Damn...

There is so much info here I just have to do my gauges this winter. :rolleyes:
My to do list is getting longer and longer the more time I spend here.lol

Maybe this might help: http://www.villagehatshop.com/miners_helmet_light.html

Here's my quick 5 minute install on the spare clock:

Here is the guts of the clock with the tape installed. The wire is going out of the original light bulb socket hole. You can see my botched attempt at adding additional LED bulbs on my first experiment.
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1238688042.jpg

Here it is with the face installed. You can see there is a thin strip of light all the way around the face of the clock:
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1238688063.jpg

Here it is with the inner bezel in place. Just enough so that some of the strip is visible. This is why I think the wire would actually work better here:
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1238688207.jpg

Here is the whole package with the inverter hooked up:
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1238688080.jpg


Hope that helps answer some of the questions I got.

Hey Speed,

The wire is 2.3 MM and liken to a normal electical wire that is semi rigid so it can be formed.

I quickly measured the opened clock and the space between the black face and the rim appears to be the same size so one can feed it thru the original hole for the bulb then out the front and shape the circle and rtv it down. This way we don't have drill or cut the guages. (like your 3rd pic)

I think for crimping, you can use one of those narrow hand rollers like those used formica workers.

We can use RTV and spot glue it to the rim of the guages.

Very good idea, that way you wouldn't have to take the needles or faces off of the gauges. No chance of messing up the calibration that way. I have an order of 5' of the wire on it's way, so I'll play with it when it gets here. Can't wait to start popping open all my gauges :(.

An idea on making our own 5 way splitters:

Place male connectors to ends of the El-Wires that will be coming out of the ports where the existing light bulbs go in.

Solder 5 plain wires to the Inverter leads and place Female Connectors on the other end.

This would allow for servicing of the guages one at a time with the quick disconnect connectors.

Does anyone know if 2K or 3K Hertz is better? I assume 3K would be better but not sure.

Someone should put together a complete "kit" designed for the 911...

People will pay a little more for a kit that works and is simple to install.

It would include "5 light" rings, wiring, inverters, some simple instructions and an appropriate glue... You'd sell heaps...

Hell there is a company Down Under that has great EL products. Maybe you should :D. Unforutnaely I deleted the link because the shipping to the states was horrendous.

Here is the 5-way EZ connector I was talking about. Just left a message for VibeLight.com to let me know how we can order the 2.3MM EL-Wire, their site is broken

http://us.st12.yimg.com/us.st.yimg.c...8_2042_3736247

Top left Corner ( it looks like all they did is solder then heat shrinked 6 wires )

Whoa, I just noticed their Inverters are 3500 Hertz

http://us.st12.yimg.com/us.st.yimg.c...8_2042_1014239

Connectors for the EL-Wire ( with these connectors one can solder to the inverter directly, No Splitter needed )

http://us.st12.yimg.com/us.st.yimg.c...8_2042_4281904

El-Wire 2.3 MM

http://us.st12.yimg.com/us.st.yimg.c...8_2042_2043524

good info guys,

for attaching the "EL-Wire" to the case of the gauge, i have been pondering doing it w/ small pieces of stainless steel wire. i have seen people make there own "angle eye" set ups for head lights using small sections of wire to hold them in place cleanly. im thinking that if u get the "EL-Wire" to fit snugly into the gauge housing (aka having the start and end of it press against each other pushing it into the gauge housing) then restringing the "EL-Wire" in place w/ strategically placing thin strands of stainless steel wire should equate out to a clean permanent install of the "EL-Wire" with no worries of it coming loose from what ever "chemical bond" used to hold it in place coming free. the idea of having to drill holes into the case to run the wire will cause damage but, all this renders the gauges non OE style so im not too worried about it. im thinking of adding a "dimple" into the housing where the wire will go thur so the outside of the gauge housing is basically still "smooth" and easy to slide back into the dash. things may change when it comes time to install but so far this seems to be the way i hope to do mine.

Wow, you guys have moved fast and really expanded on the idea nicely. It looks like this may be THE solution many of us have wanted! Nice job SpeedRacer.

Thanks to you Luke. You get the Blame, OK? LOL ;)

I think for safe measure we need to place a Fuse before the inverters, what say you guys? What size?

Very interesting, please post pics SmileWavy

This thread is just too cool not to follow--brainstorms happening by the second!
One question to the experimenters: on the speedo, you have the odometer numbers which are illuminated from behind the face. If you use just the wire, would that still light the numbers or would it be better to use the ELtape for that application?

My understanding is, if we route the EL WIRE thru the existing ports where the OEM light bulbs go then the lumination of the ELWIRE should emit light every where the OEM blub would have lit up.

This is why I am planning on using the EL WIRE instead of the EL Tape. I am sure the EL Tape could work but I am worried about the 90 bend it will need to take to wrap around and through the 3MM opening then bend to adhere to the walls of the guage without breaking or shorting due to possibly creasing/snapping at the bend.

