Blue LED tips, my version
05-01-2001, 12:23 PM
#1
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Join Date: Mar 2001
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Thanks to Adidas_boy's help file on installing LED's, I was able to install them on my Maxima. The blue LED's look great! Exactly like they do in the posted images. My variation on the driver's door was to use yellow bulbs (instead of white) for window lock and door lock buttons, leave the "auto" driver's window green, and make the rest blue. Turned out to be a nice combination.
Here are a couple of tips I discovered during my personal experience in this:
1) Removing existing LED: As stated in the other FAQ document, this is a bit tricky. If you aren't lucky to have someone help, there are other ways. I took a small clamp (a stiff jointed pair of pliers will do too) and attached it to the bulb. Using the soldering iron, I melted one post and pulled up the IC board from that side. I then did the same for the other side. Repeated once or twice until the whole LED came out. The clamp or pliers helps a lot.
2) LED hole clearing: after removing the existing LED's by melting the solder, it is useful to take a thin needle, place it in the hole on the side where the LED stuck out, melt the solder on the opposite side, and drive the needle through. You can wiggle the needle around to get it out afterward. This helps make it easy to get the lead wires of the new LED in. You can always add more solder. NOTE: REALLY be careful with the IC board where the electrical pathways are close. It is very easy to compromise this. Once compromised, it is difficult to "clean up" to remove any short circuits. Take your time, stay very focused, prop your arms and fingers well to guard against slippage, and keep the soldering iron very steady. In some cases where a good portion of solder has burned off and the lead wire has been melted once, it can take a while to heat up again. Add more solder, but not too much--excess will bleed across connections. I recommend buying a very thin solder for high tech use. The thicker solder has a tendency to run and won't give enough tactile control in these small spaces.
3) Getting new LED in place: You don't have to cut the leads very short. In fact, I would leave a millimeter or two of excess. Once the new LED is in place, you can always clip the extra wire. Fit the lead wires into the IC board holes, then bend the wires slightly to keep the bulb from slipping out. You can now solder the lead wires without having to hold the bulb. As for positive and negative, the easiest way to handle this is to match the metal cathode shape to the existing LED's. It looks like part of a trapezoid connected to a pole. The direction the trapezoid points is positive. Keep a magnifying glass handy so that you can spot this on the smaller LED bulbs.
4) Passenger door switches: I highly recommend trimming the LED mounting post down to about 1 millimeter in height. It is useful to keep some of it, so that the lead wires can be anchored in the notches. Use a pair of needle nose pliers to help push the wires into the plastic wire guide. Although the bulb will hold firmly in place by the solder, vibration over time could compromise this - it is good practice to mimic what was already in use. NOTE: Don't forget to align the small plastic semi-circle key on the bottom before soldering, otherwise if you do it wrong the part will not fit properly.
5) Driver's door panel: Take heed of the soldering hints above with extra care, as the electrical veins are very close together. Aside from that, the other difficulty will be fitting the LED bulbs into the top plastic housing. The small bulbs fit nice and easy through the openings--the new blue LED bulbs are double the diameter and will not fit as is. You could mount them flush to avoid any drilling, but this will sacrifice some brightness. I recommend using a Dremel tool to widen the holes. (take out all of the "T" pins and keep in a safe place until you are ready for reassembly). Also, keep a spare bulb handy to easily test the fit. After drilling out all of the holes, being careful not to compromise the switch mounts, bang the housing on a garbage can to get out all of the plastic debris. If you don't do this, you may notice black specks through the light covers after you've reassembled everything - PITA!
6) Other bulbs: The yellow bulbs I got are rated at 3.0 volts max. They work fine, and I doubt they'll burn out. When buying bulbs of slightly different voltages, make sure to notice the luminescent rating. The blue LED's have a 300 rating. My yellow ones are 720. They do look a bit brighter, but not double. There are other bulbs out there with ratings like 1200 or 2600 (I think the security light is 2600), so be careful to stay away from using these. You don't want too much of a contrast between LED bulbs. Just in case, I recommend keeping the original green LED bulbs as a backup in case an experimental bulb burns out.
Soon I will be tinkering with the center console and evaluating the small LED's in there. I'm curious to see if larger blue ones will fit. If not, I may just replace them with white ones (cheap, at 2 for $.99) and cover with a colored piece of plastic to affect the color.
If anyone is attempting to do this upgrade, I hope my tips help you out. I will post this on a small personal website as some point, with links to Adidas_boy's site as well. Good luck!
Here are a couple of tips I discovered during my personal experience in this:
1) Removing existing LED: As stated in the other FAQ document, this is a bit tricky. If you aren't lucky to have someone help, there are other ways. I took a small clamp (a stiff jointed pair of pliers will do too) and attached it to the bulb. Using the soldering iron, I melted one post and pulled up the IC board from that side. I then did the same for the other side. Repeated once or twice until the whole LED came out. The clamp or pliers helps a lot.
2) LED hole clearing: after removing the existing LED's by melting the solder, it is useful to take a thin needle, place it in the hole on the side where the LED stuck out, melt the solder on the opposite side, and drive the needle through. You can wiggle the needle around to get it out afterward. This helps make it easy to get the lead wires of the new LED in. You can always add more solder. NOTE: REALLY be careful with the IC board where the electrical pathways are close. It is very easy to compromise this. Once compromised, it is difficult to "clean up" to remove any short circuits. Take your time, stay very focused, prop your arms and fingers well to guard against slippage, and keep the soldering iron very steady. In some cases where a good portion of solder has burned off and the lead wire has been melted once, it can take a while to heat up again. Add more solder, but not too much--excess will bleed across connections. I recommend buying a very thin solder for high tech use. The thicker solder has a tendency to run and won't give enough tactile control in these small spaces.
