Re: Cheap LEDs for automotive dashboard application


"Randy MacKenna" <randymackenna@xxxxxxxxx> wrote
in message
news:1187894170.849864.91470@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
I own a vehicle, whose designers had the wisdom
(not!) to require that
half the dashboard be removed in order to change
the instrument light
bulbs. Needless to say, I've gone many months
with half my
speedometer lit, and the clock completely dark.

I'm about to undertake the repair, but before I
plug incandescent
bulbs back in, I believe I may be able to Rube
Goldberg small white
LEDs in place of the bulbs. I was thinking of
these:

http://snurl.com/1pv3p

Question: Am I kidding myself here, and just
substituting one problem
for another? Or, in an automotive application
will these LEDs
actually be more robust than the incandescent
bulbs?

I guess I'm worried that one >14VDC spike out of
the voltage reg on
the car's alternator, and these LEDs will fry.
Maybe if I add a
simple 12V regulator in front of them, that
would do it (?)

Also, will these dim okay with the car's dimmer
control...or will it
end up being an either "on" or "off" control?

Thanks,
Randy


Just get the $20 dollars or so of bulbs to replace
everything when you have it apart.
It'll last as long or even longer. There are long
life bulbs that you can buy.
Now the grain of wheat bulbs in radios thats a
different story.

Cheers


.

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