Uneven cluster light!!

[samyip]

Hey guys,

Like the title says, anyone know how to fix that problem :(

Thanks

[ceekay101]

As in there is no light in some areas? Possibly a backlight bulb died/has come loose? Do you have a picture?

[sensei_]

Remove cluster, install new bulbs. Some people sand the LED bulbs down abit to diffuse the light, that should fix the uneven cluster lighting.

[samyip]

sorry didn't include which car it is, it's a EJ8

[mattsrea]

just change all the bulbs dude its not that expensive :) if your tight on money, just ebay them if not go to autobahn.

[samyip]

All the light is working :|

Here is a pic with normal bulbs, as you can see it dim at 3-5k rpm, 60-80km, 140-160km and 220km.
http://img703.imageshack.us/img703/674/20121125145824848.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/703/20121125145824848.jpg/)

and here is a pic with LED from jaycar, same here with LED.
http://img40.imageshack.us/img40/141/20121125163630346.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/40/20121125163630346.jpg/)

[BEVSTA]

You'll need LEDs that shine 360*, which will give you a wider spread across the cluster.
http://www.turbocelica.lv/files/LED-t10.JPG

[samyip]

You'll need LEDs that shine 360*, which will give you a wider spread across the cluster.
http://www.turbocelica.lv/files/LED-t10.JPG

Cheers! :)

[TbM]

your led's are firing forward/up too much, post a pic of the type of led used and ill see if i can tell you how to modify it to disperse the light evenly.

[samyip]

your led's are firing forward/up too much, post a pic of the type of led used and ill see if i can tell you how to modify it to disperse the light evenly.

I'm using these
http://img836.imageshack.us/img836/4733/20121125180915977.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/836/20121125180915977.jpg/)

[PGB]

You think thats bad wait until you do the heater controls lol
Got a link to any suppliers of the ones you posted BEVSTA?

[TbM]

I'm using these
http://img836.imageshack.us/img836/4733/20121125180915977.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/836/20121125180915977.jpg/)

they wont work very well as they only fire forward/up you need 360 degree ones like BEVSTA has said but they still may require the top led to be blocked off.



I used these (http://www.superbrightleds.com/moreinfo/miniature-wedge-base/74-led-bulb-3-smd-led-wide-angle-wedge-base/228/) (even in the T10 socket) and used a hot glue gun to glue a little square of foil and paper on the top led to make it reflect down and not create hotspots, i also broke out a tab or 2 in the cluster to let the light disperse more.

http://i1220.photobucket.com/albums/dd458/TbMindustrys/IMAG0802-1.jpg


You think thats bad wait until you do the heater controls lol
Got a link to any suppliers of the ones you posted BEVSTA?

if you use good led's theres no problem doin the HVAC unit

http://i1220.photobucket.com/albums/dd458/TbMindustrys/IMAG0806.jpg

[samyip]

they wont work very well as they only fire forward/up you need 360 degree ones like BEVSTA has said but they still may require the top led to be blocked off.



I used these (http://www.superbrightleds.com/moreinfo/miniature-wedge-base/74-led-bulb-3-smd-led-wide-angle-wedge-base/228/) (even in the T10 socket) and used a hot glue gun to glue a little square of foil and paper on the top led to make it reflect down and not create hotspots, i also broke out a tab or 2 in the cluster to let the light disperse more.

http://i1220.photobucket.com/albums/dd458/TbMindustrys/IMAG0802-1.jpg



if you use good led's theres no problem doin the HVAC unit

http://i1220.photobucket.com/albums/dd458/TbMindustrys/IMAG0806.jpg

WOW, your cluster is awesome!! Thanks for the tips dude! what T5s do you use?

[sensei_]

@ TbM: your cluster looks awesome. excellent work.

[TbM]

WOW, your cluster is awesome!! Thanks for the tips dude! what T5s do you use?
I linked the site i got mine from in my other post, if you click the highlighted blue "these" it will take you there, i got the cool white ones 6500k leds. heres another link
http://www.superbrightleds.com/moreinfo/miniature-wedge-base/74-led-bulb-3-smd-led-wide-angle-wedge-base/228/

@ TbM: your cluster looks awesome. excellent work.
Thanks m8, took a couple of trys to get it right but once i modified the led's and cluster it looks pretty even imo, much better than the stock yellow/amber that mine had.