3) Getting new LED in place: You don't have to cut the leads very short. In fact, I would leave a millimeter or two of excess. Once the new LED is in place, you can always clip the extra wire. Fit the lead wires into the IC board holes, then bend the wires slightly to keep the bulb from slipping out. You can now solder the lead wires without having to hold the bulb. As for positive and negative, the easiest way to handle this is to match the metal cathode shape to the existing LED's. It looks like part of a trapezoid connected to a pole. The direction the trapezoid points is positive. Keep a magnifying glass handy so that you can spot this on the smaller LED bulbs.
4) Passenger door switches: I highly recommend trimming the LED mounting post down to about 1 millimeter in height. It is useful to keep some of it, so that the lead wires can be anchored in the notches. Use a pair of needle nose pliers to help push the wires into the plastic wire guide. Although the bulb will hold firmly in place by the solder, vibration over time could compromise this - it is good practice to mimic what was already in use. NOTE: Don't forget to align the small plastic semi-circle key on the bottom before soldering, otherwise if you do it wrong the part will not fit properly.
5) Driver's door panel: Take heed of the soldering hints above with extra care, as the electrical veins are very close together. Aside from that, the other difficulty will be fitting the LED bulbs into the top plastic housing. The small bulbs fit nice and easy through the openings--the new blue LED bulbs are double the diameter and will not fit as is. You could mount them flush to avoid any drilling, but this will sacrifice some brightness. I recommend using a Dremel tool to widen the holes. (take out all of the "T" pins and keep in a safe place until you are ready for reassembly). Also, keep a spare bulb handy to easily test the fit. After drilling out all of the holes, being careful not to compromise the switch mounts, bang the housing on a garbage can to get out all of the plastic debris. If you don't do this, you may notice black specks through the light covers after you've reassembled everything - PITA!
6) Other bulbs: The yellow bulbs I got are rated at 3.0 volts max. They work fine, and I doubt they'll burn out. When buying bulbs of slightly different voltages, make sure to notice the luminescent rating. The blue LED's have a 300 rating. My yellow ones are 720. They do look a bit brighter, but not double. There are other bulbs out there with ratings like 1200 or 2600 (I think the security light is 2600), so be careful to stay away from using these. You don't want too much of a contrast between LED bulbs. Just in case, I recommend keeping the original green LED bulbs as a backup in case an experimental bulb burns out.
Soon I will be tinkering with the center console and evaluating the small LED's in there. I'm curious to see if larger blue ones will fit. If not, I may just replace them with white ones (cheap, at 2 for $.99) and cover with a colored piece of plastic to affect the color.
If anyone is attempting to do this upgrade, I hope my tips help you out. I will post this on a small personal website as some point, with links to Adidas_boy's site as well. Good luck!
05-02-2001, 12:36 PM
#3
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Join Date: Mar 2001
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a couple of additions
I am going to re-write this tip, as some parts are more for the driver's door and others for the passenger door. I didn't really define this well enough. Most of the tips I started with refer to the driver's door, as this is the hardest part of the whole project.
Two things about the passenger door switches: 1) The needle trick isn't really needed, because you can use the existing solder for the new wires. And there is reasonably good space between IC pathways so that you don't have to worry as much about solder overspill. 2) When melting the solder to remove the existing LED, the clamp/pliers should go on the beige plastic LED mount (not the bulb), on the side of the terminal you are removing. After you get one off, move the clamp to the other side.
Security LED: I didn't describe this one yet. I did this last night, though. It's quite a pain in the butt, too. The security LED is a bulb entrenched in a gray rubber mount that fits over two posts on the switch base. Because it uses an in-line transistor for the flashing effect, the wires are wrapped in a bizarre pattern so that it connects between the post and the LED wire lead. Nothing is soldered. The existing LED wires are thin and flexible, while the new LED is nice and stiff. So, this becomes a real test of dexterity. What I did was to extract the existing bulb (not hard to do, but you must carefully observe how the wires run so you can imitate it), then try to put the new one in it's place. Tough! I almost gave up. Once I got it in place, I had to test mount it in the car several times until I was able to get a proper connection and see the light flash. BRIGHT! Good thing about it not being soldered, is that if you get the +/- leads mixed up, you can easily remove and remount the LED in the right direction. I'm just hoping that it will hold together well with all the vibrations of road travel, so that I don't have to take this apart and rework it (maybe even just solder everything together).
Hope this helps,
~Gary~
Two things about the passenger door switches: 1) The needle trick isn't really needed, because you can use the existing solder for the new wires. And there is reasonably good space between IC pathways so that you don't have to worry as much about solder overspill. 2) When melting the solder to remove the existing LED, the clamp/pliers should go on the beige plastic LED mount (not the bulb), on the side of the terminal you are removing. After you get one off, move the clamp to the other side.
Security LED: I didn't describe this one yet. I did this last night, though. It's quite a pain in the butt, too. The security LED is a bulb entrenched in a gray rubber mount that fits over two posts on the switch base. Because it uses an in-line transistor for the flashing effect, the wires are wrapped in a bizarre pattern so that it connects between the post and the LED wire lead. Nothing is soldered. The existing LED wires are thin and flexible, while the new LED is nice and stiff. So, this becomes a real test of dexterity. What I did was to extract the existing bulb (not hard to do, but you must carefully observe how the wires run so you can imitate it), then try to put the new one in it's place. Tough! I almost gave up. Once I got it in place, I had to test mount it in the car several times until I was able to get a proper connection and see the light flash. BRIGHT! Good thing about it not being soldered, is that if you get the +/- leads mixed up, you can easily remove and remount the LED in the right direction. I'm just hoping that it will hold together well with all the vibrations of road travel, so that I don't have to take this apart and rework it (maybe even just solder everything together).
