Dim the dash

[ismilelots]

I have a LS xr3135hc. I have looked through the owner's manual but can find no reference to this. Is there a way to dim the dash light? At night it's bright enough to reflect on the glass in the cab making it more difficult to see outside. Not a good thing when you're trying to stay out of the ditch while plowing snow.

 

[seville009]

Probably no way to dim dash lights like a car

As a “quick fix”, maybe throw a towel over the dash; just lift it once in awhile to check temps and such.

 

[Diggin It]

Dunno, but simple quick fix would be to lay a rag or towel over it. Move it if you need to check a gauge or reading.

 

[caver]

Wear sunglasses?

 

[Industrial Toys]

Is it LED? If it's incandescent, you could find the circuit and install a cheap DC to DC converter with variable output on E-Bay. LED, I'm not sure about how they are driven.

 

[Wagtail]

Perhaps apply some 'press on' window tinting?

Bought at an auto-supply shop and cut to fit as required.

 

[Doofy]

You could simply make a sun-shade over the instrument panel to stop the "up" reflection.

 

[JerryK]

Big hammer. The more you use it the dimmer it will get.

 

[radios1]

you could use a rheostat to dim the lights, just like cars use. you'd have to drill a hole for the control though..

 

[Industrial Toys]

Isn't it possible there is a VR if LEDS are used nd it will just try and correct the low voltage?

 

[radios1]

Isn't it possible there is a VR if LEDS are used nd it will just try and correct the low voltage?

the low power leds don't use a VR, and if there was one, it could only correct the voltage to a certain point. if you go low enough on the input voltage, it won't be correcting!..

 

[Industrial Toys]

I have no idea how LED dash illumination works. It would be an interesting project.

I have always turned down my Dash illumination ever since seeing burned traces and bulb sockets on vehicles a long time ago.

 

[JerryK]

I have no idea how LED dash illumination works. It would be an interesting project.

I have always turned down my Dash illumination ever since seeing burned traces and bulb sockets on vehicles a long time ago.

I always try to keep it as dim as possible so I can try to see Bambi eating next to the road... in the area beside the road they used to mow many, many, many years ago. Back when they had money to keep it manicured.

 

[cford36]

Just going to throw this out there......are you using the headlights or just the floodlights? Many times I have just used the flood lights since the headlights are blocked most of the time. But when the headlights are turned on the dash lights do dim, is why I mention this.

 

[radios1]

I have no idea how LED dash illumination works. It would be an interesting project.

I have always turned down my Dash illumination ever since seeing burned traces and bulb sockets on vehicles a long time ago.

that's caused by high resistance connections caused by water or moisture. I fix that before it starts with a dab of marine grease on the connections. it keeps out the water/moisture..

 

[Industrial Toys]

I don't think there was much moisure on the underside of my vehicle dash. I'm thinking more, the heating and cooling of the bulbs and dissimilar conductors came into play.

 

[Scrambler82]

- LEDs can be dimmed, by either a Dimmer Circuit made by SuperBright LEDs, they have two types, or with an added resistor to the power lead, but the resistor is more final, one level no adjusting.

- You can call SuperBright LEDs or go to their Web Site, they are happy to help.

Here's two Dimmer Units from their Site that work with LEDs, both work with 12 or 24 volts.
You will need to do some wiring and soldering, stick to good electronic assembly practices and these could work. (Call them to be sure - 866-590-3533)
Find the power to the Dash Lights and put a Dimmer in line. As stated you may need to drill a hole depending on mounting location.

[h=1]LDK-8A 12~24 Volt DC Single Color LED Dimmer, Part Number: LDK-8A[/h]

https://www.superbrightleds.com/moreinfo/single-color-dimmer-switches/ldk-8a-12-24-volt-dc-single-color-led-dimmer/62/365/

If you really want to get fancy, the sone has Bluetooth control:

[h=1]Bluetooth RGB LED Controller - Smartphone Compatible - 10 Amps/Channel, Part Number: CBT-RGB10[/h]https://www.superbrightleds.com/moreinfo/rgb-led-controllers/bluetooth-rgb-led-controller-smartphone-compatible-10-ampschannel/5420/12234/

Luck on the project !

p.s., Just a note, these are for LED Lighting, they may have something for incandesce bulbs but you will need to talk to them to et it right.
You COULD change over to LED Bulbs if needed, something to think about.

 

[Industrial Toys]

It has not been established that it is in fact LED lighting. Has it

 

[snymat68]

If it's incandescent bulbs, they could be dimmed by using a properly spec'd potentiometer.

LEDs can't be dimmed. They're either full on or full off.
They way to make LEDs APPEAR to be dimmed is by using Pulse Width Modulation (PWM).
Not getting into the details, a PWM controller (either DIY or commercial) simply chops the power going to the LEDs into a square wave.
Basically it just turns the power on and off really fast (fast enough our eyes can't perceive it).
The higher percentage of the time the power is on, the brighter the LEDs appear.
Piece of cake to control if you know some basic electronics.
Otherwise, just purchase a commercial controller online.

 

[Scrambler82]

I don't think so, but the dimmers I posted above are for LEDs !
As stated there are always way to do Incandescence Bulb Lighting too.
He needs to determine the Lighting Type, and then talk to the Sales agents and see what is available.