Gauge Lighting *Updated!*, (Modifying Appearance) Options

[Pulse_of_Enigma]

*Update*

Hmm.. The only things as far as WannabeGT4's are I'm looking for a much brighter light. And as far as color, I don't want it to be quite that blue, I want more of a bluish white, like what CelicaZR's looks like.


?So with those preferances I must ask... for a bright bright blueish white look, should I go with bulbs or LEDs?

?AND also is there anything I should or could do to the gauge panel itself to make the light shine through brighter and non-yellowish?


-Old-

Alright, so I was planning on making my Gauge with the speedometer etc look better by putting in some new bulbs. I got White 194 LEDs but they didn't work (still don't know why). So then I returned them and got white Xenon 194 (clear blue colored bulb) bulbs.

Anywho, they were installed and work, but my numbers and whatnot on my gauge are still that ****ty yellowish color.. I'm going for a bright crisp white or bright crisp blue...



That's pretty much it right there, it's a tiny bit brighter in person...

My question is, what should I do to get the effec I'm looking for? Differen't bulbs? Or perhaps keep the ones I just got and do some sort of painting or something?

Any ideas and suggestions would be great, thank you.

//Enigma

This post has been edited by Pulse_of_Enigma: May 2, 2006 - 2:21 PM

[My2Celi]

i got the leds @ autolumination.com but mine tends to keep on burning out.

[malpaso]

basic problem is in fibre of bulb. It bright yellow. You need use bulb with "special" fibre like this one



or diffusion LEDs

[CelicaZR]

[Pulse_of_Enigma]

Hey ZR, that looks really really nice, so what did you do to get it to look that good?

[CelicaZR]

Polarg bulbs!
JDM YO

[snapshotgt]

Polarg bulbs!
JDM YO

= $$$$$$$ ...naw, those are sweet, but i went with LEDs to save the $

~snap

[Pulse_of_Enigma]

Snap do you have a pic?

[nightryder]

Celicazr those look sick! That is the kind of look im going for, but in red . I have em in right now, but its dull. They sell those bad boys in red and if so where can I get em?

[o0black0o]

lol I want my speedo 2 goto 240! darn yall

Looks nice tho, Im wondering if I should change my white face guages to that instead. Those look clean that way.

[snapshotgt]

Snap do you have a pic?

Yeah, i'll try to take a pic and post it tonight...

~snap

[Pulse_of_Enigma]

Alright, sounds good.

[My2Celi]

i tried polorg bulbs in white and it looked kinda yellow. my white led looks real nice if it can last long.

[tomazws]

Yea I have white too and it looks yellowish.. The needle is bright white though.

[anubis0108]

lol I want my speedo 2 goto 240! darn yall

Looks nice tho, Im wondering if I should change my white face guages to that instead. Those look clean that way.

he he my spedo does. its im km per hour though. but when most ppl look at it they dont know they think its mph but i also have my gauge customized with glowin flames and trd celica in mine

[MaX]

ok then. led's for me then....

ZR, your cluster looks awesome.....

if they keep burning out, it's probably cos the wattage or whatever is wrong, if you do it right, that shouldnt happen, should it?

[CelicaZR]

nightryder: Thanks man
I havent seen them in red.
I know they make pure white and blue.

Thanks Max

Just buy bulbs and be done.
LEDs doesnt spread the light evenly,
so you get bright and dark areas.

This post has been edited by CelicaZR: Apr 30, 2006 - 3:18 AM

[snapshotgt]

Just buy bulbs and be done.
LEDs doesnt spread the light evenly,
so you get bright and dark areas.

**cough** ...if you get the right kind LEDs, they spread perfectly. I went through about 5 different ways of changing the color in my cluster, and i found some really great LEDs with the help of wannabegt4.

here they are, nice dark blue spread perfectly, and I’m a perfectionist! CLICK THIS --> good LEDs <--

~snap

edit: Sorry i have gotten any pics yet, I'll post them up asap, I'm just super busy.

This post has been edited by snapshotgt: Apr 30, 2006 - 8:31 AM

[blu94gt]

Just buy bulbs and be done.
LEDs doesnt spread the light evenly,
so you get bright and dark areas.

