NEW Interior LED Mod Thread
 

The Interior LED Mod Thread is OUT OF CONTROL so we decided to start some new ones, a stock location swap and a customized one. This Thread will help those owners who want to change the color of all the stock locations with a direct one for one bulb swap, except the IPC! There are some options out there for the IPC but nothing that really looks stock with a different color, at least until enough pre-orders are made for the customizable Speedhut gauges http://www.speedhut.com/15orders_el_...ber=104&bhcp=1

OK here is a rundown of various parts and options you’ll need to change your color. These parts are tried and true BUT not written in stone of course. The Type 194 and 212 Festoons listed are what I ended up using, there are many more options out there. The NEO Wedge Type A and B are a direct replacement with a resistor built into the base of the LED. Oznium has begun selling them as well, http://www.oznium.com/corvette-c5-led for $2.49

If you’re doing Red you can replace the stock blue bulb covers with Red ones. Go to http://www.mcmaster.com/

In the Find Products window (upper left) type in 16925K11 you want the G Type T1 Dia. 1/8”, Height 10/64”, OD 5/32” $3.79 for 10. Click the part number and then you can choose your color and quantity.

Switches (Doors, Fog/Trunk, DIC and Traction/Selective Ride Control)
13* ea. – NEO WEDGE Type B bulbs, 10mm (3/8”) diameter $2.99 ea.
http://autolumination.com/74.htm
*Note: If you are optioned with Selective ride control add one NEO Wedge

Dimmer/HUD
4* ea. - NEO WEDGE Type A, 8mm (5/16") diameter $2.99 ea.
http://autolumination.com/74.htm
*Note: If you do not have HUD subtract THREE. These are the closest fit but the mounting hole will still need filed out just a tad. Some HUD switch packs supposedly have a total of THREE bulbs.

Footwells and Cargo Area
4 ea. – 194 Matrix Super Star bulbs,. 10mm diameter x 26mm overall $7.99 ea.
http://autolumination.com/194.htm

Map Lights
Non Electrochromatic
2 ea. – 212 Festoon 2 LED bulbs, 10mm wide x 44mm overall length. $9.99 ea.
http://autolumination.com/festoon.htm
Electrochromatic
12 ea. 5mm LEDs
http://www.oznium.com/led
*Note: For 2000s check your Map lights to see if you have the LED array or Festoon bulbs, I believe there may have been a cross over early in 2000.

Automatic Gear Indicator (PRNDL)
1 ea. – 194 Matrix Super Star bulbs,. 10mm diameter x 26mm overall $7.99 ea.
http://autolumination.com/194.htm

HVAC (Dual Climate) Controller (Leaving stock Orange LEDs in)
14 ea. - 5mm LED's with XXX* Ohm resistors,
http://www.oznium.com/led
OR
14 ea – NEO WEDGE Type B bulbs, (removed from bases) 10mm (3/8”) diameter $2.99 ea.
http://autolumination.com/74.htm

Radio/CD Player (Leaving stock Red LED in)
10 ea. - 5mm LED's with XXX* Ohm resistors,
http://www.oznium.com/led
OR
10 ea - NEO WEDGE Type B bulbs, (removed from bases) 10mm (3/8”) diameter $2.99 ea.
http://autolumination.com/74.htm

Under Hood
1 ea. – Super Star Festoon Dome Bulb: White. 10mm wide x 44mm overall $9.99 ea.
http://autolumination.com/festoon.htm
UPDATE: The 1997s take a 212-2 Festoon and the 1998 - 2004s use a Type 561 rigid loop bulb. We think the 44mm should work fine in both. See Post #24 by ljthe2nd
**Note – 470 Ohm = Blue, White, Green, Aqua & Pink
560 Ohm – Red, Orange & Yellow

Installation Notes
 

Here are few tips and cautions that we’ve learned through trial and error.

Carlton (Spdkilz) has a fantastic website for instructions on what you’ll be doing;
http://www.spdkilz.com/techtip.html

Vette Essentials is also a tremendous resource for dismantling your car. As a matter of fact I’ll be buying some of their stuff just because of all the work they’ve put into their on line instructions!
http://www.vetteessentials.com/instr...structions.htm

The door switch packs pop right out. Carefully pry the Driver’s from the BOTTOM and the Passenger from the TOP with a flat tip screwdriver.

Take the HVAC unit out BEFORE the Radio, I scratched and dented the heck out of my HVAC unit with the Radio taking the connectors off the back of it.

The NEO Wedge bulbs must be oriented correctly to work, if the bulb does not work, remove it and turn it around 180 degrees and re-install it. It won’t hurt the LED if it is in backwards.

Always buy some spare LEDs!

One of the problems with using the LEDs to replace the incandescent stock bulbs is the light pattern, The incandescents have a 360 degree light output while LEDs have a very finite beam of light. When using a standard LED to light the various components, sand/shave the top flat to disperse the light output better. Below shows a 10mm before and after.

http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r...ng/3to10mm.jpg

Here are some comparison pics showing the light pattern of a shaved and unshaved LED;

http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r...cutPattern.jpg

http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r...vedPattern.jpg

A few locations just will not look correct after the swap, the Traction Control/ Active Handling (TC/AH) button, HUD Page button and the Auto PRNDL indicator. These areas are pretty dim to begin with and get worse with an LED especially the TC/AH button!

