HVAC LED conversion question

[hyunelan2]

For those of you who did this, did you put a resistor on each individual LED, or just a single resistor to the main power supply cable? Just wondering this now, my LEDs are in the mail and I'll be doing this the second they arrive. Also, what 'size' resistors did you use. I want all my ducks in a row so the install is as smoothe as possible.

Thanks

[yevRPS]

this is what i did. i got my LEDs and resistors from http://www.lsdiodes.com/. they have a tutorial on their site http://www.lsdiodes.com/tutorial/ i used the calculator to figure out what spec resistors i would need. i don't remember the details right now on what spec resistors i used. come to think of it i might not have used any. anyways. the hook up was like this. 3 series with 4 LEDs in each. drill sink holes in the clear plastic peace agains each of the icons on the dials. drop the LEDs in there. i think you need 10 between the speed and vent selector and 2 for the temp selector (1 red + 1 blue. for this one i drilled the sink holes in such a way the the LEDs would be almost parallel to the face of the the selector and not perpendicular like on the other 10) connect those 12 LEDs in series of 4 and solder each of the group of 4s to the closest power source (the contacts for the original light bulbs). what i did is i think i soldered 1 of the series to 1 power source and 2 others to the 2nd one (that makes it a parallel chain consisting of two series). i used the 3rd power source to do the backlight for the AC, Vent, Defrost cluster of buttons. i got lazy there and used just one LED that i shaved to get better light disepersion and the appropriate resistor. i know this all sounds kind complicated but i'm having hard time describing this in words. if you were only in pittsburgh area i'd spend some time with you when you were working on this. hope this helps

[hyunelan2]

After reading that, it sounds like you won't need any resistors as long as you use series of 4 LEDs to drop the voltage to 3v each.

Did you put the RED in the same series as the BLUE? Or did you do the RED individually?

[yevRPS]

no the red was in the series with the other 3 blue LEDs. i don't remember if i used a resistor on it or not....red LEDs usually have lower passthroug voltage...but not by much...i think i just said f*** it since it's still within the specs or barely over

[mrhoaf]

I'm having trouble getting the HVAC apart... all of the DIY's i've found are for 04+ and I have a 01... Any tips from those that have done this would be greatly appriciated!!!

[hyunelan2]

OK. It's easy. Take it out of the car. There are phillips screws on the back side of it, unscrew all those. The 'mechanical pieces' either unscrew, or unscrew then twist out. You'll have to remove the knobs first though, they just pull. Then 'unclip' the casing and you have it apart. There are additional phillips screws holding in the circuit board.

Basically, if there's a screw, take it out.

[blupupher]

So people are using red and blues instead of the UV LED's? I have been trying to figure out what to get to change all the backlights on the ABS/TC button and Trip/Computer button.

[ilanpro]

So people are using red and blues instead of the UV LED's? I have been trying to figure out what to get to change all the backlights on the ABS/TC button and Trip/Computer button.
I change them for 3mm uv ones they match my dash perfectly

[blupupher]

I change them for 3mm uv ones they match my dash perfectly
Are they the #74 bulbs?

[yevRPS]

nope they're 3 or 5mm LEDs #74 bulb is what's in there stock

[ilanpro]

The buttons dont have #74 they are smaller so you have to put an LED plus a resistor Before the connection

[mrhoaf]

all of the cutting, dremel work, and gluing is done.... I think i'll leave the soldering for tomorrow.....

BTW..... the dremel work was to cut out the plexi behind the knobs.... I'm putting a red LED in each...

I'm going to change the ON LEDs for A/C, recirculate, and defrost too.... all to blue...

<UPDATE>
I had trouble de-soldering those.... so I think I'll just leave them alone...

[yevRPS]

yeah i left those alone too. don't forget to post pics when done

[JuMpMaN6235]

u dont need to desolder them, i just cut them down to the base but left like a quarter of an inch if the Old leds metal and soldered the new led on the old ones base, way easier then desoldering

[mrhoaf]

I would but......
http://webpages.charter.net/mrhoaf/ac%20led.jpg
and the back...
http://webpages.charter.net/mrhoaf/ac%20led2.jpg

Ideas and suggestions welcome.... I have the LEDs, just not sure about how to go about it...

