LED Heater Control Lighting?

[PaulTWinterton]

Is there a better solution for lighting the heater controls?  

[visionaut]

Those are tiny suckers. I haven’t seen an LED yet for it, Paul (not saying it ain’t out there). For interior, only the Dome, Glovebox, and Trunk bayonet style LEDs, and instrument panel bulb LEDS...

 

Tom

[AustrianVespaGuy]

Challenge accepted! Give me a week or two to work on this one and I'll get back to you with. . . something!

[Mike Self]

Just make sure the replaceable LED you find is dimmable; if not it's not gonna work with the existing light switch.  

 

Those itty-bitty heater control lamps seem to be very long-lived; not sure if I've ever replaced one on my '73...

 

mike

[PaulTWinterton]

1 hour ago, visionaut said:

instrument panel bulb LEDS...

 

What's the goto fix.  Are they cold white or warm white bulbs?  Or a choice.  Dimmable?

[visionaut]

40 minutes ago, PaulTWinterton said:

 

What's the goto fix.  Are they cold white or warm white bulbs?  Or a choice.  Dimmable?

I like the first, simpler ones shown here. Your choice of Cool (5k), Natural (4K) or Warm (2.5k). Dimmable. 135 lumens. 1watt.  They are polarity sensitive so watch your installation.

 

https://www.superbrightleds.com/vehicle/1976-bmw-2002-instrument-panel-light-bulb?make=11&model=45&scc_id=1416&year=1976

 

 

[calw]

the bulb number seems to be 2721.  I've got burned out samples and was ready to install LED replacements for them until I realized my old car body's sheet metal behind the dashboard won't work with the newer bezels (long story, see other thread).  Along the way, I bought LED replacements from superbright led's which would light up, but got it wrong.  You need lights that send the light out the sides of of the bulb, not the front, sigh.  You also need to move the tiny wires so that they are each on one side of the bulb housing so they don't short out from + to -, and then you need to install them with the correct polarity so they will light up. All do-able, but I never checked on the "dimmable" question.  Incandescent 2721's are available at the auto parts stores for a few bucks btw.

[TobyB]

Never had to mess with those...

 

...on the early cars!
 

heh

 

t

 

[ray_]

These look like they throw the light better than the simpler ones I installed 4 years ago.

 

https://www.amazon.com/WLJH-3030SMD-Dashboard-Instrument-Cluster/dp/B0799MQ12X

 

Cheers,

[beammmer]

Seriously, this is a huge issue? 
 

Good night. 
 

Don

[Vicleonardo1]

It is for me. The lights are out on my bezels. Don't use them enough yet to have the lever positions memorized. Several evening drives where I couldn't see them. It was a lot nicer when the lights worked. 

 

Plus: They look cool when lit....

[PaulTWinterton]

20 hours ago, visionaut said:

I like the first, simpler ones shown here.

 

I picked the warm LEDs and ordered 10 bulbs.

[PaulTWinterton]

14 hours ago, ray_ said:

These look like they throw the light better than the simpler ones I installed 4 years ago.

 

You are probably right, but they appear to throw cold (blue) white light.  Warm white is more like the original incandescent light except brighter, I  hope.

[Themis]

Be VERY careful with these conversions. I wanted to install LEDs for the heater controls, and got a pair of dimmable bulbs from Amazon a couple of weeks ago.
 

I pressed one in the socket and it and turned the switch on. It seems to have shorted the socket contacts, because it blew the fuse. Even worse, it burned a brand new headlight switch. In its brightest setting, the headlight switch dimmer coil contacts are at the closest together, and excessive current will fry the coil part in between.
 

I figured the best way would be to replace the bulb socket, but decided to live with the existing bulb, since the benefit didn’t outweigh for me the possibility of creating electrical gremlins in my car

Edited January 3, 2021 by Themis

[NickVyse]

I've never seen a car with the heater controls lit, I wonder if it's a US market thing? My last touring was a UK market 74, and that didn't have them.