Tim

I noticed Oznium.com is carrying the Type B neo wedges now....for $2.49 apiece. :flag:

Boards and Testing
 

Radio PCB Front View,;

http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r...BoardFront.jpg

Radio PCB Rear View;

http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r...RadioBoard.jpg

HVAC. All mounting hole are verticle with he POSITIVE lead towards the TOP of the board (towards the end of the board where the Display is), diagram coutesy of VetteFTW;

http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r...d/5803d2ed.jpg

Bench Testing Pinouts;

Hot Ground Notes
Driver’s Door 22 21
Fog/Trunk 7 8
HUD 6 7
DIC 10 9
TC/AH 1(10) 2 (9)
Passenger Door* 2 1
HVAC C5, C12, C16 C1 Or hook up to the back of any bulb
Radio Hook up to the back of any bulb

Tim

Yeah, I had to add that in at the last minute! :lol:

Radio Tweaks
 

First there is a better way to work on the Radio board we just recently discovered;

http://www.corvetteradios.com/home/Page1bulb.jpg

The above site shows how to remove the Board from the Radio! It's also a fantastic site for parts and info!

After first installing the LEDs you'll need to adjust the aiming on them to get the lighting as even as you can. One way to help disperse the LED's tight beam is to reflect it back "up" unto the white plastic reflector plate with aluminum foil disks placed directly under the LEDs;

http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r...dioFoilMod.jpg

I also wrap the wave guides (upper right and lower left corners in pic above) with Foil to help disperse the light...

Here's how it should look after aiming and using the Foil;

http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r...d/RedRadio.jpg

Tim

HVAC Tweaks
 

The HVAC usually turns out pretty good with a direct bulb swap. One thing I like to do is place a Blue LED under the Blue temperature sweep and a Red LED under the Red sweep. This adds color to the dial indicator on the Passenger Temperature control dial.

http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r...g/DSC01049.jpg

http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r...g/DSC01050.jpg

http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r...g/DSC01070.jpg

Notice the Big 10mm LED to the left of the display. I did this as an experiment and it worked so well in lighting this rocker switch I kept it in. It would also work well for the Recirculate/Fresh Air Rocker switch. You'll have to cut a larger hole in the rubber backing for the 10mms.

http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r...withRubber.jpg

If you get some dark fringing around some of the buttons, you need to trim away the rubber collar around that LED;

http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r...ckercutout.jpg

Tim

Traction Control/ Active Handling Button, Bells' Technique
 

There are a few ways to fix the very dim lighting in this button. This technique was created by Bell. You drill a hole and embed an LED directly into the back of the button;

http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r...edholetest.jpg

http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r...edinserted.jpg

http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r...ightontest.jpg

Tim

I'm marking this one for future reference. Great info! Thanks :thumbs:

Another way to do the Active Handling button
 

Here is another option on lighting the Active Handling button. This one does not require drilling into the button.

Once you have opened up the housing, remove the clear plastic wave guide. With LED's installed this gets in the way.

Attachment 48178745
Carefully remove the circuit board from the back half of the case. There are two plastic clips that hold it to the case.

Attachment 48178746


Attachment 48178747

In the following picture of the circuit board make note of where the positive and negative contacts are for the lamp. The LED will be soldered to the circuit board here.

Attachment 48178748


The first step is to bend the leads of the LED so that the tip of the LED is positioned at the edge of the button. I used a 5mm 8000mcd white LED and bent the leads 90* about .25” from the base of the LED. Next solder a 510 ohm resistor to the positive contact patch of the circuit board having it stick up parallel to the connector pins. The LED goes on the side opposite the connector pins.

A note on LED's. When looking at the leads coming out of the LED base you will notice a spot where the lead is a little wider. This indicates the minimum length for the lead. Cutting it shorter than this will impair the ability of the LED to dissipate heat.

When completed the install of the LED should look similar to these pictures. The first is the connector side. The other shows the LED aiming.

Attachment 48178749

Attachment 48178750

Gary

:thumbs:

Tim

Tim! Thanks for paring this down. I'm going to do this LED mod once I get settled overseas. I hope they ship FPO or I might have to get them sent to you and have you send them.

So we're up to FOUR pre-orders on SpeedHut?? Woohoo!! Hey, I've changed my mind on color since I placed the pre-order. (Gonna go blue LEDs and gauges now instead of red.) Do you know what I need to do to change it with them? Or should I just place another pre-order and cancel the other one when they call me to begin production? I think I can afford the $1... :D

Hey Vaughn! I'd be more then happy to ship the stuff to you if the vendors won't OR charge too much! You could order everything now and have the Navy ship it free! :rofl:

Hmmm I don't know, I would imagine once they go into production you would confirm your choice and make changes then... I've kinda been itching to try and plead to Speedhut's owner on getting these pushed through, maybe I can use that as an excuse? :lol:

Tim

Ok so heres the story, im new to the CF but ive been looking at it for quite some time now. The CF has helped me with doing the HID lights and now this led mod:). So ive already done the floorwells(white), cargo area(white), both door switches(blue), and the auto shifter(blue). Im planning to do the DIC and HUD in blue leds and that should be no problem. Im using the neo-wedges from oznium, execpt in the HUD because there the type a's, so im ordering them from autoillumination. But ok heres the real question im going to be using the neo-wedges out of the base for the hvac and the radio, ive already looked at the diagrams for the positive and neg. on the circuit boards so i know which is which, but since im using the neo-wedges, does anyone know how to tell which are the pos. and neg. leads on the leds??


