A brighter instrument gauge light bulb

[AUSMHLY]

Hello all,

OK, I'm not the brightest bulb in the pack.

I can't seem to find the thread here about replacing the 12v 2.2 watt light bulb used to light up the gauge lights. (I'm assuming that is the correct bulb. For that is what is in there now).

I understand others have looked into this and mentioned using an led type of bulb. I have found some led bulbs that have the E10 base, but there aren't many out there.

Was there ever a discussion here on BCF about this? If so, where the heck is that thread?

I have found an E10 bulb, 8 watts that will fit. It is a incandescent type like the original. That should light the gauge much better. Question is, is it safe? Most likely will get hotter and what about current draw?

I'm hoping some engineer type person here, will say the E10 8 watt screw bulb will be fine. Unscrew the 2.2 watt, replace with the 8 watt. Now that's just too easy for a Healey project.

The LED bulbs don't get hot and use less power. But they do not reflect light 360 like the incandescent bulb.

The gauge needs light that fills up the cylinder, not a beam forward like most LED do.

Looking forward to your replies.
Cheers, Roger

 

[Dave Russell]

The 8 W. bulb will get a LOT hotter. There are some delicate plastic parts involved in there which may melt.

You can maximize the available light by painting/repainting the white on the inside of the gage housings. The glass front is made to come off, but is sometimes stuck to the rubber seal.

A #1487 bulb is rated at 2.8 W. & would be slightly brighter & only slightly hotter.
D

 

[AUSMHLY]

Hi Dave,
Thanks. I did not find that bulb in my searches. Is it okay that it is rated at 14 volts?

When I took the tachometer gauge apart to see why it is not as bright as the speedo, I did indeed clean it and paint the inside white. I too thought that the light would reflect off a white surface better. Helped a little. Hardly noticeable.

The problem it seems is the bulb placement. The bulb's light is blocked by the computer board. The light really has no where to go, but to try and light up the surrounding area that the unit as a whole takes up. It then has to make it's way to the front sides of the face plate. That thin opening is only about an 8th of an inch.

I'm temped to MacGyver another bulb through the back of the gauge. There is room to install another bulb on the back side near the bottom. Actually there is enough room to install two bulbs there.

Or maybe I should just MacGyver a small heat shield in front of the top bulb and use the 8 watt. The next question would be what flexible product to make a small shield and how to hold it in place.

Any advise out here? Those who know me, know I will figure something out. It most likely will take a lot of time, redo's and some words I burst out of when I am frustrated. (That is part of working on our cars is it not?) When done, It may not look pretty (drive shaft universal's come to mind). But, hopefully it works.

OK, I'm on a mission. When I'm done, I'll post another topic. How to install a dimmer switch for the dash lights, lol.
Roger

 

[shorn]

Roger,
Just a thought here. Model/hobby shops sell thin sheets of material similar to silver & gold leaf. It comes a couple of sheets to the package, probably enough to put inside all the Healey gauges. This would be somewhat more reflective than just white paint and may do the trick. Little British Car Co. (lbcarco.com) sells halogen bulbs (#171000H for about $16/each--12volt/5 watt) although they might be too hot. They are however very expensive for dash lights.

 

[GregW]

While on the model/hobby idea. Maybe some EL wire looped around the bezel and ditch the bulbs all together. That'll bring the MacGyver in you out. EL wire kit

 

[Dave Russell]

Hi Roger,

The #1487 bulb is listed under Radioshack #272-1134.

I think your car at least has the smaller gages internally lighted. On my BN2, the lights are externally mounted. A brighter bulb just allows me to see my feet better, no help in the gage, & I seldom need to see my feet at night.

Have fun, no end of things to tinker with,
D

 

[Randy Forbes]

Hi Roger,

The #1487 bulb is listed under Radioshack #272-1134.

I think your car at least has the smaller gages internally lighted. On my BN2, the lights are externally mounted. A brighter bulb just allows me to see my feet better, no help in the gage, & I seldom need to see my feet at night.

Have fun, no end of things to tinker with,
D

Laughs, wiping tears from my eyes!

Yes, mine light up my shoes pretty good too.

Though it's kinda like driving in the rain with the top up: you get just as wet as with the top down, but not as many people are laughing at you /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/wink.gif

 

[Randy Harris]

Roger, was the Jag-Lovers site LED thread no help to you?
I'm pretty sure the issues are identical
Randy

 

[AUSMHLY]

Hi Randy,
I spent some time on that site and could not find the thread that shared what LED bulb model or number nor where the Jag folks were buying said bulb. Maybe you know your way around that site better and can send me the link to the tread that can help me.
Cheers,
Roger

 

[tahoe healey]

I believe a 14 volt bulb will actually be dimmer on a 12 volt system. A 10 volt would burn brighter but need replacing all the time. I think we need to talk watts here. I do carry a flashlight for those rare occasion I want to know something I don't already suspect (like fuel level). Generally, no need to worry about temps at night. I still use a generator so I need to rev to see the gauges.
I would love to hear a definitive answer on this.
TH

 

[AUSMHLY]

I'm open to other options of lighting the instruments.