Hope this helps,
~Gary~
05-02-2001, 03:24 PM
#4
I just want to add that if you want to make the drivers door easier, that it might be a good idea to invest in a solder sucker, i know Radio shack sells the for like $7 or $8. It is very helpfor in romoving the sotck LEDs from the board and will keep you from burning the board accidently. Since you can't reuse the solder in the drivers side, getting rid of it will make things easier as it will give a clean surface for the new solder to attach to. Then I just made it so the LEDs were flat against the board, and cliped the leads so they protruded on the other side by about a milimeter, and soldered it in. . . It would probably be a good idea to use the clamping idea above, although make sure it isn't touching the wrong pathway on the board or else it will short ciruit the board, I know I accidently did it once.
05-02-2001, 03:33 PM
#5
Oh and the 2 for 99 white ones with blue covers are what you have behind the dash of your car now, I have no idea why they turn green. . . It might just be easier to make it look whiter and have it match your gauges when they tun on if they are still white. . . I don't know how we would be able to make it more blue. BTW there are 3 back there if you needed to know how many to get.
05-03-2001, 08:33 AM
#6
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Join Date: Mar 2001
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dash lighting
Originally posted by Adidas_Boy
Oh and the 2 for 99 white ones with blue covers are what you have behind the dash of your car now, I have no idea why they turn green. . . It might just be easier to make it look whiter and have it match your gauges when they tun on if they are still white. . . I don't know how we would be able to make it more blue. BTW there are 3 back there if you needed to know how many to get.
Oh and the 2 for 99 white ones with blue covers are what you have behind the dash of your car now, I have no idea why they turn green. . . It might just be easier to make it look whiter and have it match your gauges when they tun on if they are still white. . . I don't know how we would be able to make it more blue. BTW there are 3 back there if you needed to know how many to get.
About the dash LED's, I'll be removing the face plates this weekend and try to see what they look like without the sleeves. Maybe the sleeves, though they appear blue, actually create the green look when the light is on? I'll also shine a penlight through the face plate switches to see what regular white light looks like.
By the way, I'm a little confused about the voltage ratings... the stock lights I replaced on the window switches are smaller and appear to me like they're rated at 3V. The new blue ones are 5V, and yet they work fine. So did the yellows which have a 2.1v to 3v max rating. Maybe I can replace the dash ones with LED's having a slightly higher luminescent and/or voltage rating? My understanding (though limited in this electronics arena) is that it all depends on the current feed. Based on the current level, a weaker rated bulb will burn brighter and a higher rated bulb will burn dimmer.
I should probably pick up an "Electronics for Dummies" book so I can refresh my memory on amperage, wattage, and voltage...
08-08-2001, 11:36 PM
#7
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Posts: 253
If I were to screw up my drivers side board. Where would I get a new one?
I broke a corner off while trying to get it to fit
At the time I had only replaced 4 of the 6 LED's. I plugged it in and the only ones that lit up are the 2 that I didn't replace Not sure if its because of the broken corner or if I just didn't install them right.
The broken corner has 1 connection line running through it. Can this be mended with some sort of connection tape, does anything like that exist? If so, then I'll try to repair the corner, take off all the solder and start over.
I broke a corner off while trying to get it to fit
At the time I had only replaced 4 of the 6 LED's. I plugged it in and the only ones that lit up are the 2 that I didn't replace Not sure if its because of the broken corner or if I just didn't install them right. The broken corner has 1 connection line running through it. Can this be mended with some sort of connection tape, does anything like that exist? If so, then I'll try to repair the corner, take off all the solder and start over.
08-09-2001, 07:39 PM
#8
Originally posted by Dusky
If I were to screw up my drivers side board. Where would I get a new one?
I broke a corner off while trying to get it to fit At the time I had only replaced 4 of the 6 LED's. I plugged it in and the only ones that lit up are the 2 that I didn't replace Not sure if its because of the broken corner or if I just didn't install them right.
The broken corner has 1 connection line running through it. Can this be mended with some sort of connection tape, does anything like that exist? If so, then I'll try to repair the corner, take off all the solder and start over.
If I were to screw up my drivers side board. Where would I get a new one?
I broke a corner off while trying to get it to fit
At the time I had only replaced 4 of the 6 LED's. I plugged it in and the only ones that lit up are the 2 that I didn't replace Not sure if its because of the broken corner or if I just didn't install them right. The broken corner has 1 connection line running through it. Can this be mended with some sort of connection tape, does anything like that exist? If so, then I'll try to repair the corner, take off all the solder and start over.
Also I would have to look at the baord to know why none of the replacements have worked. It may be because of the cornor and it may be because they weren't soldered correctly. I know that as long as the LEDs were secure and didn't move on my board that they worked, and when they were kinda loose they didn't.
08-10-2001, 09:21 AM
#10
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Posts: 253
I did break a corner that had a connection line running through it I took it to a computer store and they told me J-B Weld will carry a connection so I JB Welded it but the corner light still didn't work but the other 5 on that panel did, so I guess 5 out of 6 is a lot better than 0.
I took it to a computer store and they told me J-B Weld will carry a connection so I JB Welded it but the corner light still didn't work but the other 5 on that panel did, so I guess 5 out of 6 is a lot better than 0.
Originally posted by Adidas_Boy
When the cornor broke off did it take any of the lines that connect the LEDs to eachother? If so, I think you are out of luck as the circuit is broken now. You could always solder a wire to connect them but I odn't recommend it as it would be way too easy to short everything out, and it would cause even more problems (Believe me I accidently did it). As for finding a new board, just see if you can find one at local junkyard. If you can't find one there, I know there are sites online where you can find them, but I can't remember them at this moment.
