would love to but this sucker is a lot brighter than the rest with the lowest candle power bulbs in them as i dont want to be blinded but still see them . i could try this tho and use the tie in dimmer bulb as a floor light when in use 
CK5
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who is good with electricty and resistors ? UPDATED : WITH PIC PAGE 2
- Thread starter sweetk30
- Start date
so i just tried the light bulb in series trick and no dice .
i used 2 194 bulbs in a clearance light i had at 1 time . no real change .
use a single 1156 bulb i had and still no real change .
i used 2 194 bulbs in a clearance light i had at 1 time . no real change .
use a single 1156 bulb i had and still no real change .
I just recently installed an LED that will be on constantly that I knew would be too bright at full battery voltage so I installed an adjustable rheostat so I can dim it as I chose.
I picked the rheostat up from Fry's Electronics for about $10 or so and if you need the part number I can get it for you.
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The bulb in the tach must be super low current draw for a second bulb in series not to dim it much..hmmm..
An adjustable rheostat like a volume control as 4x4 High suggested would be ideal--basically like the one built into your headlight switch ,without the other contacts for the other lamps..
I remember selling little button battery looking resistors that had a threaded stud to mount them with back in the day,for cars that were being upgraded to 12V,they had enough amp capacity to reduce 12V to 6V at roughly 5 amps,to run things like the wiper motor,radios,heater motor,etc..J.C. Whitney was the last place I saw them in their catalog years ago--they might still be available..
An adjustable rheostat like a volume control as 4x4 High suggested would be ideal--basically like the one built into your headlight switch ,without the other contacts for the other lamps..
I remember selling little button battery looking resistors that had a threaded stud to mount them with back in the day,for cars that were being upgraded to 12V,they had enough amp capacity to reduce 12V to 6V at roughly 5 amps,to run things like the wiper motor,radios,heater motor,etc..J.C. Whitney was the last place I saw them in their catalog years ago--they might still be available..
If you can't hook up 4 wires to a module I don't see how you can get a tach wired to begin with...
At that supply voltage the bulb is 193 Ohms, which is about a 1W bulb. Let me try a back-of-napkin calculation. For 1/2 as bright, you need about 15% reduction in voltage, which will reduce the bulb resistance by about 8.5% or 177 Ohms. So the dropping resistor would be 32 Ohms and dissipate about 1/8W, bringing the current to 61mA. That's good news because standard 1/4W leaded resistors should be OK. You could buy a pack 10, 12 or 15 Ohm resistors and start stringing them in series until the brightness matches up with the dash lights.
A 194 bulb is 3.8W, which should be about 52 Ohm and should have dimmed your tach. A 1156 bulb is 26.9W, which should have no discernible effect. If you're sure the 194 bulb had no effect, perhaps these numbers are off. Remember that with 2 bulbs in series, the one with lower power rating will be brighter.
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One of several 12V DC dimmers I saw on a google search..
Amazon.com: 12 Volt DC Dimmer for LED, Halogen, Incandescent - RV, Auto, Truck, Marine, and Strip Lighting - STANDARD SHAFT - BLACK: Automotive
Amazon.com: 12 Volt DC Dimmer for LED, Halogen, Incandescent - RV, Auto, Truck, Marine, and Strip Lighting - STANDARD SHAFT - BLACK: Automotive
o.k. here is what i am working with . the 2 outers are fine at there level . dash dimmer all the way up full . then this tach i have wanting to be less is IN YOUR FACE 
rampage
3/4 ton status
Website says it’s an unserviceable part and is sealed. Need to send it in for replacement if ever needed.
ya what he said AND i posted in the first info round . . . . .
did some driving tonight with it in my face per say its not bad but would be nice turned down for sure . oh ya and i have a stock dash light out dam it . . . i just had that whole thing out .
ya what he said AND i posted in the first info round . . . . .
That's what I get for not reading it all again. As soon as I read this I knew I'd blown it!!
just for you buddy
Looks to me like if you dim that thing much, "3" is all you'll be able to see!
But it's definitely too bright, at least IMO.
Resistors are pretty damn cheap, common (not sure where now that Radio Shack is gone most places) and easy to play with. You got some recommendations above, I'd certainly try them out, since the gauge manufacturer certainly didn't do you any favors!
But it's definitely too bright, at least IMO.
Resistors are pretty damn cheap, common (not sure where now that Radio Shack is gone most places) and easy to play with. You got some recommendations above, I'd certainly try them out, since the gauge manufacturer certainly didn't do you any favors!
Only place to buy electronic stuff here like resistors,etc,is a hobby store 30 miles away,now that radio shack is gone..
I have cannibalized an old radio or computer motherboard when I needed a few resistors or capacitors !..
I have cannibalized an old radio or computer motherboard when I needed a few resistors or capacitors !..
