OHH NOES

iTrader: (3)

The tint can be removed..

TunerMaxima3000

iTrader: (4)

Thanks, I want some of the varios stock pics on file, much appreciated.

From the 2002/2003 SE gauges? I had read that it was actually a plastic piece, not just a coating?

PM sent.

luvlexus101

iTrader: (6)

From what I read there's one set where paint thinner or sandpaper could remove the tint, but on certain gauges - might be 03 SE's, the tint/coloring is between layers and impossible to remove. Not sure though, just throwing it out there.

TunerMaxima3000

iTrader: (4)

This is what I've read as well. I haven't got my paws on a set yet though to verify.

Is is also correct that all GLE/GXE gauges are white (no blue tint)?

I think it's time to go to the wreckers and buy some gauges if I can't get the answers. I have to clear up available colour schemes.

SeedyROM

Alright guys, I'm confused here. I was under the assumption that I could easily remove my cluster and replace the four stock bulbs with LEDs for a slight improvement. However, once I got in there I find that those four bulbs are not accessible.

Compared to the photos earlier in this thread, I don't have the same four wedge bulbs visible. I have two lower ones (backlighting for info panels) and two uppers only. Is this a '02+ thing? I was really hoping to NOT have to remove needles just to change the bulbs

Pics of mine:


Pics of what I expected, posted earlier in thread.

importcf

looks great

TunerMaxima3000

iTrader: (4)

He hehehehe.

Thanks SO much for posting this tonight, what a coincidence!!

I just popped apart a customers 2001 AE gauges, and found exactly what you're looking at. I was shocked, TOTALLY different setup.

I'm working on it right now. To keep things short bro, I apologize for leading you on the wrong path, I don't think many of the gauges were made this way, it seems like Nissan changed the style from my style, to the one you have, and back again. Good to know when I'm pursuing this business, it COMPLETELY changes how you want to illuminate the gauge.

I am very excited with this new challenge I've been presented though, I imagine it's similar to the I30/I35 work I'll have to do.

Seedy, the whole board, gauges, etc are soldered together, they're not easily removable like most clusters.

And you only have 2 illumination bulbs, they are the ones up top with the black housing. Those are the ONLY ones for the illumination of the gauges, pulling apart the board won't give you access to more, there aren't any more.

Installing plug and play LED's will cause serious hotspots in your application, have you tried it yet? Pop two of those bad boys in there and snap some pictures, I want to see it

I'll PM you some ideas after you try that, and after I try a few things tomorrow.

SeedyROM

No worries Tuner, you were extremely helpful and at the end of the day I just have $20 in bulbs I'll find another use for. I'm just glad I was able to get some pics and document this for anyone else diving in. Such a strange change within a model series!

Anyway, you're dead on about hotspots. I tried, for the hell of it, to plug in just the ones I had access to and it was terrible. It's really a shame too because the difference was really quite good (much brighter), just very limited in coverage. It looks like I'll just sit tight and wait for a better solution as you and others work on it.

Here's a pic I took to show what you probably saw. 2XLED on the left, 2XStock on the right. Doesn't even come close!

TunerMaxima3000

iTrader: (4)

Yeah that's what I expected to see, thanks for posting though. Where did you get the LED's from though? That's pretty weak IMO, the cheap Ebay ones I bought look nicer than that, those are Single SMD's from Vleds or Superbright right?


The T5 will fit your ashtray/center console light (under your ACC), it will fit in your key ring lighting as well. That should take care of two of them.

TunerMaxima3000

iTrader: (4)

Update: Before and After pictures added.

NissanTun3r

iTrader: (3)

i badly want my cluster to be led

SeedyROM

Those are the Superbrightled.com ones. Maybe their set isn't up to snuff. Link here: http://www.superbrightleds.com/cgi-b...%2F74-xHP.html

Good call on the other areas, I'll pop them in tomorrow. I'll also send you a PM about the cluster.

TunerMaxima3000

iTrader: (4)

You know what you must do

P.S. I liked your old SIG pic much better Tun3r.


I'm surprised with the low output/angle, but they're not designed for that type of illumination of course. I found my Blue 5mm flat tops were brighter when I tested them last night. Always hard to tell from a picture when it's comparing dim to dim

Either way, I'd like to see some pictures of them installed in the other locations. They may be cheap SMD's that don't have a high intensity wide viewing angle (50% after 30-40 Degrees is standard for decent Wide angle types, those look more like 30% after 40 Degrees). It will be easier to judge that when I see one in the 'ashtray/center console' location under the ACC.

