Blue Window Switches

[Cam]

this one show the assembled board (I.e. SMD devices in place)

[Cam]

This one shows the completed board lit up (red and black clips in background are for power)

[Cam]

I like this approach because it is very simple to install (no LED legs to worry about) and there is no need to worry about the new components fouling the switch mechanism.

Also as an aside if anybody bothered to inspect the insides of the switch it would not look modified..

For the extra pin connector I used two lengths of tinned copper wire soldered together - this gave the exact same width and nearly the same thickness as the original pins. The joined lengths of wire were when bent to the correct shape and installed.

[Cam]

Now for the problem I have encountered.

The actual installation went perfectly and all three single switches are done (need more SMD LEDs to do driver side).

After installation they have worked sometimes and not other times - has anybody else seen this happen - if so how did you fix it.

This is exactly what happened:

Installed switches

Turned key to 2nd position and turned on lights (car not running)

Switched illuminated

Started car

Switched no longer illuminated

Stopped car

Not illuminated

Take out key, insert key, turn to position 2

Turn on lights

Switched illuminated

Changed dashboard illumination level - illluminated to varying degrees of brigtness - except when dash set to brightest - then switched not illuminated.

Since then wont illuminte at all......

Arrrggghhhh....

Any help or sugestion greatly appreciated.

[CraigH]

Cam

You have much better skills at soldering and eye sight than I do.....I bought the JayCar surface mount leds, got home then gave up and went to 3mm versions as they were.....SO SMALL I would have needed a good magnifying glass to work with them.

Very clean finished product.

Only things I found was the lights will go off after a few minutes if the ignition is not left in on position or started...I was turning on then back to test...so not same as your issue.

I have also looked to use much higher resisters in mine and lower value LEDS.

The Jaycar 3mm are 2500 (brightness) Dick Smth 700 or 900 ...dependant on old or new stock.

With a 500 to 600 ohm resistor I find them too bright with light comming from around each rocker and not just the arrows.....by using resistors of 6000 ohm I get the arrows bright but far less surrounding light

[Cam]

The SMD LEDs produce nowhere near that level of light output @ 20mA they output about 30mCd

With the resistor values I have selected they run at about 17 - 18 mA and are spot on in terms of brightness.

[hammer007]

Cam

What values of the SMD resistors did you select ? I can see the SMD lit but is the resistor in the same place as in the other installations ie the right hand side ?

Can someone please explain the purpose of the extra pin as I'm not picking that up from any of the installation docs.

Congrats all round to those who are brave enough to attempt this - had a look at swapping the SMD on my bike from yellow to blue but put it in the too hard basket - may have another crack after seeing this.

Martin

[Cam]

The resistor value in the pictures shown are 390R but I subsequently changes to 47R to get closer to the 20mA current drain I wanted.

The extra pin that needs to be added supplies the +ve voltage for the LEDs.

[XR6TK1W1]

Nice job Cam!!! I couldn't find SMD blue LED's to save my self over here. Guess I should have looked harder. Now to the probs you have had. I noticed you have premium sound. You also said the extra pin was for +ve. I have found that the premium sound switches via the -ve not +. Mine are working perfectly and running as the Fairmonts do. All probs I encounted were due to a Software conflict between my BEM and the upgrade Ford did for me, but that's a whole other thread. Now how they should work.

Unlock car via remote, they come on. If you leave them they go off after a matter of minutes following the interior lights. The rears should go out if the drivers cut off switch is used. One other thing that may not be the norm is that they come on if the fog light switch is on, which means they are on all the time if you leave the switch on. I think this is due to the HI series ( Fairmonts )having a back feed diode. This is not a prob as they go out with interior lights if car is not running, and also go out if car is locked. Hope this has helped. As for them being there sometimes and not the other times, check the pins you have installed as if it is missaligned it rides over top of the connector and doesn't work properly.

Good luck! Dave.

[Cam]

You also said the extra pin was for +ve. I have found that the premium sound switches via the -ve not +. Mine are working perfectly and running as the Fairmonts do.

So does that mean that the extra pin is actually switched to ground??

I thought it was switched to positive.

When measuring it last night I found that with the driving lights on the cabel for the extra pion (blue/red - I think) was showing a voltage of +7V compared with the chassis.

With the lights off it showed 0V compared with the chassis.

Here is a cct diagram of MY understanding of the cct - please correct if im wrong (it may explain why it doesnt work)

So to talk it through

- the new pin connects to one of the new LEDs, the LED connects to the Resistor, the Resistor to the other LED and the other LED back to the ground plane on the PCB (and the leg bone connects to the.....shin bone)

If I have it backwards, where does the constant +ve voltage come from??