LEDs in the Drivers Window Switch

A while back I was playing with my GU drivers side window switch module trying to make it work without the key and I found that Nissan (or Niles, Nissan's supplier) had design it so you could have LEDs under all the switches. So I set to work to add them in

First was to find the correct LED that Nissan had used, so I order a whole bunch of LEDs from different manufactures to match the colour with the original one. Below is my testing:
Attachment 52430 Attachment 52420

Next was to brightness match them new LEDs with the rest of the car interior lighting. Nissan had used the most odd size resistors in their design so it was very hard for me to source them, I eventually sourced them and soldered them onto the circuit board:
Attachment 52419

This is the the switch module installed into the car:
Attachment 52429

For anyone wishing to do the same to their car below are the steps:

1. Remove the module from the car
   Attachment 52422
2. Disassemble the module removing the white base from the house by the 4 clips around the side
   Attachment 52421
3. Un-solder the white base from the circuit board as you need to access the top of the circuit board
   Attachment 52423
   You won't have these wires, these were my power feeds during testing
4. Solder 5 (I replace the original LED as well) LEDs onto the PCB at the red circled locations:
   Attachment 52424
5. Solder 2 1210 size 4.7K ohm resistors at these locations:
   Attachment 52425
   Then another 1210 size 4.7K ohm resistor here (on the top of the circuit board)
   Attachment 52426
6. Solder a 2010 size 4.7K ohm resistor here
   Attachment 52427
7. Solder a 2010 size 2K ohm resistor here
   Attachment 52428
8. Re-solder the white base to the circuit board
9. Assembly the white base/circuit board and switches

That's awesome mate! Probably a little more eletrickery stuff than I want to play with but still looks pretty cool.

Cheers

I like it. A lot. Might be helpful to say the required iron used and type of solder and anything else that may help.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by mudski

I like it. A lot. Might be helpful to say the required iron used and type of solder and anything else that may help.

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That's only a part of it Mudski. The main part is the skill so you don't burn all the copper tracks off the circuit board when desoldering the plug contacts!!! Not something you would tackle without a little bit of soldering experience, IMHO.

1210's.. haven't seen those in a while. I'm so used to 0402's that I'm not sure my mind would cope :/

This is the soldering iron and tools I used to remove the white base and load the surface mount parts

Attachment 52461

1210 & 2510 sizes are used for the power handling.

would it be fair to say that a Ti would have these led as std?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by threedogs

would it be fair to say that a Ti would have these led as std?

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Just looking at my switches and the window switches on mine dont seem to have the clear bit for the light. Unless they do and they just need a good clean. Lol.

The LED windows in the switches aren't very clear, there are more frosty if anything.

Old thread I know, but where did you source the parts from, and approximate cost?

The parts where sourced from element14 http://au.element14.com/ You are looking around $10 max for all the parts.