My 2 cents.

OK Fellas,

I found one more site http://www.thatscoolwire.com/store/cart_view.asp

These guys have everything and shipping out of Texas:

6' EL-WIRE White 2.2MM Standard
5-Way Connector (1 Male 5 Female)
5 Male Connector
1 10-Pack End Cap (Clear)
12V Inverter for 1-8' Service (Raw, No adapter for Cig/Wall in Clear)

$25.06 before S&H (Sorry Cali no Tax in Texas :D )

I decided on 6 feet of wire due to the fact we'll need extra length to take up the depth of the guages. I roughly measured the spare clock's diameter and depth and got around 9". So just to insure I have enough EL-Wire. It would suck to be short on the last guage.

You guys thinking of not using a inverter can but it will not be as bright. The exampe video is of an AC Direct Connect but you will get the idea:

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AHH now you guys come up with this! This looks like it would have been alot easier than what I did but hey I like how mine turned out and if I have to redo later I will follow this and proly go this route. looks nice and is alot cheaper than I thought it was what were those other guys charging for this mod and why arent they chiming in here like they were hijacking the other threads.

Very good - potentially a great solution.

I haven't received by EL wire yet, so I have (2) questions:

1. How much current does this draw?

2. How small a bend radius can the 2.3 mm EL wire tolerate? Is some kind of reinforcement possible (e.g. tight-fitting polymer tubing)?

As a result of this thread I have been doing some research. The tape is just a capacitor and when you charge it the electrons scurrying from side to side hit manganese atoms and emit light.

These splitters just hook the capacitors up in parallel. Of course when you do that you add the capacitances and the current goes up proportionally.

Of course with higher frequency more current will be flowing and the light will be brighter.

Edit: Is the tape you guys are buying rated (Vmax) to just plug in the wall socket to play with?

Do you think you could get at the front and back electrodes with copper tape and clamp it together?

Current is proportional to brightness

Xc = 1 / 2 pi f C
I = V / Xc
Now if we could find out what C is per square inch.

I just ordered from www.thatscoolwire.com
 

Just spoke to www.thatscoolwire.com (Texans) according to them:

1. The 2.2MM per foot draws 0.51 mAmps. (that is miliamps)

2. a. Here is a pic of the radial bend it can take, you can wrap it around a pencil:

The pis is copy right so I can not cut and paste it http://www.coolight.com/category-s/53.htm

2. b. I purchased the 2.2MM mounts:
http://www.thatscoolwire.com/store/i...3WireMount.jpg

At www.thatscoolwire.com they said placing a fuse before the inverter will not hurt but they reassured me that the inverter can take +/-8% fluctuations ( I am not a EE so I do not know what the hell that means )

I think you can use copper tape that they offer and clamp it in but i would be concerned with vibration form our cars that may loosen and possibly drop off?

You have me this/tempted to run over there after work, grab everything, slap it together tonight, and be the Cool Guy who first ran the EL wire from these guys :p

But I won't...

No worries, I will get it on Wednesday next week. you still Cool though :P

It would be interesting to see what the 2.2mm produces as far as light, and whether the 0.9mm might be better, at full current. Also, the 0.9mm is small enough that you could run two loops, of different colors. White for normal driving, and red/green/blue/orange/whatever for car shows, etc.

I have to admit I was seriously considering both white & yellow 0.9mm wires, and adjusting the voltage for each to achieve the yellowish color of the "underpowered incandescent" look we're all used to. ;)

0.51mA/ft !!!!

The inverter probably looses more than the total current the lighting elements themselves draw, just due to parasitic and efficiency losses.

Standard led's draw 10 - 20mA (or more) each, depending on the specific type & brightness of the led's.

Hmmm... Maybe I will put in more than one color so I can adjust it to my liking, similar to the option on new Mustangs.

That's at 100 volts though right?

Where did you get that number? Did they have capacitance per foot also?

Got the data from www.thatscoolwire.com. Just call them they are Kool Kats or visit their site FAQ :confused:

From their FAQ:

Ooooops my bad is was one digit off sorry for the scare, I told yeah I am no EE.

In all my excitement, I have a Question?

Which Guage would you guys tap off of for 12v source?

I was thinking one of the light bulb (Black/Blue) wire off of the Speedo and tap the (Brown) Ground Wire. What say you guys? I read the specs in the Bentley page 970-77 & 78 it shows two (Red/Black) power leads.

Update: I have now installed the wire in all 5 gauges. It was quite a bit of work but well worth it. I used exactly 5' of wire for all of them. I soldered connectors for each gauge and passed the wire through the existing light socket. I did retain the original sockets with LEDs in the speedometer to retain the lighting of the odometer. On all others I ditched the original light sockets all together. I did not cut any factory wiring so I can go back to stock if I want to.

