Russ's 2.1 SED Auto now in Mandarin

[xmexclusive]

The LED's in switches work fine as the voltage is reasonably constant.
LED's in the dash is a totally different ball game.
I had a try with swapping them for the standard bulbs a few years ago.
You may well get significantly different light levels from LED's run in parallel.
The dash dimming control is likely to become an on/off switch near the top end of its range.
So the dash lights will be too bright or off when you want them on.

John

[Ciaran]

Hmmm, not so easy then by the sounds of it John.....

I wonder, would substituting the existing rheostat for something digital allow more granular dimming control.
I saw a lot of LED Christmas lights last month and noticed some of them brightened and dimmed quite well, although there was that noticeable 'off a cliff' sudden turn-off when they reached the bottom of the dim scale, but there was still enough variance in the range to be useful.

I wonder if that's possible.
Are the dash lights wired in parallel or series?

Ciarán

[Ciaran]

Jolly good. I like the idea of lights showing different colours for different functions. I like the little touch BMW have on their cars...little LEDs that shine from underneath the doorhandles to show where they are and i suppose puddles!

Anyway..yes the arrowed button pad thing is located by two pins. You simply slip a thin screwdriver under one side, prise it carefully up over the pin and then do the same on the other side. Very easy, just go carefully.

Ironically I believe those are called puddle lights, very useful in the dark. I first noticed them on a Mondeo, also noticed a Ford Kuga yesterday with lights under the mirrors, same idea.

Thinking about it, it was a Mk1 Mondeo I owned which gave me the idea for lighting the door handles (well inside rather than out), it had a tiny semi-opaque green window hidden in the upper door handle trim, which you could fit a bulb behind. The bulb came as standard on the top spec Ghia X models, but the holder and wiring was still present on my mid-range GLX (and I believe even on the base specs - those Ghia owners must have been pleased paying an extra £5000 for a bulb ).
Anyway, the little window diffused the light nicely and spread it around the handle recess, I really liked the effect and often wondered about doing it to the XMs.

Speaking of lighting the outside, do you remember the E-Class Mercs that had the red and green LEDs on the outside of the door handle to signify lock status? They came out when I was a kid and I thought it was the coolest thing ever. I was thinking you could do that to an XM by dispensing with the lock barrel (better for security anyway), and using the blanking plate from a rear door handle to mount the LEDs in (as well as a puddle light maybe? ).

Aha getting carried away now

Ciarán

[russ92xmsed]

Whilst looking for LEDs for the Dash display, I did find examples of other people converting to bright white or coloured LED bulbs. One chap sorting out a Merc binnacle did state the issue with LEDs is the sudden loss of light when the Rheostat is turned down. So it's interesting you say that John. Puts me off a bit from converting. Also the problem with LEDs is the concentrated beam of light. So you get spots rather than a nice glow. But a diffuser of some sort might solve that.
Would be interesting to try a purpose built LED bulb i found specially for Car dashes. See if that can dim like a normal bulb. Bet it cant!!

I like your idea of fitting a little light in the inside door handle recess Ciaran. With the XM handle design it could sit hidden behind the actual door pull and shine out towards the driver. For a brave sole to do that maybe...
I do remember the Mercs with the little red and green lights on the door handles. I personally wouldn't remove the lock barrel...only because being an XM, you'll need it at some point! Infact on mine the central locking doesn't work, so I really do need it! What would be cool, is to have a glowing green or white ring around the lock barrel, so you can find the damn thing!

The boot light might be good for an LED conversion. Thats where you need a bright light. I don't like them in the overhead light. Too stark and bright.

[xmexclusive]

Hi Ciaran

The dash lights are wired in parallel.
I have a few purpose made XM dash LED bulbs that I tried a few years ago.
Decided not to convert to them for the problems Russ mentioned.
My main interest at the time was the long potential life of LED bulbs.
Working off a fully charged battery I managed to burn out some of the LED's.
Decided they needed a 12v regulated supply which was too much trouble for a car installation.

