Blue dash lights & rocker switch neons-not LED

[B1Toad]

For anyone who doesn't want to use LEDs I found a source for blue incandescent dash lighting. They also have the tiny incandescent neons that fit the rocker switches. For the dash backlighting, while a #74 will fit, it is only 1.2 watts. This place has blue #24 lamps which are something like 2.7 watts and they are just right. Check to verify your base size first. They have the twist in bases to too, not listed for our Jeeps and a bit tight but they fit. http://www.autolumination.com/

 

[Jerry Bransford]

No need to replace bulbs, there are various color paints made for light bulbs. https://www.amazon.com/s?k=Paint+for+Light+Bulb&crid=2V60A8HRA6LL5&sprefix=paint+for+light+bulb+,aps,108&ref=nb_sb_noss_2

By the way, blue is a pretty harsh color for dashboard lights. Our eyes don't like blue light shining in them. Ever notice an oncoming car with LED lights that are very bluish in color and how it makes our eyes uncomfortable?

 

[MikeE024]

No need to replace bulbs, there are various color paints made for light bulbs. https://www.amazon.com/s?k=Paint+for+Light+Bulb&crid=2V60A8HRA6LL5&sprefix=paint+for+light+bulb+,aps,108&ref=nb_sb_noss_2

By the way, blue is a pretty harsh color for eyes. They don't like it.

For whatever reason the darker blue LEDs I installed in the dash years ago don't cause any harshness to my eyes.

It facially doesn't make sense since I remove the blue light on my phone at night and run warm lights (3000k) inside my place due to my light sensitivity issues.

I think it's because the brightness output (lumens) of the darker blue LEDs isn't very bright after getting through the dash. Yep, still don't understand it tbh but my eyes are good with it.

 

[Jerry Bransford]

Ok but there are reasons there are blue light blockers made for displays.

https://health.ucdavis.edu/blog/cultivating-health/blue-light-effects-on-your-eyes-sleep-and-health/2022/08#:~:text=Constant exposure to blue light,white part of the eye.

https://www.optometrists.org/genera...s working,strain and disrupted sleep patterns.

 

[MikeE024]

Ok but there are reasons there are blue light blockers made for displays.

https://health.ucdavis.edu/blog/cultivating-health/blue-light-effects-on-your-eyes-sleep-and-health/2022/08#:~:text=Constant exposure to blue light,white part of the eye.

https://www.optometrists.org/general-practice-optometry/guide-to-eye-exams/eye-protection-at-home/protecting-your-eyes-from-blue-light/#:~:text=Do you spend hours working,strain and disrupted sleep patterns.

I know Jerry, that's why I wrote what I wrote.

 

[Jerry Bransford]

I know Jerry, that's why I wrote what I wrote.

Your eyes may not really be as ok with blue light as you keep telling yourself they are.

 

[MikeE024]

Your eyes may not really be as ok with blue light as you keep telling yourself they are.

I don't have to tell myself anything, and I'd appreciate it if you didn't try to gaslight me (which is known as a horrible manipulative quality).

I drive mostly at night and would change them in a heartbeat if they caused issues (I get bad headaches that can't be "talked out of" lol). For example, I was running arguably the best AFR gauge and the bright red LEDs were eye-piercing (too bright) so I sold it at a significant loss last week. I'm not too cheap or lazy to make changes.

 

[steelhd]

By the way, blue is a pretty harsh color for dashboard lights. Our eyes don't like blue light shining in them. Ever notice an oncoming car with LED lights that are very bluish in color and how it makes our eyes uncomfortable?

Blue light also harms night vision.

 

[MikeE024]

The gauge on the center of the dash has been removed. The blue center console lights and dash lights are no problem at all (needles have been painted orange).

 

[MikeE024]

For anyone who doesn't want to use LEDs I found a source for blue incandescent dash lighting. They also have the tiny incandescent neons that fit the rocker switches. For the dash backlighting, while a #74 will fit, it is only 1.2 watts. This place has blue #24 lamps which are something like 2.7 watts and they are just right. Check to verify your base size first. They have the twist in bases to too, not listed for our Jeeps and a bit tight but they fit. http://www.autolumination.com/

View attachment 479683

View attachment 479685

Your white OEM needles look way better than my orange OEM needles did when I changed color. FWIW, your dash lights look very similar to the ice-blue LED option.

 

[L J]

Ok but there are reasons there are blue light blockers made for displays.

I just wear my BluBlockers "AS SEEN ON TV"

 

[B1Toad]

Jerry I think the blue light you are referring to is blue due to it being produced with only blue wavelengths. White light actually contains all the different wavelengths including blue and putting a filter (paint) on white light to make it look blue does not change the wavelengths, it just filters out the ones that keep us from seeing just the blue. So we are not seeing any different or additional wavelengths when using a painted light, we just aren't seeing all the others.

Summary, take a white lamp and you are seeing wavelengths from 400-700 nm. Put a filter on it (paint) to filter out everything except the blue wavelengths and you now see only wavelengths around 480nm. You were seeing them with the white but along with the rest of the wavelengths of the spectrum. So in this sense it is my humble opinion that white light filtered to look blue is not the same as light that is produced as pure blue, like computer and TV screens. This could explain Mikee024's experience. Have you noticed that the blue light from screens is bright and easily visible while the blue light from filtered sources like holiday lighting is not as bright and easy to see?

BTW my OEM lamps had blue filters on them, didn't everyone's?

 

[B1Toad]

Again, not claiming to be an expert even though I worked in the electrical and lighting field (and probably know just enough about lighting to be dangerous) and not saying Quora is a definitive source (although it should carry at least as much weight as forum opinions) I found these comments, one by a claimed expert and one by the irrefutable Chat bot:

 

[B1Toad]

Your white OEM needles look way better than my orange OEM needles did when I changed color. FWIW, your dash lights look very similar to the ice-blue LED option.

It's hard to take pics of lighting at night, but in person the lights are much softer looking, they do look like LEDs in the photo though. The radio really looks bright in the pic but in person it is not nearly that bright and not glaring at all.

 

[tworley]

I would change any bulb to whatever color well before I would ever consider painting it.

 

[B1Toad]

I would change any bulb to whatever color well before I would ever consider painting it.

Agree, the paints alone cost more than the colored bulbs shipped to my door and less hassle.

 

[MikeE024]

Additionally, we can talk about color until we turn blue in the face, but it's foolish to not recognize the impact that brightness (lumens) has on our eyes. This is especially true when discussing the harshness of headlights, which is also dependent on where the projector faces and if the projectors are made for HID or LED lights...hint many aren't, but people do it anyways and it's usually a brightness problem more than a color problem those assholes just tend to buy 5000k-8000k temp colors.

As mentioned above, I removed a red light source (gauge) because the brightness was simply too much. This is not a new concept nor will discussing it destroy the matrix.