Also I would have to look at the baord to know why none of the replacements have worked. It may be because of the cornor and it may be because they weren't soldered correctly. I know that as long as the LEDs were secure and didn't move on my board that they worked, and when they were kinda loose they didn't.
When the cornor broke off did it take any of the lines that connect the LEDs to eachother? If so, I think you are out of luck as the circuit is broken now. You could always solder a wire to connect them but I odn't recommend it as it would be way too easy to short everything out, and it would cause even more problems (Believe me I accidently did it). As for finding a new board, just see if you can find one at local junkyard. If you can't find one there, I know there are sites online where you can find them, but I can't remember them at this moment.
Also I would have to look at the baord to know why none of the replacements have worked. It may be because of the cornor and it may be because they weren't soldered correctly. I know that as long as the LEDs were secure and didn't move on my board that they worked, and when they were kinda loose they didn't.
08-12-2001, 07:55 PM
#12
These blue leds were a great "mod," it was very easy. I am in the process of trying to replace the tiny bulbs inside of switches w/ blue leds. I have made the following measurements on the factory bulbs - The bulbs are running at 10Vdc at 49 ma - I haven't had a chance yet to measure the ratings on the window switchs, if their the same then I can use the same leds, if not, then I need to recalculate the proper size led and dropping resistor. Can anyone help me out, or check my math: 10V minus a 4V led leaves 6V power to dissapate. 6V divided by the leds current of .02amps leaves according to OHM's law (V/I=R) 6V/.02a=300ohms So I am thinking I will need to series in a 300 ohm resistor w/ a 4V led. Does this sound right? I noticed the door 'pods' had resistors seriesed in, but I didn't take measuerments. As soon as the rain lets up I will. If anyone is going to open up their switches (ie: cruise cntrl, dash lights brightness, etc.) I'd like to offer a word of caution: the bulbs inside both the hazard and rear defroster buttons are a 8itch to re-assemble. I would recommend doing this over white paper or something. Thanks in advance and I hope I can do this.
08-12-2001, 11:05 PM
#13
Nathan: As of this moment I don't know of any way to do this on a 99 yet. I am pretty sure you have the same sort of LEDs that the 2K's have and we have had someone try, rather unsuccessfully, to do it and blew out a relay.
Dusky: I don't know of any blue interior bulbs that match the intensity of the ones in the doors. . . If you find something please let us know.
Toolrocks: The math looks correct in theory, but there might already be some resistance in the circuit that you might not know about. If you look at the resistances for the door LEDs, they aren't consistant and they don't seem to be proper values if you do the calculations, or at least I don't think they are if I remember correctly. I owuld think that a 300 Ohm would be the most that you need, and you could see how well that lights up. . . If it isn't the intensity you want, then you could always drop it until you get the right color. Also, have you considered how well the LED will light up the panel? The stock light puts out light at about 180 degrees, where an LED would only put it out at 60 degrees at most. It may still work, but that was something I was questioning. Anyway, if you do succeed could you please post pictures?
Dusky: I don't know of any blue interior bulbs that match the intensity of the ones in the doors. . . If you find something please let us know.
Toolrocks: The math looks correct in theory, but there might already be some resistance in the circuit that you might not know about. If you look at the resistances for the door LEDs, they aren't consistant and they don't seem to be proper values if you do the calculations, or at least I don't think they are if I remember correctly. I owuld think that a 300 Ohm would be the most that you need, and you could see how well that lights up. . . If it isn't the intensity you want, then you could always drop it until you get the right color. Also, have you considered how well the LED will light up the panel? The stock light puts out light at about 180 degrees, where an LED would only put it out at 60 degrees at most. It may still work, but that was something I was questioning. Anyway, if you do succeed could you please post pictures?
08-13-2001, 07:30 AM
#14
If I have any success with the leds I will definetly post it. Wish me luck. I am also working on constant power to power windows in my 95 $E. I am afraid that the method I have seen in some of these threads will keep the BCU of my car thinking that the ignition is on 24/7 - and that's no good. Adidas_boy got any ideas?
08-13-2001, 07:15 PM
#15
Originally posted by Toolrocks
If I have any success with the leds I will definetly post it. Wish me luck. I am also working on constant power to power windows in my 95 $E. I am afraid that the method I have seen in some of these threads will keep the BCU of my car thinking that the ignition is on 24/7 - and that's no good. Adidas_boy got any ideas?
If I have any success with the leds I will definetly post it. Wish me luck. I am also working on constant power to power windows in my 95 $E. I am afraid that the method I have seen in some of these threads will keep the BCU of my car thinking that the ignition is on 24/7 - and that's no good. Adidas_boy got any ideas?
08-17-2001, 05:49 AM
#16
Originally posted by Adidas_Boy
I am not sure of the method you are talking about to make it so there is power continuously to the windows. I would assume that it would be entirely possible to do though. I know somehow there is power to the windows all the time for those that have the security system or else the windows couldn't be rolled down with the remote. I am not sure where that comes from or anything like that but you may be able to rig it so the entire board runs off of that. Other than that I don't really have any suggestions for accomplishing it.
I am not sure of the method you are talking about to make it so there is power continuously to the windows. I would assume that it would be entirely possible to do though. I know somehow there is power to the windows all the time for those that have the security system or else the windows couldn't be rolled down with the remote. I am not sure where that comes from or anything like that but you may be able to rig it so the entire board runs off of that. Other than that I don't really have any suggestions for accomplishing it.