I have some experience of multicolour LED strings.
Not my fault at all.
A year or so ago my youngest daughter decided to install a cinema room in her house.
The large room had no windows so lacked direct outside light.
Seemed a sensible thing to do.
Projector on one wall with the opposite wall painted as a 4m by 3m screen.
She had previously got her electrician to install LED spotlights, many with dimmers in all the other rooms.
These were playing up and those on dimmers failing.
Time and cost of free replacement was causing some friction.
When she presented the electrician with the low voltage multicolour LED chain strips for the cinema room he quit.
As all the mains wiring was competed we experimented with the LED strings run off a fused mains plug.
It was not easy positioning the LED strings to get the illumination as she wanted.
We ended up having to reflect the lights off the white ceiling.
The LED string had to be dead flat as a few degrees off and you got colour variation on those LED's.
Really noticeable on white and enough to annoy on other colours.
The results from 25 metres of multicolour LED strip are absolutely stunning.
Dimming is superb, she can set the ceiling to any colour, and running the coloured light patterns is time to leave.
The first control module failed after a few months (internal fault) but the exchange replacement is fine.

All this is 12v stuff and I have a spare controller and a some off cuts of LED strips somewhere.
Will try some experiments when I find them.
Simpler controllers, single colour (R, G or B) and white LED strips are available.
Need to check on how it was wired and run as I think constant voltage and constant current were both critical.
Car battery supply might need conditioning circuitry to provide that.
Multicolour needs 3 separate power feeds for each colour but a single earth.
Dimming I assume is pulsed voltage to always give 12 volts when on.
If so LED bulbs flashing on and off at a rate higher than the eye can see may not be ideal for a driver.
Not visible to the eye does not mean the brain cannot see it.

Surprisingly using this kit for car applications never crossed my mind.

John

[russ92xmsed]

Well yesterday, I had a play with the one touch switch, something I have been dreading ... Both lights in it had blown and was the last one to sort out.
I ran out of bulbs so popped down to maplins and got green 3mm 12v LEDs. Oddly they only ever stock two at a time. Very strange that. Not like they take up much space!!

Jaap was doing his switches at the same time, so some emailing back and forth helping him and he helping me with this one touch. We both seem to have succeeded. The one touch is a fiddle, but fortunately you don't need to solder the bulbs in place. You can wedge them over a little plastic support each end and each leg can then be tucked into the contact plates.
Little fiddly, but it now works. You have to be careful about polarity so you don't blow the bulbs. These don't have resistors in them.
Slight drawback, the green led is not as bright as a white ones. So might need to upgrade if it really annoys and is too dull.

So that's another silly job done. Just need to figure out why the drivers door puddle light doesn't work. I am very confident it's the wiring to the door. ERGH.

[citroenxm]

while you were dooing that, i was over in xantia world changing Heater Panel Bulbs on the Xantia..

As well as a bit more XMing in the afternoon.

[russ92xmsed]

Errr, technically I only spent the evening on the one touch. But did dash out before lunch to maplins. family Sunday lunch got in the way.
But I have rebulbed Marks window and seat switches today, and finished with some so called brighter green bulbs for my one touch switch...although you wouldn't think it to see them!

Afraid I wasn't as productive as you Paul... Spent most of the day digesting roast beef!!

[steelcityuk]

I've been playing around with LEDs in the Scenic, nothing too involved though, just sidelights and interior lights. After buying several different types from a supplier on eBay I found some great capless ones for the interior, very small, very bright and not too blue, just over £2 for 10. The only downside is they won't fit my XM, mine's all festoon type lamps. The same supplier does LED festoon lamps so I may try some of those when I've got time.

Steve.

[Ciaran]

That's handy Steve, would you have a link to any of those bulbs, they sound like they might be worth a shot!

Ciarán