Have anybody bought these needles yet for the tC? If do, please post some pictures. I'm curious what does it look like and how bright they are in person. It looks like they use a special CCFL ring around the head needles to make it so bright. I wouldn't mind buying it and give it a try.

http://www.bee.net/a2low240/gauges/Intellic1.jpg
1992 240sx w/ Sonic Blue Kit

Import Intelligence

"Import Intelligence has developed a new and innovative way of creating the ultimate custom look to any set of gauges. We have developed a low profile carbon fiber powered light ring that sits underneath the stock needles. With this 80% universal kit (more details later), the options are endless here and we like to explore every aspect of the concept of custom gauges. Indiglow can catch the eye very well but a piece of the gauge cluster that is not only brighter but also moving can really attract much needed attention. If you are tired of the Indiglo look, these are for you. New technology has made all this possible without major modification to the cluster. These kits are custom built to order so please allow a few days from time of order for shipping. All Kits come with a detailed instruction manual to help make your cluster the hottest on the block."

'05+ Scion tC

2 Large Needles & 2 Small - $69.90

4 different colors:
Sonic Blue
Hyper Red
Orange Dream
Super Green

They also have it for xB and xA.

Click Here: IntelliGlow Needle Kits (http://importintelligence.com/FMPro?-DB=cart.fp3&-Format=Iglow.html&-Token=12833239&-RecID=12833239&CustID=Iglow&-Error=index.html&-Edit)

www.importintelligence.com

you realize that they don't sell needles right?

and they're cheap LED rings that you wire in..... worth probably 10 times less than what they charge.

and as far as the picture.... it's overexposed... of course it's gonna look bright.

Hey, SquallLHeart where are you located? Pricings, and labor time?? Every anxious to get them done...

Yep, you can do the same with some leds and your existing needles. I did mine in red. Pic is in my profile.

Wow, this is new news to me, I was planning to do two color tone using vinyl sheet but all the LED have to be white and I can use the blue vinyl on the needles which will work great but will the blue color be bright on vinyl cover or it wont be just like these bright blue LED? I'm planning to do this LED swap this week as my next mod.

Dont use the vinyl on the needles. To change the needle color itself, you strip the paint off the back of them and repaint them. There is a thread around here somewhere about it. To get the different colored glow behind the needles as well, you basically block off the space behind the needle and place more leds back there. That way only your new leds shine through to the needle.

alright, so basically I'll paint the needles blue and add like blue LED behind the needle to make the blue color bright and the rest of the gauge face will be white for a nice two tone color with blue vinyl, correct?

Here are some quick tips to help you get started:

1) Strip old white backing and orange paint off the needles using isopropyl alcohol

2) Paint the needle back using blue paint (I use the neon blue Apple Barrel acrylic paint from Wally World or Micheals)

3) After a few coats of blue, add a coat or two of white (makes for better reflection)

4) The needles will glow a nice blue like this with only the white leds. If you want to really make the area around the needle glow blue and make a really glowing blue needle, then you can add extra leds.

If you add extra leds, I dont reccomend tying them into the current dimmer circuit for the leds on the board. If you do this I can show you where I connected mine. For mine, I didnt want them to dim with the dimmer circuit, I like being able to turn down the blue lighting and have the needles "floating" there at night.. looks very cool :) I did some calculating, and adding the extra leds into the same branches as the on board leds is pushing the edge of the range the dimmer transistors are meant to operate in, so I am afraid life of the components will suffer.

One of my many projects that I have little time for :P is making a "kit" for doing the needle backlighting, so all you have to do it glue it in place and connect a couple of wires. It will dim with the dimmer and possibly have a way of turning the dim function off so you can also have the option of no gauge face lighting with lit needles. I am trying to make it selectable without any other added buttons.. so it should be nice if I can get time to finish it (along with my other designs that have been seriously neglected lately).

Hope that helps. If you have more questions, let me know. I will do what I can to help.

Are you cookin up a DIY for this Engineer, ehh, ehh?

ive seen a couple pictures of needles that change color as they move. Is there a way to get the tach needle to change red as it nears redline?

.....I want.........

~Stephanie

^GARAGE1217 FTW^....http://www.garage1217.com/album1_014.htm

:rofl: the cheapest ones that have is like 60 bucks, lol, might as well pull my pants down and run backwards thru a corn field..WITH NO LUBE :rofl:

:rofl: the cheapest ones that have is like 60 bucks, lol, might as well pull my pants down and run backwards thru a corn field..WITH NO LUBE :rofl:

Batter up:

(0) :gun:

For the needles changing, your simply replace half of the leds under each needle with a different color (the added leds I mentioned). I use 4 per needle to get a nice, even glow and due to the way I put it together. So if you used two white and two red the needle will change color as it moves. Same premise as the temp knob.

I am, however, working on something that changes colors, in a much different way :D But.. this is the project I have had more than half done for over a year.... I REALLY need to take a couple of days off and just finish the programming and driver circuit!

For the needles changing, your simply replace half of the leds under each needle with a different color (the added leds I mentioned). I use 4 per needle to get a nice, even glow and due to the way I put it together. So if you used two white and two red the needle will change color as it moves. Same premise as the temp knob.

I am, however, working on something that changes colors, in a much different way :D But.. this is the project I have had more than half done for over a year.... I REALLY need to take a couple of days off and just finish the programming and driver circuit!

and no post on what your doing? or have been doing?

too dam expensive. i rather make my own for less,but cool idea.

