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Speedometer Light Color Change

23K views 39 replies 21 participants last post by  Neebie 
#1 ·
I know someone over on the other board was doing this awhile back.. He hasn't been active on either board in quite some time.


I seem to recall someone else doing the LED Swap here, but I don't remember who. From what I understand, this isn't an easy thing to do since hte LED's are soldered to the IC Board and requires an experienced person when it comes to Soldering.


I want my color changed from stock to light blue, and since the winter is coming, now's the time to get it done.


-Gonz
 
#4 ·
Gonzo, FWIW he is currently trying to sell a seat on VTXOA, last posted about a week ago. May try and see if you can PM him over there.
 
#14 · (Edited)
Gonzo are you talking about BornOnFire from the OA??
That was one of them. He hasnt logged either board since 06/2010. I could have sworn there was someone else tho.

-Gonz

Gonna check my garage when I get home, if I have a spare speedo, I'll tear it down & take pics, maybe we can identify the LEDs and I can get some from RadioShack and experiment.

They have to be the right kind.. and they're soldered directly to the IC board.. So, that takes a little finesse with a soldering iron, and while I know how to solder, I dont think Im good enough to do it without screwing up the entire IC board, and most definetly not willing to risk the $200 they are to replace.

-Gonz

Yep, BornOnFire. I got his info once to do this mod, and had thought about going a few steps further to market it with an adjustable color/intensity knobs, but never really got further with it.

In addition, my other goal was to change the colors on the LCD models too, rather than just the analogs... again, never really continued with it.

I have the instructions as well on this if someone wants to take the torch. I have the tools and the expertise to do the work, that's not a problem. I just didn't have the time to set up sending them back and forth, and giving people good return times.

Mort
Pass along the instructions, unless you feel like tackling one this winter. I sure as hell dont trust myself that much with a soldering iron, but if you could use some Beer/Wing money, flip me a PM.

-Gonz

Jangell here it is.
Ahh... cool. Hopefully we will hear from him soon.

-Gonz
 
#20 · (Edited)
There are many types of LEDs, sizes, angle of light coverage, power, etc. it's not as easy as a trip to radio shack. I dabble in making LED stuff but haven't ventured "under the hood" of the X yet. Be careful which lights you pick up, as it can cause un-intended feed back or pull to many amps and potential cause problems. I'm not an expert, just very conservitive on things that may cost me money.
 
#10 ·
Yep, BornOnFire. I got his info once to do this mod, and had thought about going a few steps further to market it with an adjustable color/intensity knobs, but never really got further with it.

In addition, my other goal was to change the colors on the LCD models too, rather than just the analogs... again, never really continued with it.

I have the instructions as well on this if someone wants to take the torch. I have the tools and the expertise to do the work, that's not a problem. I just didn't have the time to set up sending them back and forth, and giving people good return times.

Mort
 
#15 · (Edited)
Gonzo,
I had his info in a PM but it seems I deleted it. Hope he shows up again here as I would like to change mine to orange and dim the "blue light" too! Winter is great time to send it off!
Ron

edit: found the link to the previous thread with some more info.

http://vtxcafe.com/showthread.php?t=58640
 
#16 ·
Yeah, changing them would be no problem. I'll dig asap to find the actual data I had that pointed at the correct LEDs etc. It's really not very dangerous to the board, but I suppose it feels different when its your cca. All day today I've been soldering far more complicated boards :) Then again, the equipment here is all MetCal goodies, talons, rework stations, etc.

The other concept was to build one with adjustable lighting, and the instructions I had also had the voltage adjustment for the blue 'brights' light too.

Mort
 
#17 ·
Any new updates on this Gonzo?

:hmm2::hmm2:
 
#22 ·
There was a link to the LEDS in his post on the OA board, but it is dead now. I remember they were very tiny.
Doing it yourself would be difficult unless you were very good at soldering. Too much heat and you could ruin other components.
 
#24 · (Edited)
Found it... posting info and pic:
NOTE: There are two separate writeups here... enjoy both!



