There are no LEDs in the stock cluster, only incandescent bulbs. There is a diffuser panel over the bulbs with each section colored appropriately.

What others have done in the past is replace the bulbs with a board containing white LEDs, but that still requires a colored diffuser, meaning you'd have to take the dash apart if you want to change colors and leaving no room for extra functionality.

For some people this may be acceptable, but I'm a light freak. I like options that I can turn on/off as the mood hits me. I'm using full-color RGB LEDs, removing the need for a colored diffuser. This allows me to control not only what color each section is, but I can control the color on-the-fly. I like blue, so I'll probably set my dash to blue, but it will switch over to red when the VTEC cams are engaged. I'm also considering altering the speedo color based upon speed as a selectable option. I'm also tired of having to hold the "Cancel" button down to brighten up the display when driving during the day (I always keep my lights on), so I'll have a photo sensor that automatically adjusts the LED brightness based upon ambient lighting conditions.

Knowing me and this little disease I have called feature-creepitis, I'll probably add in a header for a shift light (to be designed later). And a header for a secondary display showing engine rpms at the next higher/lower gears (again, to be designed later), perfect for auto-crossing to eek out that max powerband.

 

Sounds very cool... I'd love to see it when you're done. Group buy for the win... hint hint

 

Deffo. I'd be in esp if it turns red for v tec

 

If you could produce the circuit board with white LED's for a AP2 I would buy it from you with no other features.

Are you planning on selling anything in the future?

 

The mod sounds cool.. id be interested to buy a set too and im sure alot of other peeps as well.. (especially if he instructions are simple for us non tech savvy)

 

just curious, where are u going to get the PCB printed? Or do u do it urself? I'm a ee, so can help out if need be.

 

I haven't etched boards myself since the late 80's. A few days with Altium to lay it out, and a week or two waiting for the mail to arrive provides me with beautifully cut boards. Even my low-range boards are double-side, 10 mil trace/space, with 16 mil plated vias... not worth the trouble to do it myself. By the time you get to 4-layer, 6 mil trace/space and 8 mil vias, you can forget doing it at home. So, I just send everything out and let someone else deal with the hassle.

If you want to see an example of my last board, check out this thread:
The toys keep comin' in
That would be an example of a low-range design. I probably spent a solid man-week working on that one, making sure the measurements were perfect, aligning every LED to the proper geometric pattern, etc. That was actually the second run as the first prototype was too big.

The offer for help is appreciated, but unnecessary. I would guess over 50% of the code is already written as it will be taken from other prior projects. I probably spent 4 hours or so taking measurements and tweaking the outline of this board, though I imagine I'll have someone in the machine shop cut me the outline out of scrap material to see if any more tweaking is necessary. I quickly threw the LEDs on there to see how many I might need, and what I have looks about right.

 

damn that mods pimp.. but is it legal? i mean it IS messing around with the red lights on the car and we all know anything outside of authorized vehicles can have flickering red lights and all..

 

Is this mod going to be for the ap1 and the ap2?

 

jman,

As far as the legality of LEDs, they've become the norm for tails, so that issue is moot. As far as blinking, several vehicles in the past have had sequential turn signals, and brake light "pulsers" are quite common on bikes. I do not know if any stock vehicle has ever had any "pulsers" on it, but I would be interested in finding out. Every morning I stop at a stop sign just outside of my neighborhood where a county and state officer meet up... they park off to the side looking for speeders on that road as well as taking a coffee break. They see my flashing lights every morning and have never said a word. They're not strobes, just animated, so it's not as big an isue as some would make it out to be.



jimmi,

Since I own an AP1, the obvious thing to do was make it fit AP1 dashes. Since the code wouldn't change, I imagine an AP2 could be laid out in less than a man-week of hours.