New cluster idea..Help

G-RELL

G-RELL

FULLY DIPPED LS
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anyone who's been in ours, or might know anyway...

Is there a way for me to wire my cluster lights (or just the needles) to always be lit. I have an Idea for my interior, but it would require the cluster lights (needles) to be lit as if my lights were on, all the time.....

Im not concerned with losing dimmer abilities, but it would be best if the message center DID NOT dim. but not to concerned if it did...

really just need the needles :cool:
 
If you can trace the wire that feeds the cluster lights from the light switch you can cut that wire and connect it to switched positive. If you want to retain night dimming, you can install a normally closed relay on that wire instead. Connect the power side of the relay from switched power to the cluster light wire between the relay and the cluster wire. Connect the control side of the relay inline with the wire from the headlight switch to the cluster. Install a diode between the relay and the point you connect the switched power to the cluster wire. When the headlights are off, this will cause the relay to be closed, which will cause the cluster lights to be lit at maximum intensity. The diode will prevent power from being flushed back through the relay control line to the headlight switch. When the headlights are turned on, the relay will open the switched power line, which will make the cluster light up like it does now with the headlights on, with full dimmer control.
 
Nice Telco.

GRELL...I know how to keep the message center brighter than the rest of the cluster, but I cant say it without giving awy the big secret.
 
I'm sorry....... Every time I think about white gauges I'm reminded of either a 70's Benz or a Saturn.
 
Telco said:
If you can trace the wire that feeds the cluster lights from the light switch you can cut that wire and connect it to switched positive.
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Do you think the switch wire is a signal wire or a power wire... should i be concerned about voltage?
 
G-RELL said:
Do you think the switch wire is a signal wire or a power wire... should i be concerned about voltage?
Click to expand...

I'm not by my wiring diagrams right now, but I'm pretty sure the wiring from the light switch is signalling only. I can't recall (I'll look it up later) if the power wiring comes from the FEM or the cluster.

I think that to light the needles only and not dim the info displays, you'd have to cut traces on the PCB on the back of the cluster. Before I did that, I would twist out the bulbs and bulb holders for the needle lights from the back and then stick in small bulbs with wire pigtails. You could then wire those bulbs to power switched on anytime the ignition is on. The problem will be that the bulbs will probably either be too dim during the day or too bright at night.
 
Wondering what the G and Lee are up to now !


G and Lee = General Lee (get it?) ... ok, ok, ok, I'm done!
 
The FEM provides backlight power for all the switches and such inside the car. The cluster powers its own backlights internally. There's no external wire to intercept.

Yes, you could do something with the light switch wiring, but to get the instrument lights on that way, you would have to at least turn the parking lights on too (and lose the autolamp function).
 
joegr said:
The FEM provides backlight power for all the switches and such inside the car. The cluster powers its own backlights internally. There's no external wire to intercept.

Yes, you could do something with the light switch wiring, but to get the instrument lights on that way, you would have to at least turn the parking lights on too (and lose the autolamp function).
Click to expand...

so does it go switch to FEM , FEM to cluster?

can you tell me what wire it is that feeds the cluster? do you think the signal wire voltage changes depending on the dimmer switch setting? so in theory, I could send the "strongest signal" to the cluster to have them as bright as possible... (the message center will need to be bright all the time for this to work)...

am I way off in my thinking here?

BigRigLS said:
Wondering what the G and Lee are up to now !


G and Lee = General Lee (get it?) ... ok, ok, ok, I'm done!
Click to expand...

havent jumped anything....yet

hite337 said:
We're always up to something...
Click to expand...

maybe its time to open a LS shop
 
The cluster reads the light switch. It doesn't matter how bright you make the dimmer setting, the instrument lights will only turn on if switch says the parking or the headlights are on. If you assert the signal to the cluster that the parking or headlights are on, then it will tell the FEM (and REM) and they will turn the parking lights or headlights on.

If you want instrument lights on without the parking or headlights on, then you will have to modify the cluster in one way or another.
 
joegr said:
The cluster reads the light switch. It doesn't matter how bright you make the dimmer setting, the instrument lights will only turn on if switch says the parking or the headlights are on. If you assert the signal to the cluster that the parking or headlights are on, then it will tell the FEM (and REM) and they will turn the parking lights or headlights on.

