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Index > Interior > Thread: Guage Cluster........
Thread: Guage Cluster........
repumax


Redlining
Posts: 427
posted February 14, 2005 08:23 PM

Guage Cluster........

......has anyone come up with a way to make the cluster lights brighter? I pulled mine out yesterday to check the bulbs. They all worked but were very dirty. I cleaned them up, put it back together but still dim. Can the dimmer be bypassed to allow more current?
____________
1974 Mazda Repu
1986 Yamaha RZ 500
1988 Yamaha YSR 50
1991 Suzuki RGV 250
1992 Yamaha TZR 250 SP
1996 Aprilia RS 250
2003 Ford F-450 6.0 Diesel
2004 Mazda RX8
2006 Yamaha Banshee
2014 18' Eclipse Toy Hauler

       
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dhood


Hauling
Posts: 134
posted February 15, 2005 09:00 PM

Me too, optomotrist says my eyes need more light now! I'll take the resistor down to the electronics shop and ask them what to do. The 77 Repu uses nothing but 3/4w bulbs, is there another model somewhere that uses 1w or higher?

       
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ovquick


Redlining
Posts: 253
posted February 16, 2005 08:00 AM

Gauge Lights

Ya!,there not as bright as they were 30 years ago:)I would be careful about the temps generated with either bigger bulbs, halogen ones or more volts.I think leds would be the way to go for more light.
You could check the temperatures you get in the cluster with whatever mod you do and not stray towards "melty"
____________
Manteca Mazda Asylum
where a boy and his cat live, without adult supervision

       
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dhood


Hauling
Posts: 134
posted February 19, 2005 08:40 PM

Looks like an LED replacement would work the best, however, I need to confirmthe specifications before I can continue the research. The wiring diagram shows what I thought was six 3/4w bulbs to light up the three meters. However, in the shop manual there is a reference to one illumination bulb at 3.4w. I can't tell what it is. Does anybody know what it is for sure?

       
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dhood


Hauling
Posts: 134
posted February 20, 2005 08:23 PM

Looks like a direct replacement is available, surprise, using only 0.2w. Can't determine the brightness yet or if they will work with a dimmer, but I've got a couple of tech emails sent and will order some for my truck and let you all know what I find out.

       
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dhood


Hauling
Posts: 134
posted March 16, 2005 07:24 AM

Tried the LEDs in the cluster and was definitely not as bright as the incandescent bulbs. In addition, the light color was somewhat blue. The LEDs are polarized so if not wedged-in in the right direction they will not light. LEDs have a narrow voltage operating range so the dimmer won't dim over its whole range, that is, the dimmer has little effect over most of its range and the LEDs are either mostly full brightness or off. Higher voltages can cause the LED to go dim again.

These LEDs were direct relacements for the 194 bulb which is a higher voltage than our 158. The 158 is about 3 1/4 w the 194 is 4.2 w. These LEDs were from Superbright.com at about $1.50 each. Autozone has other replacement LEDs with three or four LEDs per base, so they might be brighter but they were about $5 each. The REPU needs 6 for the cluster lighting. Incandescents put out a dispersed light wave pattern which works well for backlighting a cluster. The LEDs put out a directional beam which has to be refracted somewhere inside the cluster in order to disperse the light over the whole guage like a speedometer. The superbright LED has a cone deflector formed in the lens which might lower the brightness some.

I ended up replacing everything with 163 bulbs which are 4.9 w without any ill effect on the circuit. The 163 bulbs are still not very bright either, as I need to have the dimmer cranked all the way on.

If anyone would like the LEDs email me and I'll send you a couple. If anyone wants to try the Autozone bulbs, I would be interested to hear how they work. Also, I may try bypassing the dimmer altogether to see how much that is cutting the voltage.

       
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JoeAsheville


Newbie
Posts: 1
posted September 03, 2011 08:47 AM

I know this is an old thread, but maybe it would help someone.

Just unplug the regulator completely and plug the wires back in on themselves. You don't need dash dimming on these trucks, the illumination is marginal at best.

The LEDs to get are the 5 - LED wide dispersal units in 6500K white, size 194, from superbrightleds.com.

Good luck.

       
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sino12a


1st Gear
Posts: 15
posted July 04, 2012 05:15 AM

quote:
I know this is an old thread, but maybe it would help someone.

Just unplug the regulator completely and plug the wires back in on themselves. You don't need dash dimming on these trucks, the illumination is marginal at best.

The LEDs to get are the 5 - LED wide dispersal units in 6500K white, size 194, from superbrightleds.com.

Good luck.


really old thread here, but im interested to see how those look, do you have any pictures of the illumination at night?
____________
1983 GSL
1985 GSL-SE
1984 GS
1993 Touring
1974 REPU
My Car Had A Plan....
But Then It Backfired...(;

       
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Brad


Rotorhead
Posts: 1672
posted March 26, 2013 11:28 AM

quote:
I know this is an old thread, but maybe it would help someone.

Just unplug the regulator completely and plug the wires back in on themselves. You don't need dash dimming on these trucks, the illumination is marginal at best.




I did just that and the dash lights are a tad brighter than before. Stock bulbs.

       
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