I am trying to do the conversion of the clock to a white led. Does anyone know if the 1n914 diode that is requried is the same as 1n4148? Also will the 5mm LED 3.6v-20mA-1100mcd and 220-Ohm 1/2 watt work on the setup?

 

I'm not totally sure about what's inline between the battery and the clock, but if it is just a diode then a bulb, the two diodes you talk about are on the same datasheet with the same voltage drop, so the two diodes should be interchangable.
http://www.fairchildsemi.com/ds/1N/1N914.pdf
There is the link to it if you haven't already looked at it.

As for the diode resistor combo, by my calculations you are overdriving the LED by about 25 mA, so quite a bit. I would say go for around 475-500 ohm. Here's how I figure:

14.4V (car voltage)-1V (diode forward voltage)-3.6V (LED forward voltage)= 9.8V (Voltage drop across the resistor).

Now back to good old V=IR, or R=V/I in this case.

9.8V/20mA (what the LED is rated for)= 490 Ohm

Now this is assuming everything is perfect, which it usually isn't, that's why I gave you a range of probable safe values.

Last but not least... this assumes there are no other components between the battery and the clock.

 

Thanks for the response. I had a feeling I was something was not right. I would hate to short anything out just to change the appearance of the clock.

I don't know what else is between the battery and the clock either. Ok so I change the 220 ohm resistor and kick that up 475-500ohm?

Is there any LED that would just subsitute the factory led without the resitors and diodes?

 

Well if you did short something out, all that would happen is the LED would blow, and that's that. Nothing terrible would have happened to your car. As I have not changed out my clock stuff (until I convert my interior color), I cannot say if it is a regular bulb or an LED inside there right now. If it is a regular bulb, you will need that 475-500 ohm resistor along with the LED. If there is an LED in there right now, I would just try and straight replace the LED's. 3.6V drop across an LED is pretty high, so even if the original LED (if that's what it is) was say a 2.5V drop, your LED you replace it with will still work, just possibly not as bright as it could be. Best way, just try it out!

 

Thanks that is good to know.

 

I'm glad someone's smart enough to understand all that

 

I'll provide the electrical help as long as I continue to get help with everything else

 

^+1 hahahah! seriously


ummm yea... so what's the bottom line again? I noticed my clock lights went out last night. Just to confirm, is this all thats necessary to switch to LEDs?

1) 5mm LED 3.3v-20mA-1700mcd
2) 1n914/1n4148 diode (is this necessary since the LED, by definition, is already a diode?)
3) 500 Ohm resistor

What view angle for the LED is preferrable? The one above is listed as 80°-100°. Should I look for one with a more focused pattern?



This pic shows a 20° view angle. What do you guys think?

 

Can some-one put this all into laymans terms and simply tell me how to get that damn clock light working once more in my 03 lol.

 

Were you just looking to replace the bulbs with OEM bulbs? Or go LED?

For OEM bulbs its pretty straight forward. I pulled the info from various posts and sites:


"The part number for the clock bulb is: 24860-AM620"


"...found a ruler that had a rounded beveled edge that worked perfectly. The rounded edges allowed me to do it with no damage to the dash parts. I started from the top left corner, and got enough of an edge so I could stick my fingers underneath the trim, then wiggled and pulled towards the back of the car to get it off. First, take the top two corners off, then the bottom. "




"Remove the 2 screws that hold the Infiniti clock..."




Then replace with the new bulbs that you bought. Then put everything back together.

 

I have not done this switch, I have just been helping out with general LED questions. I would think all those steps are necessary besides possibly the 1N4148 diode. I am not sure on the purpose of this, but including it will not hurt anything. If you do not use the 1n4148 diode, i would change it to around a 550 Ohm resistor.

80 to 100 degree should be fine. You can vary that if you want, but I think 20 degree might be a little too narrow. Best way is to just try one until you find one you like. If the beam is too narrow, it will leave certain parts of the clock darker than others. Just be aware if you change the LED, you *may* have to change the resistor value too. See earlier posts for some of the formulas.

Of course you could also replace it like the post before me says with the OEM version.

 

Thanks! I'm going to give it a shot