MS3 Dashboard lighting *HELP*

Jen1170

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2008 Mazdaspeed 3
Help! We need a How-To thread on how to replace the dashboard lights! I wanna do this, but I've never done any wiring at all. Could somebody help me out?
 
This is too big a job for you take on if you have done no wiring at all. It involves sodering LEDs that are a 1/20th (guess-timate) the size of a quarter. To be exact its a 3mm LED. And its alot of them, like 50-60+ LEDS.

You will need some major experience with sodering to do that. Another forum has the HOW to.

I will be posting a how to here sometime in the coming month as I do my setup.
 
k thanks for the input and i have someone thats willing to do it for me, i just would like to learn how to do it myself ya know?
 
watch the person thats willing to do it for you. nothing like a hands on learning experience
 
i think we'll do it tomo, because were putting in my new radio tomo, and hes gotta solder anyways so hopefully i can get the lights today or tomo...this is what its gunna look like:
 

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only problem is i dont know how he got the two different colors, if anyone knows how to do that let me know...
 
lol well its def the sexiest ms3 dash out there. the sexiest thing ever may have been a bit of an exaggeration. =P
 
The two color is easy. there is a center LED that shines into the needle.

If you take a picture and mark the LEDS clearly, you will see them circle in a sea-shell shape sorta. you will see two lines, one for each of the colors (ie, one for the numbers and one for the dashes).

He is using bright white and blue LEDS.

That picture is from another forum, I suggest you check the thread. He has detailed instructions on it.

If you have someone who's going to do it, make sure they are competent enough to do it. No offense, but just because they are "willing" doesn't mean its an easy job. I have been sodering for years and years and this job has still been a b****.


Let me make a suggestion, get the thin soder and use flux. keep some paper towels around and a nice wet (but squeezed) sponge around for this job.

You should also make sure you test out the first LED to make sure it works properly and make sure you soder them in the correct way or this won't work.

goodluck! post pictures! and try doing different colors rather than doing something someone else did!
 
yea i didnt exactly wanna do the same colors as someone else, but i dont think theres a better combo out there, but ill look around! dont worry ill post tons of pics when i can get around to doing it, or rather forcing my bf to do it cause i suck at all things electrical =P
 
i think we'll do it tomo, because were putting in my new radio tomo, and hes gotta solder anyways so hopefully i can get the lights today or tomo...this is what its gunna look like:


thats not a MS3, the speedo only goes to 140....

but its still looks cool
 
o youre right i didnt even notice that, might be a regular 3 but i still wanna do it ;-)
 
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