BTW: My mom doesnt trust me in knowing how to solder the leds in, and she doesnt trust her skills in soldering either :o. But im pretty sure i can talk her into letting me do it. But JUST i case is there anyone in the nc area that would be able to do this for me??? Id rather do it myself but if i cant, id like someone to do it because i think, this mod is one of the BEST mods u can do:yesnod:.

Thanks in advance,

Corey

great resource:thumbs:

I have an extra Dual Zone Climate controller if anyone needs one:thumbs:

great thread!

Corey,

The easiest way to identify your pos and neg leads are with a 9 volt battery. After you liberate your NEO just touch the wire ends to the contacts on a battery, if it doesn't light up reverse it and then mark your pos lead with a sharpie;

http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r...eNeoSpread.jpg

Tell your mom not to worry! :lol: Just use no more then a 35 watt iron and don't let it sit on the board too long. A solder sucker will make it much easier to clean out the contact holes after you remove the stock bulbs! :thumbs:

If you do get stuck PM me, I did unionlandlord's Radio and HVAC for him and they turned out pretty good.

Tim

For the HVAC all positives go toward the top of the board.

It is easier to work with two people, one to heat the solder pads and another to push the new LEDs in as it is heated. that way you don't have to clean out the holes completely and place the LED first. Also one person can concentrate on heating and the other on getting the new LED straight. The other issue is that it is a two sided board. I didn't clean much solder off because I didn't want to worry about not having enough solder on the top side.

Wasn't this going to be a simple NEO wedge post?

Thanks tstar,

Well I was right, i talked my mom into letting me do it. :party: I just ordered the lights and they should be here on thursday, and hopefully by thursday night i will have a complete blue led interior:D .

So thanks to everyone in this thread and the first thread :cheers:

I cant wait till i get it done

Well a direct bulb for bulb swap Neo or LED/Combo anyway. Not alot of the customizing that we've done in the MOTHER (:rofl: ) Thread! But hey, as long as it stays managable and doesn't get 50 pages long...

I haven't started working on the custom Thread yet... Then again I haven't done TOO much customizing, a ton of experimenting though! :willy:

I actually use one of my stained glass mojo irons to remove the bulbs, the tip hits both pads at the same time. Then I use a solder sucker to clean out the holes. It would be nice to have someone helping as long as their breath didn't stink!

Did you catch that link on totally removing the Radio board?????

Tim

Cool!!! Post up some pics! :thumbs:

Tim

Has anyone done this with the "UV" Blacklight LEDs???

Yeah I experimented with them, they are extremely dim!!!! Unusable for this application really and they do not perform like a true Blacklight...

Tim

Tim you have the underhood light for 98-04's listed and a 516, it's actually a 561. Autolumination.com sell different LED's in the form of a 561 but they are not direct replacements they way they come, because the orientation of the LED's will be 90 degrees off when you hook the rigid loops of the LED onto the brass tabs in the light the LED's will face to the side instead of out. I decided to solder one in place. To do this you will have to remove the light from the hood. It's held on by 2 rivets. You can either drill out the rivet or use a door panel removal tool or a flat blade screwdriver and pry it out. If you pry it out just go slow and be careful and it will pop right out. Then just remove the rivets from the light and your all set. When you go to put it back in just put some wall anchors like you use in drywall in the holes in the hood and use screws and washers to hold it in place
Attachment 48178751
http://i282.photobucket.com/albums/k...DSC00001-1.jpg
I apologize for the blurry pic.
To solder the 561 LED into the underhood light just set it on the brass tabs, (I bent the tabs to help it sit flat) and solder it in place. I also put some automotive glue (Goop) on the solder joints but this is not really necessary just a little added insurance that it wont come apart with the vibration of being under the hood.
Attachment 48178752
Attachment 48178753
Attachment 48178754
Once completed this is now quite a bit brighter than the original under hood light. Its almost bright enough to work by in the dark, almost but not quite. But if your stranded by the side of the road, this light will be much appreciated over the stock light.

Larry, Thanx for clearing that up and posting an excellent fix!!! :thumbs:

I'm not familiar with a rigid loop bulb but is that small silver "can" some sort of adapter socket????

Tim

Do you mean the round part on the outside, next to the screw holes? If that's what you are talking about, yes that is where you plug in the wiring harness. If you are talking about the round can like thing inside the brass, on the inside of the bulb compartment close to the bulb, actually it would be below the bulb when it is mounted and in it's correct position, I believe it is some kind of switch that will only turn on the light when the hood is in a certain position. If you move the under hood light assembly in a way that it would move as if you were closing or opening the hood you can hear it click as if it is completing or braking the circuit.