---------------------------------------------------
Honda VTX Speedometer Backlight Modification

1) Disconnect speedometer wiring assembly (tank remains on bike)
a. Remove rubber housing (simply pull or work back) – Right side, front, underneath tank.
b. Disconnect two (2) small green connectors. Use small (eyeglasses sized) screwdriver to release catch
c. Work wiring harness out behind tank support, bend flexible tab/finger on underside of tank
2) Remove three (3) screws holding chrome speedometer assembly (lower three – closest to rider). Remove gas cap, lift rear of assembly up over gas neck and then entire assembly forward. Replace gas cap.
3) Moving to work bench, remove remaining four (4) screws holding speedometer assembly to chrome housing.
4) Remove two (2) short silver screws – separate speedometer assembly from bracket.
5) Remover two (2) long thin silver screws – reset switch wires
6) Remove two (2) black screws from wiring collar ring, push grey rubber seal through opening (at least free it from seal)
7) Remove four (4) black screws, remove back of speedometer assembly.
8) Remove four (4) black screws, white washers from speedometer assembly faceplate.
9) Remove face plate, place in a non-abrasive area (soft plastic?)
10) Remove two (2) small black screws from back of circuit board.
11) Mark (magic marker) a stripe on speedometer needle motor
12) Unsolder speedometer motor pins (8), I used solder wick, straighten tabs
13) Unsolder digital readout pins (#?) long row of pins in middle of board. Make sure pins are free, when they are, board will separate from display.
14) Mark original LEDs on non-solder side ( I used a red marker – to make sure you don’t reuse the originals)
15) Unsolder the seven (7) LEDs. I used a hot air station at work to remove mine, this was very simple. I also tested using solder wick, and this also works. The hot air is quick; using wick will take a bit longer but works. ( A hot air soldering station costs about $600 – I do not own one)
16) Verify placement, the notch in the LED is placed where the triangle is printed on the circuit board.
17) Use your soldering iron and flatten the solder at each LED trace to a smooth level.
18) Using soldering iron, ‘tack’ the first side of the LED to the solder pool. Then solder the other side, go back to the first and resolder the first tack.
19) When complete seven (7) LEDS replaced, put a towel or cardboard on tank, plug in unit and verify that LEDs work. If good, then reassemble unit in reverse order from disassembly.
20) Solder digital display, needle motor.
21) Faceplate, back plate so that speedometer assembly complete.
22) Attach switch wires, bracket, and mount to housing. Reattach housing to tank, while making sure wires are properly routed.
23) Test and verify operation.
24) Ride bike, display cool new backlight when ever opportunity presents.

NOTES:
1) A soldering iron with a very SMALL tip is required for soldering the surface mount components. The standard radio shack 25 watt iron does not look like it will work very well. I have a 35 watt Weller with interchangeable tips and I used the smallest tip you can get for the surface mount components.
2) A magnifying glass will be helpful. Checking the solder joints will require a magnifying glass and very good light. I’d suggest a combo unit, lighted magnifying glass. I used one at work, but a regular handheld magnifying glass and a mini-mag flashlight will work just fine.
3) I am pretty sure this mod will void warranty.
4) I used Blue LED’s from DigiKey, part # 516-1464-1-ND.
Part #’s: found on DigiKey catalog- Pg 2617
http://dkc3.digikey.com/PDF/T091/P2617.pdf
BLUE LED’s: Digi Key # 516-1464-1-ND / Avago Technologies HSMN-A100-P00J1
GREEN Digi Key # 516-1463-1-ND / Avago Technologies HSMM-A100-S00J1

Rectangular Surface Mount LED’s
SMD LEDs (3.2mm x 2.8mm)Standard PLCC Package
3.20mm x 2.80mm 3.4v 30 ma 120° viewing angle $1.08 per unit

