OK!!
so I delved inside my speedometer to see what was going on with the "burned out" LEDs.
![](http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g197/manchicken3/IMG_3802.jpg?t=1269031341)
see what color the plastic is? If it wasn't sanded off, you could see through it like glass
![](http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g197/manchicken3/IMG_3806.jpg?t=1269031465)
see how much space there is?
BRIGHT!! you can see the burned out ones at the bottom
![](http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g197/manchicken3/IMG_3805.jpg?t=1269031382)
The ring is powered by 12v that goes into eight 129 ohm resistors (dropping 12v to 9v) each resistor powers three 3v LEDs.
I removed and tested the resistor, (@129.5ohm) which was fine.
testing the bad LEDs showed 16-24ohms of resistance meaning the diode fused together (I don't have a scope so I don't know exactly what happened in there)
I also tested the traces for resistance, opens, and shorts and they were fine.
I'm guessing it was a vendor issue with that particular reel of LEDs
___________________________________________________________________
next step is to disassemble these and use their LEDs to fix my gauges.
($5.34 a pair with free S/H -eBay)
the other one I want to use as a running light inside my headlight.
![](http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g197/manchicken3/dumb%20stuff/888d97fb.jpg?t=1269031058)
gratuitous pics of spare surface mount electronics-
![](http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g197/manchicken3/IMG_3812.jpg?t=1269031603)
piles of teeny parts!!
![](http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g197/manchicken3/IMG_3811.jpg?t=1269031573)