DIY: Interior LED swap (cluster, HVAC, switches, window, *steering wheel)

[emelianenkov]

I think 2300mcd?

 

[eds72]

Heated seat indicator

Anyone had trouble with these? I swapped in red LEDs for the indicators (not backlight) and they do not come on. Heat is working, and the LEDs illuminate when I apply my 9v tester? Not sure why no light.

 

[eds72]

Figured it out

Anyone had trouble with these? I swapped in red LEDs for the indicators (not backlight) and they do not come on. Heat is working, and the LEDs illuminate when I apply my 9v tester? Not sure why no light.

Somehow I got it in my head that the resistor has to be on the anode side of LED, and wired new lights accordingly. Once I busted out my meter I quickly found the resistor is actually on the cathode in the heated seat switch. Swapped connections and all is well.

 

[eds72]

Finished product

Pretty happy with how it came out:

All that's left now is the Nav. I thought someone had done this and posted info but cannot find it now. Can anyone provide insight? Smaller smd LEDs I think but I think I saw where someone used plcc2??

 

[CookieRoe]

Pretty happy with how it came out:

All that's left now is the Nav. I thought someone had done this and posted info but cannot find it now. Can anyone provide insight? Smaller smd LEDs I think but I think I saw where someone used plcc2??

Pics don't show, but do show if you open them on another tab. Looks great!!!

NAV Leds:
http://www.toyota-4runner.org/engin...e-backlight-camry-solara-nav-3.html#post28922

Be sure about the polarity on those tiny LEDs as apparently it's not printed on the foil "board" where the LEDs are adhered to. (see how E7001 and E7009 are different).

Did you do the 12V HVAC mod? That HVAC display looks nice and bright!!

 

[CookieRoe]

HVAC display (12V mod) options...........

Did this mod a week or two ago (from scratch i.e. sponsored by random-dude-from-ebay-china, no neo bulbs) and thought I'd share a few things I learned, for those hardcore DIYers that would rather do it themselves than take up emelianenkov's generous service (his price for labor is really worth it if you're not extremely patient).

You have to figure out which way the contacts go, because the LEDs care. That was an annoying trial/error process for me for a few hours, especially for the twist-on bulbs in the HVAC....................

Last note on the HVAC, I swear. The two bulbs that light the LCD (those two only, nothing else that seems "in-line" with them such as the one that lights the reset and mode lights) run on 6v rather than 12v power, as mentioned before. For 12v power, a 1.2K Ohm resistor is fine, but for those two 6v bulbs, get some resistors in the 300 Ohm range (I used 330) for something that looks to be about the same brightness as everything around it. Especially important if you're doing the LCD reverse polarization as I did.

Re-basing a LED with stock socket:

OK, so get a "free standing" LED and solder a 300-330 ohm resistor to it. In my case, I wanted to stick with amber. The only LEDs I see online are 12V rated ones. I know there are "resistor calculators" online, but ask for values I'm not sure of. I understand you solder 300-330 ohm resistor to a 12V rated LED because the stock positive feed only give 6V. IS this correct?? Can anyone offer their experience here?

................ I've gotten the high brightness neo4's working at full brightness 12V with dimming control. They actually look pretty close to the factory brightness when compared to the factory radio backlight.

As many people found, the neo4 high brightness LED's don't work in the HVAC backlight as it only gets about 6.5-7 volts not 12v. For some reason all the Neo3’s that backlight the knobs and buttons get full 12v but not the backlight for the LCD display itself. I did some tinkering trying to get the Neo4 High brightness LED's working. Many car dimmers that I've seen in the past use a PWM (pulse width modulated) negative side Transistor or Mosfet to control Brightness. I took my Oscilloscope out to the truck and confirmed that it seams to operate that way on my t4r. So the Ground side where the Neo4's plug in is the actual source of the dimming and we just need a straight 12v source for the positive side of the neo4... Make sure to disconnect the positive side of the neo4 from the circuit board contact before you give it 12V otherwise all sorts of bad stuff could happen. I just completely un-wrapped the positive wire out of the neo4 plastic housing and left it sticking straight out the back. Here’s what it looks like:

You can see that on my 05 sport HVAC control, the inner side of the neo4 plugin (ie closer to center of the board) are the positive sides. This may be different for the Limited edition as it is fairly different from the HVAC console on the Sport edition. You need to figure out which side of the Neo4 is positive as they are polarity sensitive. You can figure out which is the positive side of the neo4 using a 9 volt battery or some such. I then soldered a wire from a 12v source to the leads that are now sticking out and are isolated from the circuit board. The 12v source I tracked down and decided to use was pin 14 on the thick ribbon cable that goes from the small board where the main wiring harness plugs in to the board that runs the display.
Here’s a pic:

There are a few other 12v lines that turn on at different times ie always/acc/on etc. Pin 14 turns on at the same time as the factory display did… The High Brightness Neo4’s at 12v give a good level of brightness and give a pretty even backlight when given full power unlike the regular neo4’s. All in all I am very happy with the results.

The left side of the display is backlit by a regular neo4 running stock ie just direct swap of the factory bulb. The right side of the display is backlit by a high brightness Neo4 running at 12v. The difference is quite noticeable and actually turns out to be a pretty straight forward upgrade. There are a few things that could go wrong if you’re not comfortable with electronics and hook things up wrong or don’t isolate the LED positive side from the circuit board etc. I hope I have given enough information on the process that I did and have not forgotten any crucial bits.

Modding a NEO4 LED Bulb (NEO4 hp bulb):

So according to this post, isolate the positive side and wire that to a 12V switched and keep the other side "stock" negative to retain dimming ability. This sounds great. Anyone else try this?

Don't know what to order (NEO4 bulb or "stand alone LED") to do get the HVAC display a lot brighter for the reverse polarization mod.

Thanks for any help!

 

[eds72]

Pics don't show, but do show if you open them on another tab. Looks great!!!

NAV Leds:
http://www.toyota-4runner.org/engin...e-backlight-camry-solara-nav-3.html#post28922

Thanks. I ordered some from a different vendor but I believe they are correct. Can't recall this sites policy on posting vendor links so I won't include that here.

Be sure about the polarity on those tiny LEDs as apparently it's not printed on the foil "board" where the LEDs are adhered to. (see how E7001 and E7009 are different).

Great tip, thanks.

Did you do the 12V HVAC mod? That HVAC display looks nice and bright!!

No I did not, those are just straight NEO4 bulbs (not even the HP version). I was surprised at how bright it was after all the stuff I'd read on here. Maybe it's the reverse polarization film that needs extra brightness?

[MENTION=83001]eds72[/MENTION] : your pics are waaaay too big man, please resize them

Yeah, sorry they are reduced now. I posted from my phone and could not find an easy way to change them in the limited time I had. Some things are still a lot easier with a keyboard, mouse and larger screen.

 

[CookieRoe]

Re-basing a LED with stock socket:

OK, so get a "free standing" LED and solder a 300-330 ohm resistor to it. In my case, I wanted to stick with amber. The only LEDs I see online are 12V rated ones. I know there are "resistor calculators" online, but ask for values I'm not sure of. I understand you solder 300-330 ohm resistor to a 12V rated LED because the stock positive feed only give 6V. IS this correct?? Can anyone offer their experience here?

Modding a NEO4 LED Bulb (NEO4 hp bulb):

So according to this post, isolate the positive side and wire that to a 12V switched and keep the other side "stock" negative to retain dimming ability. This sounds great. Anyone else try this?

Don't know what to order (NEO4 bulb or "stand alone LED") to do get the HVAC display a lot brighter for the reverse polarization mod.

Thanks for any help!

Anyone? :moping:

 

[Rocket61]

Would someone be kind enough to consolidate all the required bulb types and amounts? I've been researching this swap for a while and I've read some conflicting info. Would be great to have one master list with required quantities.

 

[CookieRoe]

12V mod notes to share: at least on 2005 Limited HVAC display

Well folks, started to embark on the (in)famous 12V mod. Basically there are 2 ways to do this.

1) Get a 3mm NEO4x (or HP) bulb (superbrightleds.com) and "untangle" the wires from the base of it and separate the + and - . The + end of the LED, find a 12V switched wire and splice into it. The - end, well, find your own ground (not difficult to do). Viola! You now have bright backlight HVAC display. Note: will not dim with dimmer.