Aside from that, the rain has let up and I measured the drivers door leds and resistors. They are consistent on mine. The leds use 3.3Volts with a 2960 Ohm resistor seriesed with each one. The voltage measured accross the resistor was 6.9. So the 3.3 + 6.9 = pretty close to the 10 volts. So, I will be using either the 4 volt led, like in the window switches or a 3.whatever it is (my window switches are 4 volt and look nice but the security led is 3.? and is really bright). I'm off to raid Radioshack. cya
08-17-2001, 10:57 AM
#17
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Join Date: Mar 2001
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Originally posted by Toolrocks
These blue leds were a great "mod," it was very easy. I am in the process of trying to replace the tiny bulbs inside of switches w/ blue leds.
... I'd like to offer a word of caution: the bulbs inside both the hazard and rear defroster buttons are a 8itch to re-assemble. I would recommend doing this over white paper or something. Thanks in advance and I hope I can do this.
These blue leds were a great "mod," it was very easy. I am in the process of trying to replace the tiny bulbs inside of switches w/ blue leds.
... I'd like to offer a word of caution: the bulbs inside both the hazard and rear defroster buttons are a 8itch to re-assemble. I would recommend doing this over white paper or something. Thanks in advance and I hope I can do this.
About using blue LED's to replace the small switch bulbs, I didn't see any at Radio Shack that matched the voltage rating of the bulbs. Also, the thick wire connectors of the LEDs would be nearly impossible to thread through those rubber and plastic bulb holsters. The only thing I could think of is snipping the bulb tips and soldering the LED tips onto the left over bulb wires.
I think the climate control buttons for defrost and recycle might be using LEDs instead of bulbs, but I haven't taken the unit apart that far to see. Have you? The voltage rating appears to be less than the window switch LEDs (not as bright).
08-17-2001, 01:25 PM
#18
Hey Gary,
You are right about the replacement bulb for the switches. It is a 12V bulb Radioshack part#272-1092C. Yesterday I replaced the bulbs in CutLr7's a/c unit. He used Nissan direct replacement bulbs. They are bulbs and have their leads threaded into a screw type holder. The bulb and holder are one, just like the bulb and rubber holders are for the switches. The only difference is that they screw in rather than sliding onto forks. It was a piece of cake to fix. I didn't measure the voltage or anything. I wish I had. I may want to do mine. They will be trickier than the switches in the fact that there aren't forks to solder onto. The leads get pressed right against the circuit board and held in place by the tension due to the screw type holder. I don't know if I'd want to solder onto the board. There is very little room and the bulbs are recessed making it harder even still.
I am in the middle of doing my switches now. Hope to be done soon. I am soldering them right onto the forks. There is no room inside the switches for the dropping resistor so I am going to series it into the power supply wire directly at each switch. I am using the 5V Radioshack blue leds part#276-311 (same ones used for the window switches on Chestons site) and a 2.2k ohm resistor at each switch. Hope it doesn't blow anything up. In theory it should work???? Wish me luck. I will post my results later. Sorry this is so long. Also, I wouldn't recommend most people to try this. It is slightly harder than the window switches and as far as I know, I'm the pioneer? A knowledge of electronics along with a lot of dexterity/patience will help. (that should be read as cussing profusely)
You are right about the replacement bulb for the switches. It is a 12V bulb Radioshack part#272-1092C. Yesterday I replaced the bulbs in CutLr7's a/c unit. He used Nissan direct replacement bulbs. They are bulbs and have their leads threaded into a screw type holder. The bulb and holder are one, just like the bulb and rubber holders are for the switches. The only difference is that they screw in rather than sliding onto forks. It was a piece of cake to fix. I didn't measure the voltage or anything. I wish I had. I may want to do mine. They will be trickier than the switches in the fact that there aren't forks to solder onto. The leads get pressed right against the circuit board and held in place by the tension due to the screw type holder. I don't know if I'd want to solder onto the board. There is very little room and the bulbs are recessed making it harder even still.
I am in the middle of doing my switches now. Hope to be done soon. I am soldering them right onto the forks. There is no room inside the switches for the dropping resistor so I am going to series it into the power supply wire directly at each switch. I am using the 5V Radioshack blue leds part#276-311 (same ones used for the window switches on Chestons site) and a 2.2k ohm resistor at each switch. Hope it doesn't blow anything up. In theory it should work???? Wish me luck. I will post my results later. Sorry this is so long. Also, I wouldn't recommend most people to try this. It is slightly harder than the window switches and as far as I know, I'm the pioneer? A knowledge of electronics along with a lot of dexterity/patience will help. (that should be read as cussing profusely)
08-17-2001, 02:26 PM
#19
We have a winner
Originally posted by Toolrocks
Hey Gary,
You are right about the replacement bulb for the switches. It is a 12V bulb Radioshack part#272-1092C. Yesterday I replaced the bulbs in CutLr7's a/c unit. He used Nissan direct replacement bulbs. They are bulbs and have their leads threaded into a screw type holder. The bulb and holder are one, just like the bulb and rubber holders are for the switches. The only difference is that they screw in rather than sliding onto forks. It was a piece of cake to fix. I didn't measure the voltage or anything. I wish I had. I may want to do mine. They will be trickier than the switches in the fact that there aren't forks to solder onto. The leads get pressed right against the circuit board and held in place by the tension due to the screw type holder. I don't know if I'd want to solder onto the board. There is very little room and the bulbs are recessed making it harder even still.
