Has anyone done any engineering using the new white LED bulbs or otherwise experimented with their use to illuminate the dash instruments? If and when I can get to allen screws loose from my steering wheel I would like to better understand the problem. I'm wondering if green might be a candidate? I have played with the blue LEDs in a flashlight and find them a disappointing curiosity ... bright but not at all helpful in illuminating anything. It would be great to find the screened numbers on the gauges come alive with a particular illumination color. Dropping the voltage to the LED lights is not a problem as the present potentiometer would simply require a value change to maintain its dimming function. I'm told some of the newer cars are already using these bulbs for the instrument cluster. Image Unavailable, Please Login
LED's don't typically dim. They either have enough voltage to work... or not. LED's are one way. This is an advantage for Ferrari electronics as current can't flow the wrong way in the areas of the circuit where an LED is installed correctly (but current *can* flow backwards in circuits with just old light bulbs). Because they are one way, installation may take some trial and error. If an LED doesn't light up installed in one fashion, then you've got to yank the dash and flip it around to get it to light up. LED's aren't like light bulbs. LED's emit pure light. This means that you see almost no light shine through lenses or paper-covers that differ in color from the LED. You can't just put a white LED behind a red lens to get a brake light, for instance, as the white LED emits so little red light that you won't be able to see it turn on in that setup. You want a red LED for a red lens. My experience with LED's is that they are fantastic for the warning lights on your dash that don't have the dimming function, if you can match colors of LED's to the lenses. Likewise, LED's are great for your running lights, but terrible for your blinkers and main brake lights (their light isn't wide enough). LED's are superior for your center-mounted, 3rd brake light, however, because LED's light up at least a tenth of a second faster than light bulbs, and the desired audience for that particular brake light is directly behind you in the good zone of the LED beam width. Check out this video to see what I mean. My 348 has two main brake lights below and to each side of the center high-mounted brake light (which has LED's inside it). You'll see the high-mounted center 3rd brake light illuminated noticeably before the old light bulbs in the lower two main brake lights in this short clip. Image Unavailable, Please Login
SCMDCFD in the Mid Atl region has the LED's in his 348's reverse lights and they are very bright at night..
Not talking warning lights here. ONLY GAUGE ILLUMINATION And yes, LEDs can dim by controlling forward current. And yes the current goes one way which is why they are called 'diodes', but so what, ground is alway negative in my car. And why use a lens filter? THINK POSITIVE. I'm after night readability...brighter without the accompanying heat exhibited with incandescent bulbs... voila LED and now available in white. Hence my inquiry.
Thanks, Rick. That was exactly the info I was seeking. Next step is to experiment with illumination of the clock / oil temp since they are easily removed. (and my steering wheel is a b....h) I assume the clock / oil temp gauge has the same illumination setup (lamp holders etc) as the gauges in the dash but can anyone confirm this?
Almost all the guages take the Sylvania 1895...but upgradeable to the Sylvania 3893. I forget which takes which, but either the speedo or tach take a wedge type bulb. I forget the oem part number, but the brighter upgrade one is the Sylvania 2723. Good luck! I upgraded the bulbs in my previous 308 and 328....fortunately they finally fixed the dash illumination on the 355.
No. Click on Rick's link. Here's what it says: "Q) Will the stock dash lamp dimmer work with LED's? A) No the dimmer will not work; The LEDs will turn off when you turn the knob." To get "dimming" functionality with LED's most people use a small circuit that progressively turns on or off more LED's in a cluster of lights. But with just a standard LED it is either on full bright or off entirely, not some dim state in between.
Just jumper the dimmer!!! A 308 without a dimmer for the dash lights is like a fish without a bicycle. Hands down the single most useless switch on an old Ferrari. I'm thinking of marketing a rheostat to slow down the 308 window operators whenever it may become neccessary. LOL The Led's sound like an excellent idea BTW. -L
Good point. Eliminating the reostat by bypassing it has got to improve the output by 30% or more...and is very easy to do...super easy on the 328, since you don't have to take the dash panel out, just reach up under the dash to the reostat.
