Interior switch / controls led color change, gauging interest

[firehawk618]

Gauging interest here to decide if I should go into this service or if there's already people doing it.

I don't know about you guys but I do not care for the washed out aqua backlighting color choice they made for our buttons / controls etc.

All the switches on my truck that I have taken apart so far are surface mount LED lights.

I am equipped to properly replace these with any color that is available.

I am in the process of changing mine out to blue.

The only areas that might not look quite right are the HVAC controls for example as they have a red diffuser and in my experience blue through a red diffuser looks odd but some guys don't care.

I have not worked my way to my HVAC panel yet but will update this thread with before / after pictures if people are interested.

My thought would be something like I do for ZJ jeep fobs now, mail order. I mail them the programmed module + 2 fobs and they mail me back their core once they get it swapped out.

I was thinking something similar for our trucks. Core charge to ensure I get the old units back to modify.

Thoughts? Might not be worth the trouble as replacing the surface mount components is a little time consuming to do a good job and not hack the crap out of the circuit board.

Thanks!

 

[firehawk618]

Just got done putting blue lights in both my steering wheel buttons and headlight switch.

The one on the left is out of the headlight switch of which there are 3 and the one on the right is out of the steering wheel controls of which there are one in each control.

I left the airbag out of my truck for now so I can get before and after pictures tonight to try and illustrate the difference. (What a pain the airbag clips are to release)

 

[Gixxer750]

oh please do continue to post. I am genuinely curious as to exactly what tools you are using to do this as well. I pulled the old board I had from a dead evic out to see if i wanted to dive into it and....i don't know if my motor control over my body is capable of swapping 44 LEDs that don't short out and or fry the board with heat....

 

[Gixxer750]

For reference, this is a 2013 board with the 7" EVIC. , And when in a pinch, i have converted a 194 incandescent lamp to an LED ( point and laugh, i still do. Still works lol ) I still don't trust myself to navigate that with what I own.

Abstract thought, how would you like to swap 44 LEDs if i mailed you the board? $$$? This cluster is ment to be blue. All the ambient lighting is....but that photo is what it is day and night.

 

[kad]

Might be interesting, although I'd really like to see what my wife's Subaru has, they are blue in daylight and red at night, much easier on the eyes at night. Not possible without addition circuity I realize...

-K

 

[SitKneelBend]

Interesting. I'm lazy and have put small pieces of red Lamin-X over the factory LEDs. I'm toying with doing it to all of the switches and dash knobs/buttons.

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[Gixxer750]

Interesting. I'm lazy and have put small pieces of red Lamin-X over the factory LEDs. I'm toying with doing it to all of the switches and dash knobs/buttons.

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Can you take a pic of the before and after? Im curious as to how much light escapes the film

 

[SitKneelBend]

Can you take a pic of the before and after? Im curious as to how much light escapes the film

It is slightly dimmer (which is my goal) but still usable. I've only tried the homelink module because it was a quick kill but may start doing others too...

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[Gixxer750]

It is slightly dimmer (which is my goal) but still usable. I've only tried the homelink module because it was a quick kill but may start doing others too...

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That seems much more defined and noticeable than the dim bluish white in mine. Where did you pick up your Lamin-x?

 

[SitKneelBend]

That seems much more defined and noticeable than the dim bluish white in mine. Where did you pick up your Lamin-x?

Either Lamin-Xs website or Amazon is where I usually buy it. Keep in mind that with that lighting being what it is, my camera really picks up the light. However, to my eyes it doesn't appear quite so...vibrant?

Picture the dim blue white of your current lights and now picture it as a dim red, that's what you get. And a little Lamin-X goes a long way. I think I bought a 4x4 sheet and I think if I actually did it I could probably do every light with it. Sometimes it's easier to put the Lamin-X on the button back and sometimes it's easier to affix it directly to the LED.

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[Gixxer750]

Either Lamin-Xs website or Amazon is where I usually buy it. Keep in mind that with that lighting being what it is, my camera really picks up the light. However, to my eyes it doesn't appear quite so...vibrant?

Picture the dim blue white of your current lights and now picture it as a dim red, that's what you get. And a little Lamin-X goes a long way. I think I bought a 4x4 sheet and I think if I actually did it I could probably do every light with it. Sometimes it's easier to put the Lamin-X on the button back and sometimes it's easier to affix it directly to the LED.

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Makes sense, ive wanted to show a lot of lighting pics but they get hugely exaggerated. Do to put the film direct over the LED ot over the button "clear" portion

 

[SitKneelBend]

Makes sense, ive wanted to show a lot of lighting pics but they get hugely exaggerated. Do to put the film direct over the LED ot over the button "clear" portion

I've done it both ways with good results

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[Gixxer750]

The main location I would like the film is on all the 48 ish leds for the instrument cluster. As long as I keep it tidy do you see this being an issue with heat having so many on the same board?

 

[SitKneelBend]

The main location I would like the film is on all the 48 ish leds for the instrument cluster. As long as I keep it tidy do you see this being an issue with heat having so many on the same board?

Nope. If it were hot enough to be a problem your cluster couldn't function. The LEDs on the interior lights are not hot, doubly so for the dash and cluster lighting.

Now LED headlights? Those will melt Lamin-X real quick when applied directly to the diode...

Do you have pictures of the cluster open? I'm interested to see the innards.

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[Gixxer750]

Nope. If it were hot enough to be a problem your cluster couldn't function. The LEDs on the interior lights are not hot, doubly so for the dash and cluster lighting.

Now LED headlights? Those will melt Lamin-X real quick when applied directly to the diode...

Do you have pictures of the cluster open? I'm interested to see the innards.

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Yup, 2013 board w/o the 7" evic. I pulled it out of the attic just for a peak as well

 

[SitKneelBend]

Yup, 2013 board w/o the 7" evic. I pulled it out of the attic just for a peak as well

View attachment 219605

View attachment 219606

So in the case of a board like this with easy access to each diode I'd just apply a small square/rectangle of Lamin-X directly to the board.

I think it would definitely work well in the gauge lights because at full brightness these clusters are almost too bright in my opinion.

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[Gixxer750]

So in the case of a board like this with easy access to each diode I'd just apply a small square/rectangle of Lamin-X directly to the board.

I think it would definitely work well in the gauge lights because at full brightness these clusters are almost too bright in my opinion.

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Oddly my limited looks like this at night also

 

[SitKneelBend]

Oddly my limited looks like this at night also

View attachment 219637

View attachment 219638

I never realized the needles were white too on the limited cluster. Mine are bright red.

What is the big yellow "normal" mean on your display?

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[Gixxer750]

air suspension ride height. 3 bars actually is supposed to be off road one. but i alfa obd'd the crap out of it and tricked it into believing it is a rebel as far as the suspension setting go. so OFF ROAD one {+1.5" ride height and more level} is now normal

 

[oldmitch]

Seeing as there's lots of folks digging into their dash controls, and instrument clusters... Does anyone have a pile of the stock, blue-ish LEDs laying around? If so, can I take them off your hands? Or perhaps a part number, so I can order them in bulk? OR the white LEDs used on the limited cluster, for the white needles?

I would like to convert all my red needles/LEDs to blue, or white.