DIY: Interior LED Color Change

DIGItonium · 08-29-2009, 11:47 PM

INDEX:
[04-29-09] Visor Mirror
[04-22-09] Map Light
[08-15-09] Door Switch Panel - Driver
[08-15-09] Door Switch Panel - Passenger
[09-08-09] Ambient Light
[02/14/10] A/C Control Panel
[02/14/10] Start Switch
[02/14/10] SRM and Airbag Indicator
[04/25/10] Intelligent Key Assembly
[04/25/10] VDC Switch
[05/29/10] Gauge Cluster - Combination Meter Part 1
[05/29/10] Gauge Cluster - Combination Meter Part 2
[11/15/10] Gauge Cluster - Triple Meter
[05/22/10] Steering Wheel Controls
[03/20/11] Fuel/Temp Gauge Face

DIGItonium · 08-29-2009, 11:54 PM

1. Pop "up" the knobs to ease desoldering and removal of the complete rotary switch. Press in and lift, and then move to another side to make it easy to lift the knob.

2. Underneath the PCB, observe the large solder pads. Each rotary switch has two posts that need to be desoldered. Also, each rotary switch has 5 small terminals that need to be desoldered as well. Be very careful with these terminals as excess heat can delaminate and loosen the solder pad. Then the switch can be slowly pulled away from the PCB and out of the housing.

3. Below is a picture of the bottom of the rotary switch with the posts and terminals.

4. Below is a picture of the LEDs revealed when removing the rotary switches and releasing the PCB from the housing. The large PLCC LEDs are the indicators, while the small 0805 LEDs are for backlighting.

5. Here is the completed modification. Notice the S-MODE switch was modified as well.

DIGItonium · 08-30-2009, 12:02 AM

S-MODE Switch
1. This switch is easy to pry off as long as you can get both sides out at once. Below is a picture of the back end removed to reveal the 0805 LED. (See HVAC mod for a glimpse of the white backlit S-MODE switch)

Airbag Indicator
Original LED is 4 contacts. One terminal is +, the next is -, and the last two are not connected as shown in the diagram. I used a PLCC2 LED with two contacts, so I was not worried about the pads marked N/C.

bigaudiofanat · 08-30-2009, 12:14 AM

LOL you challenge yourself I can respect that. But wont this void warranties?

DIGItonium · 08-30-2009, 12:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bigaudiofanat

LOL you challenge yourself I can respect that. But wont this void warranties?

Haha yea. I had the entire interior lighting changed out in the 350Z. The 370Z is quite a bit more challenging, so it may require more disassembly than imagined.

Z_you_Later · 08-30-2009, 04:53 AM

Wow i'm impressed with the time you are putting in to the lighting ... it's looking pretty good .. That Passenger airbag blue leds is hardcore ... Good job

Shunya · 08-30-2009, 07:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DIGItonium

that's crazy bright.

DIGItonium · 08-30-2009, 04:21 PM

Thanks! The 370Z interior lighting modification process is nowhere near straight forward compared to the 350Z. If anyone manages to get anything disassembled, please feel free to share the information. I'm better at soldering than disassembling... can't afford down time while working on this stuff.

vipor · 08-30-2009, 07:17 PM

If anyone knows the warranty-related ramifications to this mod please let us know. This looks awesome and I'd be interested in giving it a shot so long as nothing is voided.

DIGItonium · 08-31-2009, 12:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by vipor

If anyone knows the warranty-related ramifications to this mod please let us know. This looks awesome and I'd be interested in giving it a shot so long as nothing is voided.

Modifying anything will void the warranty for that part. If that part is connected to something else that ends up failing, they may try to void your warranty even if it's not directly correlated. What you might want to keep in mind is that the dealer will less likely to accept your car as trade-in when you have mods done to it. That happened with my 350Z even with LED bulbs. They don't want electrical failures caused by modifications like LED bulbs and swapping LED colors.

Am I worried? No... if something breaks, I better quickly find a replacement part. Right now I'm having difficulty disassembling some of the parts because I don't want to break them.

