194 LED or Xenon replacement bulbs

chitown944 · 10-02-2006, 03:23 PM

Anyone use these bulbs for the instrument cluster. I'd like pics please.Any other alternate bulbs such as xenon would be helpful as well.

JivenJim · 10-02-2006, 03:36 PM

Aren't Xenon lights a little bright for an instrument cluster? I'm in process as we speak, on a LED Insert for older gauges. There was a great write-up a few weeks back on inserting a neon bulb on the New one piece cluster.

Eldorado · 10-02-2006, 03:39 PM

LOL xenon bulbs on your dash?
that's what i call bright! :P

there have been pics posted.. do a search for dash lights or gauge lights....

Brando · Brando's Garage

I posted a mod a bit ago on how to make your stock cluster alot brighter, for a lot less than an LED conversion or using high-intensity bulbs in the cluster. Using bulbs rated higher than 3W burn out the connections on the back of the cluster, as well as generate alot of heat.

Check out the mod I did. Just put in a blue CFL instead of the red one I fist used -- Looks great now! (I will post some pics this evening).
Late 944 gauge lighting (under $40)

Eldorado · 10-03-2006, 02:37 PM

LED's are extremely inexpensive if you purchase from the right source, and fashion your own connector. you could probably do your whole dash for less than $5.

chitown944 · 10-03-2006, 03:12 PM

Yes Brando I was leaning in that direction. I'd love to see the blue LEDs.

Zero10 · 10-03-2006, 05:37 PM

www.lsdiodes.com
Very cheap source for LED's, and I have never had a problem with their products. I've bought probably close to 2000 LED's from them.

NKN84944 · 10-03-2006, 05:49 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Zero10
www.lsdiodes.com
Very cheap source for LED's, and I have never had a problem with their products. I've bought probably close to 2000 LED's from them.

2000 huh... are you making some custom tail lights that you aren't telling us about yet

Zero10 · 10-03-2006, 09:22 PM

Nonono...
I did ~75 sets of LED dash lights (so, 450 LEDs), a few retrofits locally (probably another 300 LEDs), a bunch of extra lighting in my cars (floor lights, map lights, hatch lighting, etc.), and I have a couple bags of LED's kicking around waiting for inspiration.

LED tail lights are one of my pet peeves. At least poorly done ones are.

That aside, lsdiodes has some cool LEDs. The THC ones have amazing light output while the s-flux ones have very wide viewing angles and are almost as bright. I used one of them to fix the light in my clock, and I've done a few pontiac radios with the s-flux LEDs.

944mech · 944mech's Garage

Actually, im in the process of replacing my 1983 944 gauge cluster with a 924 gauge cluster since it has the white numbers and lettering. Im going to be making some special holders for the blue LED's that will replace the original dim bulbs. It should look pretty good when installed in the car in a week or so =)

Porsche-O-Phile · Porsche-O-Phile's Garage

Ditto on the 924 gauges. As much as I think the yellow-on-black early 944 instrumentation is cool looking, it's not the maximum contrast possible. In my particular case I also have the complication of finding other VDO gauges (boost, EGT, A/F Ratio). Since there aren't gauge faces for those instruments in yellow-on-black I'd either have to custom-make new gauge faces or simply convert the whole schebang to the more standard-looking white-on-black anyway, which is what I'm doing.

But I agree - the white-on-black is easier to see at night than the yellow-on-black, although overall the early car gauges (even the yellow-on-black ones) are WAY brighter than their later-car counterparts. The 85.5+ cars suffer horribly from lighting intensity issues because of degradation in the three "light tunnels" at the bottom of the instrument cluster. The silvery paint used to line them and reflect the light up to the gauges deteriorates after 20+ years of use/sitting there and your instruments simply don't get any light.

Easy way to fix an 85.5+ instrument cluster good-as-new for about $10 is go to Michaels or another art supply/craft supply store and buy silver leafing paint. Use acetone to remove the remnants of old/crappy silvering stuff on the cluster's light tunnels and then simply repaint with the silver leafing paint. That's what I did on my 85.5 944 and it went from "no light" instruments to ones I have to turn the rheostat down on, 'cause otherwise they're so bright I think they're obnoxious - and that's stock bulbs & everything else.