I am sure other colors can be found at different sources. Here are some other sources to check:

http://www.oznium.com/plcc-2

http://www.newark.com/avago

http://www.newark.com/jsp/content/printCatalog.jsp?cat=c126&page=1271&display=single

http://www.led.net/markets/smt_index.htm

http://www.ledtronics.com/products/ProductsDetails.aspx?WP=C397K1863

http://www.bivar.com/pdf/04opto31.pdf

Time Estimate:
1) Housing removal (10 – 20 minutes)
2) speedometer assembly removal ( 10 – 20 minutes)
3) speedometer assembly disassembly / unsolder (20-30 minutes)
4) LED removal replacement (30 – 45 minutes)
5) speedometer assembly reassemble / solder (20-30 minutes)
6) speedometer assembly replacement ( 10 – 20 minutes)
7) Housing replacement (10 – 20 minutes)

Total time estimate: between 1 ½ hours to 3 hours











---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Honda VTX Speedometer Backlight Modification (by Jim-Eye)

1) Disconnect speedometer wiring assembly (tank remains on bike)
a. Remove rubber housing (simply pull or work back) – Right side, front, underneath tank.
Right front sparkplug cover / cylinder trim



b. Disconnect two (2) small green connectors. Use small (eyeglasses sized) screwdriver to release catch


c. Work wiring harness out behind tank support, bend flexible tab/finger on underside of tank


2) Remove three (3) screws holding chrome speedometer assembly (lower three – closest to rider). Remove gas cap, lift rear of assembly up over gas neck and then entire assembly forward. Replace gas cap.



3) Moving to work bench, remove remaining four (4) screws holding speedometer assembly to chrome housing.



4) Remove two (2) short silver screws – separate speedometer assembly from bracket.



5) Remover two (2) long thin silver screws – reset switch wires




6) Remove speedometer assembly from chrome housing.
7) Remove two (2) black screws from wiring collar ring, push grey rubber seal through opening (free it from seal)



8) Remove four (4) black screws, remove back of speedometer assembly.



9) Remove four (4) black screws, white washers from speedometer assembly faceplate.




10) Remove face plate, store in a non-abrasive area (soft plastic?)
11) Remove two (2) small black screws from back of circuit board.

Mark speedo needle motor




12) Mark (magic marker) a stripe on speedometer needle motor
13) Unsolder speedometer motor pins (8), I used solder wick, straighten tabs
speedo needle unit

digital display connections



14) Unsolder digital readout pins (16) long row of pins in middle of board. Make sure pins are free, when they are, board will separate from display.
15) Mark original LEDs on non-solder side ( I used a red marker – to make sure you don’t reuse the originals)
16) Unsolder the seven (7) LEDs. I used a hot air station at work to remove mine, this was very simple. I also tested using solder wick, and this also works. The hot air is quick; using wick will take a bit longer but works. (a hot air soldering station costs about $600 – I do not own one)



(Sorry, I did not get a good photo of LED’s on top side of board. They are small white squares, with corner notched for polarity. You can see by this photo where they are on the board.)

17) Verify placement, note that the notch in the LED is placed where the triangle is printed on the circuit board.
18) Use your soldering iron and flatten the solder at each LED trace to a smooth level.
19) Using soldering iron, ‘tack’ the first side of the LED to the solder pool. Then solder the other side, go back to the first and resolder the first tack.
20) When complete seven (7) LEDS replaced, put a towel or cardboard on tank, plug in unit and verify that LEDs work. If good, then reassemble unit in reverse order from disassembly.




21) Solder digital display, needle motor.
22) Faceplate, back plate so that speedometer assembly complete.
23) Attach switch wires, bracket, and mount to housing. Reattach housing to tank, while making sure wires are properly routed.
24) Test and verify operation.
25) Ride bike, display cool new backlight when ever opportunity presents.