Liquid_G · 09-21-2009, 03:42 PM

Any updates to this?
I had paid a guy 500 bux to switch all of the LED's in my old 07 maxima from orange to blue.. Its such an awesome mod, but very tedious work.. there was close to 100 tiny leds that my sausage fingers could never handle..
Curious how the Z dash would look in blue.

PS. I traded in my Maxima with blue/white LEDS on the dash/spedo/info screens.. they didn't give me any crap about it.

2theextreme · 09-21-2009, 05:56 PM

Go DIGI! Looking good!

DIGItonium · 09-21-2009, 06:25 PM

My dealership said my car was a liability because of the mods. They didn't want to sell a car to their customers that was mods to the "electrical" system. If they did take in my car, then my trade-in would be far low than expected. With the 370Z, I definitely plan to exceed 6 years of ownership... I love this car so much more than my 350Z.

The most recent mod is the 3mm round amber LED courtesy light. It is an easy mod. Look at the MAP LIGHT mod thread as I've appended the instructions for the courtesy light.

I've not been able to pull apart the HVAC. It appears you will need to pop off the knobs to remove the PCB. IIRC, that's what I did with the 350Z. This mod will make a dramatic difference as the color will match my head unit and switches.

The START switch should be an easy mod, but I nearly broke it trying to loosen and disassemble it. I'll get around to it someday since I don't want to end up with a broken switch and no spare vehicle.

The key fob slot and VDC switch might be easy to access if I remove the lower section under the steering column, so I may try to mod this one next.

Solus · 09-24-2009, 12:37 PM

If I could find someone to do it I would happily pay quite well to get all the damn orange/amber whatever you call them leds changed to either green or red... this stuff is way to tedious for me, not to mention having arthritis in both hands it would not be fun to attempt messing with things that small for extended periods of time. Good work though digi

polarity · 10-01-2009, 04:19 PM

Any chance we could get a picture with all your lights on at night to see the difference you've made so far. I personally cant wait to see the dash in another color as I've never really cared for the amber color.

-William

08-29-2009, 11:47 PM	#1 (permalink)
DIGItonium A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Kansas Posts: 3,800 Drives: 09 Z34-TT 6MT Rep Power: 43	DIY: Interior LED Color Change INDEX: [04-29-09] Visor Mirror [04-22-09] Map Light [08-15-09] Door Switch Panel - Driver [08-15-09] Door Switch Panel - Passenger [09-08-09] Ambient Light [02/14/10] A/C Control Panel [02/14/10] Start Switch [02/14/10] SRM and Airbag Indicator [04/25/10] Intelligent Key Assembly [04/25/10] VDC Switch [05/29/10] Gauge Cluster - Combination Meter Part 1 [05/29/10] Gauge Cluster - Combination Meter Part 2 [11/15/10] Gauge Cluster - Triple Meter [05/22/10] Steering Wheel Controls [03/20/11] Fuel/Temp Gauge Face JARblue, Arrvaxx, 370zBoyz and 9 others like this. __________________ Last edited by DIGItonium; 05-04-2011 at 08:56 AM.

08-30-2009, 12:14 AM	#4 (permalink)
bigaudiofanat Car Audio Installer Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Magnolia DE Posts: 8,342 Drives: 2012 Infiniti G37x Rep Power: 853	LOL you challenge yourself I can respect that. But wont this void warranties? __________________ Need help with car audio or electronics? Let me know!! Need Help Let Me Know Direct email address reimermatt@gmail.com Owner of: Dynamic Mobile Audio Follow me below https://www.facebook.com/Dynamicmobileaudio/

08-30-2009, 04:53 AM	#6 (permalink)
Z_you_Later Base Member Join Date: May 2009 Location: L.A. BABY !! 323 area Posts: 183 Drives: 09 370z Mag Blk MT6 Rep Power: 16	Wow i'm impressed with the time you are putting in to the lighting ... it's looking pretty good .. That Passenger airbag blue leds is hardcore ... Good job __________________ Mag Blk 09 6 MT Touring + Navi / Color Matched Door Handles / Custom Injen CBE / Swift Spec R Springs / Rear Nismo Conversion Debadged / Sunline Front Lip + Sideskirts / Tinted (front to back) / Black Nismo Plate / Nismo Neck Pillows / White LED Kickplates / GTR Button / Evo-R CF Pillars + More Mods to COME ...

