askadolph
MM2(SS)
has anyone gone to led in dash
led upgrades for dash
- Thread starter askadolph
- Start date
Sadlsor
Site Supporter
- Joined
- Jan 15, 2020
- Messages
- 4,267
- Age
- 67
- Location
- Birmingham, Alabama
- Bike
- 2008 ST1300A
- STOC #
- 9065
Yes, a handful here have -- not me.
There is a business who will install blue LEDs for the instruments which looks pretty cool, and there are a couple of posts on that company too.
See what you can find with the Search function, top right on the page, and I'm sure those who have gone LED will be around to steer you in the right direction.
EDIT: I just did a quicky Search for "led dash" and a whole page of threads came up.
Have fun with it.
There is a business who will install blue LEDs for the instruments which looks pretty cool, and there are a couple of posts on that company too.
See what you can find with the Search function, top right on the page, and I'm sure those who have gone LED will be around to steer you in the right direction.
EDIT: I just did a quicky Search for "led dash" and a whole page of threads came up.
Have fun with it.
The ST1300 dash is already LED based... they just aren't that bright compared to the latest LED's. You can upgrade the LED's yourself (they are soldered on SMD's) if you're handy, or you can send them away to http://bluegauges.com. They can replace the LED's as well as change colors in the dash as well as info cluster. Price depends on the work you want done... and you have to send them the dash.
Yes, the panel is LCD but it's backlit by LED's. The dash lighting and the idiot lights on the side are all SMD LED's as well with no LCD panels in those.
I think there's a polarity filter in the screen that changes how it's lit, and that's what Bluegauages does as well as replace the LED's with brighter ones and / or colored ones.
STRider
Site Supporter
@Obo the voice of truth...
Yes, exactly what he said. I switched to while backlighting and brighter LEDs all around. It makes a world of difference.
And I highly recommend BlueGauges.com Scott did a great job in performing the work and turning them around quickly - about 8days there and back between Oregon to Amherst, NY (think Buffalo) right in the middle of one of their biggest snowstorms of that season.
Looks great; esp. like the gear indicator in there.
Blue Gauges offers several colors but I think white truly looks the best against the black dash. It's a very clean look maybe even elegant look compared to any of the other colors. For my money anyway. I like the look of the panel in general but to my personal taste it's a little bright. I imagine a tint film could be applied to suit me.
Soldering SMDs just takes a good pencil and a steady hand. However choosing LEDs that are bright enough is probably the bigger problem. The ST's three step brightness control has always been on MAX for me and not at all approaching being too bright at night. So I think finding SMDs that aren't bright enough might be a bigger concern than finding some that are too bright.
Being a very casual DIYer I'd send it off to Scott. Though with each passing day I wonder if he'll still be in business by the time I decide to update the dash.