Heat from the bulb is a real concern. The LED blubs I'm finding don't do a good joy of spreading the light. They like to focus a beam, which will not work in the Smith gauge.

Think outside the box, I am doing now.
Thanks to GregW and his EL Wire suggestion. Remember Greg, no good deed goes unpunished.

This project would certainly bring out the MacGyver in the installer. Cut the wire to size, terminate and attach to the inside of the gauge. Run the wire out the back of the gauge and connect to the similar wires from the other gauges. Run one master wire to the Converter and somehow tap that into dash panel switch.

No heat, less draw and can be applied right behind the dash face. Filling the 1/8" gap between the inside of the cylinder and the dash face.

Somebody stop me.
All I wanted to do was switch out the current bulb for a brighter one.
Next thing you know, I be redesigning the gauge face so the numbers light up from behind. What the heck, introduce some color too.
Cheers,
Mr. too much time on his hands.

 

[ooman]

Think outside the box, I am doing now.
Thanks to GregW and his EL Wire suggestion. Remember Greg, no good deed goes unpunished.

This project would certainly bring out the MacGyver in the installer. Cut the wire to size, terminate and attach to the inside of the gauge. Run the wire out the back of the gauge and connect to the similar wires from the other gauges. Run one master wire to the Converter and somehow tap that into dash panel switch.

No heat, less draw and can be applied right behind the dash face. Filling the 1/8" gap between the inside of the cylinder and the dash face.

Instead of thinking outside the box, maybe think outside the gauge. In that it would probably be easier to terminate the EL Wire outside of the gauges.

It doesn't look like it's too difficult to terminate (Instructions) But space is a premium inside the gauges, and the EL wire only costs about $1/foot, so why not route it out through the old bulb socket opening and have the terminal outside the gauge case.

 

[GregW]

Hi Roger,
I’m curious how bright the EL wire is, so I ordered a small kit. If you want to wait, I’ll be the guinea

. If you want some serious LEDs, you should check out Luxeon LEDs. The red/orange Luxeon 3 is rated at 190 lumens and 1.4 amp. Not your fathers LED.

 

[GregW]

Hi Roger,
The EL wire arrived yesterday and I stuck it in a spare tach I had laying around. It’s kind of cool, but I didn’t have a big wow reaction. The wire fits in the gap between the housing and dial, then just loop it around the circumference and cut to fit. I bought the white wire, but it has a slight violet hue to it. It isn’t particularly bright, but has an even glow to it. The most annoying thing is a high frequency hum coming from the small transformer. Maybe a little dynomat around that will cure the problem. Here’s a couple photos. The wire appears brighter in the photo than it actually is, and it isn’t nearly that blue.

 

[BOBBYR]

Hi Greg,
That gauge really looks good.Are you going to use this on all your gauges? The other question I have is,can the inverter be mounted in a spot where you can't hear it and is that safe? Thanks for imput.

Bobby R
The pictures of the EL wire,did look good

 

[GregW]

Hi Bobby,
As it is right now, I wouldn’t use this on my gauges, I don’t think it’s bright enough. I might get a couple different colors of the high intensity wire from the site that Ooman found, just for fun. The inverter is enclosed in a small plastic housing that could be mounted anywhere safely. Way up under the dash, with the motor running, it most likely wouldn’t be heard.
I’ve been very impressed with the new LEDs coming recently. I bought a dozen of the LAPDs new tactical flashlights. Literally, you could read a book if the flashlight was forty feet away from you, it has one LED in it. The Luxeon LEDs I mentioned earlier have a very wide dispersion. I had spots on my retina immediately when I lit one up. Even 90º off axis.

 

[anthony7777]

gregw, interesting and sexy but in my opinion very dangerous, youd never know who on any given sidewalk might carlesly whip out thier light saber as you drove by, a natural reaction i spozz. /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/jester.gif

 

[AUSMHLY]

Right on Grew. (aka interesting, sexy and very dangerous).

I'm looking forward to your MacGyver skills with neon lighting. It may be the best way to go.

I'm buying a variety of bulbs right now. The shipping is costing me more than the bulbs. Go figure. At present I am comparing the stock 2.2 watt against an 8 watt incandescent and different styled LED's. I am also comparing the warm white vs. the cool white LED's.

I've found that adding another bulb in the back, bottom of the gauge helps balance the light from the stock top bulb. This of course means drilling a hole and adding another bulb holder.

Once all my bulbs come in and I try all the different combinations, I'll post my finding.

It will be interesting to see what you come up with too.
Yes, consider this a challenge my Healey brother. "just for fun".
Somebody stop me, I'm out of control. Again.
Roger

 

[GregW]

Somebody stop me, I'm out of control. Again.

<span style="color: #FF6666"><span style='font-size: 26pt'>No Way!</span></span>

 

[tahoe healey]

Go for it. All you are doing can be corrected if you don't like it.