How-To: Adding White Illumination to the Center Control Panel

[jzack]

After replacing my '95 HL's stock radio with a double-din sized unit made by JVC it became apparent something needed to be done with the green backlighting used for the HL's Clock and (non-digital) Heater/AC control panel. The JVC has a nice white EL display that complements the dash guages -- though not as bright. My little project replaced the green illumination OEM NeoWedge bulbs with White LEDs. Here's how I did it:

• Remove the center trim piece that goes around the clock, heater controller and radio. It just pulls off, start by using a finger nail under one corner and then pull up all the edges. IT WON'T BREAK -- it's very strong and durable although it doesn't look that way from the cabin side.

• Behind the trim panel you'll see 6 screws that need to be removed - this will allow the radio + heater control to all be pulled as one unit. CAUTION: Put a rag or small hand towel over the shift knob to keep it from getting scratched up.

• Pull out the radio+heater control unit and partially rest it one the shifter knob while removing all the wiring connectors in the rear including the radio antenna plug. Note: I did NOT disconnect the HL's battery for this job. Since the HL is not running -- didn't see the harm (and had no issues either).

• Place the heater+control unit on a work surface. Would be a good idea to place it on a towel first - to keep the front panel from getting scratched up.

It will look like this once removed...

• Remove the screws highlighted in yellow on both sides of the assembly.

• Gently separate the radio from the climate controller and set the radio aside.

Here's the back of the climate control unit

• The clear plastic (sort of square) sheet is removable -- held in place with some tacky kind of reusable glue. Removing it allows access to the ribbon cable underneath. That cable can be tugged upward and removed from the top circuit board connector -- making it easier to take things apart later. Note: The ribbon cable DOES NOT need to be removed - but wanted to point out how it's done should you decide to undo it. Cable is pretty strong - but use common sense when handling it.

• The yellow squares show all the screws which need to be removed to get the rear panel off.

Here's how the ribbon cable is grabbed and removed (using thumb and forefinger)...

• Once the back cover is opened up (or fully removed) you'll see this circuit board. The areas in yellow are all the locations of the lllumination bulbs. The ones at the top left and right of the picture are for the seat belt and emergency flasher buttons -- we don't care about them.

UPDATE EDIT TO ORIGINAL POSTING: -- After the LEDs had been installed a few months, one of them vibrated loose. The LEDs don't seem to rotate and lock as securely as the bulbs. I solved this issue by applying two small dabs of clear (GE brand) silicone adhesive to the LED bases. Silicone was applied to the circuit board side (as shown above) at whatever spots on the boards seemed to make for a good LED base to board gluing location. JUST BE SURE TO STAY AWAY FROM THE LED ELECTRICAL CONTACT POINTS (otherwise the LEDs may not light up afterward - since the silicone is a good insulator).

• The top middle bulb is for the clock and the lower ones are for the control panel backlighting. Pay attention to the + and - signs that I've added to the picture . That's the way the White LEDs will need to be installed to work correctly. Don't worry - if you get them wrong it doesn't matter. They can be taken out and turned around as needed.

• Remove the light bulbs using a flat bladed or phillips screwdriver -- gently turn them counterclock-wise 1/4 of a turn and then pull them out.

Here's what they look like removed...


Here's what they look like compared to a replacement White LED

• The 3 LEDs (NEO4-x, 4mm in size) were purchased from SuperBrightLEDs.com and cost $1.29 each. Here's a link to the site -- click on the upper right button to purchase:
  NeoWedge series LED Lamp specs

• Here's how to use a 9V battery to determine the + and - polarity of the LEDs. Once you figure out the + and - sides, use a felt marker to label. The LED shown in this picture isn't the same as those being use for this project , but this testing works the same way for them. Note: As mentioned above, you can go by trial and error to figure out which orientation works correctly for the circuit board. It's just more of a hassle to mess with...

• Once the LEDs have been installed, close up the controller unit and reverse the earlier steps to install in the HL. Note: I'd strongly suggest that you test the unit BEFORE re-attaching the radio to the assembly. Just plug the climate controller into the HL, turn on the lights and key and make sure the clock and illunination are all working OK.

Here's how it looked re-installed and illuminated (color is grayish white - not blue, my camera picked it up that way? Even the radio doesn't have that overwhelming greenish tint behind the numbers - it's there but not that noticeable!)



Note: The Clock display is now very bright white -- can easily be seen in full sunlight. It's bright but isn't distracting at night. Next chance I get -- I may remove the LED and scuff the clear lense up with some 600 grit wet sandpaper. That should help to soften the illumination and reduce a bit of the brightness.

DISCLAIMERS...

READ AND FOLLOW ALL SAFETY PROCEDURES RECOMMENDED IN THE TOYOTA SERVICE MANUAL FOR WORK ON YOUR TOYOTA VEHICLE. The Climate Control System is a very expensive part -- the author is not responsible if you damage that unit while attempting to perform this modification. Work at your own risk!!!

YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR YOUR OWN SAFETY WHEN WORKING ON YOUR CAR. THIS WRITE-UP IS AN EXAMPLE OF ONE WAY TO PERFORM THIS WORK, IT MAY NOT BE THE SAFEST OR BEST WAY TO DO IT. YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR DETERMINING HOW THESE REPAIRS SHOULD BE EXECUTED IN A SAFE AND CAUTIOUS MANNER -- AUTHOR IS NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY HARM TO YOU, YOUR CAR, FUTURE GENERATIONS, YOUR PROPERTY OR TO OTHERS WHILE OR AFTER PEFORMING THIS OR ANY OTHER AUTOMOBILE SERVICING...…

[cerivera]

very very nice!!! Might try that next year.....weather getting too cold to work on the HL..... I need to move to a warmer climate

[memaster]

Nice. I wonder if the auto climate control will be similar?