**cough** ...if you get the right kind LEDs, they spread perfectly. I went through about 5 different ways of changing the color in my cluster, and i found some really great LEDs with the help of wannabegt4.

here they are, nice dark blue spread perfectly, and I’m a perfectionist! CLICK THIS --> good LEDs <--

~snap

edit: Sorry i have gotten any pics yet, I'll post them up asap, I'm just super busy.

I have the autolumination "5 LED Matrix" bulbs, spreads the light perfect and I haven't had any problems with them. I'll take some pics tomorrow in the parking garage where it's dark

[WannabeGT4]

Velocity LEDs on ebay sells the "super refractors" that are the same as the "5 LED Matrix" LEDs from autolumination.com. THESE ARE THE ONLY LEDS I RECCOMEND FOR OUR GUAGE CLUSTER.

This pic is pretty close to how they look. Just a bit brighter in person.

[Pulse_of_Enigma]

*Update*

Hmm.. The only things as far as WannabeGT4's are I'm looking for a much brighter light. And as far as color, I don't want it to be quite that blue, I want more of a bluish white, like what CelicaZR's looks like.


So with those preferances I must ask... for a bright bright blueish white look, should I go with bulbs or LEDs?

AND also is there anything I should or could do to the gauge panel itself to make the light shine through brighter and non-yellowish?

[WannabeGT4]

For the aqua color that you want the Polarg bulbs that CelicaZR posted are exactly what you need.

[Pulse_of_Enigma]

For the aqua color that you want the Polarg bulbs that CelicaZR posted are exactly what you need.

Alright cool, thanks for the info, was much needed and is much appreciated.

[KAOS]

For those of you with the LED's are they direct replacements or do you have to rewire them in?

[Pulse_of_Enigma]

For those of you with the LED's are they direct replacements or do you have to rewire them in?

Good question, because when I bought some from Pep Boys I was confused, and I put them in and they worked without wiring, so I dont think you have to. But they were very dull.

And also keep in mind (something I found out the hard way) that there are different LED type bulbs that shine light out differently, there's inverted ones, clear type and another kind, frosted I think.

I accidentally got inverted and that's why it was so ****ty, so def. don't get inverted for your gauges.

[KAOS]

No the frosted ones would've worked better in the cluster. If you don't feel like taking your current LED's back Pulse, just take them out and on the tips very lightly frost them yourself. You can do this with 1000grit sandpaper.
This takes away from the more directed light and allows more of the bulb to 'glow' rather than 'project'.

[Pulse_of_Enigma]

No the frosted ones would've worked better in the cluster. If you don't feel like taking your current LED's back Pulse, just take them out and on the tips very lightly frost them yourself. You can do this with 1000grit sandpaper.
This takes away from the more directed light and allows more of the bulb to 'glow' rather than 'project'.

Ah well, lol, they were returned 2 weeks ago. It's ok though because I'm going Polarg.

[eliaz]

Looks way (!) brighter in person, I have a crappy camera! Oh, this is matrix leds from autolumination.

[vsideboy]

I've taken my bulbs out totally.


And replaced with a small steering column mounted 3 led pod, which lights the dials up in UV.



Picture doesn't do it justice, they look really nice in real life, the camera struggles to photo it well.

I had to paint the dial spots with uv reactive paint though but its a mod that I've never seen before and thats what moddings all about.

This post has been edited by vsideboy: May 7, 2006 - 5:44 AM

[team_omega]

how many 194 bulbs go into the whole cluster anyways????

[LewFX]

how many 194 bulbs go into the whole cluster anyways????

3

[Pulse_of_Enigma]

What LewFX said, lol.

[yellowfox]

Do you like this???

It's made only with normal lamps and coloured films, NO leds!!!

[Pulse_of_Enigma]

Do you like this???

It's made only with normal lamps and coloured films, NO leds!!!

Hmm, it's very different and inventive. I don't really like the colors but that's just my personal opinion. I do like the fact though of how different it looks, havn't seen anything like it really before.

So how did you go about doing it like that, what was the process like?

