Just put LEd lights in my center console

Just put LEd lights in my center console

I put an LED in one side of the center console to see how well it would work. My biggest problem is one per side wont work. It is too direct light so it get sa really bright spot, and the rest isnt as bright. SO I am working on wiring 4 in there and have them actualkly point at the back of the console and reflect off the white back part. that should make it bright still, but evenly lit.

that will be cool, i gotta try that too, how did you connect them to where the bulbs are???

If you look at the base of the bulbs the wire is just wrapped out and around the base. so I just unwrapped it and pulled the bulb out. that left me with the base only. I fed the LED/Resistor combo into the hole and wrapped it back around. It took a little more force to get it back in the hole, but it did fit.

I will do a DIY after I get it all fixed and running right. Like I said, I now have to figure out a way to have 4 lights in there instead of just 2.

I am thinking of getting a quick connector type plug from my local PC store. Soldering that to the base, then making my led cluster to plug in AFTER the base is twisted in place. Thats the only way I can see fitting it in there.

Who knows I may even make kits for this if it works out ok. But I will at ;least take pics. I need to go get more LEDs though, I only got 4 and was hpoing to use 2 of them in the CD player.

that will be much appreciated

the kit or the DIY??

Nevermind I already know the answer. You will have to wait till the weekend though.

hey stinky.. there is acutally a way around that.. You just gotta use a dremel tool and flatten out the top of hte LED . here i'll show you what this guy did..okay i'm at work now i'll find the link later

and that just refocused the beam to go wider then? I may have to trey that. I was just sent a HUGE cataloge from Newark electronics for some reason. On the back it says

"free copy for Electircal Engineers".

I dont know what gave them that impression, but I'll take a look through it.

I found the link

Hey Stinky, I found the link that baller was probably refering to:

http://www.igd4u.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=2

I wanna change my console lights to LED's too but for now my bulbs are just painted blue. Let us know when you get everything running and post some pics.

Thanks, that perfect. I also picked up a part today that should help this go better. I need to get some more LEDs too. Anyone wanna order some for me? Most placed wont ship to Canada, and I had to pay $6 per led for the 4 that I bought. I like paying $2 each better. they should be able to be sent in a envlope with a 65 cent stamp too. Email me if anyone can do that. I will at least get the 2 in the main console up and running this weekend.

Re: I found the link

HEy OC Rolla . heh YUP !! thats the link i was talking about!! hehe sorry about the delay been so busy with work and school starting !!!.. . YEAH POST SOME PICS.. i'm definately going to change it eventually. .that accord looks too tyte!

Well I got all the pics ready for the DIY on this. I just need to wait for it to get dark enough to see how well they light up now.

hey stinky ... i tried it and i F*CKED something up?? .. now my center console lights and my gauges won't turn ON!!!! ... WTF! .. all the other lights work fine except those! PLEASE HELP MEE!!! ...PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE!

Did you put them in backwards?

no ... everything was working perfectly fine ... i had it in working ... and i just take them out to adjust the aim of the light and so on ... and it just went !!! .. the lights in center console ... gauges .. aren't working no more ...
help .. i'm in desparate need !

Bet you blew a fuse. Check your fuses and carefully check your leds. One of them may have shorted out.

how do i check the fuse? ... i'm kinda a newb at this stuff!
can someone gimme a quick diy on changing fuses? and what type of fuse to use? ... thanx oxy

Check your owber's manual, page 203. It'll be one of the fuses in the fuse box under the steering wheel (figure 2). Also check that you don't have the brightness turned down on your interior lights.

yea .. i looked it the manual ... but i don't understand it...
which fuse am i supposed to take out .. and replace with which one? ... :?:

Having never been into that fuse box, I couldn't tell you. Maybe someone else knows, or maybe you're the first.

thanx oxy ... it was the fuse alright .. i just changed it and my lights are working agian ...

so can i ask u a question ... i don't wanna screw up again

i bought a pack of blue LED's ...
the specs are:
LUMINOUS INTENSITY-MCD:2000 TYPICAL/3000MAX
REVERSE VOLTAGE:5.0 V
DC FORWARD VOLTAGE:3.3V TYPICAL
DC FORWARD CURRENT:20~30mA

i also got a pack of resistors but i don't know what they are? ... the guy just said i can turn my LED's into 12V when i use the resistor .. ?! (i got them off ebay http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2557020054)

so what do i have to do to change the five console lights ... and the shifter light?

please help when u have the time ! thanx! 8)

you just need to solder a LEd and ONE resiter just like it shows in the DIY, then just stick them in like ti shows on the DIY.

Make sure the resistors are at least 500 Ohms.

Hi. I just recently bought a pack of blue L.E.D.s off of ebay http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2568223362&category=26207&rd=1 and I was wondering what kind of resistors I would need to convert the power to 12V. The specs are Voltage: 3.4~3.8V, normal current: 30~40 mA DC, peak current: 100mA (pulse). I'm not sure exactly what all that means but I plan on asking my physics teacher also to see if he can help me with the conversion. Can anyone please help? Thank you in advance.

LEDs are great but the only problem with them are that they focus at about 15 degree span. Reason why Toyota used filament bulbs (this is what I believe) is because filament bulbs give light at 180 degrees allowing the console to light up evenly.

Although...I have seen on Ebay LEDs that are reversed. It looks just like a LED but the tip has an upside-down cone spreading the light at 180 degrees. If I find some, I'll post a link.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=33713&item=2452754026

would one on each side of the center console completely illuminate everything? ... i have 4 leds in mine and i'm not 100% satisfied with it ...

you need more than one on each side to light up the whole console. look at my pics in the Center Console LED DIY and i still have one or two spots left but i have three LED's in teh console

Has anyone seen these inverted LED's or used them to light their console?
Also where is stinky's DIY at? I've been wanting to upgrade my "painted bulbs" mod to LED's for a while now. Saving for RIMS is taking a while so I might as well play with lights in the meantime.

One more thing... what is the bulb size for the actual bulbs that are plugged in behind the console? The only size I know of is 194 but I thought those were larger (and used elsewhere) than the bulbs in the console. :?:

never seen those bulbs, but LED's are still cheaper, and heres the LED DIY by stinky
topic 3151

I don't know if this helps or not...

http://www.ledmuseum.org