I am in the middle of doing my switches now. Hope to be done soon. I am soldering them right onto the forks. There is no room inside the switches for the dropping resistor so I am going to series it into the power supply wire directly at each switch. I am using the 5V Radioshack blue leds part#276-311 (same ones used for the window switches on Chestons site) and a 2.2k ohm resistor at each switch. Hope it doesn't blow anything up. In theory it should work???? Wish me luck. I will post my results later. Sorry this is so long. Also, I wouldn't recommend most people to try this. It is slightly harder than the window switches and as far as I know, I'm the pioneer? A knowledge of electronics along with a lot of dexterity/patience will help. (that should be read as cussing profusely)
Hey Gary,
You are right about the replacement bulb for the switches. It is a 12V bulb Radioshack part#272-1092C. Yesterday I replaced the bulbs in CutLr7's a/c unit. He used Nissan direct replacement bulbs. They are bulbs and have their leads threaded into a screw type holder. The bulb and holder are one, just like the bulb and rubber holders are for the switches. The only difference is that they screw in rather than sliding onto forks. It was a piece of cake to fix. I didn't measure the voltage or anything. I wish I had. I may want to do mine. They will be trickier than the switches in the fact that there aren't forks to solder onto. The leads get pressed right against the circuit board and held in place by the tension due to the screw type holder. I don't know if I'd want to solder onto the board. There is very little room and the bulbs are recessed making it harder even still.
I am in the middle of doing my switches now. Hope to be done soon. I am soldering them right onto the forks. There is no room inside the switches for the dropping resistor so I am going to series it into the power supply wire directly at each switch. I am using the 5V Radioshack blue leds part#276-311 (same ones used for the window switches on Chestons site) and a 2.2k ohm resistor at each switch. Hope it doesn't blow anything up. In theory it should work???? Wish me luck. I will post my results later. Sorry this is so long. Also, I wouldn't recommend most people to try this. It is slightly harder than the window switches and as far as I know, I'm the pioneer? A knowledge of electronics along with a lot of dexterity/patience will help. (that should be read as cussing profusely)
jason
08-17-2001, 03:22 PM
#20
Re: We have a winner
Originally posted by Cutlr7
Steve is the man, hehe. His car is looking sweet with the new blue LEDs, I now have all the lights in my car working, no more flashlight used to turn on the climate controls, j/k. Anyone who is contemplating doing this ought to contact one of these guys, it seems pretty labor intensive but well worth it. Thanks again Steve.
jason
Steve is the man, hehe. His car is looking sweet with the new blue LEDs, I now have all the lights in my car working, no more flashlight used to turn on the climate controls, j/k. Anyone who is contemplating doing this ought to contact one of these guys, it seems pretty labor intensive but well worth it. Thanks again Steve.
jason
It was my pleasure fixing the lights on your pathfinder/Maxima. hahahaaa Thanks again for the beers. We're even for sure. What happened w/ Beth?
08-17-2001, 03:29 PM
#21
Danm!!!
Well, I got the leds in my switches to work for about 1 minute. Played around with them a little more until I was able to completely fry the leds. The car is fine. Just fried the leds. I put 11 volts directly on them, they're rated at 5V dohhh! Back to the drawing board. I think I found a flaw in my calculations. HAHAHA. Not giving up, so I will continue to post. I can assemble these switches in the dark now (might have to since there's no light in them lol)
08-19-2001, 10:29 AM
#22
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Mar 2001
Posts: 724
Picking the right LEDs
Originally posted by Toolrocks
Well, I got the leds in my switches to work for about 1 minute. Played around with them a little more until I was able to completely fry the leds. The car is fine. Just fried the leds. I put 11 volts directly on them, they're rated at 5V dohhh! Back to the drawing board. I think I found a flaw in my calculations. HAHAHA. Not giving up, so I will continue to post. I can assemble these switches in the dark now (might have to since there's no light in them lol)
Well, I got the leds in my switches to work for about 1 minute. Played around with them a little more until I was able to completely fry the leds. The car is fine. Just fried the leds. I put 11 volts directly on them, they're rated at 5V dohhh! Back to the drawing board. I think I found a flaw in my calculations. HAHAHA. Not giving up, so I will continue to post. I can assemble these switches in the dark now (might have to since there's no light in them lol)
So sorry to hear about your LEDs being fried. You are definitely pioneering here--I doubt anyone here has attempted replacing the AC unit bulbs with LEDs *and* resistors. I wanted to replace my AC unit bulbs with LEDs but balked at the daunting effort required (sounds like you're more electronically adept than I am).
I'm pi$$ed at Nissan for using these ridiculous bulbs when they used LEDs for the door window switches. More and more people are reporting that their dash bulbs have blown, at varying lengths of time (4,5,7 years). But I guess few car companies could care less about things that wear out or fail after the warranty.
By the way, how did you fit 2.2 ohm resistors in the switch areas?? There didn't look to me like enough room, given the tight layout of the PC board and bulb socket areas. And trying to get them in-line with the bulb connectors...
Is there any chance that you can find LEDs that match the voltage ratings of the bulbs? I didn't see any on the racks at Radio Shack, but it might be possible to order these. The only thing is that they might be far brighter than you want and then you're back to resistors again.
The easiest thing to do is get/create colored bulb sleeves to achieve the color effect you want. But then it's not much of a challenge. ;-)
Good luck, and let us know how things turn out.
08-19-2001, 12:02 PM
#23
Ureaka
Finally, success!!! Let me first start by saying, I am changing the bulbs in the cc, defroster, hazard, and illumination switches. I haven't started to tackle the A/C unit. (maybe next week - I am in the middle of hockey playoffs now) There is another thread started by Ramius and he supposedly has done this to his car's A/C unit. His set up sounds different from mine though. I have a 95 with the auto temp. control and his description sounds different than what I've observed with mine. I am trying to chat with him through the forum. I will post my success with the A/C once it's attempted by me.