[ilanpro]

Those are a pain
best for it is this

http://www.twocom.net/shop/images/images_big/big_solderbraid.jpg

[sammy21c]

what is that?
is 04 same as 01-03 ?

[JuMpMaN6235]

Those plastic casing are VERY easy to get off, this is what you do
1) Cut the very tip of the led off (it looks like there isnt enough room but there is)
2) just easily take the plastic casings off, by pulling them up, you will be left with the Metal stands the Led had


---Also Take note which way The positive and negative is facing

[mrhoaf]

of course... can't believe I didn't think of that!

next question.

Anybody know the polarity of the bulb contacts on the 01-03. The DIY (http://www.elantraxd.com/DIY/hvac.php) shows the 04, but the board is different. Picture included for your convienince. :)

http://webpages.charter.net/mrhoaf/polarity.jpg

[ilanpro]

just take an LED with a Resistor and then plug it in to the car and turn your light on
Looking at the Pic my opinion is that it will be the bottom

[yevRPS]

i actually just put 12v to the two pins on the big black harnece but for the life of me can't remember which two. i think the way you have the board in the pic top is + bottom is - but i'm not 100% sure. it's been a while. actually you know what..the way ilan has polarity marked in his '04 DIY holds true on 01-03 even though the board is different. just figure out which side is top and which is bottom.

sammy> what ilan posted is desoldering braid. heat up the solder put the braid on it and it'll "absorb" it

[mrhoaf]

well.... I got it done and installed, and it looked great!!! then one of my LED circuts went out.... and later on another started flickering... and then went out too... So, I guess I'll have to open it back up and see what happened...

the way ilan has polarity marked in his '04 DIY holds true on 01-03 even though the board is different. just figure out which side is top and which is bottom.

this is correct, and it is top to bottom like in the pic i posted I'm glad it worked when I first put it in, that way I know my wiring is right... I just need to go back an fix the soldering goofs...

also.... where I changed the ON LEDs for the buttons, they are really bright with the lights off, but pretty dim when the lights are on.... ideas?

I haven't seen a pic of this done quite like i did it, SO YES, I will post pics when it's done... it looks AWESOME!

[JuMpMaN6235]

yes that is how mine are also, bright when the lights are off and less bright when they are on.... i think that is how it is supposed to be

[ilanpro]

yes that is how mine are also, bright when the lights are off and less bright when they are on.... i think that is how it is supposed to be
:iamwithst

[sammy21c]

I hope somebody put DIY for 01-03 HVAC

[mrhoaf]

It's very similar to the 04 one, the layout is just a little different. I have to take mine apart to fix it, so I'll try to remember to take a couple pictures while I have it open.

[ilanpro]

its almost the same at least the polarity is

[yevRPS]

yeah with all the info that's in this thread alone you should be able to figure out what's up once you open it. but i guess it only seems easy cuz i did it. i remember bugging ilan with my questions before i actually just sat down and made it happen

[JuMpMaN6235]

haha, Yevrps, i remember bugging you with questions before i actually did it

[mrhoaf]

well.. i pulled it apart and all of the solder points look ok.... i have 5 strings of 4 LEDs each, and 2 aren't working. I connected two strings to each of the bulb connections at the bottom, and one at the top. The strings that are no longer working are connected at different spots...

I'm about to desolder all of the connections to the board and see if i can get a better view to find any problems with the soldering on the LEDs. I'm gonna try to see if i can test the strings using 12v from a power connecter inside a computer.

Any other ideas as to what might be going on or things to check?

--UPDATE--

I think my problem might be that the wire I used is too thin. The strings that don't work have the most wire in them, so I'm gonna try re-wiring one string first with some better wire....

