Dashboard cluster LED conversion

[DavidStrawhorn]

Hello All,
The crappy orange dash board lights on standard Clios and indeed other cars, makes me feel physically sick! Its so dull, boring and well orange lmao!
Soooo, I bought some PLCC-2 smd lights in zenon white off eBay last week and finally got a free day to remove the dash and solder them in place.
Here's how it came out:

For the needles, I scraped the white paint off the back and used some renault D48 touch-up paint I bought. You can use your Misses nail varnish as well (or your own if your a bit fruity...)

If you know how to solder then this is a very simple mod with amazing results! I would highly recommend it to anyone!

All the best,
~David

 

[Jack!]

They look really bright though? Think I would get a bit annoyed by that eventually, otherwise, fairplay for doing it.

 

[robgooch]

Can you still use the dimmer, because they do look a bit bright especially the LCD screen for the milage

 

[DavidStrawhorn]

Its just the camera. They're absolutely fine in real life!

 

[McGherkin]

Link me to the SMDs you bought?

 

[DavidStrawhorn]

Link me to the SMDs you bought?

Sure mate -
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/300851884341?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1497.l2648

 

[McGherkin]

Ordered, cheers!

 

[Bert.C]

Looks pretty good that mate. You doing the rest of your dash?

 

[DavidStrawhorn]

Looks pretty good that mate. You doing the rest of your dash?

Thanks mate yeah I plan to do the clock and that at the weekend

 

[rdoxenham]

Wow your car has done some miles!

 

[DavidStrawhorn]

Wow your car has done some miles!

It sure has lol

 

[phunkimunki]

Hey mate. looks awesome....just wondered how difficult is this to do. is there like a instructions website that you know of or a guide anywhere......i will say i think i last soldered when in school which was about ten years ago..lol on a scale of 1-10 for instance how difficult is this. I WANT THIS !!!!!!
cheers

Hello All,
The crappy orange dash board lights on standard Clios and indeed other cars, makes me feel physically sick! Its so dull, boring and well orange lmao!
Soooo, I bought some PLCC-2 smd lights in zenon white off eBay last week and finally got a free day to remove the dash and solder them in place.
Here's how it came out:

For the needles, I scraped the white paint off the back and used some renault D48 touch-up paint I bought. You can use your Misses nail varnish as well (or your own if your a bit fruity...)

If you know how to solder then this is a very simple mod with amazing results! I would highly recommend it to anyone!

All the best,
~David

 

[GrahamS]

I'm going to give this a go. Did you use a fine tip on the soldering iron?

Want the red display to pretend I'm "driving a german whip"

 

[msremmert]

I did something similar with mine.

 

[AlexW]

Mine...

Still need to do the bloody climate panel, I just cba to sit there and do 26 of the f*****s!

 

[Dr HMS Derv Destroyer]

I got half way through doing my dash in purple then have up as I have a damaged nerve In my hand and can't hold soldering iron properly

 

[Ph1 Tom]

Can you do this on the ph1?

 

[Dr HMS Derv Destroyer]

Yes , there's a guide on here/YouTube for doing it to ph1 clocks and some fancy rev following LEDs

 

[GrahamS]

What are the buttons and climate panel like to do. I can't imagine it being fun.

I know people use some kind of film to diffuse the light for the displays. Anyone fancy linking me up on ebay or the like.

 

[AlexW]

No need for films, they have a film as standard, mines just had LED's done.

Climate panel is a b*****d. 26 SMD's in total, four (for the display) are the PLCC 4, rest are 2.

Buttons (window switches/rear screen etc) aren't supposed to be that bad, but I haven't looked into those yet.

 

[GrahamS]

Awesome, cheer mate

Twenty bloody six. Ohh give me a break!

I'll start with the clocks and go from there I think

 

[AlexW]

Clocks are the easist, start with the four dial SMD's (two on each dial, next to the centre spindle), they are only 2 pin, so easy peasy, before doing the four display 4pin SMD's, they are a bit more of a pain, although I treated them as 3pin (negative side linked together for ease)

 

[GrahamS]

Just taken my old 182 clocks apart and it looks like the display is the same type of smd as the rest of the dash.

