Lexucan

Yes, the needles were illuminated with a strip of specially manufactured LEDs. I've never seen anything comparable that could take their place due to size and weight differences. You can certainly buy LED strips online but all I've seen are much too big to fit into the tiny space of the older Lexus ES and SC needles.

The problem of having to be without a gauge cluster for a considerable amount of time, and the high cost involved, was what led me to come up with the solution presented in this thread. I had considered the idea of doing a longer strip of LEDs to try to immitate the "factory" look, but that would have taken much MUCH longer to do, and would not have been something that most amateur do-it-yourselfers would want to attempt. I wanted to keep it relatively easy, inexpensive, and not take a lot of time to complete so that others on this site would be able to do it on their own in a matter of hours. Hence the red-tipped solution. It's still not for everybody, but judging from the fact that the write-up has been viewed 44,000 + times, I'm guessing quite a few ppl have found it useful.

CamH

Thanks again for the extra information. I'm going to give the EL wire a shot, I think (just ordered the wire and some LEDs for the backlights.) While I have it apart, though, I might as well have some LEDs around to go with your solution if the wire doesn't work. Once again, thanks for your help and information.

Lexucan

No problem, and I hope you'll keep us informed of the progress of your project. Good luck with it.

nine3es

iTrader: (3)

i do not think EL wire will work, it requires a transformer that jumps from 12v input to 100v output. i have 4 packs of 5' EL right here though if you find a way to make it work.

CamH

Okay, guys, just to give an update here:

As many people in this thread have mentioned, you need an inverter to run an EL wire. There are many large inverters that will take a 12v input to run many feet of EL wire. This is unnecessary. I am now looking at put EL wire in the needle itself, and putting a small 1.5v inverter (such as http://www.coolight.com/product-p/cl-imc-1.5ft.htm) in the gauge cluster itself and using another piece of equipment to drop the 12V DC voltage down to the required 1.5v using something like this: http://www.national.com/mpf/LM/LM317.html#Overview

Let me know what you guys think about this idea.

Lexucan

Definitely sounds like an interesting project. It would probably be a good idea to start a new thread specifically for it, so it doesn't get confused with this DIY. Good luck, and keep us updated with your progress.

avspecguy

I just finished putting LED's in the needles in my ES300 thanks to this post. I ruined the first couple of LED'S while I was learning how to solder them, but once I figured that out the job went very well. The first needle took about three hours, and the last one took about 20 minutes. Thanks for a great fix Lexucan!

Lexucan

Yeah, doing the first one always takes longer but once you get the process down, it goes much quicker. Glad it turned out well for you.

ScJz

o.0 I can has!

great write up!

grubguy18

ok this is an awesome project. i love the look of the lit tips better then the whole needle. I already have the leds and the resistors. I may attempt it this weekend if I have time. Thanks lexucan!

Lexucan

Yeah it's going on 5 years since I did the needles and I forgot long ago how they looked with the whole needles lit up. Once you get used to the new look it's like they were always that way.

BunthaKev

Can you get them in other colors?

Lexucan

Yes, LEDs come in various colors, but because the needles on the 2nd generation ES are tinted amber, not all colors will work well.

PolishJoe

I just got the backlight bulbs, resistors and leds for the gauge needles and wow, those leds are small. At first I thought I got the wrong ones. I compared them to the pics of the ones posted here and didn't think they would really be that small. I think I got a headache from straining my eyes trying to look at them and see where the contacts are on them.

I think I'll need to order a magnifying glass before I tackle this project!!

Lexucan

Yeah, the LEDs for the needles are pretty small, but not the smallest you can get. I work with some that are a lot smaller than that. About the size of a speck of black pepper. Definitely need good magnification (and steady hands!) for working with those lil buggers!