Guest ScottyDo Posted May 16, 2005 Share Posted May 16, 2005 I've been thinking about switching my gauges over to blue for a long time and was going to send them in to BlueGauges.com, but the cost was too much. They charge $70, plus you have to pay to ship it to them. I figure about $80 total. I wanted a cheaper option and had done some searching last year and found a how-to at a Netherlands VFR site, here. I ran it through a translator and got a reasonable idea of how to do it, but I could not find anywhere I could buy less than 100 of the LED's he used. Well, last week I found them available at Digi-key, model HSMN-A100-P00J1, Digikey part #516-1464-1-ND. It requires 15, I bought 20 for $20 with shipping. Following are the steps I took to modify my own gauges. There is certainly risk involved, if you fry the circuit board, you are out whatever the cost is - which is probably a lot! :o You will need the LED's, a 15 or 20-watt soldering iron with a small tip, a desoldering bulb, a steady hand, good eyes, and some experience soldering. Don't tackle it if you aren't comfortable doing it. LED's Here are the LED's as I received them from Digi-Key (minus the one's I used) Removing Meter Panels Start by removing the windscreen and left and right meter panels. I could never figure out how to remove these before so it took me awhile. Here are a few pictures detailing how they attach. Left meter panel pin - view from the top Left meter panel top Left meter panel bottom Left meter panel removed Once you have the left and right meter panels out of the way, you can remove the center meter panel (dashboard under the windscreen). Be careful pulling the center meter panel bosses out of the rubber grommets under the instrument cluster - they are a bitch. Removing Instrument Cluster When you remove the center meter panel, you gain access to the back of the instrument cluster. Back of cluster There are three screws holding it in place. The top two can be reached with a standard phillips screwdriver, the last one on the bottom requires an offset screwdriver(see below). You will also need to remove the three screws holding the air-temperature sensor connection and wire. The two screws at the connection have no polarity, they can be attached either way. One last screw Offset (doorknob) screwdriver Cluster Out Opening the instrument cluster Now that the cluster is out, open it up but make sure you discharge all static electricity. Cluster open Circuit board back Removing the tachometer needle Here is the part where I was really squeezing my cheeks. It took me 45 minutes to get the needle off because I thought I was going to break it. I didn't and hopefully you won't either. The process is pretty simple. Put some tape on either side of the needle so you don't muck it up and pry it off with a screwdriver on each side. It is a plastic needle pressed on to a metal pin. If you pop the black cover off, it is no big deal. It is just a counter-weight that snaps on. Note: Leave the needle pointed roughly at 0 when you remove it. Prying needle off (black counter-weight in place) Prying needle off (black counter-weight removed) Needle Removed Removing tach Now that the needle is off, the tachometer face needs to be removed. There are just two screws holding it on. Two screws to remove Start Soldering At this point you are almost ready to start soldering. There are 8 screws holding the LCD panels in place that need to be removed and all of the pins have to be de-soldered. You need to remove the LCD panels to get to the LED's underneath. There are 15 LED's on the board to replace. Don't replace the two LED's in the center of the board. They are red and light up the tach needle. Any other color probably wouldn't light up the tach needle well. The polarity of the LED's is important. Each LED has a notch in the corner that needs to be lined up with the triangle noted on the circuit board. Here are several pictures detailing the circuit board to give you an idea of what you are in for. Ready to start soldering Small LED's Pins to desolder More pins to desolder Putting it back together Assembly is the reverse of installation with the exception of the tach. Lightly press the needle back on (with the counterweight installed) pointed at 0. Push it up past the halfway mark, the needle will move to the right on it's own. It should stop at the very end of the scale - 13750 I think. If it is not pull it off and set it at the end of the scale. There is a little bit of play if you fiddle with the needle so keep tinkering with it until it is close. Once you are satisfied, push the needle on but NOT TOO FAR...I did and it took me a few to get the needle back off. Just push it on until there is a small gap remaining under the needle. The Finished Product After three hours of soldering, it was done. The pictures really don't do it justice. The blue is a much deeper blue than my camera would catch. It is fairly bright but not too distracting - I am sure I notice it more since it is different than I am used to. The tachometer appears to be right on the money. It may have changed by a small percentage but I cannot tell. Those more anal may wish to calibrate it on the bike with an external tach but I couldn't figure out how to hook mine up to the bike and said to hell with it. Best of luck if anyone else decides to do it. :beer: Done with no tach installed Very Very Blue Indeed So much better than stock. :salesman: Stock - yuck **Update 01/04/07** The gauges are still working great. I have put 8000 miles on the bike since the mod and can say with confidence now the tach is still accurate and the gauges are not too distracting. I would definitely do it again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer VolatileVFR Posted May 16, 2005 Member Contributer Share Posted May 16, 2005 Wow..I'm impressed...You have definitely gotten my attention. It seems you have done a bit of research on the modification... I have a 5th gen '99... I assume the same LEDs will work on my board... :beer: I have never had to take my board out and look at it. Do you know if there are any significant differences b/t the 5th and 6th gen boards and LEDs?? :thumbsup: Good Job.