Cmkadlec

first of all, Iknow there's like 100 threads on troubleshooting this stuff, but I couldnt find this problem. I swapped all the LEDs fo the buttons, on/off, the ****, and the lcd. I changed all the resistors as well. Only the LCD and the on/off LEDs are working when I test it.

Ive looked at all the soldering joints carefully and resoldered any that looked worrysome. I've made sure that Im using the right resistors and that the LEDs are in the correct orientation. Do the resistors have to be a certain way? Any other ideas?

equinox2355

Can you take a picture of the board? we maybe able to see something you missed. Take as close as possible, as high res as possible, etc.

ScionJim23

iTrader: (1)

The LEDs and resistors on the HVAC board are in groups together with a resistor tied to them. The 3 LEDs in the LCD are linked together along with the one resistor for them and this is the same for the rest of the LEDs. So if one LED is bad, then the rest will not light up in that row or you may also have a bad resistor in the line like i had which caused one of my rows not to light until i replaced it.

engifineer

If none of the buttons work, then I would say something along the line of the leds being backwards.

Can you take a pic of the board, or preferably some closer shots of each side? If something is out of place I can find it that way pretty easilly. If not I can give you some other things to try.

Cmkadlec

Ok these pics arent the best, but i hope they will do.

http://i217.photobucket.com/albums/c...rightside2.jpg
http://i217.photobucket.com/albums/c...rightside1.jpg
http://i217.photobucket.com/albums/c...sidefront2.jpg
http://i217.photobucket.com/albums/c...sidefront1.jpg
http://i217.photobucket.com/albums/c...lec/front4.jpg
http://i217.photobucket.com/albums/c...lec/front3.jpg
http://i217.photobucket.com/albums/c...lec/front2.jpg
http://i217.photobucket.com/albums/c...lec/front1.jpg
http://i217.photobucket.com/albums/c...dlec/back2.jpg
http://i217.photobucket.com/albums/c...dlec/back1.jpg

I've looked at the diagram and I cant find anything wrong. Im new to this so its prob something stupid. I am sure, however, that the LEDs are going in the right direction.

Do the resistors have to be oriented in a certain way?

Thanks for the help

SquallLHeart

i can't see anything much... too blurry..

the leds look like they're in the right place.

and no.. resistors don't need to be oriented a certain way.
all i got is a few blobby solder joints on the resistors that i can see..

Cmkadlec

Do you think it may be a cold solder?
What should I do to trouble shoot this?
Should I try re-soldering one peice of a run, then test? Then try the next one?
Should I put the old resistors back and try to see if the LEDs work even if they're dim?

Dont know where to go with this.

The guage cluster went so well, first try, first time soldering(after a little practice on an old circuit board)

Cmkadlec

I just tested it again and noticed something new. The LEDs for the LCD are on when the headlights are not. But they turn off when I put the headlights on. Are those LEDs on the same circuit with the button LEDs when the headlights are turned on? If so, what is the common root of that circuit?

engifineer

What year model is the car? The 07s are notorious for doing just what yours is, even without modding them. They apparently had some connection issues from the factory.

As for the root of the circuit, the left side of the resistor that is in series with the clock leds is connected to the main power for the lighting, which all other branches get thier power from. That power comes from the 10V regulator you soldered in place of the stock 9v regulator when doing the mod. The ground side of the led branches connect to the dimming transistor, which is controlled by the dimmer circuit.

engifineer

just saw more of the pictures, and by first glance, looks like an 05-06 model...

engifineer

it looks like you did.. but hard to tell in the pics... but did you replace the power regulator ic on the back with a new, 10v regulator?

Cmkadlec

yes I replaced the regulator. and yes it's an 05. should i try and resolder this?

Cmkadlec

got it to work. I decided to try resoldering the regulator since that was the common point (thanks engifineer). Dont know why some of them worked but not all and now they all work, but my LEDs work...that's all I need.

I do have another issue. I painted the needles red and I have blue LEDs in the guage. At night the needles look mostly blue with a little purple. I took the advice of the woman at Michaels as to what paint to use. It's acrylic specifically for plastic. Is there a better type of paint I should use? more coats, more white behind?

Thanks - you guys made this a hella lot easier

engifineer

The acrylic should have worked, especially with the white behind. They wont look as bright obviously as having red leds behind them, but mine still shined red when I had blue leds behind them. One thing I forgot that I did do on mine though when it was still like that, was mix a small amount of neon red with the regular red. You dont want too much, since the neon red looks mainly pink, but you can mix until it looks right..... or you could add the backlighting to them :D The other, easier and cheaper option would have been to use white leds in the cluster and apply blue transparent vinyl behind the gauge faces to give you the same effect, only with brighter red needles.