Jonah Posted January 25, 2023 Report Share Posted January 25, 2023 Afternoon all ive added a voltmeter gauge to my mk3 spitfire, and have used a new replica gauge the gauge works fine but the illumination is much brighter than the other gauges in the car could I reduce the voltage to the bulb with an inline resistor to dim the illumination? best Julian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NonMember Posted January 25, 2023 Report Share Posted January 25, 2023 Yes, it's certainly possible to dim a bulb with a series resistor, but fitting a lower wattage bulb is more efficient. Or you could replace all the very tired and heavily silvered bulbs in the other instruments with new ones that actually give out some light. 😉 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jonah Posted January 25, 2023 Author Report Share Posted January 25, 2023 And there I was thinking of a more complex solution when all I had the do was change the bulb….doh! thats why I like this forum, thank you Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Lewis Posted January 25, 2023 Report Share Posted January 25, 2023 that makes a nice change most want them brighter not dimmer Pete Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jonah Posted January 25, 2023 Author Report Share Posted January 25, 2023 I’ve got used to all other gauges being so dimly lit that when I installed the voltmeter it shone like the North Star! I’ll change the other bulbs to see if they brighten and if not I’ll try a 6 volt bulb in the voltmeter its odd because all bulbs are 12v yet the difference is illuminating!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jonah Posted January 25, 2023 Author Report Share Posted January 25, 2023 12 minutes ago, Jonah said: I’ve got used to all other gauges being so dimly lit that when I installed the voltmeter it shone like the North Star! I’ll change the other bulbs to see if they brighten and if not I’ll try a 6 volt bulb in the voltmeter its odd because all bulbs are 12v yet the difference is illuminating!! I didn’t mean a 6 volt bulb, should have said a lower wattage bulb, it’s been a long day! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NonMember Posted January 25, 2023 Report Share Posted January 25, 2023 1 hour ago, Jonah said: its odd because all bulbs are 12v yet the difference is illuminating!! Have you inspected all the bulbs? The size of the gauge and the condition of the paint inside it do make a difference, but if most of your gauges haven't had their bulbs replaced recently they're probably quite badly "silvered" (from evaporated filament metal) and won't be putting out nearly as much light as they're meant to. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jonah Posted January 25, 2023 Author Report Share Posted January 25, 2023 Thank you, I didn’t realise that, the other bulbs are certainly old so I’ll change them they’re all 2.2watt screw in type Lucas bulbs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cliff.b Posted January 25, 2023 Report Share Posted January 25, 2023 4 hours ago, Jonah said: Thank you, I didn’t realise that, the other bulbs are certainly old so I’ll change them they’re all 2.2watt screw in type Lucas bulbs Replace with LEDs if tou want them brighter. If the the voltage gauge is new it might already have an LED built in Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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