Topic: IC's Interesting LED Gauge Lighting

[JAG]

I'm gonna have to try n post pics. I don't see how it is going to work.

The placement of the odometer "gears" is so high that if I did lay out some silicon for the LEDs to sit correctly there wouldn't be enough sticking through for the needle to snap back in place AND the LEDs would be sitting snug right up against the face plate. You have all sorts of room there.

My tach would have no problem as it doesn't have all that extra stuff inside it. So it would look like yours when placed atop those heat shields where the old bulbs were. It's not gonna happen on the speedo. Unless you guys did something with the 80mm LED RING that I'm not seeing.

[JAG]

here are those pics of the culprit in question.. If you can look closely you can see where the shaft comes up and activates the odometer.

So am I just #$%* outta luck and need to go to a 90mm? I loosely buttoned it all together- screws werent tight and the needle wasn't pushed all the way down, but I suppose it could work if the lights were smashed up against the back of the face plate



 

[Laminar]

JAG - that's the problem I ran into with the 80mm rings. That's why mine are 90mm. The extra diameter allows me to be outside of the odometer and still centered, with a little space before the gauge face.

FWIW - I have an extra set of 80mm rings that didn't get used if anyone's interested. I ship a lot faster than China does.

[cameron]

90mm rings on '76 550 gauges.

Hey, laminar.... did those guages have a rear-entry odometer rest knob?

If so, was there enough room to slide it in?

I did my 550 with 80mm rngs, and I had to sacrifice the odo reset.. but I might 90s if it fits!

[Laminar]

Yes - I had to go to the 90mm to get around the rear odometer reset.

[cameron]

Excellent. I will order some.

Luckily I didn't really tighten up that chrome ring yet!

[Old75_ratafe]

Hey guys anyone done this on a 650 gauge?  I got a buddy who is practically giving me his entire 650 minus the engine and frame and was gonna part it out but was thinking of instead of messing my 750 gauges up maybe use the 650 ones. I wanna say they are like a 79 or 80 model (not sure haven't seen the bike yet)

[The_Crippler]

Hey guys anyone done this on a 650 gauge? 

Not me...but if you do, take lots of pictures and such so that I can copy you...

[Laminar]

I disassembled a 650 gauge to put the guts in my 550 tach, and it was basically identical.

[cwchan]

i only briefly glanced thru this thread but has anyone thought of using El-wire/Glow wire?

http://www.elwire.com/

[Industrial Cafe]

i only briefly glanced thru this thread but has anyone thought of using El-wire/Glow wire?

http://www.elwire.com/

yes.
      you'd have to glue it to a ring of some kind to mount it in there and have a good 'circular' glow.
  unless you glued it into the inner lip of the reflector, which would also be cool.

great idea.

[Old75_ratafe]

Hey guys anyone done this on a 650 gauge? 

Not me...but if you do, take lots of pictures and such so that I can copy you...

Will do man I get to look at it this week amd if its in decent shape I'll buy it, apparently it has comstar rims which if I recall are a diffrent size than my 750.

A though occurs to me though... if they are the same size as 550's aren't those much smaller than the 750's?

[JAG]

Sorry to revisit this dead thread.

But I'm having problems seeing the lighting through my gauges it is probably due to my decals (They are black) that I have on there..

Any way to get the light through the gauges better? Do I need to use a different decal faces (stickers) ? different color like white or something?

I'd rather not change them..

Anyone else have this problem?

[cameron]

Did you put halos in, or just stock lights?

[JAG]

The halos.

[Old75_ratafe]

Did you sand off the old ones as described in this thread?

[JAG]

I tried but nothin ever came off the back of the gauge faces. I can't sand the front because the decals are on there.

All it did was barely scratch the surface. I even used coarse 60 grit sand paper.

[Grnrngr]

Thought this was an awesome mod the first time I saw it but forgot to mark it. Thanks for bringing it back!

[Old75_ratafe]

Jag you sand off your old decals then once all u have is the blue plastic on both sides you apply the new ones.  If you didn't sand off the original ones first that's why its so dark.  It would be like have two layers of decal.

[Grnrngr]

So....are the green faces actually a different color plastic base than the blue ones? Got one green and one blue, planning on covering them with a couple of Domer's Hot Babes face overlays, but....just curious...

[Old75_ratafe]

So....are the green faces actually a different color plastic base than the blue ones? Got one green and one blue, planning on covering them with a couple of Domer's Hot Babes face overlays, but....just curious...

Little confused on that one are your gauges a mis matched pair?  all the earlier faces should be kinda a blue / greenish color but should be the same color.  the original faces have basically painted on green with the numbers that's why you have to sand past that layer which should leave you with a semi see through piece of blue/green disc to attach the new vinyl decal to which with the high intensity of the halo rings shines through the plastic a slightly through the vinyl and around it giving the halo effect.

[Grnrngr]

Yeah...had an unfortunate occurance a while back and mangled my tach, requiring replacement. it's a 750 tach but a later yr i think?  I'll try to get a pic tomorrow..

[Old75_ratafe]

Yeah...had an unfortunate occurance a while back and mangled my tach, requiring replacement. it's a 750 tach but a later yr i think?  I'll try to get a pic tomorrow..

Wouldn't surprise me if they had a plastics switch later on.

[apex_seeking]

Sorry for resurrecting the dead again but I had a few questions.

I wanted to do this on my 550. I noticed interference with the odo knob. I think (and that usually doesn't serve me well) that a 90mm will fit but I'm trying to figure out if the 90mm is i.d. or o.d..

This is what I'm working with and if anyone has successfully pulled this off with these gauges what size did you order.

[cameron]

I did it on my 76 550f

The 80mm interfere with the trip knob.
The 90mm works.. but it slightly off center.

Isn't noticeable from the outside... and doesn't bother me. I am VERY anal, as well.