Interior/Exterior blue LED speedo & tach
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4th Gear
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I've found my next rainy day project while searching the other forum.
Has anyone else done this? I would like to change to blue LEDs in my speedo, tach, and stock stereo if possible. Has anyone taken apart their speedo or tach yet?
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Has anyone else done this? I would like to change to blue LEDs in my speedo, tach, and stock stereo if possible. Has anyone taken apart their speedo or tach yet?
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4th Gear
Joined: Jul 2002
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From: Chicago, IL
The company I work for makes LEDs, and this does look like a sweet setup, the 470nm Blue is the optimal color for good viewing and low eye strain. I will take a look into this and see what I can provide to make the switch easy and affordable for everyone else.
6th Gear
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From: Cooper City, Fl
>>I've found my next rainy day project while searching the other forum.
>>
>>
>>Has anyone else done this? I would like to change to blue LEDs in my speedo, tach, and stock stereo if possible. Has anyone taken apart their speedo or tach yet?
>>
>>
Do you have a link for this to the other place?? I wonder if there is a how to??
>>
>>
>>Has anyone else done this? I would like to change to blue LEDs in my speedo, tach, and stock stereo if possible. Has anyone taken apart their speedo or tach yet?
>>
>>
Do you have a link for this to the other place?? I wonder if there is a how to??
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4th Gear
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I hate to redirect people, but here's the blue LED thread so we can get more info and start replacing those red LEDs!
Please post any info about disassembling the speedo, tach, or stereo to replace LEDs. Does anyone know who makes the stock stereo and if the LEDs can be replaced? Thanks in advance.
Please post any info about disassembling the speedo, tach, or stereo to replace LEDs. Does anyone know who makes the stock stereo and if the LEDs can be replaced? Thanks in advance.
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4th Gear
Joined: Jul 2002
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From: Chicago, IL
The results are in, heres the scoop.
The tach is a very comples circuit board, featuring many SMT LED, the leds are surface mount. This means that the leds have to go through reflow to be soldered to the circuit board, thus making replacement very difficult if not impossible. Pictures of my dissassembled tach will follow.
But the bottom line is that unless you can hand solder surface mount leds (very hard, but not impossible espically considering the overall size of the current leds) a replacment to blue leds on the current tach at least is not going to happen unless the tach is origionally made with blue.
The second reason that this would not work is that the current leds on the mini are 610nm AlInGaP orange, which typicaly drops 2.0~2.5V. Any blue led, espically a bright enough blue will drop 3.5~4.5V, making a switch not a possibility since the voltage supplied to the current led would not be enough to drive the blue leds.
Thats just for the standard tach!!
The odometer, or any of the LCD looking displays that show mileage and stuff are all backlight negative image, with backlights of custom size and specific brightness. In other words, once again a clean switch cannot be done. The blue light trick must be specifically made.
The tach is a very comples circuit board, featuring many SMT LED, the leds are surface mount. This means that the leds have to go through reflow to be soldered to the circuit board, thus making replacement very difficult if not impossible. Pictures of my dissassembled tach will follow.
But the bottom line is that unless you can hand solder surface mount leds (very hard, but not impossible espically considering the overall size of the current leds) a replacment to blue leds on the current tach at least is not going to happen unless the tach is origionally made with blue.
The second reason that this would not work is that the current leds on the mini are 610nm AlInGaP orange, which typicaly drops 2.0~2.5V. Any blue led, espically a bright enough blue will drop 3.5~4.5V, making a switch not a possibility since the voltage supplied to the current led would not be enough to drive the blue leds.
Thats just for the standard tach!!
The odometer, or any of the LCD looking displays that show mileage and stuff are all backlight negative image, with backlights of custom size and specific brightness. In other words, once again a clean switch cannot be done. The blue light trick must be specifically made.
4th Gear
Joined: Jul 2002
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From: Chicago, IL
NFO send me the info - thechandler81@msn.com please.
Here are some pics, the guy on mini2 did the only possible thing, desoldered the orange leds, and resoldered new blue ones, and my guess is that the tach circuit board maker understands that LEDs are current driven and made the circuit to the led constant current, which may be one of the integrated circuits on the back, still have to check that. If that is the case, replacment to blue is possible regardless of the voltage drop difference, but still really hard.
