LED Dash Lights
- Thread starter RICH7105
- Start date
Paul - is this one to add to the FAQ section?
Rich, I seem to recall the problem is not so much the bulb brightness, but the reflectivity of the silvering of the light guide. I understand some have had variable success in "resilvering" or otherwise increasing the reflectivity. A while ago there was a "Flaming eye" dashlight kit which transformed the dash lighting, unfortunately no longer available.
This all applies to the later "Oval dash" only.
Regards,
Tref.
Rich, I seem to recall the problem is not so much the bulb brightness, but the reflectivity of the silvering of the light guide. I understand some have had variable success in "resilvering" or otherwise increasing the reflectivity. A while ago there was a "Flaming eye" dashlight kit which transformed the dash lighting, unfortunately no longer available.
This all applies to the later "Oval dash" only.
Regards,
Tref.
mr brightside
New member
LED's are very bright these days, you may end up blinding yourself! You'd need to work out how many watts of power the lamps emit then approach someone like Farnell, Maplin or RS and see if they have any LEDs of the same size. Chances are they will have to be honest.
pauljmcnulty
Active member
Possibly. But without any good solution it's difficult. [&:]
The Flamingeye kit was great, but is unavailable. Why doesn't someone re-create it, I'm sure Darren is still contactable and would help.
It is the mirrored-plastic bits that corrode and cause the problem. How difficult can it be to re-apply a mirror coating to three little bits of plastic? Time for one of our resident creatives to find a solution. Oli? [8|]
sawood12
New member
Apparently the Flamingeye kit was the dogs danglies but unfortunately is no longer available. A few people have bought the kit at the other end of the link below, which is essentially the same as the Flamingeye kits but reports are that the light is not as well diffused, but either way still better than stock.
http://www.jageng.com/garage9/product_info.php?cPath=49_55&products_id=151&osCsid=39643c7835e1d8d5b804c07365ee2a50
This is also the outfit that does adhesive overlays for the interior plastic trims mentioned on the thread a few days ago.
http://www.jageng.com/garage9/product_info.php?cPath=49_55&products_id=151&osCsid=39643c7835e1d8d5b804c07365ee2a50
This is also the outfit that does adhesive overlays for the interior plastic trims mentioned on the thread a few days ago.
Suffolk944
Moderator
I have the kit from Jager as per Scotts post above and its pretty good IMHO, though probably not quite as good as the fabled flaming eye as he says.
Fred Hindle
New member
Rich,
Don't know which model you have. I have the pre oval dash as mine is a 1984 Lux. Changed the bulbs in the three dashboard clocks plus the ones for the three gauges in the centre console. Straight swap and much better, I can actually read the clocks in the dark!. No blinding because the lights do not have a direct path but are hidden. I used white ones (not a chav!) and they improve the illumination without spoiling the overall look. If anyone is thinking of doing a pre oval dash then you need nine bulbs in total for the six clocks. If my memory serves me correctly (not always the case!) the bulb is a 286. Whilst you are uprating the instrument lighting consider the interior lights (festoon bulbs) - they really do make a difference. I have also used LEDs in the sidelights (BA9S I think is the size).
This has also been done in the 924S as everythng is the same.
Cheers,
Don't know which model you have. I have the pre oval dash as mine is a 1984 Lux. Changed the bulbs in the three dashboard clocks plus the ones for the three gauges in the centre console. Straight swap and much better, I can actually read the clocks in the dark!. No blinding because the lights do not have a direct path but are hidden. I used white ones (not a chav!) and they improve the illumination without spoiling the overall look. If anyone is thinking of doing a pre oval dash then you need nine bulbs in total for the six clocks. If my memory serves me correctly (not always the case!) the bulb is a 286. Whilst you are uprating the instrument lighting consider the interior lights (festoon bulbs) - they really do make a difference. I have also used LEDs in the sidelights (BA9S I think is the size).
This has also been done in the 924S as everythng is the same.
Cheers,
The clarks garage link posted earlier suggested two things ... 1) Don't fit too powerful a bulb as while it will look great, it will melt the housing, and 2) The silvering can be re-done with some silver foil and some double-sided tape.
Given than LED's run cool, you could fit some fairly hefty LED's in there without a problem (although they won't dim using the standard bulb dimmer.)
Foil-wise, you could use aluminium cooking foil, with tape, but I have also seen sticky-backed foil which is shiny both sides - i.e. if you stick it onto a clear surface then it will be shiny on the underside as well. A quick eBay search comes up with this:
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/4m-Roll-100-Foil-Holographic-Gift-Wrap-Wrapping-SILVER_W0QQitemZ370081192379QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_Tissues_Parcel_Paper?hash=item562a8ed9bb&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=65%3A12|66%3A2|39%3A1|72%3A1683|240%3A1318|301%3A0|293%3A1|294%3A50
... which looks similar but without the sticky back.
I'd have thought that between these (bright LED with suitable resistor, and some decently shiny foil), you would improve the instrument lighting significantly. As it is, the lighting in my car seems fine so I won't be tinkering with it ...