PM replied.

SeedyROM

ATTN 5.5 (02+) owners, I have some good news! It looks like if you get the right LEDs from SuperBrightLEDs.com you can actually get a worthy improvement as a "drop-in" solution! I created a new thread with all the details which can be found here:
http://forums.maxima.org/5th-generat...one-works.html

Big thanks to TunerMaxima3000 for all his support and help on this. If I had a '00 I'd probably go for one of his custom LED setups but since he doesn't currently work on the '02s with our nasty cluster, this is a very cheap $15 possible solution.

Here's a quick before/after for those of you following this thread. Before with 100% stock '02 cluster.


After with 74-xHP3 LEDs from SuperBrightLEDs.com (four of them)

Please direct any questions/concerns to my main thread as I may not check this one.

TunerMaxima3000

iTrader: (4)

^Still think the bottom two don't illuminate the gauges at all. I think they only illuminate the LCD screens. I would still install them, because the illuminate the screen nicely, but it's good to note whether they actually impact the Gauge illumination.


P.S. I do work on the 5.5 gauges now. I have a cheaper option for you guys, brighter than above, I'm currently working on a strategy to eliminate/reduce the hotspots that come with it though.

Hate to post ***** this pic, but it's the only one I have right now, been too busy to get at hotspot removal. Should be done soon.

5.5 Style SE:



EDIT 22/04/2011: Finally got my hands on a GLE. Canadian Model but you guys will get the idea. Pics are with a point and shoot, for some reason they came out blue looking in the pics. They're acually quite white. There's also No Hotspots visible to the human eye, but the point and shoot pics up one over by 6000 RPM.

BEFORE:



AFTER:

SeedyROM

Oh wow, didn't realize you were doing 5.5s now! I'm glad to hear you're working out the issues and moving forward on it. No doubt your method is the ideal way if possible. Looking forward to seeing more!

I mentioned it my thread too but you're right, only the top two "bulbs" light the gauges. The bottom two just do the square odo/trip meters.

TunerMaxima3000

iTrader: (4)

Right on man. I'm happy to see some more guys joining that have the confidence to delve into some more modifications that most shy away from. There's always a way, just need to have the determination to find it If I believed everything I read on the forum that 'wasn't possible', I wouldn't be where I am with mods. Keep up the good work.

P.S. The Right half of the gauges (temp, etc) is actually designed just a little differently, I have no idea why because they should be identical, I think it might be the 'red zone' on the Tach, but whatever the reason, it always seems to be dimmer on that side, it's very hard to get away from, even on a full LED modded gauge cluster.

TunerMaxima3000

iTrader: (4)

Finally got the gauge colour scheme cleaned up a bit. Here are some updated pics

DrunkieTheBear

iTrader: (17)

Looks nice, nice job with the pictures too, much better than my blurry shots in the dark!

jeff5347

Tuner, was reading thru this thread and at one point you state that nissan went from the type of cluster you usually work on (with all the bulbs) to the 02 cluster (with only 4- 2 uppers and 2 lowers). Does that mean an 03 GLE has the other cluster with all the lights or the newer type like the 02 with just 2 up top and 2 at the bottom.

Reason asking is i am very handy at soldering and such and instead of buying the SBL i would just get an assortment of resistors and LEDS.

Was thinking on buying 3 or 5mm directional LEDS
http://cgi.ebay.com/100-x-5mm-White-...item3ca601dba5

and making my own led cluster. What im wondering is since the 2 upper ones are the only illuminaters (im assuming)

Thoughts


PS one thing not sure if you have done and if you have what has your experience been with this> I take the rounded end of the LED and shave it down to be flat so the directionality of it isnt as bright straight ahead. It gives it a dispersion effect. Thinking this may lessen the hot spoting and illuminate the whole cluster more equally.

TunerMaxima3000

iTrader: (4)

~Your cluster only has 2 Illumination bulbs (top). The two on the bottom are backlighting for the LCD screens.