[jzack]

Wouldn't be exactly the same - but generally that type of illumination bulb is found in a lot of automotive control panels. You'll just have to open one up to and check it out.

If you are in a colder climinate -- I'd wait for warmer weather. No need running into a heater control issue when it's needed the most...

[Mdg927]

Just wondering if after the mod the lights are closer to the instrument cluster color? Tuff to tell from pic.

[jzack]

They aren't the same level of crisp brightness, but they are acceptable (and are way better looking than the green bulbs that Toyota used - every time I drove the HL with the green bulbs I cringed since they are not at all similiar to the white cluster ). Main issue is the way the climate control panel was designed. It uses plastic light guides to disburse the light around the panel and was designed for bulbs which radiate light all around the bulb's exterior. The LEDs are NOT as omnidirectional because of the way they are designed. Thus LED light distribution is not as uniform thru the plastic light guides. One way to improve this a bit is to scuff up the LED lense with some very fine grit sandpaper (800 grit or so). It scatters the light a little better (like a frosted light bulb does) and reduces what is called "hot spots" from the LEDs (ie., more concentration of light in certain parts of the LED lense and less in others).

FYI -- Did not have this same issue with the clock display. It is very bright even in direct sunlight. If I ever open the panel again (ie., radio upgrade, etc) I may apply something to the clock LED lense to reduce intensity a bit. It's fine at night (not real distracting) but could be just a little less intense to blend with the AC/heater panel a bit better.

[xclipse129]

Ok got that done.. Great writeup!! Now whats bugging me is the shifter light. I changed out the bulb for the lighter but the light for the shifter is still eyt to be found. Has anyone tried changing the light for the shifter???

[jzack]

Here's something from another forum on how to replace the shifter light bulb from a Lexus (which should be very similiar to the HL).

CLICK HERE >>> Gen 4 Gearbox Lighting Diy - Toyota Forums :: Toyota Nation

Look at this link too: http://www.toyotanation.com/forum/sh...t=shifter+bulb

It would be very easy to use an LED in place of the bulb. Only thing I don't know for sure is how Toyota gets the green lighting in the HL? Does the bulb have a filter like those found in the Heater/AC control panel or is there some kind of green plastic filter inside of the shifter assembly? If there's a plastic screen type filter - switching over to a White LED won't make much of a difference...

[jzack]

Made an edit to the original how-to posting -- need to add a dab of silicone adhesive to the socket sides of the LEDs. One of them vibrated loose after a few months of driving...

[ArJuN]

Just FYI, when removing the housing (the one with the clear piece), there is no need to remove the clear piece, and please don't just yank the cable out.

If you unscrew the housing first, and lift it up, there is more than enough room to stick your hand in there to gain access to the ribbon cable. The little black plastic thing that it fits into is basically a clamp mechanism. All you have to do is stick your finger nail on that housing and pull up. It's kind of hard to explain with words. Alright, I'm just going to draw a picture in paint. But essentially, you just pull up on it, and the cable slides right out.

EDIT:
I also meant to add: After looking at the LEDs you used for this, I am assuming they are getting ~12v? Because the leds on the twist mechanisms are very easy to remove (they just involve bent led legs). I have a bunch of LEDs that are rated for 3.3V IIRC back at my apartment. Once I get back I'm going to see how well those light up. I have my doubts but I figured it's worth a shot. Plus I can't get myself to spend anything over a few cents on LEDs lol.

[jzack]

In response to the two comments above:

- Don't disagree on not needing to take out the plastic window to remove that ribbon cable. The REAL issue is on re-assembly, much harder to get the cable inserted. Much easier to do with the plastic window removed. FYI - The board connector used on the two units I've opened up didn't have a clamping mechanism, ribbon cable was just press fitted into the socket.

- On the type of LEDs: Yes the LEDs I used were rated for 12v and had polarity protection built inside of the casing. So they had both a current limiting resistor and an extra diode inside. The 3.3v LEDs you have will be damaged if you try to use them as-is...

[ArJuN]

What years were they from? Mine is an '01. Also, the length of the cable or some other factor may be different as well when it comes to reinserting the cable and closing the housing. Mine had plenty of room to reinsert the table and resecure the screws.

And yea the 3.3v leds will probably burst into smoke, but it'll be worth it to see it

I don't mean to be criticizing your work man, it's amazing and definitely takes some balls. I just didn't want people yanking out cables lol, since these things are expensive to replace. And damn, I just realized you were in central jersey. Mind if I ask where at? I'm in Princeton right now.

[jzack]

No problem - you had a good point about yanking on the cable. Just sold a used controller I had laying around to a guy who tried to repair the heat control knob and messed up the ribbon cable and socket when taking things apart...

My HL is an '05 and I'm up in the Somerville area...

PS - I've seen postings where folks have retro-fitted LEDs into bulb sockets along with a small resistor (all from another forum for another car). So it's possible to do that but not sure it's worth the hassle? The new wedge fit LED bulbs are actually pretty good in terms of brightness - much better than a few years back...