To add to the instrument cluster behind the Icon would involve adding a SMD LED and I'm not sure but probably re-programming to the ECU.
piglith,
You really haven't been looking at the Area451 posts, have you? Since early this year I've been providing instrument cluster LED kits to Area451 owners requiring nothing but simple tools.
The board installed in a cluster with the front graphic removed is shown here. Since the top two LED positions have no components on the front of the instrument cluster PC board, I use a thin single-sided PC board (the bright silver color at the bottom of the two channels) with a surface mount LED already mounted to hook up to the Area451 cruise control cable in place of the stalk LED. The brightness is a great match for other indicators.
You can see by the LED in the power steering fault indicator in the position below the added cruise LED (and by other reflections) that the LEDs are very similar.
I'm real happy I've been able to hook up other owners with the complete kits allowing drill-free installation.
Now if they would finally get the option of installing the indicator LED behind the Icon in the instrument cluster....
Uh.. you can. I have an MDC, and I have my optional LED in cluster, behind the symbol, works well. It's not quite as bright as the other cluster lights, but you can see it in direct sunlight, though it may be hard to tell what color it is when it's really bright (eg in a Cabrio with the top down).
Quote:
Originally Posted by John_H
Anybody out there with some test equipment and a desire to probe the LEDs on their MDC?
I can probably do it next time I'm in the area John, which will probably be next weekend, weather permitting. The harder part will be getting the connector, since it's kind of unique. As I recall it's a 3-wire solution, so I'm guessing it's using a standard tri-color LED with a common ground and a positive side for a red and a green.
I can probably do it next time I'm in the area John, which will probably be next weekend, weather permitting. The harder part will be getting the connector, since it's kind of unique. As I recall it's a 3-wire solution, so I'm guessing it's using a standard tri-color LED with a common ground and a positive side for a red and a green.
Please send me a PM when you're ready to do some looking. The connector does look like an odd one and - again - since I don't have one in hand, I can't look for telltale signs of a manufacturer's stamp. While there's only 3 wires connected, it looks like it has several pins, possibly power as well. If I could figure that out ahead of time, a little jusper could be put in place to easily measure currents and probe to see if the three colors (R/Y/G) are all steady-state.
The LEDs could be common anode or common cathode, either way.
I figure most folks on the board aren't interested in the technical discussion.
For those who were following my saga in May and since I said I would let you know....
Since even Jim was unable to get my cruise control working at the Indy event, I sent the whole thing back to smartmadness. It was finally determined that there were some bad wires. They sent out a new cruise control to me this week. My dad installed it yesterday and I am pleased to report that it works just fine!
Thank you, again, to all of you who tried to help via the forum. Your suggestions really helped me try to identify the problem and remediate it.
For those who were following my saga in May and since I said I would let you know....
Since even Jim was unable to get my cruise control working at the Indy event, I sent the whole thing back to smartmadness. It was finally determined that there were some bad wires. They sent out a new cruise control to me this week. My dad installed it yesterday and I am pleased to report that it works just fine!
Thank you, again, to all of you who tried to help via the forum. Your suggestions really helped me try to identify the problem and remediate it.
I am glad it all worked out. :-)
Thank you for your patience, understanding and not giving up. Enjoy your new cruise control and if we can ever be of some assistance please do not hesitate to contact us back.
@John_H I have a an MDC with speed boost. You got me thinking. Ill prolly end up finding some other ultra bright BiColor LED. Currently the brightness is about 1/2 that of the blue cluster LED I replaced. So it would be better to match with the rest. I already added an inline quick disconnect so I can change out fairly easy. You have a other photos? Can't see well with that one.
You have a other photos? Can't see well with that one.
Photographing the LED from the top won't give "good" results no matter how you do it because 1) the LED board is a bright reflective silver (the solder layer) and 2) the sides of the white plastic channel are quite reflective. The top left of the top channel, for instance, has one round wire soldered on the board for alignment; what you see in the picture looks like a flower because the reflections produce many more "petals" to go along with the single one that's actually there. The board is in good focus at the bottom of the channel so you can see the LED. Much brighter and any detail of the board would be lost.
What would you like a picture of?
And as for just swapping the LED for something brighter, one of the troubles here is matching the red and green brightness so yellow comes out as yellow, not an off-red or off-green variant. If I can figure out details on the LED drivers and find a +5V or +12V on the connector, I could put together a "boost" board plugged within the MDC box that would use the original LED, just double or triple the current drive. For those who don't want to drill, file, or notch their cluster a surface-mount LED board could still be offered but I imagine some folks wouldn't like the idea of having to buy another LED when they already have one, hence the booster board idea.
Ok was searching whats out there. Humm intresting
Bi-color SMDs
Not sure the interrelated colors
Green / Red = yellow
red / blue = green
blue / green = ???? < Purple????
When I get into the cluster again. Ill try to get voltage & current readings of all 3 states for ya. Not sure how to get the MDC in a Error state for RED. LOL
green + red -> yellow
red + blue -> purple
blue + green -> bluegreen
red + green + blue -> white
A yellow can be too green or too red.
A purple can be too red or too blue.
A white can easily be off-color, needing the precise balance of colors.
You could also get white from 2 LEDs of different colors.
There's something called a "CIE diagram" with color wavelengths marked in nanometers around the outside. If you have two LEDs at given wavelengths, you can recreate the colors along the line between those two wavelengths. Interesting stuff.
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