The B10D led bulb from superbrightleds.com looks like a direct replacement for the 2 main instrument lighting bulbs in the later model 240’s. A previous post on this board suggested that these bulbs are Osram 12V 3W B10d and this matches, the dimensions shown appear to match up with the spare red base bulb I have on hand. I know there was chatter a few years ago on LED’s for dash lighting, but I don’t think these were available then.

Has anyone tried these?

http://www.superbrightleds.com/cgi-bin/store/index.cgi?action=DispPage&Page2Disp=%2Fspecs%2FB10D.htm

Hi, after reading several of these posts, I purchased the B10d-whp6 led replacement from superbrightleds.com, and just installed them. They seem to be bright enough for me, maybe slightly dimmer than the originals, but just slightly. I was replacing because the left bulb was out, and on that side the led seems to be somewhat brighter than the led on the right where the original bulb was still working. This probably means poor or dirty contacts are reducing the output. I took the below pictures for comparison.

Tim

Shortly after my reply to the original post in this thread, I purchased and installed the same LED's in my '89 wagon and in my experience they are more than "slightly dimmer" than the stock bulb. But, as I have said in a couple of other threads, I found them adequate. I could live with them if I had to. However, I went back to the halogens almost immediately.

Perhaps the LED's vary from batch to batch. I do not know.

Like yourself, I took some before and after pics. Your second picture makes them look a hell of a lot better than they did in my wagon. I saw the same result in my own pics and I never put them up here because I felt they were not representative of what one would actually see.

So I feel that the camera is not a good witness and the only way to know for sure is to install the LED in one's own car and make your own judgement.

I also found that even though the color was "Cool White" the LED light had a bluish cast to it. I did find that sort of appealing.

I wouldn't condemn them but I wouldn't endorse them without reservation.


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'80 DL 2 door, '89 DL Wagon

I went ahead and ordered the green version of these, as they are stated to have approximately 46% more luminosity than the cool white ones (in millicandela). I will report back with my findings. Besides, I have a green ride, and I like the green lighting on my stereo head unit - might as well make it a match.

If you view the post via the arrowhead next to the date you should be able to see the pics.

Edit:
9:14 AM
Just cliked on Rhino's post and now I can see them.

9:16AM
And then they were gone.
The Brickboard is at it again.


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'80 DL 2 door, '89 DL Wagon

I have not tried these. But that is the correct mount.

In the later cluster, since the lamps plug into the very back of the unit, they are not directly above the instruments. Seems to me, and this is from memory, that the bulbs are completely surrounded by a plastic cylinder open at the front and so light is projected forward and refracted downward by some bit of clear plastic with a beveled edge at the front.

With a 120° beam pattern I'd think this would probably work pretty well depending on how bright they are compared to the original.

But there's really only one way to find out.

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'80 DL 2 door, '89 DL Wagon

Okay, let me start off by saying that I'm a huge fan of LEDs -- as proof, I'm the one who converted *all* his car's exterior lighting (except headlights) to LEDs by handwiring literally hundreds of LEDs onto circuit boards inserted in the light housing (examples below). You may either remember my old posts here, or my extensive article published in Rolling, "Converting to LED Lamps", 25(2), March/April 2007, pp 34-5, 37.

That said, however, I have to caution that LEDs have one major drawback compared to incandescent bulbs that may apply in your planned use. LEDs have directional emission of their light. Even the widest beam (and with that the lowest luminosity) LEDs have a limited spread of light compared to a filament that emits in all directions, and because of that I think that you might (and I'm admitting that it's only a "maybe" because I personally haven't looked into this) wind up with shadowy areas across your instruments. One of the acknowledged drawbacks of the 240's black-faced gauges is that for many folks they have to keep the rheostat cranked up to read the gauges (a solution is shown farther below). You may find that with LEDs, some areas of the gauges will be even more poorly illuminated. And while you can get LEDs with different beam angles, the brightness is inversely related to beam angle.

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Some illustrations of my handiwork:







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If you have a problem with poorly lit OEM black-faced gauges, Dave Barton made up a set of much brighter faces for my gauges, shown below. I find that these, their attribute being the bright face, are easy for me to see (and I'm an old geezer, retired, with expectedly poorer night vision than you "young'uns" :-) with the standard bulbs and the illumination rheostat set only midway):

Let us know how that works since the LED light shoots forward ONLY. The original bulb shot most of it's light perpendicular to the mount over 360 degrees.

jorrell
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92 245 315K miles, IPD'd to the hilt, 06 XC70, 00 Eclipse custom Turbo setup...currently taking names and kicking reputations!