I was talking about the on off "switch", that explains why there is no pin switch to activate the light. So to add additional lighting under the hood we would have to piggyback directly off the bulb... Thanx! :cheers:

Tim

I don't see why you couldn't tap into the wiring that connects to the underhood light, but if you did, the light wouldn't come on until the switch in the light completed the circuit.

This is a good cliff's notes of the LED monster thread haha.

I'll throw in my 2 cents since I swapped out my lights on my SINGLE zone HVAC, I never put them in the other thread. I also never saw anyone else do a Single Zone HVAC LED swap, or at least put any pics of it up.

Disassembly is easy on the single zone HVAC. Everything is vacuum actuated, so when you disconnect the connectors/hoses in the back... the light hissing noise is normal :thumbs: The dials must be removed to take off the back cover. Once the back cover is unfastened, SLOWLY and CAREFULLY remove the back cover STRAIGHT OUT, do not angle it while removing it. There are some long, thin electrical contacts that are about 1.5" to 2" long. They go through small holes in the circuit board. When seperated, you'll have the skinny contacts on one side, and the circuit board on the other.

Attachment 48178755

The 12v bulbs that need to be changed are circled. I used 3mm blue LED and 510 ohm resistors. Ignore the teal circles, that was for something else. The stock yellow LEDs are for the buttons when they are selected, I left these alone.

I don't have a picture of them lit up on the board, but you will have to cut the leads down to have enough room for the bulbs to fit. However, leave enough of the lead to be able to bend the LED 90 degrees and point it where you most need light. The same soldering/braiding process applies as all the other LED mods.

Attachment 48178756

Sorry don't have a closeup of the finished product... the upper right bulb lost connection after I installed it too... bah!

Attachment 48178757

I'll fix it when I get back from my deployment. I'll try grinding them down to disperse the light better too. :thumbs:

Awesome!!!!!!!! I was hoping someone would fess up the swap on the Non dual HVAC!!!! I woner if you could shoehorn in some shaved 10mms???? They worked really good on the Rocker switches on the last one I did...

Great job!!!!!!!!! :cheers: :cheers:

Tim

The light output on the 3mm was pretty even, the hotspots were because I didn't shave down the end, I think. There wasn't a lot of room to maneuver the 3mm in there, less than a half inch or so. I'd think a 10mm would be huge! I left the tiny stock yellow LED for the buttons alone because they looked like too much of a PITA.

When I get back, I'll adjust the post to include more dissassembly pictures when I open it back up to fix the one that isn't lighting up. :thumbs:

Next up is the footwells, mirror map lights and cargo area. I still have to finish the T/C button too, I think I'll use the tips I found in this thread. :cheers:

I think I read it wrong before and accidently got 3 mm bulbs for the HVAC, will I be ok? I know you said make sure they meet up with the collars, Will it be much harder to the point where I should use 5 mm instead or can I make the 3 mm work?

3mm will work. Just remember to sand off the heads for a more even pattern. ohterwise your illumination will have the chickenpox.

You can tell by using a magnifying glass and looking closely at the resistor on the neowedge.The white side with numbers on it is the + side. The black side with no numbers is the - side. Or just use a 9 volt battery and hook it up. If it doent lite switch it around, wont hurt a thing.

RadioFlyer is right as usual, The Example I pics I have shown of the HVAC are done with 3mms. I ordered the wrong ones, normally I would use 5mms.

I use a Dremel with a cutoff wheel to lop the Heads off the LEDs, then grind it against the blade slightly to make it square, no sanding that way and it's very fast.

FYI I haven't really noticed a difference in light output between the various sized LEDs, or even the SMDs for that matter.

Tim

Ok...I knew I shouldn't have started reading this thread. Now I'm hooked and I've gone too far to back out! :willy: :rofl:

I'm installing blue led's and I've done my door switches, adjustable shock switch, and the traction control button (I used the "drilled hole in the middle of the button" method and used the LED from a neo wedge that I'd busted the plastic base on).

Now I'm moving on to the automatic shift light. I just want to make sure I order the right bulb. Tstar, you listed the "194 Matrix Super Star bulbs" for $7.99. Is that the same as this one I found using your link? 194 168 W5W 2825 Matrix Bulbs Emits Light in all Directions
The price on the website is $6.99, so I want to make sure I'm not ordering the wrong one.

Thanks!
Rick

AAH! So I tested it out with the 9 v battery. And the ones I put in worked. But At first I put it to the orange ones and I think I burned it out. It went tzzz and smoked. Did I ruin all of it or just maybe the one orange one that I did that too!!!??? I'm so mad at myself for doing that. Bad idea!

:rofl: It's a damn addiction!

Any 194 based bulb should work in there, the bulb you described sounds like it would work better then the one I listed. I have a MN6 so I relied on other modders!

Tim

Yep you fried that one! Those LEDs, along with the Theft Red LED in the Radio are not protected by a resistor. Try a 3mm orange LED, hopefully the olor matches, if not replace all em with the color of your choice in 3mm with NO resistor. :thumbs:

Tim

Ok cool, I'll just replace them with the 3 mm blue ones I ordered originally for the other ones. Oh well, live and learn!

One more thing just to clarify because I saw conflicting things in the other thread.

In regards to HVAC. Negative is toward the top, positive (with resistor) is toward the bottom, just like the picture on page one of this thread right!? I sure hope so, I saw some say positive was on top in the other thread!?