[yellowfox]

Before this, I've made another version...



Remove the green caps from the stock lamps

Place a little piece of coloured film back to the number you want to change colour, or a bigger piece if the color is the same for all the numbers (e.g. red)

Sorry for my bad english

[vsideboy]

its different mate. well done.

[blu94gt]

i can't remember what thread it was, but someone was arguing that the Matrix LED's don't light well...these are mine with Matrix, the camera took the color kinda funny tho they're a rich blue like WannabeGT4's but very evenly lit

[Daftboy]

blu94gt did you put any fliters on your gauges at all or just got the matrix bulbs?

[6gsillyca]

sorry to bump this thread but, i didnt want to make a new one.

does anyone know why, on some peoples cluster the "unleaded fuel only" light comes on, and on others it does not.


any does anyone know what kind of bulbs fit behind the turn signal lights in the cluster? how do you change the color of those? Would you just put a colored bulb there, and break out the plastic arrow?

[Zimluura]

the unleaded fuel thing isn't a warning light, it's just a note to the driver.

it looks like clusters with km/h don't have it. but clusters with mph do have it. so it's probably just a relic of the localization for the us domestic market.


the turn signal bulbs are num74. they have a green filter already in place. so if you put blue led behind it (like i did) you'll get sorta aqua/cyan turn signals.

This post has been edited by Zimluura: Jan 11, 2007 - 12:59 PM

[jcbass7]

the turn signal bulbs are num74. they have a green filter already in place. so if you put blue led behind it (like i did) you'll get sorta aqua/cyan turn signals.

how does the aqua/cyan effect look? I don't want them green anymore lol and my interior lighting is all blue

This post has been edited by jcbass7: Jan 11, 2007 - 1:06 PM

[celiracer]

With the turn signals the way i changed mine to red was cut out peices of plastic from a milk jug. Or some kind of plastic. then took a transparent red tape and covered the plastic peices and fit them into the little places.

[tomazws]

sorry to bump this thread but, i didnt want to make a new one.

does anyone know why, on some peoples cluster the "unleaded fuel only" light comes on, and on others it does not.


any does anyone know what kind of bulbs fit behind the turn signal lights in the cluster? how do you change the color of those? Would you just put a colored bulb there, and break out the plastic arrow?

I think only the US spec ones have the "Unleaded fuel only" sign... I guess Toyota thought Americans are a little dumber and needed to be reminded about unleaded fuel everytime we sit in the car.

Kinda like my 2000 Celica has an lighted ARROW that points to which side the gas door is located... it's retarded.

[Batman722]

With the turn signals the way i changed mine to red was cut out peices of plastic from a milk jug. Or some kind of plastic. then took a transparent red tape and covered the plastic peices and fit them into the little places.

the milk jug or water jug plastic is almost perfect. It matches the stock texture great. Just buy a (whatever color) LED from ebay and use that. The lense is clear/frosted and the bulb can be whatever color you want.

[jcbass7]

thanks dustin, i need to order led's soon my interior looks retarded with all the prosports and the rest the oem green

[mozocelica]

Talking about turn signals... i have installed turn signal lamps (orange) in my speedo... easy to find, and the result is OK



Rikard - sweden

This post has been edited by mozocelica: Jan 11, 2007 - 2:22 PM

[P5ycho]

originally i replaced the bulbs in my dash for matrix leds and this was the result i got..


i've had a custom set of dials made for my car and now it looks like this...

[devilsden97]

^i ****ing love those gauges

[Batman722]

thanks dustin, i need to order led's soon my interior looks retarded with all the prosports and the rest the oem green

we'll talk this Saturday, I have all the answers you need big guy

[jcbass7]

thanks dustin, i need to order led's soon my interior looks retarded with all the prosports and the rest the oem green

we'll talk this Saturday, I have all the answers you need big guy

Good good,I get payed tonight, you are going to have to help me figure out what to spend it all on


PS:^miggy i agree those guages are sickkk

[Zimluura]

how does the aqua/cyan effect look? I don't want them green anymore lol and my interior lighting is all blue

i think it looks good. they're plenty visible in the sunlight. the analogy i'd use is:
regular celica gauge lights are a sorta dull green, with bright green turn signals.
my gauges are a bright blue, with dull blue turn signals.