Recommend a soldering iron for under a fiver as mine has a huge end (not an innuendo)!

 

[Leemitch-91]

This looks wicked!

What is the difference between the plcc-2 and plcc-4?

again, on a scale of 1-10 how difficult is this whole job, as in removing everything doing the soldering then putting it back together?

 

[jackfm]

What is the difference between the plcc-2 and plcc-4?

plcc-2 is 2mm along it's length
plcc-4 is 4mm along it's length

 

[MWright]

There is no difference in size.

The difference is to the amount of legs on the SMD.

As Alex said above treat PLCC-4 as a 3 poled negative LED.

Leemitch-91 if you have no soldering experience I'd say 8-9, with experience I'd say 6-7 as a steady hand and a fine tip is needed.

 

[k_Leo]

I did something similar with mine. :smile:

View attachment 1106984

How you made the needles in red ?

 

[MWright]

How you made the needles in red ?

Scrape any paint on the back of the needles then paint your desired colour, OP states this in first post.

 

[k_Leo]

Scrape any paint on the back of the needles then paint your desired colour, OP states this in first post.

With nail vernish ?

 

[MWright]

With nail vernish ?

Yeah if you have any haha or paint samples from Halfrauds or the like...

 

[k_Leo]

Yeah if you have any haha or paint camples from Halfrauds or the like...

Ahaha thanks
And on sunlight they will also be red ?

 

[MWright]

Ahaha thanks
And on sunlight they will also be red ?

They're transparent so the colour you paint the back is the colour they'll look like in the sunlight or at night being lit by the LEDs in the dashboard

 

[k_Leo]

They're transparent so the colour you paint the back is the colour they'll look like in the sunlight or at night being lit by the LEDs in the dashboard

Thanks
U mind posting a link of eBay for some white smd ?

 

[MWright]

Thanks
U mind posting a link of eBay for some white smd ?

This'll be dependant on the year on your car. If it has a digital center or dials for fuel and engine temp.
They'll either be all 3528 PLCC-2 SMD, or 3528 PLCC-4 SMD aswell as.

 

[k_Leo]

This'll be dependant on the year on your car. If it has a digital center or dials for fuel and engine temp.
They'll either be all 3528 PLCC-2 SMD, or 3528 PLCC-4 SMD aswell as.

Mine has dials for fuel and temp

 

[k_Leo]

This'll be dependant on the year on your car. If it has a digital center or dials for fuel and engine temp.
They'll either be all 3528 PLCC-2 SMD, or 3528 PLCC-4 SMD aswell as.

And the trip computer also just a smd the color i want ?

 

[MWright]

Mine has dials for fuel and temp

All PLCC-2 then I can't remember how many you'll need, call it 10 to be safe.
2 SMD for each REV and ODOMETER
1 SMD for each TEMP and FUEL
4 SMD for the LCD ??

Think that's correct, best bet it pulling the dials out is dismantle to check first, also I put white SMDs in so the needles colour can be whatever you paint them and the dials have a white background and white SMD for LCD so you have white characters and a blue hue background due to the LCD itself.

 

[k_Leo]

All PLCC-2 then I can't remember how many you'll need, call it 10 to be safe.
2 SMD for each REV and ODOMETER
1 SMD for each TEMP and FUEL
4 SMD for the LCD ??

Think that's correct, best bet it pulling the dials out is dismantle to check first, also I put white SMDs in so the needles colour can be whatever you paint them and the dials have a white background and white SMD for LCD so you have white characters and a blue hue background due to the LCD itself.

The LCD Will be blue if i insert a white smd or you painted it ?

 

[MWright]

The LCD Will be blue if i insert a white smd or you painted it ?

The LCD will be blue if you use white SMDs as the LCD as a blue hue to it anyway.

 

[k_Leo]

The LCD will be blue if you use white SMDs as the LCD as a blue hue to it anyway.

Is there a way to make it white ?