Here are some quick tips to help you get started:

1) Strip old white backing and orange paint off the needles using isopropyl alcohol

2) Paint the needle back using blue paint (I use the neon blue Apple Barrel acrylic paint from Wally World or Micheals)

3) After a few coats of blue, add a coat or two of white (makes for better reflection)

4) The needles will glow a nice blue like this with only the white leds. If you want to really make the area around the needle glow blue and make a really glowing blue needle, then you can add extra leds.

If you add extra leds, I dont reccomend tying them into the current dimmer circuit for the leds on the board. If you do this I can show you where I connected mine. For mine, I didnt want them to dim with the dimmer circuit, I like being able to turn down the blue lighting and have the needles "floating" there at night.. looks very cool :) I did some calculating, and adding the extra leds into the same branches as the on board leds is pushing the edge of the range the dimmer transistors are meant to operate in, so I am afraid life of the components will suffer.

One of my many projects that I have little time for :P is making a "kit" for doing the needle backlighting, so all you have to do it glue it in place and connect a couple of wires. It will dim with the dimmer and possibly have a way of turning the dim function off so you can also have the option of no gauge face lighting with lit needles. I am trying to make it selectable without any other added buttons.. so it should be nice if I can get time to finish it (along with my other designs that have been seriously neglected lately).

Hope that helps. If you have more questions, let me know. I will do what I can to help.

I thought I can use clear coat after painting them neon blue instead of white coat, interesting, I'll go with white since you said it'll make better reflection.

Pm'ed about the dimmer. Sounds awesome!

For the needles changing, your simply replace half of the leds under each needle with a different color (the added leds I mentioned). I use 4 per needle to get a nice, even glow and due to the way I put it together. So if you used two white and two red the needle will change color as it moves. Same premise as the temp knob.

I am, however, working on something that changes colors, in a much different way :D But.. this is the project I have had more than half done for over a year.... I REALLY need to take a couple of days off and just finish the programming and driver circuit!

and no post on what your doing? or have been doing?
ehh.. doesn't take a genious to figure out what he's doing... those hints alone should've gave it away...

but hmm... shhhhh... it's a secret.. :P

be patient my young padawan... he'll reveal it when he is ready :D

Anyone notice that the car has 228K miles? I just think that is funny. Gauge cluster lights on a car that is probably close to dying.

Any what not, I really want to get my gauges done and a changing color needle as it sweeps is like icing on the LED cake. Too bad my skills will make me have more bills.

^ thats funny - i didnt see the miles. ha.

Put it this way.. .the lights will change color via a programmable device that can react to various vehicle inputs. One possible side to this is a shift light that is not external to the cluster.

Not trying to be overly secretive.. but if I give out all the details early people will be wanting it before I even have it all tested. So once I see what portions work best with our setup I will post them :D

And squall has a secret too!!!! :P

As for the white coating, I can explain that better. If you havent had the needles off before, it may be confusing. The coloring is on the back of the needle, so they put down orange, then white on top of that (which is "on the other side" of the orange in relation to the driver). The white helps to reflect more light back through the orange, giving it a brighter appearance. So I do the same with any other color I paint them.

Anyone notice that the car has 228K miles? I just think that is funny. Gauge cluster lights on a car that is probably close to dying.

Any what not, I really want to get my gauges done and a changing color needle as it sweeps is like icing on the LED cake. Too bad my skills will make me have more bills.

Is it a toyota? If so it is probably only halfway through its life :rofl: I dont think it is though. But I will say, I had a 78 corolla with at least 300,000 HARD miles on it and it still ran strong!

Check around when you want to do it. You would be suprised how cheap the swaps are these days. So that will be one of the cheaper bills when it comes to modding the car.

Put it this way.. .the lights will change color via a programmable device that can react to various vehicle inputs. One possible side to this is a shift light that is not external to the cluster.

Not trying to be overly secretive.. but if I give out all the details early people will be wanting it before I even have it all tested. So once I see what portions work best with our setup I will post them :D

And squall has a secret too!!!! :P

As for the white coating, I can explain that better. If you havent had the needles off before, it may be confusing. The coloring is on the back of the needle, so they put down orange, then white on top of that (which is "on the other side" of the orange in relation to the driver). The white helps to reflect more light back through the orange, giving it a brighter appearance. So I do the same with any other color I paint them.

Good job - its good hearing your ideas cause you arent full of bs. hehe. ....which we sometimes hear on the forum (just from some people across the posts).

too bad I am not full of spare time though :P

I have been letting people know, I have a full time (well.. usually more than full time) career and a family, so I have to let this stuff come third. So if I take forever to get new stuff out there.. that is why. If I lived alone, that my be different.. but family comes first.

But trung and jeremy are always coming up with new stuff too, so it is fun to be involved in!

Now.. back to waiting for my flight.. lucky me flying back into minneapolis while a snow storm is moving in!

that would blind me while i was driving.
either those pictures are crappy or those damn needles are way too bright

It could be either. Taking pics of the gauge lighting is tough to do and make it look right. The contrast of everything and the bright lighting sometimes make it hard to take a good pic. A lot of people over expose them to make them look different as well. For me, some of my pics look better than others, simply because I am sometimes too lazy to mess around with the settings while taking them after doing a mod :P I usually dim the dash lights quite a bit to get it to look closer to real life though. Usually if I dont do that, they come out looking way brighter than they really are