I used double sided foam tape to line the inside of each gauge. I did not use the tape to stick the wire though. I only used it to prevent the wire from falling into the gauge. The wire will stick against the gauge with a little tension bent into the it. The inner bezel holds the wire nicely against the foam tape, and it is not visible once put back together. I had to split the right 3 gauges to install the wire. The left two you can access from the back without splitting.

To hook up in the car, I used 2 inverters with splitters. I pulled power off of the main feed for all of the gauges. I simply used a jumper and spliced right into the wire where it comes out of the harness. I used the ground on the back of the gas/oil gauge. I put the inverters way up in the trunk so I don't hear them. Sorry I cannot put up more pictures, but I have to pack for a work trip early AM. All I can say is WOW!!!

I haven't finished with the install in the car yet. I will be out of the country all week, so it's going to have to wait until next weekend. Here are a few pictures of the progress:

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1238972949.jpg

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1238973025.jpg

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1238973083.jpg

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1238973136.jpg

They look great!

They look great. But, I really think you have an obligation to call in sick tomorrow and get this finished.

Yep, you are definitely heading down the right path here.

That is awsome Speed.

I can't wait to set up my guages. WIIT, I'm going to touch up all the red/orange with some model paint.

Questions:

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1238973083.jpg

Is there a reason why you did not allow the EL-Wire to eluminate within the body of the Guage? I notice you place heat shrink before the bend.

upper or lower?

Do you have a pic?

Any Pics?

Can you share where exactly you routed the inverters and which inverters you chose?

Sorry Speed for all the questions. Great Job Brother!

Also... Can we have a rough wiring diagram showing the 2 inverters with splitters showing all five gauges...

Thanks advance.

If Speed doesn't get back in time I will post all pics of my set up and maybe diagram ( that's a good idea to keep everything organised, good call )

Got some time before my flight so I'll elaborate as best I can.

I tucked the wire under the bezel so that it would shine down on the numbers. If I put it in the body, I don't think there would be enough light to shine up and onto the numbers.

Also, that heat shrink is my soldered connection to the female EL wire connector. I pulled the connector into each gauge and fastened it to the body of the gauges so that it would not get pulled out while tugging on the gauges during install.

Both. I wasn't sure which one lights the numbers up, so I just kept both. The EL wire is so much brighter than the LEDs, you can't tell they're still there. Without them though, I noticed that my odometer and trip meter were not very visible in the dark.

No, sorry. That picture of the speedometer is the only one I took. I had already had it apart to replace my odometer gear a year ago and I left the bezel loose in anticipation of something like this. Also, my car is "not actual miles" since it's a Euro, so I wasn't concerned about splitting it. The only one that I really didn't want to split but still had to was the tach. I am now looking for another tach to replace just in case I decide to go back to stock. I also had to split the clock, but that doesn't bother me since most people replace them anyway. When I get back into the country I'll dig back into this project and try to get more pictures.

Again no, sorry. The main power for the gauges appears to come from a bundle of wires just below the tach. From there it splits at least 3 times that I could find. One was for the gauges, one for the climate control, and a third for the defrost and fog light switches (I think). They are split with standard insulated spade connectors (factory!), so I just put a jumper on the first one and pulled power from that jumper. Totally reversible if I choose to remove it. On the back of the oil/gas gauge there are two ground spade connectors. On my car, only one was being used, so I just used the other for my ground. Due to the low current these wires draw, I am not too concerned about overpowering the factory wires. Until someone tells me otherwise, or I see smoke start pouring from my dash ;).

I routed the inverters from and area near the smugglers box. They're sitting under the fresh air duct shroud. Tied neatly to one of the support posts for that shroud. The wires simply rout under the defrost duct work all the way to the gauges. Once you have all 5 gauges out, it's easy to see where you can go. With the gauges out and the trunk open, you can see all the way out there. My car doesn't have AC, so that might make a difference for me.

Thanks! Now about this pesky job that keeps getting in the way of my hobbies!

Thanks Speed, Safe Journey and Hurry Back!

Here is diagram of my EL-Wire plan:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v5...ireDiagram.jpg

With generous report from Speed about entering both sockets on the three center gauges, I decided to split the center EL-Wires so the wires can act like OEM bulbs emitting light thru the sockets and gauge assembly's body. I will test and post.

Each wire would cover half of each radius and end capped.

The gauges are set up looking from the trunk. Clock on the Left, Fuel/Oil Level to the right where the Ground will be connected to the extra Male Spade Ground.

:D Where the hell are my EL-Wires?

http://www.micrel.com/_PDF/mic4830.pdf

You could apply 12 volts directly to the inductor but now you have to come up with some way to dim them (perhaps a pot on Rel).

That is an alternative but the idea would be to use the existing wiring harness that is hooked up to the OEM dimmer light switch, the blue diagram to the left middle of my crappy non-EE diagram.

Hey that micrel product looks great.