Gauge Backlighting?
09-25-07, 10:05 AM
#1
Lead Lap
Thread Starter
Gauge Backlighting?
Has anyone succesfully found or done themselves a custom LED backlighting conversion like what Lextech does? I am generally a do-it-yourselfer and someone on SupraForums said that is should not be different than the Supra and he did it himself.
09-25-07, 10:14 AM
#2
I just converted the backlighting to LED. It's really easy. Needles are next. Replaced 8 '74' bulbs behind display. The painful part was to get the bulb polarity right. I got it at www.autolumination.com. I went with the 'tri-power', it gives a nice spread.
09-25-07, 10:51 AM
#4
Rookie
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: NY
Posts: 85
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
there have been a few diy's, but from the diy's i've seen, they aren't as good as lextechs. while you will save a ton of money doing it yourself, i think the oppurtunity cost of time and considering the end result of the diy, i would rather just have them done professionally. i respect your decision for wanting to diy though, dont get me wrong!
09-25-07, 12:50 PM
#5
Lexus Test Driver
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Posts: 1,126
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I tried and tried to get info on this, with no results. I was going to make panels of leds, behind each gauge, but never followed through with it.
I'll get you some pics as soon as I can.
Trending Topics
09-25-07, 01:43 PM
#8
Lexus Champion
That's what I was wondering when I had my cluster out looking at it. I was thinking it'd be a lot more affordable to do the backlighting myself and then send it to Lextech for the needles.
09-25-07, 11:55 PM
#12
Keeper of the light
iTrader: (17)
huerdo623 I applaud your efforts, but you are only proving what I have said for 5 years. There is no way to stick led's in the stock locations and expect it to work. There is no amount of spread on any led that can do it due to the physical limitations of the space between the cluster face and the led itself.
No one will ever overcome this. There simply is not enough space. I'm not saying this just to say it, it is a fact. Stick a flashlight to a piece of paper if you want to know why. Custom is the only way to do it and as big of a pain in the **** it is plus the cost of GOOD led's (not Chinese led's off ebay) @ about $3.50 each times a minimum of 16 = $56 in led's, then figure about $13 in resistors = $69 total assuming you have solder, paste, and the soldering iron at your disposal (if not tack on another $30 for a cheap iron and some materials which would get you up to $99).
So to do it right with no spots and proper materials you're looking at $69-$99, you spend the 4 to 8 hours (depending on your skill) to do this yourself (you have no chance of getting it right the first 4 times, hope you like redoing things over and over) and once you get it right and get it set in there when it blows (and it will no matter what at some point in time, the Sc has massive voltage spikes partly due to the umpteen number of bulbs that come on just stopping and making a simple turn at a street corner) you'll be going back in it putting more time and materials in there each time the spikes kill an led........... or give Brandon $99 and get a lifetime wty and never worry about it again plus a job that guarantees no spots.
Anyway, let me show you how you find the spots in a cluster. This is a tried and tested procedure I originally developed and passed on when I retired and this will help you out. I've seen so many of these things I can pick them out from 50 feet away because I know what to look for. The importance of being able to eliminate spots is what determines what the unit looks like in the daytime. At night it still shows, but is much more tolerable. During the daytime is when spots show the worst.
Anyway, the trick to finding what the unit will look like in the daytime when you are driving (not the night you are building it) is to simply remove all the color from the picture. The contrast is the only factor and it allows your eyes to focus on the "problems" of the cluster that need to be sorted out.
Here's your cluster with no color. Amazingly (no, not really) the bright spots are right where the stock positions are..... where the led's are stuck.
No one will ever overcome this. There simply is not enough space. I'm not saying this just to say it, it is a fact. Stick a flashlight to a piece of paper if you want to know why. Custom is the only way to do it and as big of a pain in the **** it is plus the cost of GOOD led's (not Chinese led's off ebay) @ about $3.50 each times a minimum of 16 = $56 in led's, then figure about $13 in resistors = $69 total assuming you have solder, paste, and the soldering iron at your disposal (if not tack on another $30 for a cheap iron and some materials which would get you up to $99).
So to do it right with no spots and proper materials you're looking at $69-$99, you spend the 4 to 8 hours (depending on your skill) to do this yourself (you have no chance of getting it right the first 4 times, hope you like redoing things over and over) and once you get it right and get it set in there when it blows (and it will no matter what at some point in time, the Sc has massive voltage spikes partly due to the umpteen number of bulbs that come on just stopping and making a simple turn at a street corner) you'll be going back in it putting more time and materials in there each time the spikes kill an led........... or give Brandon $99 and get a lifetime wty and never worry about it again plus a job that guarantees no spots.
Anyway, let me show you how you find the spots in a cluster. This is a tried and tested procedure I originally developed and passed on when I retired and this will help you out. I've seen so many of these things I can pick them out from 50 feet away because I know what to look for. The importance of being able to eliminate spots is what determines what the unit looks like in the daytime. At night it still shows, but is much more tolerable. During the daytime is when spots show the worst.
Anyway, the trick to finding what the unit will look like in the daytime when you are driving (not the night you are building it) is to simply remove all the color from the picture. The contrast is the only factor and it allows your eyes to focus on the "problems" of the cluster that need to be sorted out.
Here's your cluster with no color. Amazingly (no, not really) the bright spots are right where the stock positions are..... where the led's are stuck.
09-26-07, 12:04 AM
#13
Keeper of the light
iTrader: (17)
PS- even the stock bulbs spot. Most people don't know that because it doesn't do it too badly.
This is what you want when building a unit. Build it, install it, then take a straight on photo in dark light like this.
Then come back to the computer, load it up and remove all the color from the picture and turn the brightness down to make the picture dim and remove any halo's from the light.
It'll show the spots........ or in this case as seen below, it will look absolutely perfect.
That's a little tip for you guys and it's part of custom tailoring the perfection these cars deserve.
This is what you want when building a unit. Build it, install it, then take a straight on photo in dark light like this.
Then come back to the computer, load it up and remove all the color from the picture and turn the brightness down to make the picture dim and remove any halo's from the light.
It'll show the spots........ or in this case as seen below, it will look absolutely perfect.
That's a little tip for you guys
and it's part of custom tailoring the perfection these cars deserve.
09-26-07, 12:36 AM
#15
Keeper of the light
iTrader: (17)
Keep trying dude! There's no reason to stop once you start. That's why I like giving these little tips hoping it will help the guy's that want to stick their neck out and get dirty just for the sake of doing it. Grimly, there's not a chance you'll end up with a flat cluster spread without a few months (or yrs) practice, but you can always improve what you have by continuing the modding
Grimly, there's not a chance you'll end up with a flat cluster spread without a few months (or yrs) practice, but you can always improve what you have by continuing the modding