digital display.... very dim

[bogney]

Got an e30 with the trip computer and the digital display has gone very dim...
Any ideas why and how I may correct the problem?
Thanks for any advice

[Alex]

its probably the obc backlight around £22 from the dealers or solder new bulbs in

[magpie]

you need to remove the obc,
i take it it's a 13 button one,remove the backlight board from the side using pliers and go to maplins with it get 2x bulbs the same,the solder them in or have someone do it for you,
i had two light boards repaired for £15 total.

when getting the bulbs you can upgrade to led if you wish

[Speedtouch]

Have you tried turning the headlight switch, as it acts as the dashboard lights dimmer.

Note, if you change to LEDs, the dashboard light dimmer function will not work with them - they remain at full brightness.

[pacerpete]

its probably the obc backlight around £22 from the dealers or solder new bulbs in

OBC bulb cartridges are now £34 ish +vat !

Time to get out the soldering iron.

[Alex]

its probably the obc backlight around £22 from the dealers or solder new bulbs in

OBC bulb cartridges are now £34 ish +vat !

Time to get out the soldering iron.

Ouch

[bogney]

Yeah its the 13 button one. Cheers for that. Have you seen an LED one working? Does it look good?

[magpie]

not seen 1 but i know some have done it.
i stayed with normal bulbs.

[magpie]

i'm sure there is a thread in the wiki on obc removal,
have a look and all your next questions will be answered there

[ImysE30]

Is there an advantage of using LED bulbs rather than the normal ones? I need some new ones too

[Alex]

Is there an advantage of using LED bulbs rather than the normal ones? I need some new ones too

last longer

[magpie]

Is there an advantage of using LED bulbs rather than the normal ones? I need some new ones too

i spose they last a hell of a lot longer.

[Speedtouch]

LEDs potentially last forever, but it's hard to get them to dim - you need to use pulse width modulation (i.e., flash them on and off at varying rates), not just use a rheostat as with bulbs.

[ImysE30]

Is there an advantage of using LED bulbs rather than the normal ones? I need some new ones too

last longer

Another thing added to the list

Where's the best place to get the LEDs/Bulbs from?

[Alex]

i bodged a bulb out of a clock in, although the solder didnt work very well now it flickers on and off

[magpie]

Is there an advantage of using LED bulbs rather than the normal ones? I need some new ones too

last longer

Another thing added to the list

Where's the best place to get the LEDs/Bulbs from?

MAPLINS

[ImysE30]

last longer

Another thing added to the list

Where's the best place to get the LEDs/Bulbs from?

MAPLINS

Just re-read again

Thanks

[StevE30]

I got hold of 2 Orange LED's for mine and soldered them in, cost me 49p to fix in total




you need a resistor between the two LED's as well, think I used a 300 Ohm.