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<img src="http://puma.dpg.devry.edu/~cthoemme/MINI.jpg">
Here are some pics, the guy on mini2 did the only possible thing, desoldered the orange leds, and resoldered new blue ones, and my guess is that the tach circuit board maker understands that LEDs are current driven and made the circuit to the led constant current, which may be one of the integrated circuits on the back, still have to check that. If that is the case, replacment to blue is possible regardless of the voltage drop difference, but still really hard.
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<img src="http://puma.dpg.devry.edu/~cthoemme/MINI.jpg">
4th Gear
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From: Chicago, IL
Score, im in for the run, will have to check out his site.
At the moment, im trying to figure out the driving circuitry for the LEDs. Im too scared to pry the tach needle off, not sure if its going to break, its attached to a motor. If it just prys off someone please tell me, also, anyone konw the cost of a new tach? I would like to konw what im playing with dollar wise.
At the moment, im trying to figure out the driving circuitry for the LEDs. Im too scared to pry the tach needle off, not sure if its going to break, its attached to a motor. If it just prys off someone please tell me, also, anyone konw the cost of a new tach? I would like to konw what im playing with dollar wise.
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4th Gear
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Chandler, you got that apart and photographed quick!!!
If I normally keep my interior lights on the lowest setting, would the underpowered blue on the maximum be a similar brightness?
Those surface mount LEDs don't look as small as they could have been. I might not mind re soldering those. I need to see them in person--How does the tach come apart?
According to the other thread the needle can be carefully pryed off. The example from the other thread.
If I normally keep my interior lights on the lowest setting, would the underpowered blue on the maximum be a similar brightness?
Those surface mount LEDs don't look as small as they could have been. I might not mind re soldering those. I need to see them in person--How does the tach come apart?
According to the other thread the needle can be carefully pryed off. The example from the other thread.
4th Gear
Joined: Jul 2002
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From: Chicago, IL
>>Chandler, you got that apart and photographed quick!!!
>>
>>If I normally keep my interior lights on the lowest setting, would the underpowered blue on the maximum be a similar brightness?
>>
>>Those surface mount LEDs don't look as small as they could have been. I might not mind re soldering those. I need to see them in person--How does the tach come apart?
>>
>>According to the other thread the needle can be carefully pryed off. The example from the other thread.
For SMT's they are quite large, we do have a cross at work for them, they are optimal for this application for having a small package yet having a reflector cup, making the LED much brighter. A person of good soldering skill would have no problem switching them out, its just a matter of taking great care to not burn the board, get the board too hot, or burn the new leds, since heat from soldering is the largest cause of failure.
On the board, i have checked and there is no LED driver chip, only a LCD driver, guage driver chip, and a CPU sort of motorola thing, so im very curious as to how the LEDs are being driven.
For the question about the Blue ones being bright enough, it all does depend on the circuitry that is driving the leds. If its constant current, they will be the same brighentess as the orange, but if its just voltage and resistor, the dimmer setting would need to stay on high brightness to get them to light.
>>
>>If I normally keep my interior lights on the lowest setting, would the underpowered blue on the maximum be a similar brightness?
>>
>>Those surface mount LEDs don't look as small as they could have been. I might not mind re soldering those. I need to see them in person--How does the tach come apart?
>>
>>According to the other thread the needle can be carefully pryed off. The example from the other thread.
For SMT's they are quite large, we do have a cross at work for them, they are optimal for this application for having a small package yet having a reflector cup, making the LED much brighter. A person of good soldering skill would have no problem switching them out, its just a matter of taking great care to not burn the board, get the board too hot, or burn the new leds, since heat from soldering is the largest cause of failure.
On the board, i have checked and there is no LED driver chip, only a LCD driver, guage driver chip, and a CPU sort of motorola thing, so im very curious as to how the LEDs are being driven.
For the question about the Blue ones being bright enough, it all does depend on the circuitry that is driving the leds. If its constant current, they will be the same brighentess as the orange, but if its just voltage and resistor, the dimmer setting would need to stay on high brightness to get them to light.
4th Gear
Joined: Jul 2002
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From: Chicago, IL
forgot to address how the tach comes off..
There are two allen screws on the top of the base of the tach, behind it that secure it to the console. Take those out and then dissconnect the wire harness, it just pulls out in back.
