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Model specific boards => Golf mk3 => Golf mk3 how to guides + info => Topic started by: markc123 on 04 March 2009, 21:36
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End result:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mark_croston/3326304695/ (http://www.flickr.com/photos/mark_croston/3326304695/)
(http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3640/3326304695_8b12195e41.jpg)
The heater controls are lit by 1 bulb, with a green filter. It illuminates the centre dial properly, and trys to do the oute controls by a horrible bit of plastic. The dials themselves are clear so will light up in any color you like. I have not yet done the dials - these use green plastic so your options are green, purplish blue with blue LEDS or extra work to put LEDS of your choice in the actual knob. The way I did it the dimmer still works.
I used 20kmcd white 5mm LEDS. I added 1K resistors to reduce the brightness (I had these from a previous project, pre-wired). Other tools: dremel, soldering iron, wire, small bit of PCB, 5mm drill, superglue, hot melt glue, white paint (with small brush). Buy your LEDS from http://www.phenoptix.co.uk/.
First, get those controls out. Remove the ashtray and prise off the heater control panel. There are 2 screws at the bottom of the ashtray area and 4 in the heater controls. Get the ashtray / switch panel out of the way. Now the fun bit: remove the multiplug from the fan controls. Remove the plug from the illumination. The 4 control cables are clipped to the heater contols with around the force of 10 tigers. Prise the clips off one by one, taking care not to snap the plastic of the heater controls. Then remove the steel wire from the control arms - label the 2 for air direction (my temp one was blue, and therefore easy. Now you can come back inside. Didnt take any piccys here :sad:.
You should end up with:
(http://img5.imageshack.us/img5/6431/dsc9587eo1.jpg) (http://img5.imageshack.us/my.php?image=dsc9587eo1.jpg)
Take the white hood off - this has the bulb / green filter in it. Remove the clear plastic.
Basically, we are going to add a number of LEDS to light the dials directly. I added them to these locations:
(http://img218.imageshack.us/img218/6728/dsc9590yw5xx.jpg)
Red X for LED. Green is where I dremeled a bit to allow the light to spread.
The 4 leds which line up with where the acrylic light guide used to be (around the central control) are sanded flat and glued in. The others shine directly onto the faces, so I sand them flat and add several coats of white paint (or tip ex) to the front of them. This reduces the effect of hot spots - the normal led would leave a vey bright spot on the dial. To help the light spread, I painted areas around these LEDS white.
Once you have all the LEDS in, cut a small bit of PCB (prototype with the tracks and holes) and shove it into where the bulb used to be. Solder 1 wire to each track (use a meter in the car if you need which is +ve), and modify the white shroud to fit past the LEDS if needed. You could just wite it into the car, but this stops you cutting the loom. Join up all the wiring and secure to the back of the shroud.
(http://img89.imageshack.us/img89/8827/dsc9594.jpg)
Test :smiley:.
(http://img5.imageshack.us/img5/5002/dsc9592jd0.jpg)
In the great haynes tradition, refiting is a reversal of removal. Only much more annoying. BTW, when you have the heater contols out, you have awesome access to the back of your headunit to tidy up the wiring and stuff.
I need to do another set to iron out some kinks and get enough phots to do a decent tutorial. Expect ths post to e edited over the next couple of days - a few diagrams would not go amiss.
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Nice. I wonder if with 3MM LEDS you could make it so there is blue and red on the heat setting.
I'm gonna give this a go.
Thanks mate.
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good tutorial fella, getting those heater cables off is a b!tch though!
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Gonna give this a go tomorrow I think.
I just stripped a 240V lightbulb for loads of white LEDs.
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Josho - I think I know what you mean - and the light from those LEDS would spill onto the other controls. Could look cool though! Will add to this when I get the motivation to do the knobs. I think my subs should go in first though!
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Yeah. I was thinking of using tape as a barrier. Might not work. Might just go blue.
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Yeah. I was thinking of using tape as a barrier. Might not work. Might just go blue.
just glue in plastic partitions..
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Yeah. I was thinking of using tape as a barrier. Might not work. Might just go blue.
just glue in plastic partitions..
Could do that actually. Good idea. :afro:
Then I've got to paint my engine block, spray the bay then put the engine and gearbox back in.
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well done mate - this is on my list of things to try :rolleyes:
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Just ordered a load of green LEDs to do mine with, worked out how to light the dials up & going to use 8 No. to light the panel up. That's the plan anyway!
Will take some pics as I do it when the bulbs arrive. :afro:
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awesome write up. :smiley:
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Had a play with a spare set of controls I have knocking about, used a couple more LED's (11 in all) to light it up evenly & white paint as suggested to dull the hot spots. :afro:
I've used one LED in the centre of each dial leaving the clear plastic in place to light up the tips, regretably the blue/red circles don't light up as I've used green LED's so I might add a couple of smaller white ones to rectify this. :undecided:
Taken on iPhone, look quite a bit better in person & the green is more OEM rather than the weird shade it looks on the camera! :grin:
(http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m12/eightyeightmph/Heater Controls/IMG_0146.jpg)
(http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m12/eightyeightmph/Heater%20Controls/IMG_0148.jpg)
(http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m12/eightyeightmph/Heater%20Controls/IMG_0156.jpg)
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The back all finished;
(http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m12/eightyeightmph/Heater%20Controls/photo-2.jpg)
And one of it in the car, also got the ciggy lighter & ash tray lights working too! :wink:
(http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m12/eightyeightmph/Heater%20Controls/photo-2-1.jpg)
I will say, the ultra-green LED's arn't the same as the standard ones, I will have a play with the resistors I bought to see if dulling them down makes them any better all perhaps a layer of green paint behind the lenses?! But as you can see, the controls look heaps better & you can actually see what you're doing at night too! :afro:
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Nice one, looks great. Got some leds for mine, maybe gonna do them at the weekend. Although i have 12 doors
to paint in my house.
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Out of interest how did you put the heater control cables back on.....was it a simple process ? ? ?
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They just clip on/off so reverse of removal really. :)
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Eightyeightmph where did you get your green leds from???