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chabanais
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PostPosted: Wed Sep 13, 2017 6:20 pm    Post subject: Re: dash lights Reply with quote

I have a BA6 that's been in my kitchen for 17 years.

Clock looks like this...

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Magion
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PostPosted: Wed Sep 13, 2017 8:06 pm    Post subject: Re: dash lights Reply with quote

Any chance you would sell it? I HAD to ask Smile
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chabanais
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PostPosted: Thu Sep 14, 2017 1:15 pm    Post subject: Re: dash lights Reply with quote

I have a tachometer I'd put in there but I couldn't even think of what I'd sell it for, to be honest.

Mine is the only one I've ever seen anywhere aside from legend and stone carvings. I also have 3 or 4 clocks sitting at home, too.
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70Crew
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PostPosted: Fri Sep 15, 2017 3:59 am    Post subject: Re: dash lights Reply with quote

chabanais wrote:
I have a BA6 that's been in my kitchen for 17 years.



Wow..... and I thought my wife was understanding!
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telford dorr
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PostPosted: Tue Sep 19, 2017 6:19 pm    Post subject: Re: dash lights Reply with quote

Update: bent over and bought the official VDO LED bulbs (ouch!).

These bulbs have four forward facing LEDs each, arranged as two series-wired pairs in parallel. Below the LEDs is a full-wave diode bridge rectifier (makes them polarity-insensitive) and some series resistors.

They fit. They dim. They work....

Image may have been reduced in size. Click image to view fullscreen.


Here's the results (note: the dimmer was turned most of the way up to get enough light for a hand-held pic with some semblance of focus..)
Image may have been reduced in size. Click image to view fullscreen.

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'71 panel, now with FI
'Experience' is the ability to recognize a mistake when you're making it again - Franklin P. Jones
In theory, theory works in practice; in practice, it doesn't - William T. Harbaugh
When you're dead, you don't know you're dead. The pain is only felt by others.
Same thing happens when you're stupid. - Philippe Geluck
More VW electrical at http://telforddorr.com/ (available 9am to 9pm PST)
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telford dorr
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PostPosted: Tue Sep 19, 2017 8:18 pm    Post subject: Re: dash lights Reply with quote

More update: just did a long night drive. Everything works great - except not that happy with the tach. The official VDO LED bulbs, while matching the brightness and color of the main cluster LEDs (and tracking them nicely) seem to not be terribly even in their lighting of the instrument. There seems to be 'hot spots' on the left and right sides on the tach face, and the top edge (where you really need the light) is noticeably dimmer. You can kinda see it in the pic above. I don't remember this being the case with the tungsten lamps.

VDO engineering guys: WTF? Surely your 'official LED replacement bulbs' should work better than this!

Maybe it is noticeable because the main cluster is so evenly lit now, where it surely wasn't before.

Must be still a work in progress... Rolling Eyes
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'71 panel, now with FI
'Experience' is the ability to recognize a mistake when you're making it again - Franklin P. Jones
In theory, theory works in practice; in practice, it doesn't - William T. Harbaugh
When you're dead, you don't know you're dead. The pain is only felt by others.
Same thing happens when you're stupid. - Philippe Geluck
More VW electrical at http://telforddorr.com/ (available 9am to 9pm PST)
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white74westy
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Joined: May 02, 2011
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PostPosted: Tue Oct 03, 2017 4:45 am    Post subject: Re: dash lights Reply with quote

telford dorr wrote:
Update: bent over and bought the official VDO LED bulbs (ouch!).

These bulbs have four forward facing LEDs each, arranged as two series-wired pairs in parallel. Below the LEDs is a full-wave diode bridge rectifier (makes them polarity-insensitive) and some series resistors.

They fit. They dim. They work....

Image may have been reduced in size. Click image to view fullscreen.


Here's the results (note: the dimmer was turned most of the way up to get enough light for a hand-held pic with some semblance of focus..)
Image may have been reduced in size. Click image to view fullscreen.


Hi telford,

Forgive my ignorance, but how do you wire them in? When you say they fit, I assume that you're referring to the holes in the back of the instrument cluster, but what are you using to hold them in place and get current to them?
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telford dorr
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PostPosted: Tue Oct 03, 2017 9:05 am    Post subject: Re: dash lights Reply with quote

In the case of the tach, they plug right into the existing sockets. For the main instrument cluster, see this link.
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'71 panel, now with FI
'Experience' is the ability to recognize a mistake when you're making it again - Franklin P. Jones
In theory, theory works in practice; in practice, it doesn't - William T. Harbaugh
When you're dead, you don't know you're dead. The pain is only felt by others.
Same thing happens when you're stupid. - Philippe Geluck
More VW electrical at http://telforddorr.com/ (available 9am to 9pm PST)
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