ebay glow gauges: dimmable?
January-12th-2006, 11:02 PM
#1
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ebay glow gauges: dimmable?
I just installed the ebay reverse glow gauge kit on an instrument cluster off a P5 for my '03 proDX. After researching all the posts I could find on the subject, against advice I tried it anyway. And yes...I did break off the fuel needle. Gee...that was fun.
It is way cool, though, it looks great, tach worked as soon as I plugged it in....but I have one problem: the gauges are friggin bright!! It's a problem only because I live out at a lake in the middle of nowhere with no street lights and such...so I practically have to squint to see the road. Imagine shining a flashlight in your eyes on a pitch dark road...
I tried tapping into the green/white wire as suggested by one of the posts, but it didn't have enough juice to run the thing (measured in the mV with lights on or off). I did have luck using the green/black wire, though, which is powered only when the lights are on. It is pretty annoying using that gay on/off switch that's included with the gauges, but it should be easy to figure out how to wire it directly into the light switch. I'll let ya'll know how when I figure it out.
My question, more directly, is if it's possible to dim an indiglo or EL gauge. If so...I'll go ahead and check out the other wires to see which one adjusts voltage with the dimmer. I'd rather not waste my time, if anyone knows.
It is way cool, though, it looks great, tach worked as soon as I plugged it in....but I have one problem: the gauges are friggin bright!! It's a problem only because I live out at a lake in the middle of nowhere with no street lights and such...so I practically have to squint to see the road. Imagine shining a flashlight in your eyes on a pitch dark road...
I tried tapping into the green/white wire as suggested by one of the posts, but it didn't have enough juice to run the thing (measured in the mV with lights on or off). I did have luck using the green/black wire, though, which is powered only when the lights are on. It is pretty annoying using that gay on/off switch that's included with the gauges, but it should be easy to figure out how to wire it directly into the light switch. I'll let ya'll know how when I figure it out.
My question, more directly, is if it's possible to dim an indiglo or EL gauge. If so...I'll go ahead and check out the other wires to see which one adjusts voltage with the dimmer. I'd rather not waste my time, if anyone knows.
January-12th-2006, 11:06 PM
#2
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Maybe you already tried this...But I know on my MP3, right between the door and the steering wheel, right below the far left air vent, is a few little buttons, and one of them is a **** which adjust the brightness of all inside lights...You might have tried already, but figured it was worth a shot!
January-12th-2006, 11:20 PM
#3
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Yep, scotty...tried it. Thanks. The indiglo white-faced gauges that I refer to slip on over the needles and are not affected by the dimmer switch. The dimmer only dims the needles.
January-13th-2006, 11:53 AM
#4
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Oh, and by the way... Installing a P5 instrument cluster in my '03 pro DX was a sinch. As we all know, the DX doesn't come with a tach, and mine's a 5-speed (doesn't make any sense to have a manual without a tach, but whatever..) and I didn't have to run a wire splitting off the violet/white wire off the ECU in the engine bay. I was happy to find the violet/white wire already run to the middle harness! Just plug-n-play!
The only part that nobody has talked about that was a pain in the *** was how to route the wires for each of the faces. That sucked! My first brilliant idea was to go through the biggest holes in the back of the unit, which is where the big bulbs plug into for lighting up the original gauges. I didn't think at first these bulbs were necessary any longer, since the new gauge faces make their own light, but I was wrong on that one. The bulbs also are used to light up the needles!
The wires need to be routed thru the interior under the faces, then thru the top of the cluster, then plugged into power/ground. It sounds simple, but it's not. The whole time, you're trying to not break off any more of the needles. I'll tell you what, if these can't be dimmed in any way, then I'm not so sure it was worth breakin of my fuel needle. Good thing the low fuel light still comes on when I'm low so I won't be runnin out of gas all the time.
I may just have an idea of how to reattach the needle (it's the thin shaft that snapped) and have it work, instead of super-gluing it in place like I did. What about using a tiny bead of solder that has cooled, and set it on the broken shaft coming out of the little motor (mine broke off just under the top of the white cone that surrounds the shaft). Then you could carefully remove the rest of the shaft that's in the needle and hold it with needle-nosed plyers so it's resting on the bead of solder (which is now sandwiched between the two broken shaft pieces). Heat up the shaft you're holding with a soldering iron as close as you can to the bottom, and the bead of solder should melt. This method, if it works, should only bond the metal shafts, and not bond to the plastic surrounding it. What do ya think?
The only part that nobody has talked about that was a pain in the *** was how to route the wires for each of the faces. That sucked! My first brilliant idea was to go through the biggest holes in the back of the unit, which is where the big bulbs plug into for lighting up the original gauges. I didn't think at first these bulbs were necessary any longer, since the new gauge faces make their own light, but I was wrong on that one. The bulbs also are used to light up the needles!
The wires need to be routed thru the interior under the faces, then thru the top of the cluster, then plugged into power/ground. It sounds simple, but it's not. The whole time, you're trying to not break off any more of the needles. I'll tell you what, if these can't be dimmed in any way, then I'm not so sure it was worth breakin of my fuel needle. Good thing the low fuel light still comes on when I'm low so I won't be runnin out of gas all the time.
I may just have an idea of how to reattach the needle (it's the thin shaft that snapped) and have it work, instead of super-gluing it in place like I did. What about using a tiny bead of solder that has cooled, and set it on the broken shaft coming out of the little motor (mine broke off just under the top of the white cone that surrounds the shaft). Then you could carefully remove the rest of the shaft that's in the needle and hold it with needle-nosed plyers so it's resting on the bead of solder (which is now sandwiched between the two broken shaft pieces). Heat up the shaft you're holding with a soldering iron as close as you can to the bottom, and the bead of solder should melt. This method, if it works, should only bond the metal shafts, and not bond to the plastic surrounding it. What do ya think?
January-13th-2006, 12:11 PM
#5
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Originally Posted by Qballtx
I may just have an idea of how to reattach the needle (it's the thin shaft that snapped) and have it work, instead of super-gluing it in place like I did. What about using a tiny bead of solder that has cooled, and set it on the broken shaft coming out of the little motor (mine broke off just under the top of the white cone that surrounds the shaft). Then you could carefully remove the rest of the shaft that's in the needle and hold it with needle-nosed plyers so it's resting on the bead of solder (which is now sandwiched between the two broken shaft pieces). Heat up the shaft you're holding with a soldering iron as close as you can to the bottom, and the bead of solder should melt. This method, if it works, should only bond the metal shafts, and not bond to the plastic surrounding it. What do ya think?
January-14th-2006, 07:39 PM
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hmmm...that does sound easier. I wouldn't want to risk screwing it up further. I just noticed today that the fuel needle actually moved up to the correct setting, but now it won't go down. Weird. Doesn't matter anyway.
I noticed that the white/blue wire must come off the dimmer, but there's a problem with using it for these gauges. When the dimmer is all the way up, the bulbs in the cluster (which are only used now to light up the needles) are lit up their brightest, but the voltage at that time is measured in the mV. Conversely, when the dimmer is all the way down, the bulbs (needles) are obviously off or dim, but the wire reads around 11 volts. This is the only wire I could find that is affected by the dimmer switch. If I were to hook up the ebay gauges to it, the gauges would be dim when the needles were all the way up, and vise verse. Not an option.
Has anyone figured this out? I read that a guy on mspro forum did exactly as just described and could never see both the gauges and needles at the same time. Is there another wire coming directly off the dimmer that does the opposite of the white/blue wire? THAT is the one I need to find.
So far...I'd have to say this experience of trying to make these damn gauges work has not been worth it. Last night, I just realized that while bending the thin wires all over the place to fit them into the cluster, the speedo gauge's wires broke. They're very thin and shouldn't be bent back and forth. Time for the solder gun.
Any help would be appreciated... and maybe I can get this stupid thing to work.
I noticed that the white/blue wire must come off the dimmer, but there's a problem with using it for these gauges. When the dimmer is all the way up, the bulbs in the cluster (which are only used now to light up the needles) are lit up their brightest, but the voltage at that time is measured in the mV. Conversely, when the dimmer is all the way down, the bulbs (needles) are obviously off or dim, but the wire reads around 11 volts. This is the only wire I could find that is affected by the dimmer switch. If I were to hook up the ebay gauges to it, the gauges would be dim when the needles were all the way up, and vise verse. Not an option.
Has anyone figured this out? I read that a guy on mspro forum did exactly as just described and could never see both the gauges and needles at the same time. Is there another wire coming directly off the dimmer that does the opposite of the white/blue wire? THAT is the one I need to find.
So far...I'd have to say this experience of trying to make these damn gauges work has not been worth it. Last night, I just realized that while bending the thin wires all over the place to fit them into the cluster, the speedo gauge's wires broke. They're very thin and shouldn't be bent back and forth. Time for the solder gun.
Any help would be appreciated... and maybe I can get this stupid thing to work.
January-21st-2006, 01:27 PM
#8
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I believe you can get the miles reprogrammed at a dealership...for a fee.. But why? Just note the miles on the old cluster and the new one before you start driving, and adjust for the total miles accordingly. No biggie.
So nobody knows if there is another wire coming off the dimmer switch that has the opposite effect as the white/blue one?
So nobody knows if there is another wire coming off the dimmer switch that has the opposite effect as the white/blue one?
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