Dashboard lighting

Friends:
As you know, I am a happy owner of a 2007 Silver Wing 600 model whose photos I posted recently, after its restoration.

There's something I really don´t like, and is the instrument panel lighting, is a pitiful pale yellow.
I would like to replace its light bulbs with LEDs that illuminate with powerful white, or maybe a medium light bluish.

Anyone on the forum has put his hands on this issue yet?

The dash lighting is by very tiny LEDs attached to the Instrument circuit board. I suppose that someone could locate similar sized LEDs in the color of their choice and solder them on the circuit board. But it would be a very sensitive operation as you certainly wouldn't want to damage any of the other components.

That said, maybe you could just paint those LEDs with nail polish.

Tim

The dash has a large overhang.
I would suggest you get a rope light consisting of tiny leds.
Then do one of the following:

1. Take a piece of electrical tape and put it on the rope lengthwise so that the light is only visible on one side of the rope, or,
2. Create a shallow puddle of black latex paint and lay the rope in. Only the bottom half will get the paint.
3. You can buy a can of the black liquid rubber that is used to dip tool handles into to make them insulated against shock. Create a shallow puddle with that.

Then you can attach the rope light beneath the leading edge of the dashboard, with the lights facing toward the instruments, and the black side facing toward you.

Less work, less risk, you can use them as accent lights, and you won't be blinded at night.

I am thinking in something like this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qpkQGpD8oQI
(just see the part between 20 seconds and 30 seconds) (the rest of the LEDs are too many for me)

I'd leave the dash alone, an over bright display is distracting and may upset your night vision.

What Meldrew said ^^^ + if overly bright you may get reflections of the dashboard lights in the windscreen

There are a lot of gread SWing mods - not sure if this is one of them.

Hi Fernando,
And before I forget, Welcome to the forum.  I must agree with those who think making anything else on the dash lighting brighter, that that is a bad idea; mainly from the safety standpoint of not haphazardly causing any extra glare to put up with.  I don't even like the blue high-beam indicator and I plan on making it 'less' bright one of these days.  Anyway, good luck.

I really like the mirrors with the signal lights as seen in the video.  Anyone know where can these be purchased? Or will the Kymco Downtown mirrors fit?
( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qpkQGpD8oQI )
Thanks,
Mike

Something like ........ http://tinyurl.com/njkwnzh

The Bern wrote:

Something like ........ http://tinyurl.com/njkwnzh

Yes exactly like that !! Thanks for the link. 
Mike

No prob's,post a picture here when you got them fitted  

The Bern wrote:

No prob's,post a picture here when you got them fitted  

Will do ... not until spring I expect.

Mike

I agree the S/W dash could use a little tweaking. I also do not care for the yellow appearance of the lighting.If they used conventional bulbs and had a dimmer you could adjust the intensity to your liking.If the upper part of the dash were to overhang a little more it would also help to view the instruments in sun light. That being said a couple of us just arrived back from a 4,000 mile trip in Colorado (before the rain) and the S/W made it with out a problem.  Howard

NWSSC wrote:

If they used conventional bulbs and had a dimmer you could adjust the intensity to your liking.

Be happy Honda uses very long life LED's. The LED's should outlast your Swing. Incandescents never would.

Hi…

I agree… a bit of tweaking is in order. I (we) prefer a dash that you can see and not have to squint at during the night. The Swing is actually for my wife (we have only had it a week) and she made the comment the other night that it was difficult to see without staring for a bit keeping your eyes off the road longer than necessary. She is use to the clear and sharpness of our gold wing.

You asked a question that I would have been asking in another few months. At some point during the winter I will be stripping this down to the frame to get a good look at things under all that Tupperware. The dash will be coming apart with that work.

I would have no problems in removing the LEDs from the PCB. I have an electronics background and am able to do surface mount component repair here at home. I love to photograph (another skill set) and document stuff so I will be reporting back here with what and how I did things. I do a lot of that stuff on the Steve Saunders Goldwing board.

I am looking forward to contributing to this board as best I can.

Tim.

I really like the handlebars on the SWing in the video. One thing I have never liked about mine is all that plastic around the handlebars. Makes adding stuff to them a little difficult. However, this one looks like a show piece and mine is an everyday ride. That makes a difference. A friend of mine has a Bergman 650 Exec and he has a butt load of extra lights on his and riding in front of him at night is extremely annoying.

Other than that I have nothing of value to add to this conversation so I will sit back down a shut the hell up like normal.

anyone got a pic of the speedo internal?similar to burgman?cuz there is an youtube video of changing the led for it.

