How To: Replacing Cigarette lighter, Heated Seat Lights and Rear Defrost w/LEDs

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slickroger
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First off if you don't know anything about resistance, LED's, soldering or risk taking do not attempt this. If your switches stop working i can only try to help with no guarantees.

Cigarette Lighter Ring

Here is my blue Led i cut the stems and bent them to sit in the original light housing.



I added a resistor in line with the Housing



Heated Seat Switches

The switch came apart real easy just a couple of very noticable clips. after opening the switch i cut a metal lead to make space for a resistor and LED



Finished and back together



Same concept for the rear defroster



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Qxxx4
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awesome im so glad someone finally proved that you CAN change the heated seat switch light. How did you open up the casing? i broke mine and had to get a new switch and havent retried since.

great work roger

JHC828
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Looks great!!!

So what's left to do? I still haven't seen the compass/outside temp screen done yet... Do you think that might be in your future?

I just want to send my truck with you for a few days and have everything changed to blue inside! lol

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slickroger
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i should be done everything by next week pictures will come just waiting on certain lights

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slickroger
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the heated seat lights look purple in person because of the orange tint on the see through part of the switch any ideas on what color would make that light look blue?

Turbogst
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anyway to use a corner of some sand paper to scratch it off? I know some guys were doing this to gauge needles to change the color

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Towncivilian
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What kind of resistors will work for the LEDs? I'm getting some LEDs to replace the switch pack LEDs, and went with the 15-ohm 1/2 watt 5% tolerance resistors that were suggested in the guide. Will those work fine for the hazard button and rear defroster button?

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Pwnin O'Brien
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Towncivilian wrote:What kind of resistors will work for the LEDs? I'm getting some LEDs to replace the switch pack LEDs, and went with the 15-ohm 1/2 watt 5% tolerance resistors that were suggested in the guide. Will those work fine for the hazard button and rear defroster button?
It depends on the drop voltage of your new LED's, it differs from color-to-color. Are you using 3mm or 5mm LEDs in the switches?

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Towncivilian
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Pwnin O'Brien wrote:
Towncivilian wrote:What kind of resistors will work for the LEDs? I'm getting some LEDs to replace the switch pack LEDs, and went with the 15-ohm 1/2 watt 5% tolerance resistors that were suggested in the guide. Will those work fine for the hazard button and rear defroster button?
It depends on the drop voltage of your new LED's, it differs from color-to-color. Are you using 3mm or 5mm LEDs in the switches?
I bought 10 of these LEDs for use in the door switch packs and the hazard button/rear defroster, with one left over as an extra in case I mess up an LED. I bought 2x5-pack of 15-ohm 1/2 watt 5% tolerance resistors from Radio Shack as well.

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Pwnin O'Brien
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Towncivilian wrote: I bought 10 of these LEDs for use in the door switch packs and the hazard button/rear defroster, with one left over as an extra in case I mess up an LED. I bought 2x5-pack of 15-ohm 1/2 watt 5% tolerance resistors from Radio Shack as well.
Those LEDs have a forward voltage of 3.4V and a forward current of 20mA. For a single LED in the switch you need at least a resistance of 530ohms. So you should get a pack of 560ohm resistors (0.5W) with a 5% tolerance. If you were to use the 15ohm resistors you currently have the LEDs would blow out almost instantly.

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Towncivilian
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Pwnin O'Brien wrote:
Towncivilian wrote: I bought 10 of these LEDs for use in the door switch packs and the hazard button/rear defroster, with one left over as an extra in case I mess up an LED. I bought 2x5-pack of 15-ohm 1/2 watt 5% tolerance resistors from Radio Shack as well.
Those LEDs have a forward voltage of 3.4V and a forward current of 20mA. For a single LED in the switch you need at least a resistance of 530ohms. So you should get a pack of 560ohm resistors (0.5W) with a 5% tolerance. If you were to use the 15ohm resistors you currently have the LEDs would blow out almost instantly.
Okay, I'll return those resistors I bought and buy the 560ohm instead. Thanks!

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Towncivilian
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Does anybody have any pictures of this mod specifically inside the rear defroster or hazard light buttons? I'm having trouble with soldering the resistor in a way that there'll be enough space to reassemble the housing and already wasted a resistor and LED. Plus the damned switches are difficult to reassemble. I almost gave up on trying to reassemble the hazard light switch until I noticed the turn signals don't function at all unless the switch is properly installed (not just having the base plugged in), so had to fiddle with it for several more minutes to assemble it before I could drive safely.

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Towncivilian
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Pwnin O'Brien wrote:
Towncivilian wrote: I bought 10 of these LEDs for use in the door switch packs and the hazard button/rear defroster, with one left over as an extra in case I mess up an LED. I bought 2x5-pack of 15-ohm 1/2 watt 5% tolerance resistors from Radio Shack as well.
Those LEDs have a forward voltage of 3.4V and a forward current of 20mA. For a single LED in the switch you need at least a resistance of 530ohms. So you should get a pack of 560ohm resistors (0.5W) with a 5% tolerance. If you were to use the 15ohm resistors you currently have the LEDs would blow out almost instantly.
Don't these have a forward current of 30mA, which would change their requirements to 353.3 ohms at 14v (even fewer ohms at 12v or less)?

jhong1226
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did this 2 days ago but i used 12v led instead so did not have to bother with resistors. did not find led at radioshack thats 12v so i ordered them on ebay. $6 got me 5 12v 3mm white led's.


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