dashboard doesnt light up

[avtis96]

Hi guys, I recently just replaced all the bulbs in my gauge cluster with l.e.ds (1996 accord vti-s), everything was working fine until I thought that one of the bulbs I replaced wasn't lighting up properly so I went to take it out. I played around with the little wedge that the light fits into (t5 wedge holder) and when I went to test it again nothing lights up in my gauge at all. I took the same light out again and found I had broken a little part in the wedge which it fits into. Does anyone know what I have done? Is it a fuse that coincidentally blew or does that broken wedge holder cause the whole circuit not to work? Please help, thanks!!

[GU357]

you used the correct resistors? then you noticed one of them was broken, but now the rest of them dont work?

[avtis96]

Yes I'm using t5 and t10 wedge l.e.ds that just fit straight into the original wedge sockets. I noticed one of the l.e.ds wasn't lighting up so I played around with the wedge base and broke a bit inside it. Even without this base nothing in the gauge cluster lights up

[GU357]

hmm. iit might of broken and shorted?
check fuses?

but try checking the others for broken bits.
and maybe, just maybe, you might of put it in backwards and thats stopping current for the rest of them?

[avtis96]

The other wedge bases seem ok and so do the fuses, this might be a bit extreme but is there any way I could've done any major damage which means getting a new gauge cluster?

[GU357]

hmm, put the original lights in and see what happens. or try swapping the others with the one thats broken, so they try different positions.

[TbM]

check fuses again

if none are blown check your gettin roughly 12v to the connector on the cluster

if no voltage present, you have blown a fuse or damaged the wiring

if roughly 12v is present, check the circuit board on the back of the cluster and trace where your loosing voltage.

[avtis96]

Thanks guys I've checked the fuses and theyre fine but there is no connection between the connector and the circuit board because the connector has been damaged. I've ordered a new connector so hopefully this does the trick

[GU357]

did u check to see if the clusted was getting voltage? what if you fried your wiring?
doubt it though.

[avtis96]

did u check to see if the clusted was getting voltage? what if you fried your wiring?
doubt it though.

I haven't actually checked to see if the cluster was getting voltage I just made the assumption it was, up until I pulled out this connector and it broke, because the other lights were working fine before I did this. This made me come to the conclusion that the circuit was a series and that if a connector broke it stopped the whole circuit. I've ordered the connector to see if it fixes my problem, I'm a bit worried at the fact that fried wires might be a possibility :S what could cause the wires to be fried?

[GU357]

too much current. aslong as your running the correct fuses i think you will be ok. but if u decided to put in a bigger fuse so u could run the LED's then thats asking for problems.

[avtis96]

Ok phew that's good news then because I haven't touched the fuses at all during my work and the l.e.ds I am using are just standard 12V, no super bright ones or anything like that. I guess ill just have to wait and see if this connector replacement does the trick. Fingers crossed!

[TbM]

Thanks guys I've checked the fuses and theyre fine but there is no connection between the connector and the circuit board because the connector has been damaged. I've ordered a new connector so hopefully this does the trick
i think your talking about the bulb holder, the connector i was talking about is the plug that goes into the back of the cluster to send it power and all its signals.

I haven't actually checked to see if the cluster was getting voltage I just made the assumption it was, up until I pulled out this connector and it broke, because the other lights were working fine before I did this. This made me come to the conclusion that the circuit was a series and that if a connector broke it stopped the whole circuit. I've ordered the connector to see if it fixes my problem, I'm a bit worried at the fact that fried wires might be a possibility :S what could cause the wires to be fried?
if you broke the bulb holder then put it back in and turned the cluster on you have probably shorted something out, the cluster may be wired in series but i doubt it, of the few cluster ive worked on they run the lights parallel, safer that way as if you have 1 blow you can still see the cluster until you get the blown bulb fixed.

fried wiring is pretty much the least likely scenario, imo you have either blown a fuse that you haven't noticed or burnt out a track on the clusters pcb by shorting the bulb holder.

[avtis96]

i think your talking about the bulb holder, the connector i was talking about is the plug that goes into the back of the cluster to send it power and all its signals.

if you broke the bulb holder then put it back in and turned the cluster on you have probably shorted something out, the cluster may be wired in series but i doubt it, of the few cluster ive worked on they run the lights parallel, safer that way as if you have 1 blow you can still see the cluster until you get the blown bulb fixed.

fried wiring is pretty much the least likely scenario, imo you have either blown a fuse that you haven't noticed or burnt out a track on the clusters pcb by shorting the bulb holder.

Sorry yes I was mistaken when I was talking about the connector I meant the bulb holder. Well since the problem occurred when I put the broken bulb holder back in, let's say I burned out a track on the clusters pcb, how would I go about fixing this?

[TbM]

Sorry yes I was mistaken when I was talking about the connector I meant the bulb holder. Well since the problem occurred when I put the broken bulb holder back in, let's say I burned out a track on the clusters pcb, how would I go about fixing this?

Solder in a small piece of wire to reconnect the damaged tracks
http://www.evga.com/forums/tm.aspx?m=185066&mpage=1

or

use liquid solder or a conductive pen to reconnect the damaged tracks
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XEV_3etdIL0