The speedo is an integral part of the meter control board. There is nothing, beside the little needle motor, to distinguish speedo components or circuitry from any of the other meter circuits.

I like those transparent hand guards, anyone know where they can be obtained? The LED's are pretty but....??

Mr Magic Fingers wrote:

>>I would have no problems in removing the LEDs from the PCB. I have an electronics background and am able to do surface mount component repair here at home. I love to photograph (another skill set) and document stuff so I will be reporting back here with what and how I did things. I do a lot of that stuff on the Steve Saunders Goldwing board.<<

Mr. Magic Fingers
Hmmm, "electronics background?... It just so happens that I have a 'dysfunctional' meter display board in my garage. If you're curious enough to have a go at checking it out with the thought of it benefiting all of us here I'll send it along to you. PM me
Tim

I’d love to do that for you and the forum members!

PM coming your way.

Tim.

Mr Fingers, PM'd you Combination Meter circuit board photos the other day. Let me know if they didn't make it to your inbox.
Tim

Hi...

I did not get the PM or any e-mail. Try to e-mail them to me at the provided address.

Tim.

Tim,

I got your second attempt. I e-mailed you back.

Just to keep the curious in the loop, Cosmic Jumper (the other Tim) sent me pictures of the Meter Cluster taken apart. I would recommend that he post them here as they were very helpful to me.

The LEDs are indeed the surface mount variety but are not “Micro” in size. This is well within my skill set. I will be taking Christine’s apart during the long and drawn out winter’s nap our bikes are forced to take here. I will give Christine the choice of color. Maybe even the possibility of the choice of changing the colors to suite her mood…. Hmmmmm. Tri-colored LEDs… hmmmm.

Anyway… a good project coming up.

Tim.

hi,can i the pic as well?mine seems to be dim,so like to think wat kind of options i can have.

About replacing the LED... YES in my case. However, in most peoples world this would be a huge NOOOO!.

If they (the LEDs) were a discrete component where the LEDs had traditional pins that went through the PCB, some people with moderate skills might be able to do this. However, most people, even the ones that are into the electronics field, can't do OR do not do well with the surface mount stuff.

This requires a specific skill set with specific knowledge and expensive tools. Make one mistake and you would toast your cluster. It would only require a small mistake to do so. A very very expensive mistake.

One thing that I would have to figure out would be how to get the unit apart. Removing the needles from the two meters without wrecking the whole cluster may be an issue. They are beyond delicate and are usually glued onto the shaft.

That would be the “gotcha” for me on this project.

Tim.

I have the "turn signal" mirrors on my 2005. They are really nice and have had lots of comments on them. I am pretty broad shouldered and yet they work well.

Mr Magic Fingers wrote:

>>One thing that I would have to figure out would be how to get the unit apart. Removing the needles from the two meters without wrecking the whole cluster may be an issue. They are beyond delicate and are usually glued onto the shaft.<<

You might be able to 'heat' the speedo & tach 'motor' shaft(s) with the tip of a small soldering iron. That'd dissolve the glue.
Dunno how you'd reattach the display needles accurately though as those meter motors seem to be free turning

Tim,

I have a question regarding the motors... are they free to spin around and around 360deg or do they have their own stop mechanism in them. Also, when you do spin them, are free to move or do they advance in "steps"? I am wondering if the are a regular motor of a stepper motor. The silk-screening shows a COS + and - and a SIN + and -. I am wondering if these are stepper motors.

Tim.

Mr Magic Fingers wrote:

Tim,

I have a question regarding the motors... are they free to spin around and around 360deg or do they have their own stop mechanism in them. Also, when you do spin them, are free to move or do they advance in "steps"? I am wondering if the are a regular motor of a stepper motor. The silk-screening shows a COS + and - and a SIN + and -. I am wondering if these are stepper motors.

Tim.

Free spinning 360*, either direction, no steps, detents or increments.

Hi,Tim.thanks for pics on the speedo.
the LED looks similar to the kind used on burgman and there was a post on youtube about changing them,looks pretty easy.
now thinking wat colour to use b4 ordering the sm led for future project.hehehe

echris108 wrote:

Hi,Tim.thanks for pics on the speedo.
the LED looks similar to the kind used on burgman and there was a post on youtube about changing them,looks pretty easy.
now thinking wat colour to use b4 ordering the sm led for future project.hehehe

Not to be discouraging, but there is no similarity between the Burgman  & Silvering LEDs.The SW LEDs are smaller than a grain of rice and are directly attached to the meter board. There isn't so much as a solder connection on the reverse side of the board for any of the LEDs.

You might be able to use nail polish to color the LEDs, but I don't know how you could possibly remove the existing ones and replace them with another color.

Tim