If you want instrument lights on without the parking or headlights on, then you will have to modify the cluster in one way or another.
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Thanks Joe.. but just to clarify, If i added my own power to the signal wire to the cluster, It would still turn on the headlights? (i'm assuming a single wire runs to the cluster for the cluster signal lights)

As for the dimmer, I was thinking about the message center, if I adjust the dimmer it's brightness is affected. how is that controlled?

Thanks buddy.
 
G-RELL said:
Thanks Joe.. but just to clarify, If i added my own power to the signal wire to the cluster, It would still turn on the headlights? (i'm assuming a single wire runs to the cluster for the cluster signal lights)

As for the dimmer, I was thinking about the message center, if I adjust the dimmer it's brightness is affected. how is that controlled?

Thanks buddy.
Click to expand...

Okay let's try this one more time.

The headlight switch and dimmer wheel are connected to the cluster.
The cluster reads the switch to see if it is set to (a) auto, (b) off, (c) parking, or (d) headlights. It also reads the fog light switch and the dimmer wheel position.

If the cluster sees that the switch is set to parking, headlights, or auto /w low light level at the sensor, it turns the internal illumination on, as well as the parking and headlights. It sets the illumination to the level called for by the dimmer wheel, only when parking are headlights are on. Otherwise, the dimmer wheel is ignored.

For the cluster illumination itself, electronics completely internal to the cluster handle that.

The cluster communicates with the FEM, REM, and radio via the electronic data bus. It tells the REM to turn on the rear parking lights. It tells the FEM to turn on the front parking lights, and the headlights if needed. It also tells the FEM to turn on the illumination power for all the switch backlighting in the cabin and tells it how bright based on the dimmer wheel. The cluster also tells the radio how bright to make its display light and its button backlights.

If you want the cluster to turn on its backlights, you'll have to tell it that at least the parking lights are on. If you tell it that, it will tell the FEM and the REM to turn the parking lights on.

It doesn't care at all what the dimmer wheel is signalling unless the parking or headlights are on.
 
^ well you should've just said that in the first place :p ... Ok, I'll mess around from there... Thanks Joe and others. I'll let you know what I come up with.
 
joegr said:
Okay let's try this one more time.

The headlight switch and dimmer wheel are connected to the cluster.
The cluster reads the switch to see if it is set to (a) auto, (b) off, (c) parking, or (d) headlights. It also reads the fog light switch and the dimmer wheel position.

If the cluster sees that the switch is set to parking, headlights, or auto /w low light level at the sensor, it turns the internal illumination on, as well as the parking and headlights. It sets the illumination to the level called for by the dimmer wheel, only when parking are headlights are on. Otherwise, the dimmer wheel is ignored.

For the cluster illumination itself, electronics completely internal to the cluster handle that.

The cluster communicates with the FEM, REM, and radio via the electronic data bus. It tells the REM to turn on the rear parking lights. It tells the FEM to turn on the front parking lights, and the headlights if needed. It also tells the FEM to turn on the illumination power for all the switch backlighting in the cabin and tells it how bright based on the dimmer wheel. The cluster also tells the radio how bright to make its display light and its button backlights.

If you want the cluster to turn on its backlights, you'll have to tell it that at least the parking lights are on. If you tell it that, it will tell the FEM and the REM to turn the parking lights on.

It doesn't care at all what the dimmer wheel is signalling unless the parking or headlights are on.
Click to expand...

G-RELL said:
^ well you should've just said that in the first place :p ... Ok, I'll mess around from there... Thanks Joe and others. I'll let you know what I come up with.
Click to expand...

This isn't the 60's anymore!!!! Just be glad we don't have fiber-optics like Porsche!
 
LOL true... I was with him until he ezplained the communication it has with the rest of the car. I did not know that.... All good though...Im sure us Duke boys will figure something out
 
G-RELL said:
LOL true... I was with him until he ezplained the communication it has with the rest of the car. I did not know that.... All good though...Im sure us Duke boys will figure something out
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I think that the practical idea is to pull the bulb(s) out and replace them with bulbs wired directly to a new circuit.
 
G-RELL said:
...Im sure us Duke boys will figure something out
Click to expand...

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Just remember G, when you Plasti-dip that LS of yours, be sure Lee don't think he be sliding across that hood.

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Ok, I'm not adding any value here, I'm gone!

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