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest VFR_FLA Posted May 16, 2005 Share Posted May 16, 2005 Nice Mod. Easy to follow and great pics. I'm sure a lot of us will be changing our stock I.P. lights for blue. But if any VFRD riders are not electronically gifted then we can send the panel to you for $50 and you'll hook us up? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest opus Posted May 16, 2005 Share Posted May 16, 2005 1) Veeeeeeeeeeeeery impressed. Nice work! 2) No way in hell am I attempting that. I would screw that up so bad it's not funny. hehe. I tried to install a PS1 mod chip once and gave up when I saw how small the solder points were. Of course, my solder skills suck. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest ScottyDo Posted May 16, 2005 Share Posted May 16, 2005 Wow..I'm impressed...You have definitely gotten my attention. It seems you have done a bit of research on the modification... I have a 5th gen '99... I assume the same LEDs will work on my board... :beer: I have never had to take my board out and look at it. Do you know if there are any significant differences b/t the 5th and 6th gen boards and LEDs?? :thumbsup: Good Job.... <{POST_SNAPBACK}> I think the 5th Gens are much easier - I believe they have a standard bulb that can be swapped out for a plug-in LED bulb. But....I could be wrong. :beer: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moose76 Posted May 16, 2005 Share Posted May 16, 2005 Do you know if there are any significant differences b/t the 5th and 6th gen boards and LEDs?? The 5th Gens use bulbs instead of LEDs. They are type 194 blubs, you can find LED replacements at the below site: http://www.superbrightleds.com/1157.htm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest ScottyDo Posted May 16, 2005 Share Posted May 16, 2005 Nice Mod. Easy to follow and great pics. I'm sure a lot of us will be changing our stock I.P. lights for blue. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Thanks, it was definitely worth the time. It is a cool color, an even deeper blue than the pics. But if any VFRD riders are not electronically gifted then we can send the panel to you for $50 and you'll hook us up? <{POST_SNAPBACK}> No, but they can send it to BlueGauges.com. :thumbsup: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest marscoast Posted May 16, 2005 Share Posted May 16, 2005 ScottyDo - Coooool upgrade! You've got guts, I give ya that! :thumbsup: Just thinking about the cost of that board gives me shivers :unsure: I'm with VFR_FLA - next winter you'll have a mailbox full of circuit boards from fellow VFRDers! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer dude Posted May 16, 2005 Member Contributer Share Posted May 16, 2005 Anyone swapped out 1157 blue's on their 5th gen? What were the results like? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Veefer800Canuck Posted May 16, 2005 Share Posted May 16, 2005 Anyone swapped out 1157 blue's on their 5th gen? What were the results like? They are a little dimmer than stock, but I haven't ridden it at night, just looked at it in the dark garage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Rivcyko Posted May 16, 2005 Member Contributer Share Posted May 16, 2005 FANTASTIC! Hats off, to you, sir. I don't suppose, while you had it apart, you investigated what pin, (color wire), has the power lead for the leds????? SCOTTY-Blue-gages.com???? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Smeggy Posted May 16, 2005 Share Posted May 16, 2005 I had mine done by a friend in Scotland. I wouldn't tackle that myself as I wouldn't like to buy a replacement cluster which cost almost ?1000 here (almost $2k American). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest redrover Posted May 16, 2005 Share Posted May 16, 2005 Hi All Does anyone know if the LCD screen in the 5th generation cluster is also lit by bulbs, or is it LED's. Mine is fairly dim, and if its a matter of replacing bulbs it would be an easy fix. The dials are lit fine, just the LCD is dim at night Thanks Neil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest kerplode Posted May 16, 2005 Share Posted May 16, 2005 Sweet! I was going to attempt this over the summer, but I ended up getting rid of the VFR... Anyway, a few words of advice incase anyone else wants to attempt this: 1) Do the work on a static-safe surface in a room without carpet flooring. I would recommend getting a cheap static mat and a wrist strap from a computer store. ESD can destroy the gauge cluster...A new one is ~$500. 2) Use a decent quality pencil-type soldering iron with a clean tip. Those giant soldering guns are awkward to use on SMT devices. If you have access to a Metcal or Pace soldering station, use that. 3) Rosin flux will increase the quality of your joints and prevent vibration-related joint failure. DO NOT, under any circumstances, use solder or flux meant for copper pipe. These products contain organic acids and will destroy the PCB. 4) Solder wick is superior to a solder-bulb for desoldering existing joints. Press the wick into the joint with the iron tip. When the solder melts, it will be drawn off the joint. 