+ on top
 

The positive IS absolutely on the top on the hvac. The first unit I did I miss read the diagram and had to switch them all. Good for practice If thats what your into!!:lol: :flag:

Also, in th diagram for the hvac on page 1 the hvac is actually upside down.With the display on the bottom it is upside down.So dont let it fool you.We should probable correct that diagram to make it upside right!! It also shows the positions of the 5 factory amber leds. It only shows 1 of the leds we change to your color choice. :flag:

I'm going to highlight that fact on the diagramm it is confusing! If I ever get some time I'll make a new one (yeah, that sounded funny to me too!)

Sorry your'e having so much trouble VetteFTW!

Tim

Its no big deal, I enjoy soldering alot! haha. Thanks Tim, I couldn't have gotten anywhere in this project without all your help. The diagram is confusing but now that I look again it makes sense, I think I will draw a new one and post it in here to show people right side up. I'm gonna try to get it all fixed today and take some pics for the "cause" haha. :cheers:


EDIT: Here is a crude drawing I made at work from memory, but this is pretty easy to understand. No one better make the upside down mistake now!

http://img213.imageshack.us/img213/1885/hvacsc3.png

I hope that diagram above can help someone! I wish this thread was sticky, HVACs go bad all the time and people could benefit from doing this!

I would just add that *ALL* LEDs are the same as far as positive up. Just one marked that way but *ALL* the same way.

Except for the LEDs that start out as LEDs across the bottom.

Ok, here we go, I re did them all, and this is how it turned out. Bear in mind, I haven't tweaked yet, just put it back together to see how it looked.

http://img178.imageshack.us/img178/7...mera268ch3.jpg

You guys are awesome. I am definately going to try this... Never have to replace these twice...

Cripes that was fast!!!!!!! Good job from memory! Here's the critique you were waiting for:lol: ;

You have one too many bulbs on the bottom row, looks like the Recirculate rocker switch has two versus one.

I would shift the factory LEDs to the right one bulb and raise them to be above the bottom row of bulbs.

Small stuff really, I think you did an excellent job! If you can get that fixed it up, send it to me so I can replace the other one!!!! Also I flipped the Radio drawing to show a back view, I'd like to do that with yours also but the wording gets all screwed up, any suggestions? Maybe you should make a new Radio drawing to match your HVAC one too???? :cheers:

Tim

Wow, tell you what with a tweak on the defoggers and maybe the fan speed rocker... I think you've got a great looking unit there! I have enough experience in photographing these things now to know that the majority of the hot spots showen won't register to the eye...

Great job!!!!!!!!!! :cheers:

Thanks! I will do that this weekend and hopefully be done.

I'll draw up some new diagrams today, I'm going to bring in my HVAC pics to make sure they come out correctly. I'll also add in the part about the *ALL* LED +/-

I think on my HVAC I just need to do some trimming on the rubber piece here and there to get the desired effect, if I had sand paper I'd sand the edges of the LED's down, but I need to pick some up.

You guys seem like the led experts. I hope you don't mind me posting this particular question on this thread.

I've got 3 blue led lites behind each of my gill screens. I like the effect, however, I want more of a halo/glow effect as opposed to the more pinpoint effect it has now. Any recommendation ? Would neon hold up as well and do the job ? Possibly more than 3 leds ? I don't want it overpowering just a soft noticable blue glow.

777

vent leds or neons?
 

I would check out carltons website he recomends the 9" mini neons.
http://www.spdkilz.com/techtipneon.html
After the car show this weekend I need to do this mod.I've got so many leds around here I'll probably make my own.My brother mounted a 12" led strip wired to a remote controll device and it looks great!

I'm switching to LED bars, I have Cold Cathodes in now and one crapped out already. Also the Red is kinda pink in the Cold Cathodes;

http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r...d/a16594ca.jpg

Oznium has a write up by DIYGuy that is very good;

http://www.oznium.com/images/vette/led-install.pdf

Tim

Ok, here is my new diagram. This one is better and I used the real board as a guide. I even stuck the connectors on there for reference.

http://img178.imageshack.us/img178/1300/hvac2yl2.png

Thanks for putting together a great thread!

That's looks great!!!! If you can EMail it to tstarsvette@yahoo.com I'll incorporate it into the main post and replace the other one! :thumbs:

Tim

:cheers:

Nice door hinges BTW! :thumbs:

Sent!:thumbs:

Has anyone swapped out ONLY the HVAC bulbs and have the HVAC not dim with the rest of the interior lights????????

Tim

Ok would there be ANYONE that would be willing to do my rear view mirror lights??? I have the mirror with the 12 LED lights. I've been trying at it for the past two days and it's just to much of a PITA!:banghead: So if the is anyone send me a PM.

Thanks,

Corey


Oh and for tstar, i've never heard of that happening:eek: my hvac and everything else dims perfect

PM sent...

What problem are you having anyway?

Tim

I just posted the problems i was having in the "BIG" thread. :)

Corey

Sounds odd, I can look at it for you though.