wow, that doesn't actually sound so good. but i can say with confidence i'm never reminded of urine or vomit when i look at my turn signals! the same couldn't quite be said for regular celica gauge lights.

slightly-off-topic:
i once put a red num74 led in my highbeam indicator so i'd be able to see when it's on against the blue background. i was hoping that red led + blue filter would give me purple. no dice though. when the colors are that different the led just was dimmed slightly by the filter. went with a uv led instead, which stands out well enough, and i'm not staring at it long enough to get eye-strain. so anyways, you might be able to play with other colors, depends on what you want.

very-off-topic:
i'd like to see a green celica scheme that used leds instead of bulbs+filter_condoms. that could look really nice. but i guess most people who like green are ok with the stock dullness.

This post has been edited by Zimluura: Jan 12, 2007 - 2:32 AM

[topshed]

I fitted wide angle green led's to mine . It's a richer green than the weak stock green,looks ok
keith

[Slick]

I have this:



But i want this!:



What did he use? Is Polarg that much more different than the 5-LED matrix? That's what I'm using and they don't seem to be worth a damn. And how did he get the red in the rpm's to stand out so much? There must be something wrong with my dash because these LEDs work fine on the door courtesy lights:



I guess i'll have to go with Polargs.

[celiracer]

originally i replaced the bulbs in my dash for matrix leds and this was the result i got..


i've had a custom set of dials made for my car and now it looks like this...

I like the way your gauges came out. Is there any way that you could do that but with a black face? thats how i want mine. White numbers and everything with red needles? what bulbs did you use? I'm trying to match my gauges to my SPW tinted gauges.

[cjh4l22]

I have this:



But i want this!:



What did he use? Is Polarg that much more different than the 5-LED matrix? That's what I'm using and they don't seem to be worth a damn. And how did he get the red in the rpm's to stand out so much? There must be something wrong with my dash because these LEDs work fine on the door courtesy lights:



I guess i'll have to go with Polargs.

DUDE! I just asked the other day about changing the courtesy lights to blue. How'd you do that again?? Lemme know wut kind of bulbs/leds you used. THANKS!

[P5ycho]

I like the way your gauges came out. Is there any way that you could do that but with a black face? thats how i want mine. White numbers and everything with red needles? what bulbs did you use? I'm trying to match my gauges to my SPW tinted gauges.

yes of course you an get a set custom made to your own specification,
just contact mook a www.skewer.co.uk,
email him your ideas and he'll make you a set..

[mneal2_92788]

its a KM/h speedo, thats why it goes to 240! lol

[Slick]

DUDE! I just asked the other day about changing the courtesy lights to blue. How'd you do that again?? Lemme know wut kind of bulbs/leds you used. THANKS!

It's pretty easy. If you already have the clear lens (if not, you can buy them from the dealer. Batman provided the part numbers for them before.) just use a screwdriver or a non-scratching tool to pop out the light from the door. Go at it from the sides and it should come out easy. Unplug the assembly and pop off the lens. I replaced the 194 bulb with a 5-way LED and you've seen the results. But for some reason, in my cluster its not too bright.

[celiracer]

I like the way your gauges came out. Is there any way that you could do that but with a black face? thats how i want mine. White numbers and everything with red needles? what bulbs did you use? I'm trying to match my gauges to my SPW tinted gauges.

yes of course you an get a set custom made to your own specification,
just contact mook a www.skewer.co.uk,
email him your ideas and he'll make you a set..

How much does he charge? I would love to get one just like that but black faced to match my SPW tinted gauges.

[P5ycho]

How much does he charge? I would love to get one just like that but black faced to match my SPW tinted gauges.

£90 uk for a set custom made to your specification....
so should be around $177..us....

[celiracer]

How much does he charge? I would love to get one just like that but black faced to match my SPW tinted gauges.

£90 uk for a set custom made to your specification....
so should be around $177..us....