[yevRPS]

make sure when you close it down the LED legs don't touch anything on the board... i know mine was somewhat close in couple of spots. also which ones burnt out? red ones? red LEDs do have lower passthrough voltage and thusly less tollarance to higher voltage. double check the design and maybe post the schematics here for someone to 2x check to make sure you aren't putting to much to each chain. that's all i can think of

[mrhoaf]

red LEDs do have lower passthrough voltage and thusly less tollarance to higher voltage. double check the design and maybe post the schematics here for someone to 2x check to make sure you aren't putting to much to each chain.

hmmm... i think you might be on to something..... the 2 chains that stopped working have more than one red LED on them.... the one with 3 red out of 4 died first, and the one with 2 red and 2 blue went next.... that would explain it...

the website listed the specs the same, though they didn't go into details... grrrr

I guess it's time to order Replacement LEDs and figure out how I'm going to re-wire thie to get no more than 1 red on a string...

I had all of the dial positions in blue (except for the red in the temp control), then the points of the dials are red, and the buttons are red. I also wired in an extra blue to get an even number. I think I might have to change the color of one of the LEDs to get it to work, or use resistors, but I don't know what I need for that.

[yevRPS]

depending on the layout i'd say try to put all red ones on the same chain and then use a proper resistor if needed. another solution is http://www.lsdiodes.com/tutorial/jpg/parallel1012.jpg but that's a PITA with all the soldering. but at the same time if 1 goes the rest will keep working without any problems and you'll spend less time on repairs if you ever need to make any. this and lazyness i guess were the reasons why i kept my design to the bare minimum...fewer chances of things going wrong

[sammy21c]

so, can anybody tell me what color, type and how many I need for 03 ?
I did Tib multi gauge but afraid of HVAC. LOL

[ilanpro]

5mm UV and 5mm Red

Also Look
http://www.elantraxd.com/forums/showthread.php?t=3549

[mrhoaf]

It all depends on what you want..... I am making the buttons and the points on the knobs red, 1 red for the "hot" side of the temp control, and the rest blue. I used 3mm LEDs, 7 red and 12 blue, but as you've probably read, that is the hard way to do it. It looks really good though when it works. You could probably just change the #74 bulb to change the color of the buttons since they are clear (eliminating 3 LEDs) and others I've seen haven't done the knobs either (eliminating 3 more) .... but I went ahead and did it the hard way. Basically it's one LED per picture, item, etc you want lit.

Also you need 3 more LEDs if you want to change the A/C, recirculate, and defrost indicators....

While you're at it, order 7 more LEDs and change out the window switches... they are easy and look cool!

Once I get it working, I'll do a DIY with pics...

[sammy21c]

cool, I guess I will just wait for DIY. Thx for the info.

[ilanpro]

cool, I guess I will just wait for DIY. Thx for the info.
http://www.elantraxd.com/DIY/hvac.php

[mrhoaf]

Well... according to my calculations, I can string 5 reds together to get the proper voltage. That leaves 2 blues that I'll hook with resistors to make everybody happy.

I just ordered new LEDs and resistors, so I guess I'll have to wait 'till they arrive to finish this project :hand:

[Seinster]

I bought my blue LED's for the window switches from eBay, there is a guy who sells from hong kong, and I'm happy with the product.

I'll get around to the HVAC, don't you worry. ;)

eBay user: ubiditnow

While I'm posting I may as well ask a question that's been on my mind a while:

What are the 7 red LED's for?

[ilanpro]

What are the 7 red LED's for?

order 7 more LEDs and change out the window switches...

[Seinster]

:confused:
I have already done my window switches.
I was referring to the HVAC unit.

Thanks for replying anyhow! :)

[mrhoaf]

What are the 7 red LED's for?

One in each of the buttons, one in each of the knobs, and one for the red side of the temp control.

I bought my blue LED's for the window switches from eBay

I've already done my switches in blue, and they look great! You'll love it!