Oli.
I have a roll of adhesive foil tape that we used for the underlay/membrane under some laminate flooring. That's what I'll try, when I get around to doing it! By definition it sould be moisture resistant.
So, a flooring supplier, or alternatively ScrewFix do an aluminium foil tape...
For the bulbs, how about Auto Bulbs Direct?
So, a flooring supplier, or alternatively ScrewFix do an aluminium foil tape...
For the bulbs, how about Auto Bulbs Direct?
Aluminium foil tape sounds like a great idea Graham. Like this: ?
http://www.screwfix.com/prods/15089/Sealants-Adhesives/Tapes/Insulating-Sealing-Tape/Aluminium-Foil-Tape-50mm-45m?cm_re=SEARCHPROMO-_-ALUMINIUM%20FOIL%20TAPE-_-15089
How shiny is it on the sticky side? That's the critical question. I am also not sure how much clearance there is in the dashboard, so if it was relatively thin that would be a bonus.
Bulbs - if you are looking at LED bulbs then an electronics supplier is possibly better than an auto bulbs supplier. Unless someone did a direct plug-in LED replacement for the bulb. I have used http://www.rapidonline.com/ before, and they are good (they provide datasheets as well which is great). The snag is that they charge £5 for delivery, which is a pain if you are buying parts which cost only a couple of quid.
Sc0tty - I am planning the hands-on garage day in London, probably sometime in August. If you wanted to come along then I am sure we could have a look and see what can be achieved.
Oli.
http://www.screwfix.com/prods/15089/Sealants-Adhesives/Tapes/Insulating-Sealing-Tape/Aluminium-Foil-Tape-50mm-45m?cm_re=SEARCHPROMO-_-ALUMINIUM%20FOIL%20TAPE-_-15089
How shiny is it on the sticky side? That's the critical question. I am also not sure how much clearance there is in the dashboard, so if it was relatively thin that would be a bonus.
Bulbs - if you are looking at LED bulbs then an electronics supplier is possibly better than an auto bulbs supplier. Unless someone did a direct plug-in LED replacement for the bulb. I have used http://www.rapidonline.com/ before, and they are good (they provide datasheets as well which is great). The snag is that they charge £5 for delivery, which is a pain if you are buying parts which cost only a couple of quid.
Sc0tty - I am planning the hands-on garage day in London, probably sometime in August. If you wanted to come along then I am sure we could have a look and see what can be achieved.
Oli.
Fred Hindle
New member
LEDs don't give off any heat, all the energy is converted into light.
Cheers,
Cheers,
Oli
That looks a bit dull, doesn't it. You've all really got me going on this, so I've had a rummage in the garage and the stuff I have is Duralay Vapour Tape (Code DD450)...it's intended for use with an underlay called Timbermate Excel.
Looking at it I'd say it's a metalised plastic tape, and the adhesive side looks almost as shiny as the top. Says it's "designed to create a moisture resistant seal". Should be OK.....?
That looks a bit dull, doesn't it. You've all really got me going on this, so I've had a rummage in the garage and the stuff I have is Duralay Vapour Tape (Code DD450)...it's intended for use with an underlay called Timbermate Excel.
Looking at it I'd say it's a metalised plastic tape, and the adhesive side looks almost as shiny as the top. Says it's "designed to create a moisture resistant seal". Should be OK.....?
pauljmcnulty
Active member
A Club day has been arranged, see your next Porsche Post for details. Nothing further will be revealed before then, as it's only fair that all Register Members have equal chance to attend, not just forum users. [
]http://www.m-99.co.uk/Car_Neon_LED_Lighting/Dashboard_LED_Bulbs/dashboard_led_bulbs.html
these the bulbs? 509T seems to be the fitment type.
http://motors.shop.ebay.com/merchant/autoleds4you_W0QQ_nkwZQQ_armrsZ1QQ_fromZQQ_ipgZ
us seller doing kits on ebay.
must admit im tempted as in this case LEDS win on so many fronts. Bulb heat is probably what corrodes the reflective coating in the first place so even if theyre OK just now its worth doing as preventative maintenance.
these the bulbs? 509T seems to be the fitment type.
http://motors.shop.ebay.com/merchant/autoleds4you_W0QQ_nkwZQQ_armrsZ1QQ_fromZQQ_ipgZ
us seller doing kits on ebay.
must admit im tempted as in this case LEDS win on so many fronts. Bulb heat is probably what corrodes the reflective coating in the first place so even if theyre OK just now its worth doing as preventative maintenance.
sawood12
New member
The LED kits include replacement prism's. You wont be able to get the same effect with foil or metal tape. It would be like making a mirror out of a sheet of tin foil - it just doesn't have the same reflective qualities as a proper metallic coating. You may see a slight improvement if your original prisms coating is badly corroded but it wont be anywhere near the reflective quality of replacement prisms. No harm in trying though I guess.
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