5) Double check the pin orientation of the new diode before soldering it down...They only work one way. 6) Those goofy looking magnifying hobby glasses help. Here's a quick guide to removing and replacing a 4-pin SMT diode: 1) Using wick and rosin, remove as much solder as possible from all four pins. 2) Heat both pins on a single side while applying gentle prying pressure to the underside of the package. Use a small pointy tool like a dental pick or tweezers. When the joints are hot, that side will pop loose. DO NOT pry against adjacent components! 3) Heat the other two pins and pop that side free. 4) Clean all the remaining solder off the pads with wick and rosin. 5) Clean the rosin residue off with 99% Isopropyl alcohol. 6) Apply a tiny bit of rosin to the pads, and set the new LED down, observing polarity. 7) Tack one pin, press the package lightly against the PCB, then solder the other three pins. When that's done, fully solder the pin you tacked. Use the solder sparingly. You don't want a big blob...Just enough to form a little fillet on the sides and toe of the pad. Also, the solder joints should be shiny. If they are dull, you have a cold joint. Cold joints will fail...Fix any that you find. 8) Lather, rinse, repeat. An experienced solder tech can change an LED like this in under 30 seconds. It'll probably take you a bit longer. :P Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moose76 Posted May 16, 2005 Share Posted May 16, 2005 Does anyone know if the LCD screen in the 5th generation cluster is also lit by bulbs, or is it LED's. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Bulbs, two of them. Three more for the dials. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest ScottyDo Posted May 16, 2005 Share Posted May 16, 2005 FANTASTIC! Hats off, to you, sir. I don't suppose, while you had it apart, you investigated what pin, (color wire), has the power lead for the leds?????   SCOTTY-Blue-gages.com???? <{POST_SNAPBACK}> It is pin 16, but I am not sure what color wire that corresponds to. I was thinking of your post when I had it apart but I couldn't figure if the LED's and LCD's shared power, or the resistance. :unsure: Here is a close-up of the pins showing the connection. Hope that helps. border='0' alt='user posted image' /> Close-up of pins on Instrument Panel circuit board Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Rivcyko Posted May 16, 2005 Member Contributer Share Posted May 16, 2005 Thank you, Scotty! I'll get my friend's multi-meter, and run it through the ringer. Not too bright a bulb, but I figure, if it is in link with the display, I can't do any damage to it, tinkering. (Because the display is low voltage also.) Thanx for the post, and for thinking of me. LOL! Riv. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer BoulderGeek Posted May 16, 2005 Member Contributer Share Posted May 16, 2005 So, what's the word on blue guage mods for Gen 3 1990-1993? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest a_moxie Posted July 30, 2005 Share Posted July 30, 2005 Fantastic! Great mod And the blue is not too bright or distracting while riding at night?? <<would hate to do it then find out its too bright>> Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Brotherblues Posted August 13, 2005 Share Posted August 13, 2005 Absolutely wonderful job Scotty! I spent about 4 hours this morning, following your great instructions, and ended up with an amazing -and cheap- mod. Funny thing about this mod is changing the LED's is actually the easiest part of the whole process. Thanks A Million Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Veefer800Canuck Posted August 13, 2005 Share Posted August 13, 2005 So, what's the word on blue guage mods for Gen 3 1990-1993? I would almost guarantee that they are standard incandescent bulbs. Probably a #194 wedge base. You can scroll back up and look for the superbrightled.com link and get LED replacements with a #194 wedge base to go on your early Viffer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer BoulderGeek Posted August 13, 2005 Member Contributer Share Posted August 13, 2005 I would almost guarantee that they are standard incandescent bulbs. Probably a #194 wedge base.You can scroll back up and look for the superbrightled.com link and get LED replacements with a #194 wedge base to go on your early Viffer. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> You're my freaking hero, Veefer! I'll look into that. :lurk: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Veefer800Canuck Posted August 13, 2005 Share Posted August 13, 2005 The 5th Gens use bulbs instead of LEDs. They are type 194 bulbs, you can find LED replacements at the below site:http://www.superbrightleds.com/1157.htm My cheap blue coloured incandescent 194 bulbs sourced from the local auto parts store were pretty dang dim at night, so I just sprung for the LED's from the above website. I got the wide angle ones as I remember reading elsewhere that somebody did this with regular LEDs and got a "spotlight" effect on their gauge faces everywhere there was an LED but poor lighting elsewhere on the gauge face. Hopefully the wide angle LED's cure this right up. :thumbsup: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Veefer800Canuck Posted August 13, 2005 Share Posted August 13, 2005 You're my freaking hero, Veefer!I'll look into that. :lurk: Hey, you're welcome. But if I were you, I'd confirm the type and quantity needed first. Never can tell! :joystick: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer spinalator Posted August 13, 2005 Member Contributer Share Posted August 13, 2005 I am scared of soldering. And soldiering, come to think about it. I am always amazed at how handy members of this site are. :thumbsup: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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