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MrNatural

Interior Light?

75 posts in this topic

I'm embarrassed to have to ask this, but...

Is there a trick to removing the interior light cover? I've consulted the manual, and applied all of my limited technical skills, but can't get it to open. I'm wary of applying any force for fear of breaking the cover, but need to get it open so I can install a blue LED light.

Hints, pointers, insights?

Alan

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Insert a flat bladed screwdriver into the front edge and lever open.

Pictures on Evilution's site

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My new smart now has a blue LED interior light (thanks to smartieparts, smart142, and evilution).

Next, I'd like to try mounting a blue LED in the centre console light. Evil says what's need is "a standard 509T twist fit." Is that solely a UK designation? Is there an equivalent Canadian designation, or should I simply look for a 509T?

Alan

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I haven't been able to find any here. I'm waiting to hear from a friend of a friend in the UK.

If you've taken out that switch you might want to do one of my favourite mods. With a rectangular file notch out from across the original notch and then you can reverse the switch so that it comes on when you press on the top half. Takes about 2 minutes.

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I haven't been able to find any here. I'm waiting to hear from a friend of a friend in the UK.

Let me know what you find out, OK?

Alan

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It seems unlikely that I'll be able to source the blue LED light for my console locally, so I'm considering ordering it online from the folks referenced by bilgladstone.

They have a US$25 minimum for orders shipped out of the US, though. (They're in Missouri.) The LED I'm after is only US$1.79. Would anyone like to join me in a group order? I have an LED enthusiast friend who might order some array LEDS, so we might not need too many CsC orders to make this viable.

The T1.5/74 LEDS suitable for the console light are available in white, blue, green, red, amber, and untra-violet. See here for more info.

If you're interested, please PM me.

Thanks!

Alan

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Guys STOP!

The T1.5/74 will NOT work!! I brought them in last year and they don't work at all.

So I brought in the proper ones instead. You can buy them from me if you wish.

I had posted about my *new* site, but so far very few people have bothered to look.. there are several new products.

http://www.smartieparts.com/shop/index.php...products_id=149

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Thanks for that quick response, Steven!

I've been to your new site, but didn't notice the LED lights. Glad to know you stock them. I'll be placing an order later in the day.

Alan

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BUY STEVE'S LIGHTS!

They work real well...

But I must warn you ahead of time they're a pain to place inside because LEDs are polarity specific (so I been told by another member who had the same trouble installing as I did)...

When you pop em in and it does not work... Keep slowly turning the bulb till it lights up... And then don't move it even a touch...

It will work perfectly fine from here on...

I have a sweet red one from MrStevenDotCom to match my rear overhead red led I got from him a while back...

Works great on the highway for changing CDs without blinding myself... But it is just NOT enough light in the cabin in the city for me to read a good novel or magazine... :P

And get this... Now with my front LED off, it is still lit up but EXTREMELY dim, meaning that it can only be seen at night on darker roads...

I think this glitch is the COOLEST thing for me cause it shows me exactly where the light is when I'm on a night highway drive!

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I've ordered three LEDs from SmartieParts - one for the console light and two for the LCD display.

Alan

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Re Happy: That's great Eddie... glad you like it.

Re Polarity: True - LEDs can only be installed one way. If it doesn't come on, rotate 180` - should be as simple as that.

Re Glitch: Not really a glitch... just that with that center console light there is still a residual amount of current running through at all times, even when "off" (why? Beats me). A regular bulb isn't sensitive enough to light up from this but the LED is - so you get that faint glow when it is off. Its actually pretty neat :) Someone's going to ask if it will drain the battery... no, the current is running through anyway - the draw is there regardless of what bulb is in it. So you're no worse off with the LED glowing vs. the stock bulb wasting.

Alan, I got your order but because of the long weekend, it won't ship out until Tuesday.

- Steven

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Steve, we are interested in getting some of these bulbs for our cars.

Xandria wants to know how bright the Purple/UV ones are. Are they bright enough for the consoles and instruments? Or would she be better off going blue?

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A regular bulb isn't sensitive enough to light up from this but the LED is - so you get that faint glow when it is off.. you're no worse off with the LED glowing vs. the stock bulb wasting.

Suits me fine. Sometimes I like to get a little glow on.

Alan, I got your order but because of the long weekend, it won't ship out until Tuesday.

Not a problem at all.

Alan

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Dean - I haven't yet tried them in anything but the center console thingy - and only blue. Unlike the interior LED, the blue is supposed to be the dim one. I believe Kane @ Evilution said the blue is quite difficult to see the instruments. As I said in the product description:

Coloured light may reduce your ability to read or see your instruments. Light is for cosmetic use only. While these are among the brightest LEDs made for this application, none of them offer the visibility of the stock bulbs.

The center console bulb is the easiest to get at, so tonight when it is dark I'll do a quick test of all the colours and report here.

- Steven

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I just finished installing dual white LED's in my dome light and 1 white, 2 UV LED's in Xan's dome light (her's are mounted horizontal).

This gives me double the brightness and give Xan something to read by and hopefully will still allow her car to have a purple glow. We will see.

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The center console bulb is the easiest to get at, so tonight when it is dark I'll do a quick test of all the colours and report here.

- Steven

Interested to hear how the green one looks, to match my green overhead light. Oh, and do you have the new, brighter more-LEDs ones in green too?

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Does the camera suck, or is it the operator? Or is it just hard taking photos of light?

The red is really red! The blue and green are softer but still pretty pronounced. The UV/Blacklight... well... i'm not sure why they call it that really. "purple" is much more fitting. I guess technically it probably is "black light" but by the time its filtered through the glass and plastic, its purple. In the photo it looks very blue! I guess that's my camera or something... it really is distinctly purple.

The RGB colour change is freaking wild!!! I love it!

None of them are bright enough to see anything by, but that's not the purpose of that light anway.

Interestingly enough, I found the RGB did not have the same residual glow that the others do. So presumably its not as efficient, but we're talking TINY amounts of energy here.

I threw an 18-LED RGB colour change into the overhead light too - now THAT was bright! I didn't try it, but I bet the 18-LED blue or white are really bright too.

- Steven

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04160002.zip

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Oh cripes! Now I need to get a colour-changing LED for the switch! Also think I'll turn it 'the right way up' when I have the switch out of the dash; UP should be ON and DOWN should be OFF!

Be seeing you soon, Steven... :sun:

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Maybe it's just me, but when I try playing those video clips it's all garbled.

The UV/blacklight actually emits UV rays, so those UV-reactive materials can light up. I was told in physics class that it emits visible purple light as well so you can tell if it's on or off (remember that you cannot see UV rays). Too much UV exposure can be dangerous, but I highly doubt a little LED can do any damage.

Too bad you don't have the white LEDs - though the "white" LEDs haev a blue tinge to them - a nice one though, kind of like HID lights.

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If MrStevenDotCom gets the overhead light in an 18 LED version...

I'll give mine away to whoever wants it...

But if you're a highway driver like myself...

Steve's front and overhead reds are an INCREDIBLE combo...

They allow you the light to change CDs or look for items, all without blinding you!

And they give your car a mobile brothel look... Kinda like Amsterdam on wheels!

Eddie

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The overheads come in 18 LED versions?

Just today I wired up two white LED packs into my dome light. In Xan's I put 2 UV LED packs and a white...

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