Need help with electroluminescence panel for a gauge backlighting being to bright.

[Dozerboy]

I have Speedhut boost, EGT, and fuel gauges in my truck and I would like the back lighting to dim with my cluster better. The problem is they are just to bright at night. I have to turn my dimmer 1/2 way down before the speedhuts start to dim at all. My old gauges with LEDs worked perfect the way I had them wired. This is from Speedhuts site.

"The dial lighting is accomplished via an electroluminescence panel behind the dial. This panel glows when it is subject to around 200 volts AC. The DC to AC inverter takes 12 volts DC and creates the needed 200 volts AC to power the dial lighting."

I'm wondering if I can install a resistor to get them to dim with the factory lights better. I'm just not sure how big of resistor to use and if that will even work because of the inverter.


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[Dozerboy]

EL panels sound like a PITA. Acording to speedhut there is no mimimum voltage needed for them to function properly. So I just need to calculate what resistor I need to get the light out put to match.

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[2004LB7]

Instead of a resistor try a diode. They drop voltage about 0.7

EL panels typically run at around 120 volts and really low current. Maybe a few milliamps. Of course the inverter will not be 100% efficient and at 12 volts will can be as high as 100 milliamps.

12 x 0.1 = 1.2 watts.

How does your inverter sense the brightness setting in your truck? Is it a separate wire to one of the bulbs or is the inverter powered by the regulated / dimmable power?

If the former, then you can likely use a simple common 1K ohm potentiometer. Wire the left terminal to ground, the middle terminal to your sense wire on the inverter and right terminal to the trucks dimmable power. This will allow you to fine tune the brightness.

If the inverter is powered directly from the dimming power I would use a series of diodes to drop the voltage. Trial and error will tell you how many you need

Since it is quite common for the inverters to adjust brightness of the EL panels by varying the frequency to the panel and not the voltage or current I would stay away from the high voltage wires between the inverter and panel and focus on the supply or sense wires as equipped

 

[Dozerboy]

Yes the inverter is powered via the factory dimmer switch. I will try a series of diodes since I believe I have some.

Thanks

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