Ouch thats a little exspensive. I think i'll try it myself and just customize my stock gauges to match my SPW gauges.

[P5ycho]

Ouch thats a little exspensive. I think i'll try it myself and just customize my stock gauges to match my SPW gauges

well unfortunatly being individual and different cost money lots of money....lol
i wanted to match my gauges in design and have a one off individual look hence i had to shell out,,,...lol

[bojangles_8686]

I really like the VW cluster colors, would replacing those 3 leds get me this color combo?

[LeonStryfe]

hey how does the matrix LED installs? Is it like plug and play kinda thing or do I need to solder resistors and solder it into the cluster?

Same goes for the polargs, is it just plug and play? Just replace the stock bulb?

[P5ycho]

hey how does the matrix LED installs

they are just like normal bulbs...
remove the bulbs and fit the led...simple

[bccentaur3]

I really like the VW cluster colors, would replacing those 3 leds get me this color combo?

Yeah was I wondering what we can do to get that color combo. I love the VW gauge lighting.

[P5ycho]

I really like the VW cluster colors, would replacing those 3 leds get me this color combo?


Yeah was I wondering what we can do to get that color combo. I love the VW gauge lighting

use white leds behind the clocks,
paint the needles red,
paint the back of the clocks blue....

[bccentaur3]

do you just screw the needles off, in order to remove them for painting?

[P5ycho]

do you just screw the needles off, in order to remove them for painting

i wouldnt try that, unless u want a damaged dash...
the best way to remove the needles is to use a fork..
stick the fork under the needle and use the curve in the fork to gently lever the needle off...
be carefull as not to break the needle or send it flying across the room,
also before u remove the needles it mite be a good idea to take a picture of the needles where they sit with the ignition on, or perhaps making a mark on the speedo itself, so u know where to point them when u refit,
also the best way to refit the needles is to put the clocks back in the car and turn the ignition on and then put the needles back on...
hope that helps....

[Negative]

You don't need to remove the needles. I did o0black0o's glo gauges without removing the needles at all if that's what you are trying to do. You just have to wiggle it a little. If you are trying to paint them I would just take the time to mask them off properly or just use a sharpie to color them. That's what I did and it works great. I wouldn't take the needles off unless I absolutely had to. The chances of you putting them back on just right are really bad. Your gauges will always be just a little off after that. Not good IMO.

This post has been edited by Negative: Mar 2, 2007 - 3:22 PM

[bccentaur3]

can you show pics of the gauges you've done?

[yellowfox]

I've done this work using white lamps and coloured adhesive films... do you like?



Back of the instrument


This post has been edited by yellowfox: Mar 9, 2007 - 8:54 AM

[Valo666]

lol..thats awsome looking. looks kinda strange on the back of the guage though.

Im headin home right now and ill take some pics of my gauge lighting...i have all PIAA LED bulbs in my guages *stock cluster and SW guages in my a-pillar pod*..ill take pictures after i install the a-pillar + SW gauges.

[LeonStryfe]

lol..thats awsome looking. looks kinda strange on the back of the guage though.

Im headin home right now and ill take some pics of my gauge lighting...i have all PIAA LED bulbs in my guages *stock cluster and SW guages in my a-pillar pod*..ill take pictures after i install the a-pillar + SW gauges.

Yea iw as wondering how those PIAA bulbs look?

[6strngs]

I'm sorry about the crappy cell phone quality, plus I think one of the bulbs is out on my gauges cause it doesn't light up well on one side of my speedometer. but, I basically just removed the green condems from the bulbs yesterday, just until I can get some blue matrix LEDs, but they look white, with a yellowish tint to them:


I also took the condem off the light for my key ring, so it also lights up white. now none of the lights in my car match! lol


I tried to make the clock blue, but it's just a bluish-green now. I got a blue and red cd deck, my climate control is still green (until I figure out how to make it blue), the gauges, key ring, and courtesy lights will eventually be blue, and I'm getting some a-pillar gauges that will light up blue. for now though, it's just a rainbow of color lol

[njccmd2002]

are these the ones?


http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/8-Pieces-PO...102618263QQrdZ1

can they be bought outside ebay. I am doing an experiment, I have glass paint, i have glass painted bulbs simply by dipping them and letting them dry. I will let you guys know the experiment works out if anything interested.

