Got it thanks!

nice work !
bump

dang how will i do this!!! i dont know how to solder? is that how the color changes?

Yes, you'll need a steady hand and learn how to solder surface mount components. Cheap soldering irons from Radio Shack won't work because you need a fine tip.

Yeah the way I did it was press it (as you would to turn on/off the light) and while it is pressed, wedge in a screw driver and then just lift out.

Hey man, What kind of LEDS did you use on that strip where the fuel gauge is.? i used PLCC-2 and they didnt work...

PLCC2 works, but you have to mask off one of the pads or it'll short to ground. If you look at the photos, I used yellow masking tape to mask off one of the pads. Then I was able to place the LED over the same spot and solder both sides (leaving the masked pad isolated from solder).

Update
 

so you put masking tape over 4 solder pads? and just soldered the LEDS ? even the 4 solder pads with the tape underneath the LED? and i have a problem..my screen where the fuel and all that is is now half blank...i think i ruined something.. =(

And also my needles arent in the right position ..i just screwed everything up lol =(

That's fine. After re-inserting the needles, turn it against the "stopper". It will still slip around the shaft when applying enough force against the stopper. You'll be able to put it in place without the need to pop it back off.

If your display is half blank, then the pins from the display aren't fully aligned with the socket. If you're not careful, you can break the pins. When putting it back in, make sure you line up the display pins with the socket.

For the LEDs, you only need to mask off 1 of the pads because both pads on one side are not the same. There are 3 ground and 1 positive. You need to mask the extra ground pad. Look at the pictures to see how it was done.

New to the site. Just picked up my 2012 370Z on 20 Jan 12 and I LOVE IT! I enjoy this site and will be posting often I am sure.

The "orange" lighting though... really gross IMO and would have thought with todays technology there would have been a way to just "change" the color. I mean I can change my display color so you would think that would be easy to as well right... SOOO I live in Vero Beach, Florida and if anyone knows a custom shop around here please pm me the details as I would love to get my lighting changed to a blue... thanks...love the pics of what you did but wow, you have balls sir... I would have never attempted that on my own.

Indeed, I do. Indeed, I do. :p

It appears some of the newer Nissan/Infiniti models did away with the amber display backlight like the 2012 GT-R.

Have you attempted to change the color of the exterior z emblem?(circled in red) http://i50.tinypic.com/ir2kk6.jpg

I've not attempted this mod. You have to use a Dremel since it is zap sealed. There are about 3-4 SuperFlux LEDs inside that can be changed out. If I were to modify it, I would add a dim white LED connected to the parking light and retain the amber LEDs for the signal.

Where did you get the blue LED backing? Was this a custom mod or can the blue LED backing be purchased?? Thanks.

Nice job (y)

Visor lights
 

Where did you get those LEDs from and can I get them in blue ?

Blue ones ?
 

Can these be purchased somewhere? And if so do they come in blue ?

Yes, Digikey, mouser, king bright, etc. There is just about an assortment of LED colors.

I'm confused on what you did from step 2 - 3 to make it blue...

The tiny 0805 LED above the resistor labeled "102."

For people with the Bose package, the bluetooth mic is located in the top left corner. You just have to pry the left and right side a little to take the bluetooth mic off from the panel.

Visor LED
 

Is there a way to make a 30mm LED fit in the visor? Doesn't seem to fit when I tried replacing them.. :mad:

Juice

You need 3mm round, not 30mm.

Digi, I think that is some sick *** stuff you pulled off, wow. I'm seriously amazed, I can do mechanical, but electrical other than simple switch out is beyond me. Props!!! :bowrofl:

Haha thanks! We should work together since I'm not so great with the mechanical stuff. My drilling and cutting is sloppy, but I can run wires, build up circuits, and solder stuff easily.

For example, my headlight mods need repair and taking the headlights apart is a bit daunting. I can take other things apart... just not the headlights lol.

I need to find a local custom shop that'll do all of this for me because God knows I couldn't pull this off on my own! I want it though!

I was planning on using a 3-Up Cree Star LED with a Bucktoot to make some dome lights but I wasn't sure how it would work out with the auto dimming feature. How has it been working out for you??

You need to use current limiting resistors because the BuckToot tries to regulate until it decides to shut off completely. I also recommend a single LED for each map light because it will be wicked bright. I've blinded my passengers with just the K2 LEDs, and that's old technology by today's standards.

I use JW's license plate bulbs deal for mine. I prefer it a little brighter than what I had before (and quality is MUCH better). Now when I turn on my domes, let there be light!

He is a vendor here and sells two for $15 and free shipping with a 30 day warranty. That's important because I had two bulbs from superbrighleds that just did not work at all even when changing polarity. The ones that did flickered like a mother.

Im gonna take your advice, so I found a 1 up star led to use. Here are the specs for it,
1-Up Cool-White Cree XT-E Star LED Features:
130 lm @ 350mA
231 lm @ 700mA
1500mA - Max Drive Current
2.85Vf - Typ. Forward Voltage @ 350mA
6500K - Color Temperature
My question now is where can I find current limiting resistors? I searched all over and found metal film, carbon film, wire wound ect.. Are they the same??
Would something like this work? RW67V330B12 Vishay / Dale | Mouser
Thanks in advance.

Current limiting resistors is just that - resistors. I recommend running the LED no greater than 200mA. Make sure you have a decent heat sink or something with decent surface area to dissipate some heat. If you leave it on long enough it will get pretty warm.

To get resistor value for the LED use Ohm's Law:
R = Volts / Current. Here you need to factor in the maximum supply voltage and voltage drop of the LED, and the current flow (350mA in this example).

R = (14.4 - 2.85) / 0.350 = 33 ohm. This is the minimum resistor value to use. Next you need to calculate the resistor wattage because it will generate heat as it limits the current flowing through the LED:
P = Current * Resistance = 0.350 * 33 = 11.5 Watts.

As you can see here, the resistor will dissipate almost 12W. It is very inefficient.

Quite honestly I rather run the BuckToot driver at 350mA and sacrifice the dimming feature. If you want to play it safe the most feasible starting point is with a single 100 ohm 1W resistor. That will run the LED around 100mA. It doesn't sound like much, but you won't melt things and retain dimming feature.

Plz add a write up

What do you mean by sacrificing the dimming feature? Does the dimming feature not work with the BuckToot driver?? I don't really care much for the dimming feature. Do you or anyone here know how to disable the dimming feature so that I can straight up just use something like the BuckToot driver or a resistor to run the led without worrying about the voltage differences caused by the Fade-off feature??

Dimming feature pretty much gradually drops the voltage. The BuckToot operates in a wide range of voltages, so it will do it's best as a regulator to maintain a consistent output until voltage drops too low and shut off. So it is not an issue if you don't care about losing the gradual dimming.

Nice! Thanks DIGI. Now i can place my order and do my led swap!!

Wow y'all are buggin out with the lights!
Holy crap...nice job though!

THIS IS AWESOME! I have hated the annoying orange interior lights since I bought my Z. Great write up, Does anyone know of anyone that does this service or any good shops in Colorado that might be able to do this mod for me?

Thanks for posting this DIY. I started working on changing everything out and thought I'd post a picture of the start switch done. Blue and green FTW! :D http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/10/17/sedy5ege.jpg