08-30-2009, 04:21 PM	#8 (permalink)
DIGItonium A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Kansas Posts: 3,800 Drives: 09 Z34-TT 6MT Rep Power: 43	Thanks! The 370Z interior lighting modification process is nowhere near straight forward compared to the 350Z. If anyone manages to get anything disassembled, please feel free to share the information. I'm better at soldering than disassembling... can't afford down time while working on this stuff. __________________

08-30-2009, 07:17 PM	#9 (permalink)
vipor A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Euless, TX [ DFW ] Age: 42 Posts: 13,531 Drives: Nismo 09-0183 QAB Rep Power: 49	If anyone knows the warranty-related ramifications to this mod please let us know. This looks awesome and I'd be interested in giving it a shot so long as nothing is voided. __________________ 2009 NISMO # 0193 \| QAB \| Albums! \| 05.04.10 (Dynojet) 291.94hp/248.28tq Oil Cooler (DIY) \| Custom Headlights \| GTSPEC Braces \| F.I. Long Tube Headers

09-21-2009, 03:42 PM	#11 (permalink)
Liquid_G A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Chicago Burbs Posts: 1,439 Drives: 09 370z Supercharged Rep Power: 44	Any updates to this? I had paid a guy 500 bux to switch all of the LED's in my old 07 maxima from orange to blue.. Its such an awesome mod, but very tedious work.. there was close to 100 tiny leds that my sausage fingers could never handle.. Curious how the Z dash would look in blue. PS. I traded in my Maxima with blue/white LEDS on the dash/spedo/info screens.. they didn't give me any crap about it.

09-21-2009, 05:56 PM	#12 (permalink)
2theextreme RIP Tony :( (1969-2015) Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Northern Virginia Posts: 18,802 Drives: '14 Mustang GT/CS Rep Power: 67	Go DIGI! Looking good! __________________ SpinTech Mufflers, Airaid CAI, JBA H-Pipe, Lethal Performance Over Axle Pipes, MMD Quarter Panel Louvers, Cervini's Ram Air Type IV Hood, Carbon Fiber Radiator Cover, GT500 Rear Valance, Quad Exhaust Tips

09-21-2009, 06:25 PM	#13 (permalink)
DIGItonium A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Kansas Posts: 3,800 Drives: 09 Z34-TT 6MT Rep Power: 43	My dealership said my car was a liability because of the mods. They didn't want to sell a car to their customers that was mods to the "electrical" system. If they did take in my car, then my trade-in would be far low than expected. With the 370Z, I definitely plan to exceed 6 years of ownership... I love this car so much more than my 350Z. The most recent mod is the 3mm round amber LED courtesy light. It is an easy mod. Look at the MAP LIGHT mod thread as I've appended the instructions for the courtesy light. I've not been able to pull apart the HVAC. It appears you will need to pop off the knobs to remove the PCB. IIRC, that's what I did with the 350Z. This mod will make a dramatic difference as the color will match my head unit and switches. The START switch should be an easy mod, but I nearly broke it trying to loosen and disassemble it. I'll get around to it someday since I don't want to end up with a broken switch and no spare vehicle. The key fob slot and VDC switch might be easy to access if I remove the lower section under the steering column, so I may try to mod this one next. __________________

09-24-2009, 12:37 PM	#14 (permalink)
Solus Enthusiast Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Jacksonville, NC Posts: 453 Drives: 2009 Nissan 370z Rep Power: 16	If I could find someone to do it I would happily pay quite well to get all the damn orange/amber whatever you call them leds changed to either green or red... this stuff is way to tedious for me, not to mention having arthritis in both hands it would not be fun to attempt messing with things that small for extended periods of time. Good work though digi

10-01-2009, 04:19 PM	#15 (permalink)
polarity Base Member Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Mississippi Posts: 166 Drives: [2009 370Z] Rep Power: 16	Any chance we could get a picture with all your lights on at night to see the difference you've made so far. I personally cant wait to see the dash in another color as I've never really cared for the amber color. -William

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