2) Get a 3mm NEO4x (or HP) bulb (superbrightleds.com) and "untangle" the + end from the base of it and separate it. Isolate it (make SURE it won't touch anything on the HVAC assembly). Continue on to find a 12V switched wire and splice into it. The - end (which you never separated from the base of the LED, will now touch the - part of the socket on the HVAC assembly (just like the OEM bulb). Doing this will (according to post #917) enable you to retain your dimming ability (awesome).

So, before you do any of the above steps, you need to know which end of the socket is +/-. At least for a 2005 Limited it is the following:

Here is the back of the HVAC assembly:

+/- location

Disclaimer: Before you do this, MAKE SURE, with a multimeter, of your +/- before you wire up your LEDs :thumb:

Purpose of all this: This seems to be a MUST if you are going to do the reverse polarization screen mod. With the help of [MENTION=63211]emelianenkov[/MENTION] , this will be a great mod!

 

[emelianenkov]

Can't wait to see how your stuff turns out [MENTION=50507]CookieRoe[/MENTION]! I'm excited to get my hands on it. This might be a rainy day mod for me

 

[HokieRunner]

Thanks [MENTION=50507]CookieRoe[/MENTION] - been meaning to do this....it's only been 5 years since I swapped the lcd film...so maybe it's time I got rid of the 'dimness'? Hahaha

 

[yosh2000]

I get American made LEDs now. More expensive, yes, but much less likely to fail

where do you get your LEDs? Oznium? price?

 

[CookieRoe]

Can't wait to see how your stuff turns out [MENTION=50507]CookieRoe[/MENTION]! I'm excited to get my hands on it. This might be a rainy day mod for me

I can't wait to see the final product!! Because you have my window switch/HVAC/Cluster, I'm flying blind with the windows cracked (thought it was a good idea so it doesn't get too hot when parked outside, but VERY FREEKING annoying when I commute on the highway) and the A/C on low. Gets very cold in the cabin........ should of given it more thought, LOL.

Hope my findings help ya out wiring up my LEDs! :thumb:

Thanks [MENTION=50507]CookieRoe[/MENTION] - been meaning to do this....it's only been 5 years since I swapped the lcd film...so maybe it's time I got rid of the 'dimness'? Hahaha

No problem, I figure the info on "how" to do the 12V is a bit vague even if you do a thorough search. The guy ( [MENTION=102925]MirageT4R[/MENTION] ) I quoted regarding keeping the connection between the LED the negative socket (to retain dimming) only posted once. I would love to see/hear a follow up on how it's been working for him (if he's run into any trouble, etc).

Been 5 years!!??? Wow.

 

[HokieRunner]

I can't wait to see the final product!! Because you have my window switch/HVAC/Cluster, I'm flying blind with the windows cracked (thought it was a good idea so it doesn't get too hot when parked outside, but VERY FREEKING annoying when I commute on the highway) and the A/C on low. Gets very cold in the cabin........ should of given it more thought, LOL.

Hope my findings help ya out wiring up my LEDs! :thumb:



No problem, I figure the info on "how" to do the 12V is a bit vague even if you do a thorough search. The guy ( [MENTION=102925]MirageT4R[/MENTION] ) I quoted regarding keeping the connection between the LED the negative socket (to retain dimming) only posted once. I would love to see/hear a follow up on how it's been working for him (if he's run into any trouble, etc).

Been 5 years!!??? Wow.

A follow up would definitely be nice to make sure it's all working smoothly but in theory it sounds right.

And yeh, scary that it's been 5 years. This was my first mod! Call it my 'gateway mod'

 

[emelianenkov]

I think your findings are gonna help a LOT [MENTION=50507]CookieRoe[/MENTION]!

 

[CookieRoe]

teaser.............

Alex and his skills:

Goes without saying that the 12V mod is a must for the reverse polarization mod.

Package arrives Wednesday, installed pics to come!! :thumb:

 

[emelianenkov]

My 12v mod looked incredible tonight! And it dims beautifully

 

[BigNuge]

My 12v mod looked incredible tonight! And it dims beautifully

Alright dude...mine is ready for that service!!

 

[emelianenkov]

Alright dude...mine is ready for that service!!

You've got it! We can figure out some time to do it.

I've been meaning to talk to you anyways about something I'd like to buy from ya.... I has the monies now [MENTION=98468]BigNuge[/MENTION]