What angle works best?
  • What lumen works best?



Thanks.
What vehicle? Insert bulbs or SMT (solder in) diodes?

Something to consider is color. The different wave lengths appear brighter or darker. The blue I switched to are much brighter than the green diodes from the OEM, which means I run with them dimmed quite a bit. This means the digital display is darker than I would like a lot of the time.

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Last edited by biggy238; 04-03-2021 at 01:20 PM.
 
Old 04-03-2021, 08:28 PM   #3
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It’s my ‘98 Dodge. I have a few lights out and figured I’d go back with LED’s. Just the ones for illumination, not the warning lights, turn signal indicators, etc.

Are they soldered to the circuit board? I thought they were 194’s in a socket you turn and remove. If they’re soldered in, I’ll just have to live with data gauges....
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Last edited by BigPapa; 04-03-2021 at 08:35 PM.
 
Old 04-03-2021, 10:31 PM   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by biggy238 View Post
What vehicle? Insert bulbs or SMT (solder in) diodes?

Something to consider is color. The different wave lengths appear brighter or darker. The blue I switched to are much brighter than the green diodes from the OEM, which means I run with them dimmed quite a bit. This means the digital display is darker than I would like a lot of the time.

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Click the image to open in full size.
Assuming you were going for the newer Ford dash gauge look? I like the blue a lot better than the green also

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Old 04-04-2021, 10:30 AM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BigPapa View Post
It’s my ‘98 Dodge. I have a few lights out and figured I’d go back with LED’s. Just the ones for illumination, not the warning lights, turn signal indicators, etc.

Are they soldered to the circuit board? I thought they were 194’s in a socket you turn and remove. If they’re soldered in, I’ll just have to live with data gauges....
No sir, I think they are 194's.

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Old 04-04-2021, 10:32 AM   #6
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Assuming you were going for the newer Ford dash gauge look? I like the blue a lot better than the green also

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I was off on my own path before I found out the newer clusters are blue. I need a set of blue needles from a newer model.

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Old 04-04-2021, 12:11 PM   #7
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as far as i know, the best way to dim LED is though PWM effective voltage versus trying send a lower voltage. Do not know who makes a PWM dimmer especially for your truck.
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Old 04-04-2021, 04:32 PM   #8
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I need a set of blue needles from a newer model.
This guy scraped the orange off his needles.

Competition Diesel.Com - Bringing The BEST Together - View Single Post - Can you change the Gauge Cluster lights to blue LEDs?
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Old 04-05-2021, 08:47 PM   #9
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I did that years ago in my 01. Ended up disliking the contrast after several months. My eyes had a difficult time focusing on each gauge at night time.
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