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Door card lights, brighter? |
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Leobx16v
 
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    Member No: #2090
Location: Blackpool |
Right, after taking off my front door cards to do the door mechanisms I noticed there are light bars in the door cards with a LED at one end shining across, has anyone tried to make them brighter because obviously you wouldn't know they're there if you didn't look. I was thinking about maybe replacing the LED for another maybe brighter one, I just think it's a bit annoying having a light you can't see. Cheers, Leo. |
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Trainman
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   Member No: #86
Location: Penwortham |
They become brighter, the brighter you have the dashboard lit, having said that, they are fine in my Cream interior but they weren't so good in the Black one I had......... | ||
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FreakyFrenchFan
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  Member No: #2057
Location: Bicester |
They are supposed to be subtle. | ||
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frozenbeard81
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 Member No: #2503
Location: Bagshot |
With the brightest setting for dash they are more than bright enough. | ||
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e3steve
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 Member No: #1163
Location: Warsash, Hants & Palma de Mallorca, Spain |
'Tis another thing that I keep meaning to get around to tinkering with. The current LED is a yellow 'waterclear', which I'm going to change for a bright white, just to try. The problem is that the LCD is too bright at night for my liking; dimming it to a comfortable level makes the doors' lighting too subdued. My mate's A8 has white LEDs illuminating the interior door openers, but his interior is typically Audi-dark -- a graphite shade. I'll also try changing out the LEDs' current-limiting resistors. "Normal" values, at 12VDC, used to get the LED to its maximum brightness vs. current (most colours' max current is 20mA) is circa 1kR to 1k5R (R=Ohm [Ω]), so I'll take a look at the as-built resistor value later. |
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gmerry
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 Member No: #21
Location: Scotland |
Whilst on the subject of interior lighting, I've always found the speedo, gear selection display etc too bright when on "dark" and minimum brightness (this is for long night time drives in the depth of the countryside). Has anyone found a way of dimming these further. Regards G |
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e3steve
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Member No: #1163
Location: Warsash, Hants & Palma de Mallorca, Spain |
gmerry wrote ... I just use the DARK button on long drives at night and when there's little or no road lighting dans les autoroutes, Gordon; one leg en route to l'Auvergne & back for us involves being on the same stretch of road for 113km!
Whilst on the subject of interior lighting, I've always found the speedo, gear selection display etc too bright when on "dark" and minimum brightness (this is for long night time drives in the depth of the countryside). Has anyone found a way of dimming these further. Regards G |
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e3steve
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Member No: #1163
Location: Warsash, Hants & Palma de Mallorca, Spain |
e3steve wrote ... Further to the foregoing:'Tis another thing that I keep meaning to get around to tinkering with. The current LED is a yellow 'waterclear', which I'm going to change for a bright white, just to try. The problem is that the LCD is too bright at night for my liking; dimming it to a comfortable level makes the doors' lighting too subdued. My mate's A8 has white LEDs illuminating the interior door openers, but his interior is typically Audi-dark -- a graphite shade. I'll also try changing out the LEDs' current-limiting resistors. "Normal" values, at 12VDC, used to get the LED to its maximum brightness vs. current (most colours' max current is 20mA) is circa 1kR to 1k5R (R=Ohm [Ω]), so I'll take a look at the as-built resistor value later. The installed resistor is 330R. This is quite a low value to run a waterclear LED at 12VDC, so I think the dimming device possibly reduces the voltage to the door LEDs. I measured the current draw today (but, alas, not the voltage!) -- a tad under 10mA. I've now installed a waterclear pure white LED on one door card's optic rod, and I've used a 150R current-limiting resistor therewith. Current draw is 19mA. Comparison:   |
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e3steve
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Member No: #1163
Location: Warsash, Hants & Palma de Mallorca, Spain |
FreakyFrenchFan wrote ... Oh, they're subtle alright; to the point of barely visible once the console LCD brightness is adjusted down a bit! They are supposed to be subtle.  I've just ordered some ultra-bright LEDs in both yellow and warm-white. I'll give them a try and report back. - Click Here - and - Click Here - The light output is much higher than the currently-installed yellow LEDs, which are about 2 candelas (cd). The ultra-bright are 8cd for the yellow and 14cd(!) for the warm-white. If all goes to plan, I should be able to ramp-down the dimmer and still have visible light within the ambient door lighting! I think the true-white (6000K) is a bit too stark for my liking. The car needs something around the 3500K colour temperature; a 'warmer' light. |