~I laugh at that Ebay seller, we all know where he gets the LED's from, it seems to net him some sales from 'patriot' types though, even though it's a load of crap

~As far as the custom LED cluster, you will have to remove the needles and gauge faces to get in behind to do a full custom job on your cluster. It's not a simple task, but of course, it's do-able. If you are going to go this route, I would actually suggest getting some SMD's and some blank circuit board, then you can install that inbehind the gauges. SMD's have a much brighter and wider light dispersion, as such they will do a better job in there, you'll also need less.

~Yes I've done all kinds of custom methods to LED's to get different effects out of them, that one is no different. They make LED's like that now though, not like the old days, so I just get those ones, saves a lot of time and messing around. Search for 'flat top' LEDs.

knight_yyz

iTrader: (40)

or you can look for straw hat led's, they have about 140* dispersion

And removing the needles is not a problem as long as you put the gauge in "diagnosis mode" before and after the removal

jeff5347

knight i was looking at all the cluster light mods and saw yours. You removed the bulbs and put an led in each spot. So 4 all together. Do you still run that setup?
Also was wondering the specs on the leds you used:
Forward voltage, forward Ma (current).

Oh also wondering what wattage the leds were and the luminosity

Also with the led in the bulb spot is there enough for 2 leds to fit in each hole or is it only big enough for one bulb each?

TunerMaxima3000

iTrader: (4)

I haven't found a high quality straw hat yet, but they will hopefully be around sometime in the future (I hope).
There are half decent ones offered from bestshop2008k (I think that's the seller's name didn't double check). They are far from the best LED's I've seen though.

I still recommend SMD's if you're taking it all apart anways, I'm quite sure Ray agrees with that as well. Have you finished your Gauges yet man?

And yes, if you can get it into calibration mode no problems, just follow the steps precisely.

-Matt

jeff5347

curious on this so when i start working on mine. When i get i calibration moe i just remember where the gauges are say
MPH @ 21
RPM @ 3300
Gas @ 3/4 full
Heat @ 1/4

So do you just pull them off ( how do you pull them off) and when you are all done place the needle where it read when you took it apart?

No problem doing it but trying to see how you go about it.

Edit: also wondering. Once you have finished and are done with cal mode or your done installing everything, do you just turn the ign on and it will go back to normal driving mode or whatever you call it?

jeff5347

Ok so this is what i was thinking on doing.
This is our cluster apart.

What i was thinking with the clear acrylic that disperses the light is to drill holes and attach the leds inside each hole to illuminate the dash fully. Below in the dash the red spots are where i would put each led.

Not sure if i would be able to get behind the needles to illuminate them but i think having an led behind each numbered line and spaced evenly on the gas and temp gauge would evenly disperse the light. I would run flat top leds so they disperse the light even more and reduce hot spotting.
Once i find the leds i want i will run my calculations on how many leds in a series and what resistor to run on each circuit. I would them all off to a common - and + where knight shows they are on the plugs on the cluster.
So essentially right now im thinking it would be 30 leds total unless i want to try/ figure something different and then would have 10 resistors. 3 leds and a resistor in each circuit. Each of the 3 resistors would be daisy chained then a resistor. Each one would have a + and - wire so essentially 10 - wires and 10 + wires. I would connect the neg wires to the common ground that knight shows and the + wires as well to the + spot. So this is my plan. Know to order leds and figure the resitors needed and order those

Polished2002

Can someone scan that gauge face for me? I would be interested in doing a different color scheme instead of the blue. I've done this with the Altima I own; it too has a film on the back, but in our case it's orange instead.

TunerMaxima3000

iTrader: (4)

Jeff5347 would be the best to do it for you if you can convince him. I have a SE gauge face I can scan for you but it is the Canadian version, and is for a 5th gen (no LCD screen in the tach)


As to your post Jeff, I'll get back to you on it hope you're not in a rush, I had a wheel bearing calf out so I'm a little swamped right now. I have some tips for you though.

jeff5347

i would assume i should get my stuff in on thurs. would like to tackle it thurs or fri. Any tips are much much appreciated.

TunerMaxima3000

iTrader: (4)

Yellow circles are around LED's that will likely hot-spot because they are too close to each other.

Red circles are kind of WTF? Why are you putting them there, are those indicator locations or something, what am I missing there?



As far as installation, I would recommend you use perforated blank board, and just cut it to size (circular/half moon for each gauge). Then you can install it under the gauges.