Cost: 2 dls for paint, free bulbs (alredy in use.) Cons: Time consuming.

thnaks...

[playr158]

I just noticed the post concerning the VW color

if you want VW color gauges to get PERFECT color match LEDs that should work so you don't need to paint or what not

http://www.42draftdesigns.com/perfectmatch.htm

[Valo666]

lol..thats awsome looking. looks kinda strange on the back of the guage though.

Im headin home right now and ill take some pics of my gauge lighting...i have all PIAA LED bulbs in my guages *stock cluster and SW guages in my a-pillar pod*..ill take pictures after i install the a-pillar + SW gauges.

Yea iw as wondering how those PIAA bulbs look?

i forgot to take the pics..ill get some tonight. It sucks though cuz i got my gauges in on my a-pillar, but i didnt get all of the wiring done.

This post has been edited by Valo666: Mar 26, 2007 - 2:46 PM

[jason]

http://www.besthongkong.com/product_info.p...products_id=107

check it out, dirt cheap and great quality =)

[hurley97]

i'd like to see a green celica scheme that used leds instead of bulbs+filter_condoms. that could look really nice. but i guess most people who like green are ok with the stock dullness.

[jason]

^^ how many tims did you try to take that pic to have the turns lit up like that, plus that looks very nice =)

[Valo666]

dont have pics, but have videos...PIAA LED bulbs in all the gauges
Vid


only photo i got


This post has been edited by Valo666: Apr 11, 2007 - 11:19 PM

[hurley97]

^^ how many tims did you try to take that pic to have the turns lit up like that, plus that looks very nice =)

once

and thanks

[beno]

How many bulbs are there in the gauge cluster?

[6strngs]

How many bulbs are there in the gauge cluster?

how many 194 bulbs go into the whole cluster anyways????

3

[Valcor]

I ordered a pair similar to theese.
Bulbs

Only to find out they were briiight white.. Not blue like the bulbs look like =/

[hurley97]

How many bulbs are there in the gauge cluster?

there are 3 that light up the gauge cluster overall in that green color. then theres one for each other light... turn signals, ABS, CEL, battery, seatbelt, gas, oil, etc.


the thing I don't remember is if there was a separate bulb for the gauge needles. for example, my gauges are a bright green but I want my needles to light up red. I don't remember noticing any bulbs specifically for that but someone was telling me they changed the color of just the needle so maybe I'm wrong

[Culpable04]

How many bulbs are there in the gauge cluster?

there are 3 that light up the gauge cluster overall in that green color. then theres one for each other light... turn signals, ABS, CEL, battery, seatbelt, gas, oil, etc.


the thing I don't remember is if there was a separate bulb for the gauge needles. for example, my gauges are a bright green but I want my needles to light up red. I don't remember noticing any bulbs specifically for that but someone was telling me they changed the color of just the needle so maybe I'm wrong

nop unfortunately our cars don't have separete bulbs for the neddles

stefff what kind/ brand of LEDs did you get ? I need some because they after market gauge cover I have doens't match my oil / vaccum / temp gauges so I'm gonna get LEDs to make them match.


if you have a link that would be perfect.

[hurley97]

Velocity LEDs on eBay

just search for the kind of bulb you want

I bought "Super Refractor 5 LED" 194's for my green gauge cluster
and "Wedge Base" 74 bulbs for the red turn signals.

[SteVeDaWg]

I ordered a pair similar to theese.
Bulbs

Only to find out they were briiight white.. Not blue like the bulbs look like =/

LOL Valcor, i did the same thing. Wish i had of read this post earlier although it looks nice in super white.
Im still after the blue that CELICAZR has. Does any1 know what type of polarg 194 bulbs he has?

[mneal2_92788]

change the bulbs to white and color the needles with a red sharpie. then the guages can be changes to a diff color than white by putting a thin layer of a color peice of paper behind the black cover for the speedo/temp/gas/tach. thats what i had at one time. now its all white with orange turns.