[dc292177917]

u get wt u paid for
mine cost $60 just for the cluster alone
just saying...
http://sphotos-e.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/599562_10151147975707317_1424574062_n.jpg

[samyip]

u get wt u paid for
mine cost $60 just for the cluster alone
just saying...
http://sphotos-e.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/599562_10151147975707317_1424574062_n.jpg

wow, you cluster is awesome. I'm happy to pay more :) so what kind of bulbs do you use and where to buy them?

[subie]

Good job mate, I like


i also broke out a tab or 2 in the cluster to let the light disperse more.

how did you do it? which ones did you snapped off?


took a couple of trys to get it right but once i modified the led's and cluster it looks pretty even imo, much better than the stock yellow/amber that mine had.

How did you get rid of the amber?

Cheers

[TbM]

u get wt u paid for
mine cost $60 just for the cluster alone
just saying...
http://sphotos-e.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/599562_10151147975707317_1424574062_n.jpg
not exactly sure what your saying, you have a hot spot around 220 km/h and some of your numbers look dull compared to others ie 20 km/h and 40km/h are quite illuminated but then it trails off in brightness till 80 km/h , 160 km/h is quite dull compared the numbers near it ect. Just buying expensive led's doesn't guarantee you even light, you need to buy the right ones for your application and sometimes you have to modify the leds or cluster to get a better result.

how did you do it? which ones did you snapped off?


iirc it was the little tab near the far left light which was near 1k rpm area and i think i took out both the tabs from next to the light in between the rpm and speedo, i think this was also the bulb holder that was a t10 bulb which i modified to a t5 for more even light dispersion by bending the contacts together so it would hold a smaller bulb.
To break out the tabs just grab by the base firmly and snap it off, if you break them out in 1 piece you can glue them back in if it doesnt help.



How did you get rid of the amber?

Cheers


http://www.ozhonda.com/forum/showthread.php?150689-Comprehensive-Ek-Civic-Led-Cluster-and-Climate-control-Conversion-*Updated-22-07-11*

scroll though this till you find the part with the acetone, thats how i stripped mine

[VT3C]

if only i could get my heater controll unit OUT of the dashboard !

[BEVSTA]

Edit: Nevermind Saw the above link

[dc292177917]

not exactly sure what your saying, you have a hot spot around 220 km/h and some of your numbers look dull compared to others ie 20 km/h and 40km/h are quite illuminated but then it trails off in brightness till 80 km/h , 160 km/h is quite dull compared the numbers near it ect. Just buying expensive led's doesn't guarantee you even light, you need to buy the right ones for your application and sometimes you have to modify the leds or cluster to get a better result.


yep there are still some bright spots but overall they are very even and bright in real life
for a fraction of time u hv spent on yr cluster
i got decent result that has lots of appreciation of the others
if i hv the time to play with
i will just go ahead with custom EL face
which i can even print the cluster readings in chinese lol

[sensei_]

which i can even print the cluster readings in chinese lol

how does the cluster look like in a different language? i thought it was pretty universal.

[dc292177917]

how does the cluster look like in a different language? i thought it was pretty universal.

to me it looks quite strange lol
if i hv the time to do it
i ll just re-do the OEM readings on a white EL face

[TbM]

yep there are still some bright spots but overall they are very even and bright in real life
for a fraction of time u hv spent on yr cluster
i got decent result that has lots of appreciation of the others
if i hv the time to play with
i will just go ahead with custom EL face
which i can even print the cluster readings in chinese lol
if your comparing the time it takes to convert an amber ek cluster to white with no hotspots compared to an uneven del sol cluster which doesn't have an amber filter, your comparing apple's and oranges, if you have an amber backing then you have to remove it if you want blue, white ect, when this is removed you get bright spots easier as your losing part of the inbuilt diffuser which will make hotspots appear much easier, removing the amber lens makes it take longer than an average cluster but if you want it cool white its the only way to do it, buying expensive LEDs won't fix that.

modifying the LEDs and snapping out the tabs doesn't take long at all if your competent at removing parts and have an electric screwdriver and hot glue gun. taking pics for the diy thread and acetoning the filter off took longer than getting rid of my hotspots.

where did you get your led's from?