Tim

Ok guys, I managed to get my hvac switched to blue led's without frying anything or permanently disfiguring myself. :rofl:

It turned out pretty good, although brighter than some of the other areas. The pic doesn't do it justice. The lighting is VERY even and the blue matches everything else, it's just a bit brighter. Also, I forgot to get a couple red led's for under the right side of the temperature sweeps, so I just left the incandescent bulbs in place and that worked pretty good.

Attachment 48178758

The brightness issue is probably due to the led's I bought. I didn't want to mess with grinding all the tops flat, so I found some on ebay that are made that way. They're 5mm and supposedly 4000 mcd, 5000 max. They came with free 510 ohm resistors, which the ad says works with 12 V power.

I may try to soften the intensity with a trick I did on my traction control switch that was too bright for my liking....I used a blue sharpie and colored the top of the bulb and it brought the brightness down.

Question for tstar: Tim, I was using your pics as a guide and bending the resistors off the the side with some heat shrink tubing to prevent accidental shorting, but I ran into trouble with the buttons being able to press their switches.
The rubber surround that lays over the face of the board can't lay flat with the resistors in the way. Do you have problems with your buttons being able to contact the switches on the board?
I ended up going a different route and soldering the resistors in line with the LED legs as short as possible. I believe it's the same way it was done on spdkilz website. They stick up about 1/2" or so off the board, but there's room under the buttons. You just have to bend them slightly after laying the rubber surround over them to get them in the middle of the cavity in the buttons.

Next is the radio. Are there any clearance issues inside of that?

Thanks for the help...(and for putting ideas in my head and getting me into this :willy: ) :rofl:
Rick

Subscribing for my future mod:D

Thanks,Matt

Rick

Looks good. I don't know about the radio, I installed an aftermarket system. Tim (TSTAR) should be able to tell you what kind of clearance there is.

The gray rubber surround can be trimmed to allow it to lay flat. Getting the LED as low as possible helps spread the light out over the buttons, etc.

One important note, looking at the LED's there is a little tab that sticks off of the leads. This tab indicates the minimum length the leads can be cut to. Any shorter and the LED can't dissipate enough heat to operate properly. Yes LEDs do dissipate heat, a very tiny amount but enough that if it does not have any place to go the LED will fail.

Gary

I thought about trying that, but figured I'd see if the other way would work first. I like to keep things intact as much as possible, unless it's unavoidable.
I was expecting to have to take it back apart and make adjustments so I didn't have any hotspots, but it looked really evenly lit to me. :thumbs:

I remember reading about that issue. On the LED's I have, both leads have a flattened area which I figured was the minimum length. I cut the + lead right at that mark and soldered the resistor lead to it. They stick up off the board 1/2", but I didn't have any trouble with clearance when pushing the buttons. Time will tell if they hold up or not.

Thanks Gary. :cheers:

I had the high intensity issue with my blue LED HVAC install. I posted a comparison recently in the "big" LED thread. I was able to use a dremel and take the LEDs down a bit while they were still installed, just a second or two with a sanding wheel on the dremel. That took down the intensity and made is match the other things better.

There are a few ways to get around the rubber piece, the simpliest is to position your resistor as far away from the actual buttons on the board as possible, another is the technique you used.... standing them straight up. What I'm doing now, since using 10mms on the rocker switches is bending all the resistors so that it they are standing straight up alongside the LED, I place the rubber piece unto the board, then insert all the LEDs, test and solder em. After everything is working I cut a small slot in the rubber collar for each resistor and then lay the resisitor flat against the rubber on top of it... I hope that made sense.... I don't have any pics, the next HVAC I do I'll be sure to take some and post it up. :thumbs:

The Radio is alot trickier!!! The white reflector plate is a PITA! Also the wave guides. The LED placement within the white reflector plate GREATLY affects how the light is dispersed, it's important to add a reflective material directly under the LEDs unto the Blue/Black diffuser sheet also, I've used aluminium foil with good success but I think mylar would be better. I have some Christmas wrapping paper that is the foil stuff? And is very shiny on the backside, I'm going to try that on the next one. Wrapping the wave guides with a reflective materioal really helps even out the lighting as well...

The toughest one I did was for UnionLandlord, he wanted a Red and Blue LED mix and getting everything evened out was really a bear! I used different combinations of LED sizes, locations (height) within the white reflector plate and added some LEDs where needed.... All in all the Radio is by far tougher then the HVAC to get looking good!

BTW Minitech's advice is very good, shaving the tips wll help soften the light and disperse it better.... Some people us the sharpie technique but it has to be touched up in the future.

It's looking good Rick! :cheers:

Tim

Very good post. I always wanted to change the background color in my vette to either white or Red.

Anyone in the area interested to help me install them we will have lots of Beer and Pizza. I guess i will feel more confident knowing the person helping had done it before

thanks

RB

Before I get into tearing the radio apart, I wanted to see if I could do anything to get the fog light/trunk switch a little brighter. It was just too dim compared to everything else.

First, I bought a spare switch because taking one apart involves cutting it open along the glued seam. Having a spare always makes me feel better about ripping things apart. :willy:

After getting it apart, it's obvious why the lighting is so dim. The light has to go into the buttons from an angle and also has to make it through the half inch thick silicone rubber they're made out of.

I decided my best bet was to handle it just like the traction control button and embed the LED's into the rubber of the button. I used two Oznium wedge LED's that I removed from their bases.

