45 minutes to becoming a Cruise Control LED installation expert

John_H · 01-19-2009, 10:41 PM

Quick note for people interested in a new LED kit for their Area451 cruise control: I'm taking a short hiatus from providing these while I relocate. I should be able to ship again in October with possibly better developments slightly after that. Please communicate via email or ccleds@johnhandwork.com before purchasing. I'll update here as needed.
__________

For those who decide to move their Area451 cruise control LED from behind the steering wheel to the instrument cluster, this video was done with a fresh install into Zippy. Thanks Suze!!

Huge thanks to jediknight36 who pieced together the video pieces from my inexpensive camera and put a bit of polish on a rather dry video.

So if you're putting in the instrument-cluster LED (I'm offering the kits) grab a beer or glass of wine, sit back, and enjoy. I wanted it to be a 15 minute video but I talk a bit more to give background and cautions, tips and thoughts.

The original thread on installing the LED is here and please note the folks at Area451 "remind that this modification is not sanctioned by Area 451 and damage resulting from it is not covered by any warranty." So if you break it, they won't cover you.

Two formats: the first is smaller (if you have a slow computer) and the second is 640x480 but the content is the same with both.

http://somesmart.info/LEDvideo/LED.mp4

http://somesmart.info/LEDvideo/LED2.mp4

NCC1701 · 01-20-2009, 01:35 AM

The odds of me getting a 451 CC increased dramatically recently. I only got to watch the first 20 minutes of the and have to call it a day. From what I saw, this video will be extremely useful for anyone wanting to do this.

Wow, that indicator LED looks to be more of a challenge than the CC itself.
Good work John H, jediknight36, and Suze (you're brave!)

chieftmc · 01-20-2009, 06:33 AM

Thank you John !

As usual, a First Class operation

**Suze** · 01-20-2009, 10:16 AM

yeeah!!!

Thank you John - It works like a charm and makes the cruise control even more enjoyable (yes, that is possible)

Thanks Brandon (Jediknight36) for doing the video editing. I knew when I looked at the raw video that a professional's touch was needed. Fantastic!

smart fortimo · 01-20-2009, 10:27 AM

Great work.

John, if you think you can improve upon the current install, the fortimobile is willing to go under the knife...

Cheers,
T

mvaldes · 01-20-2009, 05:58 PM

First, thank you for taking the time and effort to make the video. I enjoyed watching it though it did raise two questions.
The first question is: what were you saying when you were installing the tap connector onto the cruise control wire?

Try as I might, I just couldn't get undistorted audio for that part of the video. The sound for everything else in the video was perfectly clear. (FWIW, I tried watching both the large and the small files over my FIOS connection on a Mac with Quicktime Pro installed.)
The second question: I noticed that you didn't disconnect the car's battery when you did the installation. Is that totally unnecessary or would it add a little extra measure of safety for us unexperienced, non-engineer types? I guess my main concern about the installation is the part about cutting into the cruise control cable. If I accidentally nicked the inside wires, would having the car battery disconnected prevent potential damage to the unit from a transient short and give me the opportunity to inspect the wires and fix any area of damaged insulation before could possibly cause a short?
Thanks,
Michael

**Suze** · 01-20-2009, 06:20 PM

ummmm.... you all forgot to mention how cute zippy looked as the star of the video.

Even with his guts somewhat exposed.

Good Q. mvaldes about the battery. I know John did not disconnect mine for the install, but I'm sure he'll address your concerns.

Suze

mvaldes · 01-20-2009, 08:07 PM

Suze, Zippy looked great. Of course I'm partial to red myself....
( BTW, was part of the deal that John wear red for the video shoot?

)

John_H · 01-20-2009, 09:45 PM

Cut & paste from the post at forum.area451parts.com:

Yikes! That part of the video sure makes interesting listening!! I'll see what I can do to get that cleaned up. The original .avi has clean audio so that should be a quick fix. I went through that section of the small format video and came across the same bad audio.

Oh, but wait! If you want to look before it's fixed, that last section is a huge file (365 Meg, FIOS ready) at http://johnhandwork.com/rawvideo/MVI_0845.avi but I'll get it fixed soon.

For the first kits out the door (email sent to those who already have them on their way) I forgot a few small pieces so there's a couple days before you'll have those in hand anyway.
___

As for the battery disconnection, it is an extra "level of safety." In my opinion this operation is similar to plugging in a new component like a radio or a wiper control arm and shouldn't require disconnecting the battery. Since that original direction was suggested by the Area451 folks, please consider their advice.

If the red wire is cut with wire cutters or scissors with insulated handles, there will be no capacity to do damage to the cruise control. If uninsulated clippers are used and you have built-up static electricity, there's a chance you could damage the LED driver but collateral damage even in that kind of circumstance is rare.

Bottom line: please use insulated cutters or scissors for the red wire whether you choose to disconnect the battery or not.

mvaldes · 02-02-2009, 10:40 AM

We had a warm spell today, up to double digits, so I decided to install John's dash LED mod. Between his video and the Area451 directions for their version of the mod, it was totally clear what to do. (I did add what others have reported and cut away the small "tab" between the cluster connector and the space below to avoid having to cut the cable to feed it through there. It's very simple to do, just two snips of the thin plastic with the wire cutters. It didn't create any problem lining up the cluster for reassembly.) the The only problem I encountered was the F*&*ing focal length of my eyeglasses. It was hard to see to tap into the wires on the stalk and my first tap didn't work. Thank you, thank you, thank you John for including a backup. The second splice worked fine and all is well. Frankly, I didn't think the mod would add much to the ease of the cruise control operation, but I was wrong.

The visual feedback does really make a big difference.