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

[emelianenkov]

For everyone that hasn't seen what the HVAC screen looks like taken apart, here are some pics. These also show the process I used to take mine apart.

This is what you will see when you remove the circuit board from the housing. The pins you see going up to the lcd screen were run through the plastic and then soldered to the circuit board. The lcd is covered with some blue painters tape in this picture.



Here is what I did to get the pins for the lcd to separate from the plastic housing. This was done using a dremel with a small cutoff wheel and a small pair of snips. Take your time with this part as you can easily damage the pins for the lcd if you get in a hurry.



Here is the whole thing just for reference on where I cut it.



To get the plastic housing separated from the circuit board, there are a few screws that need to be removed on the backside of the board. Then you will need to tilt the plastic away from the board in the direction of the pins on the lcd. The pins will need to be bent a bit to get the lcd to dislodge from the plastic. There are also some leds for the airbag on/off indicators that will need to be bent in the same direction to get the plastic piece out. This is not a great picture for showing how I did this, but this is what you will end up with after you get the white plastic piece out.



There is a white piece of plastic that goes behind the screen and is used to diffuse the light.



Here is what the white plastic piece looks like after everything is taken apart.



I did leave as much plastic as I could where the pins for the lcd screen are so that they stay separated.



Here are some better pics that show how the bulbs are covered.





Here is the backside of the plastic. This is the side where the bulbs are inserted through the board.



It would take some work with a dremel to get an led strip in there but it could be done.

I am in the process of doing this for [MENTION=50507]CookieRoe[/MENTION] now! It took some serious time and delicate work with the dremel to expose the pins.

I'll be making a whole retrofitted plastic panel to attach the LEDs to. It should look great once I finish everything up. I was going to make more progress on it over the past week, but I had shipped all of my tools to Phoenix because I will be doing a ton of swaps in one day on a bunch of Tacomas and a 1 Yaris. It'll be a busy day, but I'm happy to say that my flight, living expenses, and everything will basically be paid for by doing these swaps. It should be a good trip and good to get my business out there in a very Toyota saturated market.

 

[toyo]

Thanks [MENTION=30225]yosh2000[/MENTION]!

One more thing I meant to ask.... On my Limited the needs are red as you know. I would like to make them a deeper red if possible. I'm not too found of the red/orange that they use. What is the best way to accomplish this? Also, the tip of the needle shines out onto the surrounding bezel. I want to make sure I keep this function.

Please see the attached picture.

 

[yosh2000]

The OEM needles use red LEDs. I have found them to be the same color as the aftermarket red LEDs. Only thing i can think of is to scrap the OEM orange and paint your needles red?

 

[Cisco Kid]

Thanks [MENTION=30225]yosh2000[/MENTION]!

One more thing I meant to ask.... On my Limited the needs are red as you know. I would like to make them a deeper red if possible. I'm not too found of the red/orange that they use. What is the best way to accomplish this? Also, the tip of the needle shines out onto the surrounding bezel. I want to make sure I keep this function.

Please see the attached picture.

My suggestion would be to take the needles apart, sand the red coating off the front and the chrome coating off the back. On the back of the needle, apply some white paint (Testors model car paint would work great for this) and then you will get a red that is much closer to the color of the leds behind the needle. That factory orange/red color drove me nuts as well. As long as you don't get paint on the tip of the needle, you will still get the light shining through onto the edge of the gauge face like you want.

Here is a video I made on how the Limited needles are taken apart and modified.

 

[chiahead52]

sorry wrong post

 

[toyo]

Jeff, thanks for the tips and the awesome video. Just so i got this straight.... Whatever color the BACK side is, is the color of the needle I will have? In your case the needle would be white?

Side note. I am pretty disappointed in the quality of the LED's from Superbrightleds.com It seems that they are all too wide at the stem and some are DOA.

I have not had the time yet to tackle the cluster. I have done all my other dash lights that do not need soldered. Plan on doing the soldering at one time.

I switched out the 74 for the shifter and it's still amber. I gotta take that apart I guess and see what's making the amber.

 

[Cisco Kid]

Jeff, thanks for the tips and the awesome video. Just so i got this straight.... Whatever color the BACK side is, is the color of the needle I will have? In your case the needle would be white?

Side note. I am pretty disappointed in the quality of the LED's from Superbrightleds.com It seems that they are all too wide at the stem and some are DOA.

I have not had the time yet to tackle the cluster. I have done all my other dash lights that do not need soldered. Plan on doing the soldering at one time.

I switched out the 74 for the shifter and it's still amber. I gotta take that apart I guess and see what's making the amber.

Yes, my needles are white but the leds behind them are blue. If you were to leave the factory chrome coating on the back of the needle, it is actually too shiny and won't grab the light like the white paint will. Here are some pics I took before doing the white on the needles.




Here is what they looked like lit up with the chrome coating.



Here is what they look like now after the white paint. It made a huge difference in visibility.


To answer your question on the shifter lighting, it will still be a bit orange even when using a white led in place of the bulb. The P is the only letter that will light up pure white. The rest, minus R and N which are going to be orange and green no matter what, have a bit of orange in the plastic. Here are some pics with it taken apart and with a white led module in place of the bulb.

 

[Cisco Kid]

Side note. I am pretty disappointed in the quality of the LED's from Superbrightleds.com It seems that they are all too wide at the stem and some are DOA.

If you are talking about the NEO leds, I had to use a small round file on the edges of each hole before I could install them in the switches or climate controls. Everything I bought from superbright worked out of the box. When you put them in the switches to the left of the steering wheel, the tip of the led has to be sanded or filed down or the button on the switch will hit them when pressed. I broke two of them before I figured that out. :doh: For what it's worth, they are polarity sensitive. If they don't work, take them back out and turn them 180°.