To get back to the above mentioned switches, I made calculations for the dropping resistors and arrived at a value of around 300 - 400 ohms. However, being the dummy that I am, I measured the resistors that are seriesed in with the drives door window switches and they gave me a value of around 2600 ohms. That is considerably higher than my derived value but I new the window swiches worked so I thru my calcs out and used 2600 ohm resistors instead. The reason for this difference is beyond the scope of this text, haha, but I will tell you that once I scrapped the 2600's and used my 330 ohm resistors the leds worked fine. The 2600s were way to high to allow any voltage to get to the leds.
If people show an interest I will write up a how to, but I will say this: I used Radioshack leds part #276-311 and Radioshack resistors part #271-1315. The leds are rated at 5V and the resistors are 330 ohm. There is no room inside the switches for the resistors so I had to cut the wire (the one that supplies positive voltage to the light circuit) that plugs into the back of the switch and soldered my resistor in there. This is fine and wont hurt anything. One exception to this method is the illumination control switch or the 'dimmer'. This switch must have the resistor inside it's housing. Here's why. The dimmer switch has three leads going into it: 1 is positve voltage, 1 is an 'input from the other switches lights' and the last lead is the path to body ground. The 'input' wire takes the negatives of the cc, hazard, amd defroster switches and runs it through the electronics of the dimmer before it then gets routed thru the dimmer to the body ground. This 'input' lead is also connected to the negative side of the 'dimmer' switch's light inside the housing. You must put the resistor between the led and that 'input' fork because that is the only place for it to go before it gets routed thru the electronics of the dimmer. I hope this isn't too confusing. Maybe in the future, if I have a digital camera I will repost this in a fashion similar to Chestons window switch rewire, and have pictures. It is really involved to explain.
To get back to the above mentioned switches, I made calculations for the dropping resistors and arrived at a value of around 300 - 400 ohms. However, being the dummy that I am, I measured the resistors that are seriesed in with the drives door window switches and they gave me a value of around 2600 ohms. That is considerably higher than my derived value but I new the window swiches worked so I thru my calcs out and used 2600 ohm resistors instead. The reason for this difference is beyond the scope of this text, haha, but I will tell you that once I scrapped the 2600's and used my 330 ohm resistors the leds worked fine. The 2600s were way to high to allow any voltage to get to the leds.
If people show an interest I will write up a how to, but I will say this: I used Radioshack leds part #276-311 and Radioshack resistors part #271-1315. The leds are rated at 5V and the resistors are 330 ohm. There is no room inside the switches for the resistors so I had to cut the wire (the one that supplies positive voltage to the light circuit) that plugs into the back of the switch and soldered my resistor in there. This is fine and wont hurt anything. One exception to this method is the illumination control switch or the 'dimmer'. This switch must have the resistor inside it's housing. Here's why. The dimmer switch has three leads going into it: 1 is positve voltage, 1 is an 'input from the other switches lights' and the last lead is the path to body ground. The 'input' wire takes the negatives of the cc, hazard, amd defroster switches and runs it through the electronics of the dimmer before it then gets routed thru the dimmer to the body ground. This 'input' lead is also connected to the negative side of the 'dimmer' switch's light inside the housing. You must put the resistor between the led and that 'input' fork because that is the only place for it to go before it gets routed thru the electronics of the dimmer. I hope this isn't too confusing. Maybe in the future, if I have a digital camera I will repost this in a fashion similar to Chestons window switch rewire, and have pictures. It is really involved to explain.
08-20-2001, 09:19 AM
#24
#272-1092C
Just thought I'd let everyone know that I tried replacing the incandescent bulb that illuminates the Cruise Control switch with the #272-1092C bulb from Radio Shack. Even though it's a little smaller than the original bulb, it seems to work fine. The condom is a little big on it but it doesn't seem like it's going to fall off or anything. I've only had it in for a couple of days, but everything seems fine. Just a heads up to those whose bulbs have blown... Nissan won't give you new bulbs for the switches and the costs for them range from $20-$75!!
04-24-2002, 07:28 PM
#26
Donating Maxima.org Member
Join Date: Mar 2002
Posts: 586
I bought some Glass Paint and Glass Conditioner at Wal-Mart for $6 and turned every bulb blue inside my 96 Max. The product is in the crafts section and its called Delta Air-Dry PermEnamel Transparent Glass Paint. You also have to buy the Glass Conditioner and apply it first Because if not the paint will not adhere properly. It helps Delta Glass Paint adhere faster and better to difficult surfaces for beautiful results.
More info @
http://www.****blick.com/zz029/64/pr...m=0&ig_id=5101http://www.****blick.com/zz029/64/products.asp?param=0&ig_id=5101
More info @
http://www.****blick.com/zz029/64/pr...m=0&ig_id=5101http://www.****blick.com/zz029/64/products.asp?param=0&ig_id=5101
04-24-2002, 07:54 PM
#27
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Mar 2001
Posts: 724
Originally posted by MaxJag
I bought some Glass Paint and Glass Conditioner at Wal-Mart for $6 and turned every bulb blue inside my 96 Max. The product is in the crafts section and its called Delta Air-Dry PermEnamel Transparent Glass Paint. You also have to buy the Glass Conditioner and apply it first Because if not the paint will not adhere properly. It helps Delta Glass Paint adhere faster and better to difficult surfaces for beautiful results.
More info @
http://www.****blick.com/zz029/64/pr...m=0&ig_id=5101http://www.****blick.com/zz029/64/products.asp?param=0&ig_id=5101
I bought some Glass Paint and Glass Conditioner at Wal-Mart for $6 and turned every bulb blue inside my 96 Max. The product is in the crafts section and its called Delta Air-Dry PermEnamel Transparent Glass Paint. You also have to buy the Glass Conditioner and apply it first Because if not the paint will not adhere properly. It helps Delta Glass Paint adhere faster and better to difficult surfaces for beautiful results.
