Replacing the dashboard plastic PCB

[MattBW]

Thanks, I may give it a go

[Fudgy666]

I just replaced the plastic PCB on my dashboard broadly following Covkid's instuctions in the Wiki;
http://wiki.club8090.co.uk/index.php/VW ... _connector

I thought the PCB layout that I used might be of use/interest to others.

Cheers for sharing guys, it's encouraged me to give this a go.

I've already started sourcing a few bits, but wondered what voltage LEDs I would need.

The circuit diagram on the wiki page shows 5mm LED= 2v @ 20mA. Does this mean I will need to use 2V LED's ?



I was thinking an LED like this would be OK ?

http://cpc.farnell.com/avago-technologi ... erch=true&

[Oldiebut goodie]

This may help: (One suppliers offerings - pretty much the same for most 5mm leds) Just make sure that you don't buy high intensity ones - normal ones can be too bright.

[Fudgy666]

Nice one. Cheers for the heads up

[CovKid]

Dashes vary a bit but providing you follow and work on one track at a time, hardwiring isn't so hard and ends all the intermittent issues you tend to get. Luckily the PCB is easy to follow, but above helps no end.

Dip any replacement blue LED in black paint if its lighting up your face. Doesn't actually have to be blue ofcourse - you just have to have a visual indication of when you're on full. Mine is orange now.

[Fudgy666]

After a short delay I have got around to finishing the instrument cluster rewiring, and managed to get it fitted too.





Just followed the Wiki page so I owe a massive thank you to CovKid & Midflife Crisis, their contributions to the wiki guide are fantastic and easy to follow, actually doing most of the hardwork for me

http://wiki.club8090.co.uk/index.php/VW ... _connector

I just did a couple of things differently.

The previous owner had already added a wiring spur that fed the dash illumination lights, so i just added connectors to that & didn't power them from the new PCB board (The white cables in the photos).

And I decided to add a couple of layers of Silicon conformal coating to keep any moisture/damp out.

Apart for that, it's an exact copy of the wiki design.



Dead Chuffed it worked

[MidLifeCrisis]

Nice!!
Liking the idea of the silicon conformal coating.

[keytouch]

Looks great.

How did you mount the LED's? Soldered onto the board or in some kind of holder?

What connector did you use for connecting to your wiring loom? Did you chop the original connector on your loom off?

[Fudgy666]

How did you mount the LED's? Soldered onto the board or in some kind of holder?

I actually re-used the holders that were on the original blue ribbon PCB.

Not a pretty job, but I really struggled to find an item fit for purpose.

It's a bit of a fiddle as I needed to trim the base of the connectors up, and surface mount them onto the track side of the veroboard.

Won't win any prizes for neatness, but does mean that I can still change the LED's easily.

What connector did you use for connecting to your wiring loom? Did you chop the original connector on your loom off?

Yep, I cut the original connector off of the wiring loom & binned it !

I got a heavy duty 14-pin connector off of Ebay (Possible slight overkill ):

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Nylon-Latchin ... 3ce398f177



And just re-made both ends. I then used these screw termination blocks to get the cable onto the veroboard:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/6-Pin-5PCS-2- ... 27ef65709b



Just double check that the 'pitch' matches the spacing of the tracks on your board

Hope that helps

[marlton67]

Hi this is brill,
Am I correct in that after this you would just connect the wires from the main plug and "Bobs your uncle".
If so How much would you charge to make this
for me? Many Regards
Ian

[Fudgy666]

Am I correct in that after this you would just connect the wires from the main plug and "Bobs your uncle".

Yep, When I cut the old plug off of the wiring loom I noted the pin numbers and cable colours (Some pins will be vacant). Then to keep it easy I used the same colour/pin combination on the new 14 pin socket. Then the wiring diagram on the wiki has the pin numbers and which tracks on the Stripboard they need to be connected.

If so How much would you charge to make this
for me?

I'm flattered you'd want me to make one for you, but honestly I have enough problems keeping up to date with the jobs with my own van. Also if you look at the dates of my posts you'll see that it took me 3 months to pull my finger out and finish the stupid thing !

I can assure you that the Wiki guide is spot on, and if I can do it anyone can do it ! Give it a go.

[Fudgy666]

Just surfing Fleabay for T25 bits (Like I seem to do a lot !?!) and came across this:





http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/VW-T25-T3-Das ... 234dbac91d

£215 seems quite expensive, but might help people that don't fancy DIY'ing it

Even looks like you don't have to replace the socket on the dash wiring loom which is a big plus.

[marlinowner]

But you can buy a new PCB for tacho petrol dash (oil pressure buzzer of doom missing) for around £90 from VW Heritage classic parts.

[greasemonkey]

Was initially interested until I saw the price, and that's only for a kit that still needs soldering of the LEDs etc.

Think I'd just follow the advice above and DIY.

[captain Byrne]

I did mine a much quicker & easier way.
http://forum.club8090.co.uk/viewtopic.php?f=39&t=141208" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;