Attachment 48178759
Attachment 48178760

A little extra wire soldered onto the leads, some heat shrink tubing to protect against shorting, and then solder the wires to the appropriate pad on the back of the circuit board (top is + if I remember right).

Attachment 48178761

It's starting to come together...:thumbs:

Attachment 48178762
http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n...s/IMG_1906.jpg

C4's
 

Ok i know this is a little out of place here..but i need input...Some of you out there may have a C4 and a C5 like i do...I've been adding LED's to my C5 and having fun...But now i want to start doing it to my C4..I started a thread in the C4 section about LED"S and haven't got anything really except Tail lights.....that's not what i'm after.... I'd like to do the bottom of the door stripe, some interior stuff too like i've done in the C5.......Can anybody help here!? Thanks.

RJ great job and an excellent post!!!! The Blue guys will apreciate this one! :thumbs:

FYI I have a Red silicone cover on the stock bulb in my Fog/Hatch buttons and it looks good...

Tim

I personally don't, hopefully someone will chime in, although if you had no luck in C4... :willy: It really wasn't too long ago that this Mod started in the C5

I haven't seen anything yet that an LED won't go into, case in point is RJ's post above, a little knowledge of how LEDs work and a little inqenuity will get you there.

If you're game I'd like to pop over in C4 and if you post some pics we should be able to convert the stuff you want over to LEDs... You could even send me some of the components if she isn't a DD.

As far as wiring the under Door LED strip, you should be able to do it excatly as the C5s are done. Route the wiring throught the Door jamb and tie it into your footwell lights.
Tim

Guys,

If I order "74 Neo-wedge Corvette C5 LED Bulb $2.49 from www.ozium.com are those only used for the door panels or can I use them in the HVAC, Switches (Doors, Fog/Trunk, DIC and Traction Control), Dimmer/HUD, Map Lights Electrochromatic, Automatic Gear Indicator (PRNDL).
I am just trying to avoid soldering so not to burn or damage something, they seem like a plug N play LED's. So I open the unit take the old lighthing out and put the "74 Neo-wedge Corvette C5 LED Bulb " is what I said right and if thats the case then I would need 50 of them

Thank you

RB

I'm sure that we can give you guidence for the C4. It would be helpful if we knew what part of the country you are in. There is bound to be one of us that is near you.

Gary

I'm in Southern Mississippi, right on the coast. I've been having fun with my C5 and LEDs just want to carry it on to the C4.

The 74 Neo-wedge bulb fits the following locations;

Door switches
Turnk/fog switch
DIC switchs
HUD controls

It also fits the TC/AH control, however it would be better to solder in a regular LED which can be aimed right into the button.

The PRNDL, glove box, trunk and footwell lights are type 194.

The rear view mirror depends on which one it is. If you have the electrochromatic auto dimming mirror, this already has LED's in it. You can change these out to brighter ones. It does require soldering. It uses 12 5mm LED's.

If you have the manual mirror, it takes 2 Festoon type bulbs. I think the size is listed on the firs page of this thread.

The HVAC requires soldering. You can use the 74 Neo-wedge removed from the base and solder it in place of the existing lamp. Pay close attention to the orientation of the LED, it will only light up in one direction. See the frist page of this thread for templates on how to orientate the LED's.

Gary

Thanks Gary. I will order and give it a shot

50 x 2.49 = :eek:
If you've got the money to spend, the wedges do simplify things because of the tiny chip resistors they use, but you're going to have to solder to get the hvac done anyway.

I'd buy a soldering iron and accessories, some loose LED's and resistors, and start practicing. Just my .02 from my experience so far. :cheers:

In the radio and hvac units I use the neowedge's and they are more expensive but you will avoid the time it takes to make the bare leds and also the button clearance issues. Its kind of a time vs money issue and you have to make that call yourself.One plus on using the neo's for me is I have many spare bases to make kits to fit all the different locations that take the type b neo's and sell them!! It offsets the cost some! Be aware that the bulb sockets behind the HUD buttons are smaller. They take a type A neowedge.At least all the ones I've seen are that way.The type A's are a 8mm and the type B's are a 10mm I believe. The page button will be weak unless you disassemble the pod and solder in a led pointed in the right direction.There are many mods with these leds that require custom work! Come join the fun!!:cheers: :flag:

Source for Neo Wedge Chip Resistors
 

Does anybody know a source for getting the chip resistors that Oznium uses in their neo wedges???

I'd like to get my hands on a bunch of those and use them with all the flat top LED's I've got.
:lurk:

They'd be awefully tough to work with as they are surface mounts, no leads and I have a feeling that they would put you into the NEO Wedge price range... I'll poke around for you though as now I'm curious!

Tim

Love to do mine but looks like a pain in the butt! ! !

I rather pay to get it done..........

I love LEDs! I have many on my car and I'm going to add many more; subscribing to keep me informed. maybe when I get some projects done I'll even post about them.

I hope you do!!!!!!! :cheers:

Tim

ok, here is my first contribution! I'm in the middle of alot of LED mods right now but work is going slowly because work takes up most of my time.

here I have added a long strip of flexible LEDs from oznium.com in my drivers and passenger's side foot wells. I wired them in parallel with the stock light which has an LED replacement bulb in it, but I might as well remove it at at this point. these lights don't look like much, so they have to be used where you can't really see them, but the light they put off is simply amazing.