More info @
http://www.****blick.com/zz029/64/pr...m=0&ig_id=5101http://www.****blick.com/zz029/64/products.asp?param=0&ig_id=5101
04-26-2002, 08:10 AM
#28
Re: Picking the right LEDs
Originally posted by Gary95
Hey TR,
So sorry to hear about your LEDs being fried. You are definitely pioneering here--I doubt anyone here has attempted replacing the AC unit bulbs with LEDs *and* resistors. I wanted to replace my AC unit bulbs with LEDs but balked at the daunting effort required (sounds like you're more electronically adept than I am).
Hey TR,
So sorry to hear about your LEDs being fried. You are definitely pioneering here--I doubt anyone here has attempted replacing the AC unit bulbs with LEDs *and* resistors. I wanted to replace my AC unit bulbs with LEDs but balked at the daunting effort required (sounds like you're more electronically adept than I am).
http://www.z3d.com/maxima/blueclimate.html
-zach
04-26-2002, 10:11 AM
#29
Re: Re: Picking the right LEDs
Originally posted by zboy
You could save yourself the trouble and go read the write-up I made last year...no frying
http://www.z3d.com/maxima/blueclimate.html
-zach
You could save yourself the trouble and go read the write-up I made last year...no frying
http://www.z3d.com/maxima/blueclimate.html
-zach
04-26-2002, 06:25 PM
#30
Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2000
Posts: 149
If you guys are still looking for LEDs to go in your door pannel
and dash, go to autodynamics.com. They sell 194 push bulb LEDs.
I replaced my dash lights with these and they look just like the blue look of the door switch conversion. They where only 9.99 a pair too!
and dash, go to autodynamics.com. They sell 194 push bulb LEDs.
I replaced my dash lights with these and they look just like the blue look of the door switch conversion. They where only 9.99 a pair too!
04-27-2002, 12:33 PM
#32
Originally posted by Max96LSU
Man, I've been waiting for this a long time, GREAT write up!!!:) By any chance Zboy, did you change the ignition ring to a blue LED????
Man, I've been waiting for this a long time, GREAT write up!!!:) By any chance Zboy, did you change the ignition ring to a blue LED????
The only thing I was concerned about is that LEDs have a much narrower viewing angle than incandescent lamps, so the ring might not light up quite as brightly (but it will be blue.. :)
you could check www.alliedelec.com or www.eled.com for LEDs...
-zach
04-27-2002, 08:06 PM
#33
Did my key ring w/ a radioshack 276-316 (I think its a 316) It lights up the whole ring. Just make sure you get an led with a high mcd rating. I would recommend it be at least a 1,000 mcd rating; probably higher.
04-27-2002, 11:02 PM
#35
Originally posted by Max96LSU
did you use a resistor?
did you use a resistor?
http://www.z3d.com/maxima/blueclimate.html
04-28-2002, 07:07 AM
#36
Donating Maxima.org Member
Join Date: Jan 2002
Posts: 387
just did the blue leds in my windows switches yesterday and last night coming home from work was HEAVEN they look soo sweet... time to do all other green lights in the car blue!
anyone know if we could use any ole lcd screen that is the same size for the clock so we can make that blue too?
anyone know if we could use any ole lcd screen that is the same size for the clock so we can make that blue too?
04-28-2002, 11:36 AM
#37
Originally posted by Max96LSU
did you use a resistor?
did you use a resistor?
04-29-2002, 01:48 PM
#38
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Mar 2001
Posts: 724
Originally posted by Toolrocks
Yeah, 12v - 4 volts for led leaves 8 volts to "drop". 8 volts divided by .030 gives 266.67. To be safe I went ahead and used a 330 ohm resistor if I rember right. IT is still very bright and is well within tolerances. Hope this helps.
Yeah, 12v - 4 volts for led leaves 8 volts to "drop". 8 volts divided by .030 gives 266.67. To be safe I went ahead and used a 330 ohm resistor if I rember right. IT is still very bright and is well within tolerances. Hope this helps.
04-29-2002, 02:07 PM
#39
Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2001
Posts: 1,503
Originally posted by Toolrocks
Yeah, 12v - 4 volts for led leaves 8 volts to "drop". 8 volts divided by .030 gives 266.67. To be safe I went ahead and used a 330 ohm resistor if I rember right. IT is still very bright and is well within tolerances. Hope this helps.
Yeah, 12v - 4 volts for led leaves 8 volts to "drop". 8 volts divided by .030 gives 266.67. To be safe I went ahead and used a 330 ohm resistor if I rember right. IT is still very bright and is well within tolerances. Hope this helps.
ehh my window leds look good anyways
they are 1500mCd's 
05-03-2002, 07:21 PM
#40
Donating Maxima.org Member
Join Date: Jan 2002
Posts: 387
well i have taken on a great challenge i wanted my bose HU to have blue leds so i took it apart...
the tiny little leds are running at 13v so i am in the process of finding some nice 12v 430nm blue leds...
but if that doesn't work could i use the radishack 276-311 that we are using for the windows? they physically fit ok just need to put in a resistor right? what size?
oh and if any of you have a bose and find that green disc led really ugly it is a 2.2v led so the 276-311 will still work and give off a good color as well as fit (did it)
the tiny little leds are running at 13v so i am in the process of finding some nice 12v 430nm blue leds...
but if that doesn't work could i use the radishack 276-311 that we are using for the windows? they physically fit ok just need to put in a resistor right? what size?
oh and if any of you have a bose and find that green disc led really ugly it is a 2.2v led so the 276-311 will still work and give off a good color as well as fit (did it)