Unscrew the two screws on the back of the tach, and then on the bottom, there is a part sticker, razor blade that bad boy off carefully, and save it, i think its covering the last plastic clip for a sort of tamper proofing, and behind the sticker, pop the clip off, and it just slides apart in two pieces.
I am not pulling my needle off! Every time i try, i hear something in the motor pull up, and am really scared to break anything in the motor until i get proof it can be done from a trustworthy source.
There are two allen screws on the top of the base of the tach, behind it that secure it to the console. Take those out and then dissconnect the wire harness, it just pulls out in back.
Unscrew the two screws on the back of the tach, and then on the bottom, there is a part sticker, razor blade that bad boy off carefully, and save it, i think its covering the last plastic clip for a sort of tamper proofing, and behind the sticker, pop the clip off, and it just slides apart in two pieces.
I am not pulling my needle off! Every time i try, i hear something in the motor pull up, and am really scared to break anything in the motor until i get proof it can be done from a trustworthy source.
4th Gear
Joined: Jul 2002
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From: Chicago, IL
IMPORTANT LESSON LEARNED!
Dont play with the needle and needle motor on the tach. There is a reset point, and if you push it past that point, it becomes difficult to re-calibrate yoru tach, mine was reading 1000 rpm low because i messed it up. I fixed it by moving the needle up by hand and plugging the tach back in, and it reset, and then had to manually adjust it to zero, start car and check.
So far its ok, but dont push the needle past zero!
Dont play with the needle and needle motor on the tach. There is a reset point, and if you push it past that point, it becomes difficult to re-calibrate yoru tach, mine was reading 1000 rpm low because i messed it up. I fixed it by moving the needle up by hand and plugging the tach back in, and it reset, and then had to manually adjust it to zero, start car and check.
So far its ok, but dont push the needle past zero!
4th Gear
Joined: Jul 2002
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From: Chicago, IL
no, im done!! But i do plan on showing the guys at work that have more experience than i do, and figure out who is making the circuit board, and maby try to attack the blue led from the supplier angle. all i know is that i would love to have blue guages!
TheChandler: what's the SMT package type? (i.e. 1210, 805, etc.) I am the senior tech for motorola's semiconductor products sector detroit group, I have extensive experience with SMT rework.
Cheers,
Ryan
BTW, other colors can be used per customers desires
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Cheers,
Ryan
BTW, other colors can be used per customers desires
_________________
Wisdom is not a function of age, but a function of experience.
*Keeper of the CWFAC
list*
4th Gear
Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 560
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From: Chicago, IL
>>TheChandler: what's the SMT package type? (i.e. 1210, 805, etc.) I am the senior tech for motorola's semiconductor products sector detroit group, I have extensive experience with SMT rework.
>>
>>Cheers,
>>Ryan
>>
>>BTW, other colors can be used per customers desires
>>
>>_________________
>>Wisdom is not a function of age, but a function of experience.
>>*Keeper of the CWFAC
>> list*
>>
>>
There were at least 2 different package types in the tack, a 0805 behind the 6 it looks like, The big ones look to be 2832's.
There is a motorola ic on the back of the board, i cant read the package to see what it is though, the other two ic's are guage driver (MLX10407) and LCD driver phillips (PCF8576CH) the motorla one is a square package, maby 12.5mm X 12.5mm I can make out a MC68HC90XXXXX the x's are numbers i cant see, but can see they are there, so i think thats just a controller chip, like the 68hc11 or something?
>>
>>Cheers,
>>Ryan
>>
>>BTW, other colors can be used per customers desires
>>
>>_________________
>>Wisdom is not a function of age, but a function of experience.
>>*Keeper of the CWFAC
>> list*
>>
>>
There were at least 2 different package types in the tack, a 0805 behind the 6 it looks like, The big ones look to be 2832's.
There is a motorola ic on the back of the board, i cant read the package to see what it is though, the other two ic's are guage driver (MLX10407) and LCD driver phillips (PCF8576CH) the motorla one is a square package, maby 12.5mm X 12.5mm I can make out a MC68HC90XXXXX the x's are numbers i cant see, but can see they are there, so i think thats just a controller chip, like the 68hc11 or something?