I wanted more light, and I got it! the color I chose was the natural white. I don't like the looks of the yellow white, that's what I wanted to get rid of, but I thought the cool white might look alittle too artificial.

here's one side installed, the strips come with adhesive on the back just peel and stick! I picked the widest point I could find, so each strip is 30-35cm long.
http://i192.photobucket.com/albums/z...O/DSC00071.jpg

here they are lit up
http://i192.photobucket.com/albums/z...O/DSC00072.jpg

without the flash so you can really see the color
http://i192.photobucket.com/albums/z...O/DSC00073.jpg

and finally, the finished product. one side effect I've found...if you just completed a weekend of moding your car and you haven't cleaned up your floor carpets yet, this will make it obvious!

http://i192.photobucket.com/albums/z...O/DSC00074.jpg

I'll try to get some better night shots later, if they are this bright in my well lit garage, I can't wait to see how they look at night time!

Wow!!!! That looks great!!!!!!! Really even lighting, that's the best I've seen! Awesome job! :thumbs:


And yeah your carpets are a mess! :rofl:

Tim

great information:thumbs:

For those who have done the HVAC LED conversion, what brighness of LED did you use? I have a couple of burned out bulbs and need to do this upgrade. I've found a good price on 3000mcd LEDs, but I'm afraid they might be too bright for the HVAC backlighting...just looking for some input!

Those 3000's may be too dim. I used 6000 or 8000 mcd white LED's.

Gary

interesting. I guess the HVAC display diffuses it some. even a 300mcd is blinding to look at, a 3000 leaves you seeing spots for 15+minutes if you look directly into it...so I found out by accident :lol:

Might have to do some experimenting.

I'm using blue LED's rated at avg. 4000mcd~5000mcd max, flat tops, and started with 510ohm resistors and it was TOO bright (compared to the neo wedges in the doors, and DIC). I redid mine with 680ohm resistors and it toned it down enough to match up better. Not perfect, but it looks pretty good now.

I can't find it now but the NEO Wedges have a very low mcd rating compared to regular LEDs in the same color... It's something to keep in mind.

Physically doing the swap is relatively easy, getting everything even and consistant through out the interior is the hard part and the main reason the original Thread got so huge... I'm using a mix of NEOs, regular LEDs, Red silicone bulb covers and various resistor sizes and it was all experimentation and every color has it's own "personality"! :willy:

Now with the Speedhut faceplates coming out for the IPC, I'm going to be tweaking everything AGAIN so it all matches! :willy:

Most owner's seem content with doing the bulb swap alone while others are more critical. All the techniques are posted SOMEWHERE between the two Threads. Of course finding it might be a challenge! I suppose we should start a new Thread for us anal folks.

Tim

Im trying to go the autolights on the rear view mirror in a 02 Z06, can anyone help?

Here ya go;

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/show...5&postcount=23

Tim

its a manual mirror, i typed that wrong

Stock Radio LED Conversion
 

I managed to get my stock radio converted to blue LED's a couple weeks ago and recently decided to pull it out again and make a few tweaks, so I snapped some pics to show what's involved with doing this.

We'll begin with the radio out of the car (already plenty of write ups on doing that).

First, pull straight out on the Volume and Tuning knobs and they'll come off.
Attachment 48178763

Next, remove the nut and washer that hold the volume switch to the faceplate.

Attachment 48178764

The faceplate is held on by eight snap-lock tabs, two on each of the four sides. I used a small screw driver to release them one at a time and slipped some tooth picks in place to keep them from locking again. Once you've release all of them, slide the faceplate away from the radio.

Attachment 48178765

With the faceplate detached, it'll still be dangling by two wire looms. We'll need to disconnect those to be able to work on it, and to do that, the bottom cover will have to come off. Remove the silver screw on the bottom...it's a T-15 torx.

Attachment 48178766

And then remove these two on the back side...

Attachment 48178767
Attachment 48178768

With the bottom cover removed, we see a circuit board with three small bolts (circled in red). Remove them.

Attachment 48178769

The circuit board is still held in place by two bolts that secure the antenna socket. One on the side, and one on the back. Remove.

Attachment 48178770
Attachment 48178771

At this point, you can carefully flip the circuit board up and to one side. It's still got some wires attaching it to the radio.

Attachment 48178772

With that board sitting out of the way, we can access the wire looms that attach the faceplate to the radio. There's a red one and a white one. Pull straight up on them to disconnect them from their sockets. You may have to wiggle them a bit.

Attachment 48178773

Feed the wires through the slot and the faceplate is free so we can work on it. :smash:

Attachment 48178774

The back side of the faceplate has a circuit board held on by eight tiny bolts (circled in red). I don't know what size they are, but if you have a socket that small, you're lucky. I used a small crescent wrench to remove them (takes a little while :willy: ).

Attachment 48178775

Once you get that done, this is what you've got. You can now start de-soldering the stock incandescent lights and replacing them with your LED's and resistors. :thumbs:

Attachment 48178776

Some more tips to come in the next thread...:lurk: