xshurikx

And now for the final look of my back lights and needles:

Disclaimer: this was my first ever needle build, it might not be pretty, but you cant see the wires or anything underneath. also i need to calibrate the weight, and i might need to resolder them because i used a ****ty iron and solder. i am sure with the right tools the job will be much cleaner. but i pat myself on the back for doing what i did on this first try.
oh yeah I never soldered before.


From the LED Resistor Calculator

Solution 0: 4 x 1 array uses 4 LEDs exactly
Source Voltage +14.8V
Diode Forward Voltage 2.6
Diode Forward Current 20 (Ma)
Number of Diodes 4
(+)|>|(-)(+)|>|(-)(+)|>|(-)(+)|>|(-)-/\/\/\- R = 220 ohms
The wizard says:
each 220 ohm resistor dissipates 88 mW
the wizard thinks 1/4W resistors are fine for your application Help
together, all resistors dissipate 88 mW
together, the diodes dissipate 208 mW
total power dissipated by the array is 296 mW
the array draws current of 20 mA from the source.

xshurikx

Just a quick break down:

1210 or PLCC2 LED's 1.8v-2.6v (ebay $6.99 for 20)
220 Ohm 1/4w resistor (radioshack $1.75 for 5)
Some 26awg wire
Some solder (use good stuff with the flux and everything)
Soldering Iron
Needle

Take your stock needle, cut at the base where the old LED's are right where the needle starts to narrow, see pic.
Use tweezers or small pliers and pull out old led strip. make sure old wires are not touching each other or you get a short and the needle wont work.
Check new led polarity ( the ones i got there is a small triangle notch on the top which is negative (-) polarity)
Insert leds into needle positive facing the tip and add resistor in the back between (-) terminal and (-) on led:
[Base of needle----(-terminal)-to-(Resistor)-to-(-led+)(-led+)(-led+)(-led+)-Tip of needle]
Solder the leds together carefully (-)to(+) solder resistor to the needle (-) terminal and led (-) terminal
Run wire from (+) terminal on needle to tip and solder to first led (+) terminal. DONE
DO NOT TEST LED TO BATTERY WITHOUT RESISTOR THEY WILL BURN OUT
DO TEST Connections before after soldering Resistor to leds prior to final soldering of resistor and wire to needle base.
You may need to solder leds together and resistor to leds first to make a connection. then take you 9V battery run (+) wire to first led and (-) to end of resistor, it should light up, if not re check the solder and make sure you have a solid connection.

Next connundrum which color to use???

xshurikx

Finally got around to doing some of the DIY
4 Parts Back-lighting, Needles
Climate Control, Radio (coming soon)

1) Back-lighting

I will assume that everyone knows how to take their cluster out so I will skip this step and pretend it is now sitting on you work bench. If you do not know, there is a 3 minute video on YouTube and probably 100 posts here on the forum about how to do it.

First you need to remove the 4 screws on the back plastic piece. See pictures for circled areas
You can also remove the 3 screws on the bottom and 4 on top through I like to keep the ones on top for later.

After you remove the plastic you will see lots of screws and 3 ribbon cables.
Ribbon Cables: the plastic holders are also clips just pull on the side of the plastic to release cables and then gently pull on the cable to remove from the holder
Unscrew all the screws you see circled
Gently pull back on the board from the top and bottom
NOTE: there are still 2 wire connectors on the bottom, you do not have to disconnect them just be mindful that this will open like a book

Now you see the inside. You will notice that there are 8 GREEN connectors, Those are you back lights. these are twist lock connectors just turn them counter clockwise and pull out they should come out easy.
Once you pull them out do not discard we will need the connectors, or you can solder choice is yours.

Continue to remove the Screws on top if you have not done so before. After you removed all the screws push on the Black Clips marked there are 4, 2 on top 2 on the bottom. Be careful they can break you need to lift straight up.

xshurikx

Now you can see the cluster face and needles, I have been working on this cluster so ignore the missing needle.
To pull the cluster face off gently pull on the sides of the face while holding the back. Pull in small amounts until it comes loose enough for you to lift straight up and move the face plate back to the cluster housing and leave it there for now.

Inside the cluster you will see where the 8 bulbs went and the slopes for light reflection. You can go really crazy and remove all the slopes and clean out the entire area, I did not.

On the tachometer side you will notice I cut some of the slope. This one interferes with the led strip as it is to close to the top, there is not enough room to seat the strip. cut some off, be careful not to crack the plastic on top. I was a little messy.
You do not have to cut a lot just about 1/8 inch down from the top.

Next is the LED Strip. I got a 50cm Strip of 30 LED's from Superbright for $16 and a $.59 cent no-solder connector
I cut the strip in half giving me 15 LED's per side (more than enough)
Attached the connector and now we have 2 15 LED strips good to go.

Insert Led Strips behind the slopes, they do not have to be pushed all the way down just at least the same height as the slopes so they are flush and not hit the face once it is put back.
Carefully loop them as flush with the wall as you can
I pushed them down for so it holds better on the Speedometer side by the [P R N D 2 L] and on the Tach side where it bends (2k RPM spot)

Loop the wires into the holes in a way so it doesn't block any of the light

xshurikx

Now Remember the connectors we set aside? Great
Take the connector and pull out the bulb, we will need 2 empty connectors

Using the Connectors as holders you will run the wires from the Strip to a different socket than the one the wires come through.
Clean off enough from the edge of the wire so it fits under the socket but not to much so it can short something else.

NOTICE: THE SOCKETS ARE POLARIZED (+) and (-)
The Speedometer and Tachometer are reversed (at least that's what I found)

On the Speedometer Side the Positive is on the bottom of the socket the negative is on top.
Place the stripped wire under the connector and push the connector into the socket and turn. You do not have to turn it all the way just enough so it pushes the wire down where it will not come loose

This is the part you can skip if you want to solder the wire down.
My advice use my method to test the connection prior to soldering the wire. By that I mean finish the job plug it in make sure it works then take it out and solder.

Upon testing in the car if the lights do not light up reverse the wires and see if the fixes the issue. Also test wires before installing using a 9 Volt Battery.

Re-assemble in reverse. When screwing on the top part that covers all the sockets, make sure to screw in all the way, a loose screw can prevent something from working. Also be careful not to strip the screw.

Make sure the ribbon cables are properly attached by inserting them carefully, I found its a good idea to pinch them lightly and push on top to make sure it is in all the way, then lower the clip back down to keep them in place. Attach the back plastic piece, and make sure to screw in all the screws around the housing on top and bottom.

Plug into your car and enjoy.

The led's I got were literally superbright, you can get different colors and intensity, but you can always dim the backlights. The choice is yours.

xshurikx

Your Climate Control More Info Soon

xshurikx

The white lights you see glowing are the ones that light up the buttons. I had some leds i bought on eBay for a different purpose but couldn't use them. they already come with a resistor

All I did was solder the points right to the connectors on the mother board. just like in the cluster where i used a clip here i soldered.

1WILLY1

iTrader: (9)

shurik, you should make a very clear and detailed , step by step , DIY on how to repair the cluster.

From start to end, how to get the cluster out, where to buy the LED's, all parts needed, and then the actual how too, I think that would be well appreciated

xshurikx

This will take me hours to do, but you are right. probably should write up a good review. i will probably do this when i work on my friends needles so i can take the proper pictures of everything. although i think what i wrote up there is pretty good

bigwhite

That peice of insulated wire on the needle looks like it would be to heavy.

xshurikx

You are probably right, anything you recommend to change it to, or counter weight it somehow

Tabaka

iTrader: (8)

Agree, that wire gauge is way too heavy for the needle. You will get extreme accuracy issues with the gauges. I believe this is why others have the LED placed at the bottom with black reflective foil to "house" the light from bottom to top.

Cleanshots

iTrader: (2)

lets make a change in this thread for the better.. lets turn this into a cluster diy thread.. ill start off with a question.

how do you calibrate needles, so they will be correct when you install them again?

if i take my needles off and i want to put them back, please give me some info. have ideas i want to try but i dont want to try it and then have a cluster that does me no good cause the needles are all wrong.

tjmhillz

iTrader: (6)

I agree with Cleanshots. Lets turn this thread into a diy. I would like to tackle my cluster myself just kind of nervous about how to calibrate the needles.

xshurikx

Hopefully we can help others avoid this loss. and also giving good advice about ways to repair it themselves.

I will be putting out a DIY thread seperattly, i also want to compile good ideas of possible fixes tools to use, and tips on how to do it properly.

if anyone has tips please PM me with them, if you know a good soldering iron, proper wire guage, led sizes, resistor recommendation send it all to me I will compile 1 thread with DIY and ideas