NOTES:
1) A soldering iron with a very SMALL tip is required for soldering the surface mount components. The standard radio shack 25 watt iron does not look like it will work very well. I have a 35 watt Weller with interchangeable tips and I used the smallest tip you can get for the surface mount components.
2) A magnifying glass will be helpful. Checking the solder joints will require a magnifying glass and very good light. I’d suggest a combo unit, lighted magnifying glass. I used one at work, but a regular handheld magnifying glass and a mini-mag flashlight will work just fine.
3) I am pretty sure this mod will void portions of warranty.
4) I used Blue LED’s from DigiKey, part # 516-1464-1-ND.
Part #’s: found on DigiKey catalog- Pg 2617
http://dkc3.digikey.com/PDF/T091/P2617.pdf
BLUE LED’s: Digi Key # 516-1464-1-ND / Avago Technologies HSMN-A100-P00J1
GREEN Digi Key # 516-1463-1-ND / Avago Technologies HSMM-A100-S00J1

Rectangular Surface Mount LED’s
SMD LEDs (3.2mm x 2.8mm)Standard PLCC Package
3.20mm x 2.80mm 3.4v 30 ma 120° viewing angle $1.08 per unit

I am sure other colors can be found at different sources. Here are some other sources to check:

http://www.oznium.com/plcc-2

http://www.newark.com/avago

http://www.newark.com/jsp/content/printCatalog.jsp?cat=c126&page=1271&display=single

http://www.led.net/markets/smt_index.htm

http://www.ledtronics.com/products/ProductsDetails.aspx?WP=C397K1863

http://www.bivar.com/pdf/04opto31.pdf



TIME ESTIMATE:
1) Housing removal (10 – 20 minutes)
2) speedometer assembly removal ( 10 – 20 minutes)
3) speedometer assembly disassembly / unsolder (20-30 minutes)
4) LED removal replacement (30 – 45 minutes)
5) speedometer assembly reassemble / solder (20-30 minutes)
6) speedometer assembly replacement ( 10 – 20 minutes)
7) Housing replacement (10 – 20 minutes)

Total time estimate: between 1 ½ hours to 3 hours





---------------------

From Mort: Again I am not taking credit for this writeup, and it was given to me somewhat in secrecy... so... it's out there now. I say, if someone can improve upon it... DON'T keep that to yourself, hook the community up with knowledge.

I plan to engineer this system into a model you can adjust intensity 'and' color, on the fly... but it will take time and research to do it right so it is environmentally protected etc. Also I'm working on a method to change the LCD backlights for you guys (like me) that have digital speedos.

Happy modding, Mort
 
#25 ·
Update for Gonzo...

(well for everyone else, Gonz decided to put some faith in my work so he sent me his speedo... neat process)


Chopp already pointed out my desk is messy... but wtf ever, lol :) I think messy desks are working desks... I'd show the whole shop, but not sure how much I post up on the web.


ESD practices are a must... in one write up I saw the guy explain how to do this 'on his carpet'... oh boy.


Here's the back opened up:


These are those annoying pins...


Then you can get them off... see the front side:


They're flimsy little buggers!! (the brown is from flux, not burn lol)


My let hand is not steady enough to take a non-blurry pic, but I have nice tweezer MetCal Talons to remove... much safer for the board as only need a few seconds to pull the LED off... two soldering irons is clumsy and one jumping back and for is simply amateur and asking for damage.


All off, new boys on:


Closer view of new LEDs... they are the white rectangle guys, the tops are a clear film


Smart Honda put in test points! Great idea guys. A DMM's diode check provides plenty of voltage limited to check diodes.


Putting the body back together is probably the most annoying part... all those flimsy lines have to be lined up individually with tweezers while not pushing too hard on the speedo needle motor... uggg...


Then it was just covers again...

It'll be in the mail on Monday Gonz, thanks for letting me experiment... annoying little project, but hope you like the new lights.

Oh, one sad part... you sent me 1 green LED... well I guess you wanted it on one of the other LEDs, but they're all through hole and MUCH larger (refer to other pics), rather than the same size surface mount. So no go there. I'll find out what those bigger LEDs are and we can try again or simply enjoy the bluuuuuuuue.

Mort
 
#28 ·
Me.....................................
 
#29 ·
Would love to have orange LED backlight and a dimmer bright! Up for it Mortikus? What would cost be for your services?
 
#30 ·
i'd love to have green
 
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