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paulx19car
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 Member No: #2431
Location: cardiff |
e3steve wrote ... FreakyFrenchFan wrote ... Oh, they're subtle alright; to the point of barely visible once the console LCD brightness is adjusted down a bit! They are supposed to be subtle. I've just ordered some ultra-bright LEDs in both yellow and warm-white. I'll give them a try and report back. - Click Here - and - Click Here - The light output is much higher than the currently-installed yellow LEDs, which are about 2 candelas (cd). The ultra-bright are 8cd for the yellow and 14cd(!) for the warm-white. If all goes to plan, I should be able to ramp-down the dimmer and still have visible light within the ambient door lighting! I think the true-white (6000K) is a bit too stark for my liking. The car needs something around the 3500K colour temperature; a 'warmer' light. Yeah, looks great!! I always thought mine were a little too subtle too. Mind yu my other cars a Mini. Multi coloured door lights in that one |
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Trainman
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Member No: #86
Location: Penwortham |
Steve, how easy are they to change? | ||
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e3steve
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Member No: #1163
Location: Warsash, Hants & Palma de Mallorca, Spain |
Trainman wrote ... Not difficult at all, Steve, given a basic level of soldering proficiency. The OEM's aren't soldered; they're production-line 'spot welded', but I cut the wires to mine and started again. I'll upload an image, next time I go into the door panel.Steve, how easy are they to change? The OEM's also have a signal diode in series with the cathode leg of the LED, but, if it ends up too short it's easy enough (and cheap enough) to replace with a new one. Signal diodes react to voltage-blocking much faster than normal blocking diodes do. I believe they're there to prevent reverse current spooking the dimming device. |
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e3steve
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Member No: #1163
Location: Warsash, Hants & Palma de Mallorca, Spain |
Well, I replaced the yellow LED in the driver's-side door today, having obtained some ultra-bright yellow and warm-white LEDs this week from ModMyPi - Click Here - £1 for ten; my two quid order came to £4.98 including postage.  I tried one of the yellow LEDs, connecting it temporarily in parallel and via my tried & tested 150R/⅛-Watt resistor value, with the OEM LED in situ; the light output is marginally greater, but I didn't bother using the yellow. The warm-white is shown in daylight in the above (poorly-focussed) image. I tested this, my choice of LED colour wavelength, in the dark this evening; the warm-white is definitely much more satisfactory: Both r/h doors open, rear window completely lowered - Rear door, with OEM LED, in foreground; front door above it, in background, with new warm-white LED  Rear door, OEM yellow LED, taken from inside the car -  Front door, new warm-white LED, taken from inside also -  Front passenger's door, still with the pure-white LED from my last incursion -  Tech info 1. The doors' LEDs are being supplied via the instrument dimmer system -- they're fed with 4.4V via a 330R current-limiting resistor; their current draw is 9mA each. 2. My front doors are now being fed the same 4.4V, but now via a 150R resistor; their new current draw is 19.4mA (comfortably within their design spec scope) CONCLUSION The light-wash onto the doors' armrests is much more apparent. Even with the instrument dimmer at its minimum level the light in the door cards is now equal to the previous level enjoyed with the dimmer at its maximum. I think, perhaps, that the pure-white LED might just suit the dark interiors. Personally, I feel that the warm-white is more in keeping with the Wadabis (cream) colour; it's also is a very good colour- and intensity-match for the seat controls buttons' lighting. I'll do the rears next weekend... |
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frozenbeard81
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Member No: #2503
Location: Bagshot |
Do you not find it annoying in white as in your peripheral vision picks it up constantly? | ||
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e3steve
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Member No: #1163
Location: Warsash, Hants & Palma de Mallorca, Spain |
frozenbeard81 wrote ... Not in the slightest. My rationale is to be able to decrease the brightness of the instrument display & LCD, on long, unlit stretches of highway and still have the door cards' ambient lighting provide a visible level.Do you not find it annoying in white as in your peripheral vision picks it up constantly? Even with the dimmer at maximum the doors' lighting isn't at all intrusive. |
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