**** UPDATE******



OK.... I got my new LEDs in the mail, and I just finished soldiering them together.... according to the info I got from LSDiodes (http://lsdiodes.com/resistors/), I could string 5 red LEDs together in a series and get the voltage to come out right. Well...... I hooked them up, they came on, and went right out.... and won't come back on again....



HELP!!!!!!! This is really starting to piss me off!!!

[yevRPS]

if they're in series i bet one blew again...what's the passthrough voltage on the LEDs you got? what are you assuming the battery power is?

[mrhoaf]

the red LEDs are 2.1-2.4v 30mA, and the car is supplying 12v.... I guess when I figured it I used the max voltage, and the 12v i got from my tester was too much....

btw, I made a tester that pulls 12v off of my computer to test the circuits with...

[only1db]

ilan...when do you think you will be done with the HVAC? just curious

oh and dont forget about the rear window wiper switch :D

[ilanpro]

I'm still waiting for the LED's

[only1db]

gotcha ya!

[mrhoaf]

so....... does anybody have any ideas or suggestions as to what I need to get this working?

[ilanpro]

so....... does anybody have any ideas or suggestions as to what I need to get this working?

All you need to do is put them in series, Im working on 3 right now, and had no problems

2 blue and one purple the blue ones are for matching the indiglo and the purple for the GT purple is not as bright as the blue but indiglos are much brighter then the GT gauges

[mrhoaf]

All you need to do is put them in series, Im working on 3 right now, and had no problems

um... have you read what I've been posting? I don't mean to be rude, but that's what I'm trying to do.... but 5 reds in a row still can't handle the voltage........

If you read my previous posts, you should be able to see what I'm trying to do with red and blue LEDs in the HVAC... that will save me re-typing the whole story...

I do appriciate that you are trying to help me.... I'm just frustrated with the project right now...

[JuMpMaN6235]

Use resistors

[mrhoaf]

that's what I was thinking.... but if I knew what resistor to use.... I would have done that already and not still be asking for help......

[JuMpMaN6235]

use this calculator
http://metku.net/index.html?sect=view&n=1&path=mods/ledcalc/index_eng

[mrhoaf]

I've used it before.... but I'm not sure about wattage rating.... the resistors i've found are all 1/4 or 1/2 watt and it reccommends .075 watts..... and I don't know enough about electronics to know what I need...

[ilanpro]

You have to do it in series, + to - 3 or 4 in a row wont need resistors I have a power supply and it handles 14V, you are putting them in parallel

[mrhoaf]

The reds are rated at a lower voltage than blues. Reds run on 2.1-2.4v, while blues are rated at 2.8-3.5v. I wired 5 red in a series and that should have worked, but I guess it was just too close to the maximum and they blew shortly after I hooked it up. The only circuits I'm having trouble with are the ones with more than one red.... my 4 blue and 3 blue/1 red circuits work great.

[JuMpMaN6235]

instead of red i used white, which is a lot closer to blue in rated voltage wise

[only1db]

just let ilan make them for you! it would be easier....

[ilanpro]

just let ilan make them for you! it would be easier....
Yeah I need to pay for my Electronics Schooling :D

[mrhoaf]

Well...... White only works for the red part of the TEMP control.... I want the buttons and tips of the knobs to be red.... I'm not having any trouble with the construction or soldering on the project... I just need to talk to somebody that knows enough about electronic components to help me figure out what I need to make all of the red LEDs happy....

I think maybe I'll just end up putting 2 blue, one white and one red together to finish out the TEMP dial... and just get a red #74 bulb to color the buttons since they are clear and were colored by a bulb with a green condom on it... Not really what I want, but unless I find out what resistor I would need to get it working the way I have it wired now, I guess that's what I'll have to do to get the look I want....

[ilanpro]

Just do tem individually and add resistors

[mrhoaf]

That's going to make things pretty crowded in there, but that will look the best in the end... I'm afraid the red #74 bulb won't make the buttons bright enough to look right with the dials....

I guess I'll place the order to do it that way, but if anybody comes up with a better way to it, let me know...