Hi Gang

Anyone use Led's for their dash lights?

Bob....

This is the type of LED I was thinking about. It is a 194 replacement LED, Fully Regulated - Non-Polar Proprietary Circuitry. They come in different colors.

I was wondering if anyone has experimented with LED's

Bob....

This one is even brighter.

Bob...

(I found out how to posts pictures)

Hey Bob, just be aware that LED's cannot be dimmed with the headlamp switch. They are on or off only. And if you use them for the turn signals you may need a new flasher made for LED's specifically. They may cause you more aggravation then they are worth.

I thought I had read that the newest generation LEDs can be dimmed, hard to say for sure I guess until someone tries it...

Mine dim, I put them in the dash, but will change them for some more like the ones in your pic as mine direct the light out the top, not so good. I find them a bit bluish too....

Hmmm...must be some new technology since I read about them.

They don't dim well, when you turn them down they dim in a narrow area then go out fast....I usually leave them up full anyhow...

I got a reply from the LED rep.

Hi Bob

The 194 Tower I smt super white bulbs that you are asking about are among my favorite in that size bulb. They produce a really nice light and color and work really well in gauge clusters. They are the bulb I most frequently recommend for that application.

They should dim in your gauges, but that depends a bit on the dimmer in there.

Thanks,
Tracy



> Hello
>
> I wanted to replace my Incandescent Bulbs in my 1968 Firebird Speed
> Cluster with the 194 168 W5W 2825 SMT Tower Super White LED.
>
> Are these as bright as the 194's? or what do you recommend.
>
> I was wondering also if these LED's have dimming capabilities?
>
> Thank you for your time.
>
> Bob..

Well I bit the bullet.

I ordered a few LED’s to try out and see how they work.

The only lamps that need to dim are the four lamps for when the lights are on.

Results to follow.

Bob….

Well My Led's did not come in the mail today so it will be next week till I get them installed.

In another post on Gen Light I sure could have tried them out with ease, as everything is hanging in the wind.

Results to follow………..maybe?

Bob….

Has anyone used a "194" LED bulb for their Hood Tach? The tach I just got only has a single bulb, and I hear that they are not that bright at night. I thought a LED bulb in the tach would really help. Low current draw and lower amount of heat. Sounds like a win,win.
Kyle

Hi Lupdiesel

I just got the LED's on my porch today. They look so cool, when I get them in I will post the results.

I will take some photos of the LED's on and off, see how they do for brightness.

Results to follow....If I don't go Boom from the fuel tank

Bob

Well I hooked the led's up to a power source and here is the results.

The First:

Incandescent Lamp 12v



Incandescent Lamp 9v




Incandescent Lamp 5v




This is the first test using a stock bulb at differnet voltages and you can see the results.

Bob...

On to the next test using the Led Lamp, this is what I call the Small Tower Led.

The Second Test:

Small Tower Led 12v



Small Tower LED 9v



Small Tower Led 5v




As you can see this Led needs a full 12 volts to operate to the full bright.

On to the next test.

Bob....

On this test, which is the last till I get a few more samples to try is the Tall Tower Led Test.

I like this Led because the results are much better that the Small Tower Led.

The Third Test:

Tall Tower Led 12v



Tall Tower Led 9v



Tall Tower Led 5v

Pretty cool at the amp draw at 12V. Nice incase you leave the lights by mistake. Not that I have ever done that

There are a few more I am going to try, these Led's are more front facing intensity. These would be good for the Turn Signal, Gen, Brake, Temp, Oil and High beam.

The High Beam is a Bayonet type of bulb.

I am including a side by side photo of all three lamps.

Bob....

Hi ED

I been having fun with the Led's. I am looking at these lamps also.