 

[gurrenteed]

First of all, there is some amazing information in this thread that makes me really want to tear my dash apart and take this project on. You guys have covered what needs to be done in detail. Excel sheets with quantities have been provided... It's great!

With that said, prepare to be frustrated. I am 100% lost on what I need to order. I started putting a cart together over at superbrightleds and gave up after not finding plcc-2 smt LEDs. Went to oznium, started, can't find the right resistors.

Before flaming me on this, please know that I have read through this entire thread at least twice. I have spent the past couple weeks drooling over this mod. I have spent at least 2 hours today trying to figure out what I need to order and where I should order it all from. Do I just need to order from different places? I am not saying that I'm not an idiot - this is very possible and probable.

Am I the only one that doesnt get this???

I'd pay $20 just to have a cart put together for me at this point.

 

[Cisco Kid]

First of all, there is some amazing information in this thread that makes me really want to tear my dash apart and take this project on. You guys have covered what needs to be done in detail. Excel sheets with quantities have been provided... It's great!

With that said, prepare to be frustrated. I am 100% lost on what I need to order. I started putting a cart together over at superbrightleds and gave up after not finding plcc-2 smt LEDs. Went to oznium, started, can't find the right resistors.

Before flaming me on this, please know that I have read through this entire thread at least twice. I have spent the past couple weeks drooling over this mod. I have spent at least 2 hours today trying to figure out what I need to order and where I should order it all from. Do I just need to order from different places? I am not saying that I'm not an idiot - this is very possible and probable.

Am I the only one that doesnt get this???

I'd pay $20 just to have a cart put together for me at this point.

I just saw you live in Shawnee. Let's get together sometime and I'll help you with it. I'm on the north end of town just west of Liberty. Everything in my truck has been converted to blue and white and you are welcome to check it out before you make any decisions on yours.

 

[gurrenteed]

I just saw you live in Shawnee. Let's get together sometime and I'll help you with it. I'm on the north end of town just west of Liberty. Everything in my truck has been converted to blue and white and you are welcome to check it out before you make any decisions on yours.

That would be great! Blue/white is exactly what I am wanting to do!
I'd like to see what you've done with yours... But I'm also pretty sure that anything is better than the puke orange.

I'll take any help that you have on this. Where did you order your LEDs from?Thanks!

 

[Cisco Kid]

That would be great! Blue/white is exactly what I am wanting to do!
I'd like to see what you've done with yours... But I'm also pretty sure that anything is better than the puke orange.

I'll take any help that you have on this. Where did you order your LEDs from?Thanks!

My leds came from a combination of ebay, superbrightleds.com, and Electronics Supply in downtown KC. I'll send you a pm with my contact info.

 

[T101]

I apologize for not reading all 70+ pages, but will the lights still have dimming control after this mod or stay bright not matter what? Thank you

 

[emelianenkov]

I apologize for not reading all 70+ pages, but will the lights still have dimming control after this mod or stay bright not matter what? Thank you

Yes all dim except for for the gear indicator light and your headlight indicator for some reason lol

 

[gurrenteed]

My leds came from a combination of ebay, superbrightleds.com, and Electronics Supply in downtown KC. I'll send you a pm with my contact info.

Hey. I PMed you back twice but I'm not sure it's going through. The icon shows that I replied but I can't find my message that I sent to you.

I'm available today and could meet you. Just let me know what time. Thanks.

 

[Cisco Kid]

Hey. I PMed you back twice but I'm not sure it's going through. The icon shows that I replied but I can't find my message that I sent to you.

I'm available today and could meet you. Just let me know what time. Thanks.

It came through. I'll give you a call in a bit. Probably will be about 1:30 or so.

 

[bhsdriller]

Confused on what to order...saw the list posted earlier and going off that

What's the difference in the Neo3 and 3mm that's listed on the excel sheet
I see these which I assume I need for the Neo3 and Neo4
https://www.superbrightleds.com/moreinfo/subminiature-bulbs/neox-led-bulb-instrument-panel-led/220/

But what do I order for the 3mm and 5mm that's listed on the excel sheet

 

[yosh2000]

the neo's have a bulb base for you to screw into the board. the 3mm and 5mm leds need to be soldered to the board.

3mm: Ultra bright 3mm flat top leds. These are wide angle leds and can be used in many mods and electronics.

5mm: Ultra bright 5mm flat top leds. These are wide angle leds and can be used in many mods and electronics.

 

[gurrenteed]

Confused on what to order...saw the list posted earlier and going off that

What's the difference in the Neo3 and 3mm that's listed on the excel sheet
I see these which I assume I need for the Neo3 and Neo4
https://www.superbrightleds.com/moreinfo/subminiature-bulbs/neox-led-bulb-instrument-panel-led/220/

But what do I order for the 3mm and 5mm that's listed on the excel sheet

I feel your pain. I met up with a pro (Cisco kid) and he made a list of what I needed to order. I'll post what I ordered and where I ordered it from once I am happy with the look.

I've been working on the HVAC panel today. Most of it looks good except the 3 knobs, which are really dim and uneven in brightness. I used the standard neo3 LEDs from superbrightleds. What's a brighter and wider pattern led for these three knobs? Can I use the HP neo3?

 

[Cisco Kid]

I feel your pain. I met up with a pro (Cisco kid) and he made a list of what I needed to order. I'll post what I ordered and where I ordered it from once I am happy with the look.

I've been working on the HVAC panel today. Most of it looks good except the 3 knobs, which are really dim and uneven in brightness. I used the standard neo3 LEDs from superbrightleds. What's a brighter and wider pattern led for these three knobs? Can I use the HP neo3?

That's how my climate controls look too Garyn. Did you get everything ordered for the cluster? Are you going to attempt it yourself, or do you want some help with it?