If you want to get fancy, you can try cutting into the plastic that carries the light through the gauge face, but you should be doing it with something very precise, otherwise you will block more light than you will put in. Drilling all the way through won't work, that will just cause a bunch of little hotspots.

jeff5347

The red circled ones are not really anything. meaning i didnt want the leds right under the LCD so they wouldnt hot spot. Figured go below to light that area. I do have the Perf board so i can do that. I was curious how much space is behind the display meaning is there enough room for the leds. I figure if worse comes to worse i will just put the leds in the stock bulb location

jeff5347

Tuner , just curious. Do you think i am going about this with over kill on all the leds on each number. I wan t the gauge to look nice and bright and more up to date but you know what they say, keep it simple stupid. DO i have to much going on and dont need all that i have to make it brighter and better. Any other ideas on led placement and making it simple but effective?

phatboislim

iTrader: (27)

is there no cable running to the dash? is it just plugs and what not?

jeff5347

^^^ havent taken it apart but assuming just plugs. I think the cable is for older models and the cable would be a mechanical speedo.


Tuner. Some ?s. YOu stated on page one to Speedy that they went from individual lighting then to the 4 bulb setup then back. I have the 03 GLE so im curious how the back of mine looks. ALso wondering on the TCS light. I always turn mine on so i would like it to illum white....but im thinking it has a orange filter to ake it orange. Have any ideas on ridding the orange to get white or blue? Also how many leds are on your set up from the video on the first post. Thinking the 30 i have/had planned may invite planes to land.
Also the gear indicator. It illums blue but the gear your in reads green. How did you accomplish that with out any bleed or just in general.

Im sure once i get it out today or tomorrow im gonna have more questions to make my work a little easier.

phatboislim

iTrader: (27)

yea thats my major concern...i just wanted to see if everything is electrical and nothing needs to be calibrated upon reinstall or something. big reason why i havent even started to mess w/ mine

jeff5347

other ? tuner how did u illuminate the needles?

jeff5347

Okay someone help me here. How in the world do you remove the needles from the temp, gas, speedo and rpm. From trying to get them out it seems like you need to use a ton of force and i dont want to f them up so i held off for now. I went in to diag mode to get their pos so thats good...

Other thing i was thinking, if i get the cover off i want to change the leds behind the TCS light and the gear indicator. From what i see the leds are green for the gear ind and orange for the TCS light.

TunerMaxima3000

iTrader: (4)

Installing a bi-directional SMD type bulb in the stock locations is best for the LCD screens. The HP3 mentioned in SEEDYROM's thread will work great.

There is lot's of room once you get it apart.

Yes and no. I don't think you NEED that many, but if you're going in there anyways, I'd put them in, then just install a separate dimmer for the LED's you installed. That way if they're too bright you can dim them separate of the rest of the car.

Fully electronic. I think you'd have to go back to the 1st, 2nd, mayyybe 3rd gen to get into cables.

Yours has 2 bulbs that illumintate the entire gauge cluster, they are up top. The two bulbs on the bottom are for the LCD screens only.

Do you mean to say you always turn it OFF? The light in the dash only comes on when it's turned off. The 2003 uses LED's for all indicator lights, all you have to do is swap it out for a different colour LED. Mark which LED it is before you take it apart.

About 25.

It's designed that way stock, whatever colour you use for LED's will be the colour it illuminates, you don't have to mess with it.

There is no calibration or any messing around on your gauges unless you remove the needles.

With LEDs......

If you're ready to remove them, the best way is with a small interior clip tool. It looks like a snakes tounge, with a bend so you can pry slightly.
A flathead screwdriver won't take it off evenly, it will pinch and you can damage the gauge shaft. If you can't find a small one, try a standard Interior clip tool like the one pictured below, with the thinnest end you can find.



And if you don't want to get the tool you can just use two small flathead screwdrivers, just be very careful, pry evenly, and don't scratch the gauge face. Using a high quality business card or piece of a cigarette pack under the screwdriver is a nice little trick you can try in an attempt to save the gauge face from damage

jeff5347

Yea i meant to say i always turn the TCS off so the light comes on. Orange is not my color of choice.

Ok i dont have that tool but ill try the business card and 2 screwdriver approach. Once i get these off and all done, when installing the needles, do they go on easier than taking them off
?

TunerMaxima3000

iTrader: (4)

^ Yes they will just push back on