The problem is the bulbs are actually making yellow colored light... take a picture of them on without color balance and you'll see. So by adding a colored coating, it'll throw off the color (ex. red looks like pink).
-
Welcome to the Contour Enthusiasts Group, the best resource for the Ford Contour and Mercury Mystique.
You can register to join the community.
Gauge Cluster LEDs -- I need more light!
- Thread starter Scorpion8
- Start date
The problem is the bulbs are actually making yellow colored light... take a picture of them on without color balance and you'll see. So by adding a colored coating, it'll throw off the color (ex. red looks like pink).
hotdimmes
Hard-core CEG'er
I've been thinking about making horseshoe shaped acrylic pieces that have the front sanded/frosted and putting them behind the gauges. Then lighting those up with LED's. It would create even coverage but I think I'd lose alot of color. :shrug:
Use a hot glue gun and cover the entire LED up to diffuse the light.
http://www.instructables.com/id/Hot_Glue_LED_Diffusion/
hotdimmes
Hard-core CEG'er
lol I actually sanded down every LED bulb before I did my gauge cluster to diffuse the light better. Which, thanks for reminding me, will probably have the same color output as what I said earlier with the plexi.
qbcsvt
Hard-core CEG'er
74-x Wedge Base LED bulb
Small Wedge Base LED bulb (74 type)~ 2 lumen
3/16 inch wide base, 13/16 inch overall length
Flat tipped LED produces wide beam angle
Select LED Color
I just copied this directly from the site. I am looking to do the same cause I am messing with my gauge colors and the yellowish color effect that the regular bulds are giving are really distorting the color that I want out of the Gauge Cluster....
- amyn
Small Wedge Base LED bulb (74 type)~ 2 lumen
3/16 inch wide base, 13/16 inch overall length
Flat tipped LED produces wide beam angle
Select LED Color
I just copied this directly from the site. I am looking to do the same cause I am messing with my gauge colors and the yellowish color effect that the regular bulds are giving are really distorting the color that I want out of the Gauge Cluster....
- amyn
98MystiqueLS
CEG'er
- Joined
- Oct 18, 2008
- Messages
- 87
i did the led gauges in my element with just led's that you get from pepboys. I mounted them in the factory bulb mounts and tapped into the illumination wire on the gauge cluster wiring harness. They came out awsome.
I had a guitar head (Crate Blue Voodoo 120watt) that had 4 light bulbs in the back. Stock it had a plastic rubbery condom looking thing over the bulbs. Probably silicone based, they were yellowish and considerably changed the tint of the light.
I plan on making my cluster lights blue. My original idea was to use (2) 8 or 12" cold cathodes. Any reason that wouldn't work? I wouldn't mind having to wire more power to them.
It would be really hard to make the light reach all areas of the gauges evenly, because of all the plastic piece hanging down.
Big Daddy Kane
Hard-core CEG'er
You know what? I never really saw the cold cathode part before...
I think that might actually work fairly well to light up the cluster the best since they throw light off in all directions like the incandescent bulbs, and it's a higher color temp, so would look a bit different.
But for the brightest, I was looking at that dude's site who sold us those janky guage overlays, and there was a good idea from a thunderbird on there to maximize the light. Make the back part of the cluster reflective... easiest way is to paint it like the highest gloss white you can find (or other light colors, silver was on his page) to reflect as much light as possible.
Or maybe try some aluminum foil to reflect the light. I dunno...
I just stuck some 180° 1 watt white LEDs in there, and it made it pretty damn bright. But those things are like $5 a piece, so it's not so much of a cheap mod.
But yeah, make sure to take some pics if you do the cold cathode method (and btw, I found cold cathode tubes for free in old scanners that were 12V
)
I think that might actually work fairly well to light up the cluster the best since they throw light off in all directions like the incandescent bulbs, and it's a higher color temp, so would look a bit different.
But for the brightest, I was looking at that dude's site who sold us those janky guage overlays, and there was a good idea from a thunderbird on there to maximize the light. Make the back part of the cluster reflective... easiest way is to paint it like the highest gloss white you can find (or other light colors, silver was on his page) to reflect as much light as possible.
Or maybe try some aluminum foil to reflect the light. I dunno...
I just stuck some 180° 1 watt white LEDs in there, and it made it pretty damn bright. But those things are like $5 a piece, so it's not so much of a cheap mod.
But yeah, make sure to take some pics if you do the cold cathode method (and btw, I found cold cathode tubes for free in old scanners that were 12V
)