These guys:

HiPo Parts Garage - High Performance Auto Racing Parts

sell LED lights to replace the stock 194s in the instrument cluster. I was thinking about swapping out the stock lamps with LEDs but wanted to see if anyone here at FTE has used these guy's LEDs or anything similar.

Does anyone have a picture?

Thanks.

 

My, how timely. They have a picture on eBay that shows them good. I just put in the blue FG ones and they bother my eyes ,they make the gauges look misty so I am going to the green leds. green will match the rest of the lights in the dash anyway. easy to do with wicked good directions. I will cut you a good deal on a set of blues used about 10 minuets. They are brighter then stock but that's not saying much

 

I've got LEDs in my instrument panel too. I have plain white ones that each have only one LED (instead of the 5 per socket offered in your link) and they work just fine. I also spent a lot less than that set is advertised for. I replaced all five bulbs in the cluster (1 each side for gauges, 2 blinkers, 1 high-beam) for about $15.

If you look at their site for prices (or run down to your auto parts store - they all have the bulbs), you can put it together cheaper than they sell it as a set. I really don't believe their claim that the LEDs they send out in the set are specifically designed for our dash. You should just buy (2) 5 LED bulbs (for the gauges - my single LED bulbs could stand to be a little brighter) and (3) 1 LED bulbs for the other lights.

Just my 2 cents...

 

they are way too bright.
the dimmer doesnt function on the LED

 

My dimmer functions. You have to have a couple incandescent bulbs in the loop for the dimmer to work though. Either that or a couple extra gauges like I have that draw some voltage, allowing the dimmer to still work.

 

The ones I got are the 1 led not the 5 led so they are only a little brighter and yes no dimming. blue may have been original but I like the green look better

 

The reason some run into trouble with the dimmer and the LED setup is because LEDs have what is called a threshold voltage, which is usually around 0.7 volts. That is to say, the voltage across the diode has to reach a certain point before the diode will turn on at all. If the voltage across the diode is less than this threshold, the diode will not turn on.

If 12 volts is applied directly to a bare LED (meaning there is no series resistor), it will blow almost immediately. As such, it is necessary to place a resistor in series with the LED, which limits the current through the LED. The dimmer function can still work, but it depends very heavily on the size of the series resistor used with each LED. Because the luminescence of an LED is proportional to the current through it when the diode is forward-biased (meaning the voltage across it is above the threshold), the dimmer still can be made to work.

Unfortunately, the size of the resistor is mandated by the limits of the LED itself. As such, there may not always be a happy medium with resistor sizes. I suspect this to be a problem in some commercially available setups.

 

That's a pretty good explanation! You must have worked with a few diods in your day. Have you ever seen a diod short? I have seen a diode short twice that I can recall. What do you call a person who gos and gets themselves a soda and does not bring one back for you?

A Zeener!

 

After an 2+ Hours of searching...
I finally found the thread....




------------------------------------------------------
Sources:
HiPo Parts Garage - High Performance Auto Racing Parts
https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/7...-lights-3.html
They might have pictures of the other color bulbs soon...

I am interested in the RED LED Lights.
Hope I helped!

 

is there any way to replace all the dash bulbs with led's, and splice a resistor in the harness to make the dimmer work? I'm hooked, I'd love to do this too. my dash is way too dark at night. also, I like the way the green looks, but I wonder what red, or amber would look like instead.

 

Im sold I like the blue cause it will match my CD Deck...

 

I'm curious what the difference in the top blue, and the bottom blue is. Less led's on the bulb, or just turned down on the dimmer?

 

The Top two are pictures are from a member here on FTE.
The top two pictures aren't that great of quality.
The Bottom two are from the website that sells them.
You can click the links,I put them in the post to help ya guys out.

 

I believe it would be a little more involved.

First, take the turn signal light circuit. Changing the turn signal indicator bulbs would change the load placed on the flasher. The blinking rate of a thermal flasher is proportional to the current flowing through it, which is determined by the load on the flasher. That means the turn signals might blink too fast, too slow, or not at all. In that case, an electronic flasher might be necessary. I know that electronic flashers are often necessary with LED tail light conversions. Basically any modification to the lighting system within the turn signals causes issues with flashing speed. That's why you see people with really fast turn signals; it's usually a sign that one of the bulbs is out (which means less of a load on the flasher, which means more current, which means the flasher opens and closes more quickly). This is just speculation; it might not even be a problem. It's just something to keep in mind.

As far as the dash illumination itself would go, there is one circuit that powers this stuff. If you installed one resistor upstream of all the LEDs, it'd be possible; but the single resistor would dissipate more heat. The necessary power rating would depend on the current draw of all of the LEDs throughout the range of operation.

The moral of the story is, when it comes to electronics, pretty much anything is possible. Finding out exactly what you need is a matter of studying the specification of the LEDs you'd like to use. I think this is a pretty reasonable project that would just take some studying of factory wiring diagrams. As far as getting LEDs that fit behind the gauges, that'd be another challenge. I'm curious as to how this installation kit works. It's not clear to me if the resistor and LED is contained within a 194-bulb foot print, or if the kit requires you to make modifications to your gauge cluster.

I think the conversion looks pretty slick, I wouldn't mind having blue dash lights. It'd match my CD player.

 

i did this swap a few months ago. I love it, but i have one problem since i've replaced the bulbs. The one on the right side of the dash showing the temp and volt meter, will randomly go on and off. It will go out for a mile or two, then come back on for a mile, then go out for a little more...etc. Does anyone know why it does that? I checked the connections on the back and don't see any tears in the circut paper, or lose bulbs. any ideas? I did however go with the blue. It matched my aftermarket radio, and i love them when they are all lit.

TheBlueMule