LED Gauge Install

[jdixon74]

Yeah I hadn't heard of hot spots either. The WLED-x-5 is still more than 2.5x the cost of the WLED-x-x but it's brighter too. I was going to wait a little bit on these so I'll probably wait to hear how you like the x5s and how they compare to the 120s that your brother ordered.

i should have my package soon and then ill do the lights right away. Ill keep ya posted. My brother is just waiting for his aluminum guage cover before he tears into it which should be here in a day or so then he'll do the 120's and let me know.

 

[jdixon74]

I used the WLED-x5s before. They lit up pretty evenly, but just weren't bright enough for me. That's when I went with the x6s. That was back before they had the HP LEDs. I'm a converted fan of the HPs, though. Worth the extra cost to me.

How much brighter are the HP's? Are the guage's so bright they are distracting at night with the HP's? hard to tell by the pictures, though the pics you posted earlier you can see alot of rays it seems that the camera caught which leads me to believe they are really bright lol

 

[1badgmc]

They're brighter than stock, but not blinding or distractingly so. It's hard to take a picture of any type of lighting and have the image be an exact representation of what the eye will see. I can take a picture of them and make them look like they barely work at all. I can change the settings and make them look like they're brighter than the sun.

 

[jdixon74]

Ok got all my LED's installed finally. I have the WLED-x5's (blue) in the guages. No hot spots. Bright enough but not overbearing to where they glow in my face at night. Got all cool white festoon's and 194s in the doors and ceilings. Got the WLED-HP5's (cool white) on the floorboard at the dash (very bright). Put blue and red WLED-x1 in the 4x4 shifter on floor. Put a T1.5 standards (blue) in the HVAC (bright as the gauges).

My brother got the WLED-x1's 120 degree for the gauges in blue and he said they are as bright as the stock lights. Hope that helps for those wondering

 

[borahshadow]

Ok got all my LED's installed finally. I have the WLED-x5's (blue) in the guages. No hot spots. Bright enough but not overbearing to where they glow in my face at night. Got all cool white festoon's and 194s in the doors and ceilings. Got the WLED-HP5's (cool white) on the floorboard at the dash (very bright). Put blue and red WLED-x1 in the 4x4 shifter on floor. Put a T1.5 standards (blue) in the HVAC (bright as the gauges).

My brother got the WLED-x1's 120 degree for the gauges in blue and he said they are as bright as the stock lights. Hope that helps for those wondering

So would you say that yours are much brighter than the stock bulbs? Also do yours dim?

 

[jdixon74]

So would you say that yours are much brighter than the stock bulbs? Also do yours dim?

The WLED-X5's are brighter then the stock bulbs. They match up perfectly with the T1.5's in the HVAC and the all blue led flip out DVD/MP3 Headunit i have. The x5's do not dim. I don't think any of the LED's dim using the stock dimmer. Anyone with some electronic background may be able to come up with something but i dont have a clue how to get them to dim.

 

[borahshadow]

The WLED-X5's are brighter then the stock bulbs. They match up perfectly with the T1.5's in the HVAC and the all blue led flip out DVD/MP3 Headunit i have. The x5's do not dim. I don't think any of the LED's dim using the stock dimmer. Anyone with some electronic background may be able to come up with something but i dont have a clue how to get them to dim.

I didn't think they'd dim... I actually used to do a fair amount of electronics work. I know why they won't dim and what I'd have to do to fix it but I don't know if it's worth the work...

Here's the problem that I suspected and you just confirmed for me.
The stock dimmer is just a resistor that drops the voltage going to the bulb. It's simple but it won't work with LEDs because LED's have a minimum voltage. To dim LED's one has to use what's called pulse width modulation (PWM). Basically that is just a circuit that flashes the bulb so fast that it appears to be on steady. The faster it flashes it the brighter it appears and the slower if flashes is the dimmer it is (until it gets slow enough that the eye can just see that it is flashing).

I wonder if somebody built a module that used the stock dimmer (resistor) as the speed control and just spliced it in the wire coming from the stock dimmer if it would work or if it would interfere with other things that use the dimmer... That is my biggest ? right now. I could probably build a PWM unit but IDK if it would mess other stuff up PWM can be used with incandescent bulbs so the non LED bulbs wouldn't take a hurt I don't think but what else is controlled by the dimmer besides the gauges?

 

[blacked94blazer]

The dimmer controls all the interior lighting and the hvac, radio lighting

 

[yukonbeast350]

Hey guys Ive got a 95 yukon, I have already finished installing the bulbs in the gauges, door steps, dome lights, and anywhere else you could think of putting an led bulb. I cannot for the life of me figure out how change the HVAC bulbs. Do the bulbs pull out of the socket? I ordered the T1.5-x: 5mm LED Instrument Twist Lock Lamp from super bright leds, and they have the bulb already in the twist lock but I cant figure out how the old twist locks come off! I tried taking some plyers to the bulbs and gently pulling on the bulbs and i broke two of them trying that. If needed I can post a picture sometime tomorrow. This is the last piece of the puzzle and I cant figure it out!! thanks guys!

 

[yukonbeast350]

Anybody!?!?!?!