LED conversion "problem"

>>One of the big issues with dim dash lights are dirty bulbs & covers.<<

Amen to that!
In my case, however, the dash has been out twice, this last time, the whole dash was replaced with the dash from my parts car, and the cluster was apart, all bulbs removed, cleaned, etc. - in part because I rewired some things for the 4.0 - the check engine light is wired to the Jeep computer so it is more like stock/factory.

Jeremy - yeah, as bulbs go in the house, I am replacing some with LEDs as I can afford it, and as I find the proper style that works best with the fixture and purpose and use of the light, does it face up or down, do I need omni-directional or dimmable, etc. Some of the cheaper and earlier LEDs aren't dimmable, and those that are work with "most but not all" dimmers.
I'm determined this Eagle will be switched over for multiple reasons, among them less power consumption, heat, reliability (no one likes changing some of these bulbs!)

Ken/pitcrew - yeah, I knew it wouldn't be easy, having dabbled in electronics as a hobby when LEDs were first introduced to the hobbyist market - and seeing the multitudes of solutions out there, each claiming to be the best.  Oddly, I'd wondered about the color, and had this thought that the light from the LEDS would be different from incandescent because of the source and spectrum - wondered about matching colors. That's something to try for sure.
I will check and see if I can return/swap some of these I bought. Like I said, not bashing them, but was very disappointed in the lack of lumins. Even with no lens, there just wasn't the output I was hoping for.
As far as contact in the socket - yeah, know what you are referring to - over the years there's been so many times I've had to "pull the wires out just a bit" on the 194 bulb to make better contact, or tweak the inside of the socket, but these sockets are like new, the 194s worked absolutely perfect - even wiggling them while lit the 194 never wavered or blinked. With these LEDs even with the socket contacts pulled out a bit and the socket squeezed a tad with pliers, I had to hold the LED to the side to make it light. When I let go, it went out most of the time. That means a few good bumps in that little short-sprung 4x4 and the lights go out. LOL
With my vision, I typically run the interior lights full-on all the time. I've only ever had one vehicle where I felt the need to dim the dash lights at all, so I could live without that feature/function (unless they are REALLY SUPER BRIGHT)
I agree on the festoon type - the one I got wasn't very bright with a cover on. So I left the cover off-  and it looks cool as it's a cold light, more blue than others. The best/brightest I found was the array I mentioned. It was a board with 9 LEDs, and a lead wire to an adapter. The adapter tool the place of the festoon bulb like the plug on a light cord - and it powered the LED array you stuck into the light with double-stick foam (and the heat promptly released the foam and the array drops!) Love the light as it's BRIGHT. Don't even think of looking directly at it. but it runs HOT. Oh, well, it's on my wife's sewing machine anyway, I need to order another for my own use.

danielstern - that's the name I couldn't remember! I recall reading some stuff on his site last year and being fairly impressed. (it takes a lot to impress me for some reason)

Wrambler that dash looks cool!

Thanks for the links and tips, Dave - I forgot that you also did a bunch of custom work on your car - including LEDs

Thanks to all.

My domes lights in my rebel are from superbrightled

billd wrote: You do have to watch out as some LED lights can get really hot. I put some on my wife's sewing machine to add light - they got so hot it destroyed the 3M adhesive. I've been burned by LED lights of certain types. It's not the LED itself as much as the support circuitry many replacement bulbs have. Generally not a problem with the types used in the dash - 194 and so on. My dome light LED does run HOT. I suspect it has circuits inside that allow it to be installed either way and still work. Some bulbs you can do that, some you can't - you have to watch polarity. I have some that will work either direction and can be dimmed - some cannot.

Oh yeah, I have one of the hotest single LED made. It is mounted on a thick metal plate, which is then mounted to a giant finned heat sink, and fan. If its heat dont burn you, the focused light intensity will most definitely burn your retina, in less than a second, if not careful. That one, being one of three, belongs in our TV, and not for use in an automobile.

Though heat generated by LED is much less than incandescent, being focused primarily at contact with the source of emittion. So what ever the led, it self, is resting on will heat up, a lot more than the radiant heat felt from the led. Usually circuit boards will be the closest material to the led, unless they are mounted with leads and allow heat to dissipate freely, or mounted to a heat sink of some sort.

Guys Try these!

Edited by EVF_Sportabout - Jun/21/2019 at 10:35pm