PLCC2 = 3.2 x 2.8 x 1.9mm
Compared to
0603 = 1.6 x 0.8 x 0.7mm

Over twice the size.

I meant 0603 not 0608 sorry.

 

sorry it took awhile.... here's my pics.

 

Man that is so sweet. I would give anything to know how to do that.

 

Did you say 'ANYTHING'? =)

https://www.scionlife.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=37747

 

Well, then. Do as I did and follow the instructions.
https://www.scionlife.com/forums/vie...=37747&start=0

It takes about 1.5 hours. Just take your time, get a 15 watt pointed tip soldering iron from Radio Shack.

Buy the LED's from here
http://www.lc-led.com/Products/department/5

Dig in.

 

How would you rate difficulty on something like that?

 

ScionDad.....I was seriously considering this MOD but am very afraid of messing up....i am not very familar with soldering....i have used a high temp one for wood and other various engraving...but not a low temp one....In your honest opinion how hard was it and what is your skill level because mine is one the low end???

 

1-10 and 10 being difficult, I would give it a 6. Really, the hardest part is taking the gauge itself apart and even that is pretty easy. It just looks really scary.

 

Well, taking the gauge apart is the most difficult part IMO. As for soldering, if you can hold the iron still, you're ahead of the game. Lift one end of the led with the iron tip and then lift the other side. A second on the LED will lift it. Putting the new LED on just requires a little heat and usually no additional solder. There are a few people that did it fine and had no prior experience. If you have any friends that have soldering experience, that is a plus if they can help you. Once you see it happen, you will realize how easy it really is.

 

Really I'd say it depends on experience level. If you've used a soldering iron before, I'd rate it a 3. Except for removing the LCD screens, that I'd rate a 6 or 7. ScionDad's right, taking it apart (especially the center console) is the worst part. If you have no experience, then I recommend getting a couple resistors (a few cents a piece) and a project board so you can practice your technique before tackling the gauges. But as long as your hand is steady, it shouldn't be that bad.

I wouldn't recommend using a wood burner for soldering, you run too high a risk of frying something. Get a cheap 15W soldering iron from RadioShack for like $12, it does the job just fine. Also if you decide to do the LCD in the center console, DO NOT PRY, people have cracked this thing pretty easily. Get a desoldering pump or desoldering braid and remove the solder from the pins on the LCD, it'll come out easily then. All in all, you'll need approximately 40 LED's and 1.5 hours to do the job. Good Luck.

 

jmiller, have you finished the center console yet? I am still waiting for my LEDs, so if you have not found a solution I will work towards one once they come in. I believe finding the dropping resistor and resizing it will work, but dont want to take it all apart before getting the LEDs. The gauge cluster will be an easy job to complete, as I know ScionDad knows already!

 

Very true, especially if you have no experience with surface mount soldering. For someone with decent experience, I would rate the gauge cluster as a 2 (on a scale of 10) and the center console a 4 due to the pain of taking it apart. The devices can overheat very easily, so a low power soldering iron is important, as well as the ability to make good clean connections relatively quickly to avoid overheating them. If you are not experienced with PCB soldering, then I would practice first at least.

 

Sorry man, I'm still working on it. I had a busy weekend and didn't get too much oppurtunity. When I'm done, I'll email my findings to you and ScionDad so I can get both your expert opinions on where to tackle this. Hopefully I'll be doing it tonight. Hopefully the resistor(s) we need to replace aren't those super tiny ones, that would suck.

 

Very Sweet Lookin i might do the same to mine but i'll definatly let you know if i need any help good job

 

no problem.. thought I would check. I am betting they are surface mount, but they arent much harder to solder than the LEDs that size. The toughest part is holding onto them! The approach I was going to take was measuring the voltage (with the dimmer all the way on high) across both the led and the resistor first. We will want to make sure that there is no other resistor between the LED and ground as well. Then use R = (Vs - Vl)/Il to figure the new value. R being the resistor value, Vs being the total voltage, Vl being the forward voltage of our blue LEDs, and Il being the reccomended forward current rating of the LED. Now lets hope that there are no other surprises like a variable voltage regulator being used... but I dont see why they would be that complex in controlling some LEDs... but ya never know

 

And that's the exact reason why I'm forwarding my findings to you. Ten years and quite a few chemicals later (college years, woooo), all that electronic formula stuff has just been wiped from my memory banks. I retained my soldering prowless and ability to identify things but those formulas went bye-bye a while ago.

 

I hear ya on those college years !

 

how many total LEDs for the gauges and center console?
anyone know
i heard 15 for gauges and 12 for center console so 27 total?

 

14 for the gauges if you replace just the gauges and the odo LEDs. 14 will get you what you see below on mine. You can replace the other lights (turn signals, dummy lights, etc) if you want as well, but I left mine the way they were.

 

14 for the gauges if you replace just the gauges and the odo LEDs. 14 will get you what you see below on mine. You can replace the other lights (turn signals, dummy lights, etc) if you want as well, but I left mine the way they were.