Can you dim LED guages?
 

Hello. This may sound stupid, but I'm installing autometer es gauges which are led lit. I wired the illumination power to the dimmer power from the stereo and they will not dim so I though while its all apart maybe I can just wire the power to the dimmer switch. After checking the power with a voltmeter I don't under stand how I could wire to the dimmer switch. On one lead it has barely any power and on the other it barely changes in the 10v range.... I cant use the cig light since I'd have to use both power and ground for light and I read you have to use the cig light ground if you use cig power...?? since my gauges are electric there is only one ground and it has to be chassis.... make sense?

Should I just install a seperate resistor for the gauge light power??

Thanks.

What exactly is your question here? Are you asking how to make your dimmer switch work for the aftermarket gauge, or how to dim LEDs in general?

Sorry. I need to dim my LED gauges with the factory... I wired up my boost gauge light to the cig lighter light for ground and pwr since it is standard wedge bulb and that works fine. Now I'm putting 3 led lit gauges in the center location. They light up but no dimming using the dimmer power from stereo harness. I just don't want them blinding me.

Guess I'll have to pick up one of these:Auto Meter

Well, I don't know about variable dimming, since I've never tried to do in in this application but you could wire up a resistor from radio shack for not too much. They're like 5cents. I guess you could even go with a potentiometer but I don't know how easy it would be to make it look decent xD