I just came across this "kit" for the cherokee with a remote to change the color of the gauges.. Looks like this is going to be the next phase of our led gauge lighting... Still expensive but I'm sure pricing will come down .. I wouldn't mind having the ability to change the colors....97-01 RGB kit

 

Get the RGB tape strip off amazon and put it behind the cluster face. lot cheaper with same results.

 

Pretty good idea as long as they are decent quality bulbs

 

If you look closely at the listing the price is for only 2 bulbs... Hardly a "kit" for the XJ...I wonder how many of these bulbs you can have on one remote... Anyhow, I'm seeing these all over Ebay now for many applications.. I'm sure the price will come down for them..It would be nice to have the ability to change the whole cabin lighting using one remote for all bulbs in their factory locations..

 

More useless junk! What ever made manufacturers think that those who really wanted to change their dash lighting wouldn't know what colour they wanted?

 

Most new US vehicles have the ability to change the ambient lighting or cycle through the color on a "demo" mode if desired... My new Camaro SS has it for the door panels, radio surround, console/cupholders , etc... The touchscreen controls the color desired as an app type set-up.. I figured it would be cool to bring the xj into the 21st century with some lighting options.More of a toy than practical IMO.

 

While I don't have a spare jeep cluster to tinker with, I do have one from a neon which is similar in construction I'm gonna tinker with as soon as i find the RGB strip I have tucked away around here somewhere.

 

The RGB strip will definitely smooth out the lighting...When I restored my headliner I gave some thought about creating a ledge for a RGB strip but moved on to the rest of the build...It's amazing the amount of lighting coming from a simple,small RGB led... That Camaro door panel like the video has only 2 single RGBs at the end of the light piping.. I need to have it turned down significantly to keep it from distracting while driving even in single color mode...Thinking of a way to incorporate something like that into the XJ is the fun stuff for me...Here's a pic of the tiny RGB from a new Camaro.. I have a few extras but unfortunately they are computor driven and can't be used alone in other applications...

 

In that case, I don't suppose it's only US vehicles. Motor manufactures are usually hard on the heels of toymakers when it comes to apply new technology, whether it has any practical use or not.
I'm not immune to the certain charm some of these features have, I've always loved sequential turn signals & thought it would be fun to apply that to the front of my '98 XJ (although 2 bulbs flashing alternately is hardly sequential) but can't work out how to do it (without buying a silly expensive electronic gizmo).

 

So I have a variety of RGB led's around due to various projects I've done over the years. I grabbed a set of ws2811 PIXEL style RGB lights that are 12v native I had sitting around. I found they are nearly the exact size as the holder of the stock cluster bulbs, 2 wraps of electrical tape had them snugly held by the PCB. I would not install them this way, its only for testing. It simulates how those swap in bulbs would light the cluster up best though as it uses the stock bulb locations. I have not removed the color film from the back of the gauge faces so not all colors "work" well. The other issue with using these pixel is they're prewired and could need to be extended depending on how your cluster bulbs are laid out. I ended up using every other one just for the slack in the wire.

Personally I feel that this method while easiest leaves a lot to be desired. The camera makes them look brighter then they are in person. I don't think removing the OEM color film from the gauge face would improve the brightness much at all.


Next Up, Full custom using individual RGB leds to get a denser and better placement.