Outfitted with the latest Super High-Flux low profile Leds
Designed especially for use outside the vehicle for applications requiring a large uniform field of bright light
Note: These have the all metal heat sinks for constant-on applications to reduce heat related failures and covers for moisture protection
Only 11mm diameter x 27mm overall

These look good also

Outfitted with the latest Super High-Flux low profile Leds
Designed especially for gauges, and applications requiring a large uniform field of bright light
Note: These have the all metal heat sinks for constant-on applications to reduce heat related failures
Only 9mm diameter x 24mm overall

Here is another type of Led

The Widest, Brightest and Best 194 168 W5W 2825 Ever Made!
Outfitted with the latest Super High-Flux low profile Leds.
Aluminum heat sink keeps them cool in hot & smaller housings to avoid heat related failure
Designed especially for gauges, and applications requiring extra cooling
12mm diameter x 23mm overall

I'll be interested to see once you have installed them into the gauge housing etc. and turn them on at night and how nice they will look and how bright etc. Installing them into the hood tach would also be interesting as mentioned above. This is one mod I might even attempt based on your results...

I can't wait to see how they dim in the gage cluster too. Thanks for doing the research on this. I have a couple out, so I'm going to need to replace them soon. I wouldn't mind getting a set with a slight slight bluish tint. Let me know what your final recommendation is.

Hi Earlybird

I was loaned a 67 Instrument Cluster for testing. It is in a very rusty state, but will work for bench testing.

I will take pictures showing how it looks all lighted up.


Bob.....

Hi Firebirdmike

I am posting the link to the site that I am getting these Led's. They have all types of colors that will meet your requirements.

Bob....

http://autolumination.com/194.htm

I will do both a bench test with photos and will install the cluster into the harness and use the headlight pot to show the difference.

Bob....

Thanks. I had no idea what stock bulb number to look for (194). Now if I want the bulbs that are for general light for the speedo, which would be the best choice you think? There's a huge selection and they all seem to be the "widest, brightest, and best"

Hi Mike

I will post the results and photos showing how it looks at night.

I will give lamp replacements to LED’s in the instrument cluster.

Like what LED to use in the driving lamp position, or what LED to use in the turn signal slot and the Gen Light Slot…..

Bob…..

Hi Gang

If anyone wants a great catalog on LED's give me a PM with a email address and I will get it to you.

Bob....

Hi Gang

I got a great catalog on LED's and LED Flashers for automotive applications. It has a good description on each application and brightness.

Give me a PM with a email address and I will get it to you.

Bob....

Hi Gang

I got a great catalog on LED's and LED Flashers for automotive applications. It has a good description on each application and brightness.

Give me a PM with a email address and I will get it to you.

Bob....

Well Gang

Here goes a first try on taking a dark room shot of the instrument housing. My trusty happy snap camera did not take very good pictures of the housing all lit up. For starters the inside of the instrument housing is painted a light blue to get this affect. The LED's are a bright light large tower type.

The voltage is set at 12.13 volts and had a 0.30 draw for four LED's with very little heat.

This is taken on my test bench at work.

Bob....

What did you use to paint the housing? That's the exact effect I would like. In person, does it seem bright enough?

That does look pretty cool!

Hi Mike

and thanks Jeff

I used a Krylon Blue which one I am not sure yet till I open it up and do a look see. The supper bright white LED's really bring out the blue to the affect that I like.

I will try to this (disassemble) in the morning at work as I start to fire on all cylinders as I down the morning brew of Java.

I might still have the can on the shelf and will try to dig it out for the color used.

Results and Pictures to Follow

Bob….

I will do a regular bulb photo shoot of the Instrument housing for comparison of the two.

Results to follow as I tank up with Java in the morning.


Bob.....

Well I am posting this photo of the back side of the instrument housing that shows the color used there. I am not real sure what I used inside till open it up.

Results to Follow......


Bob.....

Sorry for so many questions Bob, but I love your work!

So you basically painted the inside of the housing behind the gages to get the look, not tint the glass lens?

Can't wait to find out the exact color. As I was saying looks exactly like I hoped mine would look.

Look forward to the rest of your bulb testing too.

DAM! That looks AWESOME! VERY nice. This is one mod I'd even go for! If you could list all the specs when you get a chance I think several of us would appreciate it...

Wow, the more I look at it, the more I like it!