When you replace the incandescent bulbs in the instrument panel (binnacle) with LEDs, you unfortunately loose the ability to dim the lighting with the stock rheostat. I wanted to have the ability to dim the LEDs so I worked on this project to replace the stock rheostat with a PWM (Pulse Width Modulator). The PWM dimmer currently costs $15 from SuperBrightLEDs.com (I think I paid $20).

This project is not 100% completed (too many other concurrent projects holding it up - so probably 90% complete), but I've written up what I've done so far. I'd certainly appreciate any feedback from the forum - especially before I close everything back up again!

Installing an LED Dimmer for Instrument Panel Illumination.pdf

When I get the other projects completed I'll update this document and post some pictures/videos of the LED dimming in action.