^^ hmm whoa! big resistors!!

hmm.. yeah.. radio shack sucks.... at least we have a Fry's Electronics over here in Cali... i found me some SMD resistors (330 ohm) that directly replace the small ones.. and then 1/4W that works fine... and some 1/8W here and there to save room..

maybe search around for a computer parts type store??

 

Yeah, I know, it was all I could find in my area at the time. There's really no good places for that kind of stuff around here. You gotta pretty much go online. But hey, they work... and if I get enough people in my area interested in getting this done, I'll just make a big order somewhere online.

 

^^ yeah... as long as they work... it's good

 

Do red leds require resistors to be bright?

 

^^ no.

 

why is it that red doesnt?

 

^^ lower forward voltage.

 

yep, red has the same forward voltage drop as amber does.. or very close to it.

 

Does anyone have any pictures of the soft plastic that will need to be cut out in order to make room for the resistors? I should be getting my HVAC back from engifineer tomorrow, and I can't wait to have AC again! Thanks again Dave..... but yeah if someone happens to have a picture of the back of the button housing that'd be most helpful.....

 

I haven't had to cut anything for the fix. Just position everything to fit

 

I insulate all my wires and use a little larger wires than some (the same gauge ans the resistor leads. There is no way to run them without them running underneath the button surrounds. So even if you use small wire, your board is pinching them between the button surrounds and the back of the plastic. Not terrible on the wires if you dont tighten too much, but your board will permanently be slightly warped when you tighten the screws. I could leave it that way, but I dont want stress cracks in the board or even worse, the LCD cracking due to the board not sitting flat (flex the board ever so slightly and you will see the LCD move). It takes me about 3 - 5 minutes to cut small notches for the wire, and makes everything sit flush like factory. It is easy to see where you will need to cut when you look at the faceplate and the wires and resistors I add. Like I said, the wires have to run from one LED to the next, so it is impossible for them not to run under the surrounds that divide each.

On another note, I am grabbing some parts and doing something completely different. Look for me to offer another way of doing this. A new kit that I will offer that will eliminate all of the wires and resistors you see on the front of the board. I will test this week and let people know more. The work is nearly the same, but is MUCH cleaner in the end and eliminates the need for doing it much different for the 07 board.

 

that is very good info thanks man

 

No problem. I know that people have been doing them without cutting and having no issues. Not trying to step on any toes. I just prefer to user a thick insulation on everything and do the cutting so it all sits nice and flat.

On the other part, the design I spoke of comes from another project I am working on that ties into the HVAC. Hopefully I will have at least a rough design in my car and tested this week and I will post more info on it. I figured that trying to clean up the other mod would be a nice addition to it since I will already be in there messing around .

 

Nice, thanks for the reply!! Now to cut out the soft plastic, is there anything you'd recommend? Is it just a matter of getting an exacto blade?

LOL- on a side note I almost died in the rain tonight.... you never know how handy that defort button is until you're windshield is completely fog over.....sweet lord... but I made it. And its still worth to have the piece of mind knowing I had the best of the best do this little mod for me!

 

Be careful! Hate to see you have an accident!

I use an exacto type knife. It is VERY soft plastic and very easy to cut. I will try to see if I have any pics of one cut out. But it is pretty easy to see where. I just notch out where all the wires run.

On the UPS tracking, I see that they did not give me the other part of the label, which is why I only have the ship ID. But if it runs late I can always go up and talk to them using that number. Let me know when it is there and if you need any more help!

 

Cool thanks engifineer. Im not worried about it, I'm sure it will come tomorrow. You always do a great job of communicating and always reply back super quick. You seem as solid a guy as anyone else I've found on here, if not better...... so I'm definitely not sweating it. I'll pick up a new exacto on my lunch break and I'll be good to go once I get home. I'll try and post pictures once I've got it back in place..... I know many people already have, but it can't hurt to put up some fresh ones.....

 

Hey Engifineer, just pm'ed you! Was psyched to get my HVAC today, but I'm having a few technical difficulties. Please hit me back when you've got the chance, I'm at a loss.

 

hmmm.. watching dave..

 

Pmd back. Strange issue really and not sure what is going on. Just for the record, overnight shipping, repair and a refund will be in order if anything is wrong. So no worries in the case something is wrong

 

Appears by the picture he sent me that the two connections on top of the board are broken loose. They are small connections, so possibly done when trying to trim and fit the face plate on. But, I should have specified clearly to include that part when it was sent to me, so I take full responsibility.

Full refund plus money for overnight shipping is being sent right now. I would just send him another one, but I dont have the LC-LED leds to do it, and the ones I use are a slight bit darker blue, so I dont want it being off from the gauges.

In either case, I dont feel someone should have to pay if something comes back damaged. He is a good guy and I feel bad that he has to go a few more days without his stuff!