I did use a diesel glow plug LED for other purposes on Steve Dolan's old '80 Westy when he installed a bit T4 in it.� I actually installed the cluster to use the diesel water temp gage in the clock, right down to the flashing LED as a head temp gage.� Used a stock L-jet head temp sensor installed over on #1, and as I recall using a simple voltage splitter with some 1% resistors to get it in calibration range where I wanted it.� Made a nice little unit for air cooled van, calibrated for a nice 200-450F range and blinked at about 350-375F as I recall.� We used the yellow glow plug LED for an idiot light for something else.� So if you got spare LEDs, by all means go for it, sky is the limit for your uses.� I do seem to recall (and this is 10+ years ago, so I'm not sure) that there was something odd or interesting about the VW LEDs.� I even want to say that whatever it was had changed between the '80 cluster and the '83 diesel cluster, but I really am
 going out on a limb there.� Perhaps some had a built in drop resistor and some didn't, I really don't recall, but something odd about the ones at least out of one cluster.� I remember that I wanted to do an LED linear voltmeter for an O2 sensor, and that I decided the factory LEDs were somehow unsuitable, or perhaps just I figured the mounting unsuitable, or number available in a row there insufficient or something.� I ended up putting it up on top instead anyway using my own LEDs.� Undoubtedly buried in a post either on vanagon or type2 depending if we had split by then or not...
�
John
 

________________________________
 From: Harry Hoffman <hhoffman@IP-SOLUTIONS.NET>
To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM 
Sent: Saturday, January 28, 2012 1:55 PM
Subject: Using the "extra" LEDs in the instrument cluster
  

Hi All,

Has anyone utilized the unused LEDs in the instrument cluster and done a write up on it?

I'd like to use one for my check engine light but am a bit afraid to go messing with the ribbons.

Cheers,
Harry 

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