- Dec 4, 2011
- 568
After a false start, I finally finished changing out my climate control bulbs for LEDs. My initial problem was using the resistor recommended by the calculator, however my LEDs are rated at 12,000-18,000 MCD, and they were WAY too bright for what I needed. I started with 680ohm resistors, and finally settled on 5.1K resistors, which are almost identical in intensity to the original dash lights. The good news with this is that not only has the current been reduced so much that 1/4 watt resistors are perfectly fine, but I can use these same LEDs throughout the truck and adjust the intensity depending on the locations... For instance, the backlight in the 4x4 and rear wiper switches are very dim, but when I make the switch to LED, I can choose a resistor that provides an output equal to other lights on the dash. I already used this in the climate control for the fan speed switch. It appeared brighter than the other buttons, so I used a slightly larger resistor to balance out the appearance.
I've been taking a lot of pictures, including the disassembly of the dash. If anyone can use these pics for articles on GMTNation, feel free. I wanted to also get pictures of how the various wire connectors came apart, but I was pressed for time today.
http://www.sourpuss.net/projects/vehicles/trailblazer/climate_control/
Note the last two pictures comparing the different resistor values. The original values left a glare in my peripheral vision when driving at night. I really love the more pure white look of the LED's, but now it makes my radio buttons look dirty! Changing out the radio will be quite a project because I'm guessing there are about 24 lights in there.
I've been taking a lot of pictures, including the disassembly of the dash. If anyone can use these pics for articles on GMTNation, feel free. I wanted to also get pictures of how the various wire connectors came apart, but I was pressed for time today.
http://www.sourpuss.net/projects/vehicles/trailblazer/climate_control/
Note the last two pictures comparing the different resistor values. The original values left a glare in my peripheral vision when driving at night. I really love the more pure white look of the LED's, but now it makes my radio buttons look dirty! Changing out the radio will be quite a project because I'm guessing there are about 24 lights in there.
plus you could get a headunit that has white colors already in it! so it goes with your theme, and they sound better than stock!