Saturday, July 31, 2021

Repairing Instrument Cluster dashboard light - ELD5 inverter

Chrysler Sebring Speedometer electroluminescent lighting repair.

So far, ELD5 Inverter was successfully tested on the following cars:

* List updated Octomber 29, 2018 *

 

Make / ModelProduction years Trim Engine ELD5 Install Instructions
Chrysler Sebring
2007 - 2009
All
All
click to download
Dodge Caliber
2006 - 2009
All All
click to download
Dodge Avenger
2007 - 2011
All All
click to download
Dodge Grand Caravan
2009
All All
click to download
Chrysler Town & Country
2009
All All
click to download
Mercedes W211 *E270x
2003 - 2004
*specific
All
click to download

 

If your car, year or model is not listed please contact us or come back later as this page is frequently updated.

 

Is this look familiar to you ? Dasboard Light flicker or not working at all? Then read on!

     There is no shortage in Dashboard light, there is no fuse-related problem, also spraying the back cluster's connectors with contact lube will do no good, there is no poor connection either. The Instruments Cluster Light came from a thin EL (electroluminescent) foil that is right under the printed transparent plastic of your instruments.

This electroluminescent foil in terms of electronics is nothing but a capacitor and it have the property that when is connected to alternative voltage it emit light. Now, There is no AC alternative voltage in your car so it need to be created by an inverter.

      The fault part is the inverter situated on the board PCB. This inverter use a specialized IC which produce a maxim 300Vpp (peak to peak) under load at 250Hz with a wave shape that offer effective 114Vrms at maximum intensity.
Instruments clusters light failure appear because this inverter is under dimensioned from the start , yes that's right a electronic design flaw.

 

     The same PCB (printed circuit board) and schematics was used by Chrysler to build dashboards for couple of they cars, either if is Chrysler Sebring , Dodge Caliber or Dodge Avenger and other, the electronics inside the dashboard is the same. On the outside, gouges may look a bit different from model to model but inside , they are all the same

 

     From the gauges illumination point of view all this dashboard clusters share the same inverter that fail as mentioned above. That is why this illumination problem are spread all over those cars regardless their model, engine or gearbox type.

     No wonder that this instruments lights are dying like flies in autumn all around the world, and a new one sooner or later will have the same fate. I bought a used Dodge Caliber Instrument Cluster from Ebay, where there's tons of them, (I wonder why) and it worked exactly six months before fail in glory as original one. 

   So I decide to play this game no more and build my own inverter that fits just fine and is capable of driving EL clusters up to ~450nF !!! in total, maintaining all functionality as original one, dimming , intensity per dimming steps .. everything. 

 

Electroluminiscent Inverter Driver - ELD5

The ELD 5 inverter is designed to drive any EL panels up to 200 square inches (~1300 cm2), A2 size, and have digital inputs for controlling output intensity. In this way it seamlessly integrate with instrument cluster, ELD5 talking with dashboard's MC9S12 processor trough digital interface makes dimming function to work exactly as original.

ELD 5 - Printed Circuit Board

Couple of key futures of ELD5:

-  It drives the large EL Panel  of instrument cluster without any problem

-  Designed to be easy installed and fit inside the Instrument Cluster box

- Retaining the same functionality as original one including dimming capability

- Capable of outputting a whopping 175 Vrms  under load, compared with 114Vrms of original, so the maximum brightness can be higher than original.

- State of the art design with no expenses spare

 


Installing the inverter are straight forward procedure and consist of completing the 7 steps. 

1. Remove the dashboard instrument cluster from the car.
 


2. Place the dashboard on your working bench, bottom up, and remove the plastic back cover and place it near as indicated in picture bellow.

3. Place the ELD 5 add-on card in to one of the available plastic gopher of the back plastic cover and secured it in place with plastic glue gun. 



4. Disconnect the backlight electroluminescent foil from the board by unpluging transparent ribbon cable from the black socket. Using a sharp razor or fine metal tip tool, cut the four PCB traces. The points where traces must be cut are marked in picture bellow with red tiny "x" signs. Click on the picture for high resolution photo.

Cut each of the four traces in the indicated points. "x" marks the spot


5. Connect the ELD 5 card to the main board's PCB by soldering each ends of the six wires to the indicated points.

Main board connection points



The wire colors are irrelevant, always identify J1,J2,J3,J4,J5,J6 by consulting the pin-out bellow    



6. Reconnect the transparent ribbon cable back into the the black socket.
7. Paying attention to the six wires reassemble the dashoard instrument cluster and mount it on the car.



That's it !

Epoxy coated ELD5 inverter cards


Here is a guide video of repair procedure 




 

Bellow its a short video with ELD5 inverter lighting an Instrument Cluster on the bench.



Recommended wire's soldering position and fixing. One drop of plastic glue gun will fix all wires !


Wires J3 J4 soldered vertically while J1,J2 soldered tilted at 45 degree angle 



 If you need any other details please contact me



***** WARRANTY ****

 

Product: ELD5 - inverter add-on card 

Product MTBF (mean time between failures) - 50000 hours

Effective Warranty: 2 years* (from the time of purchase)

 

We, GUARANTEE the user that this product, upon proper installation, see the seven steps above, will fix the illumination issue on specified vehicles and will not interfere in any harmful way with any on-board electronics of the vehicle. 




***** FEEDBACK *****

There is no ELD5 "fun club" and probably never will, people "set and forget" but we encourage you upon installation to leave us a feedback bellow. If possible please use your g+ account to do so.

Here are couple of picked up ELD5 feedback's from the users :

 

From Germany / ELD5 on Dodge Caliber:

ELD5 received


ELD5 Installed

  

From Latvia / ELD5 on Chrysler Sebring:


Installing ELD5


After Install , Light ON ! :)

 

From Italy / ELD5 on Dodge Caliber:

On our Facebook account

From Germany / ELD5 on Dodge Avenger:

 

63 comments:

  1. Installed the card yesterday now I can see my gauges at night ! The dimmer works perfect all 3 gauges light up
    Thanks ;)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Multumesc Racing Code, pentru solutia oferita.
    Foarte bine lucrata piesa si montajul profesionist/operativ.
    Acum am lumina la ceasurile de bord, parca niciodata nu s-au aprins atat de bine.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Greetings from Norway.
    I've met this guy on dogeforum.com over a year ago. I have this inverter card in my Caliber and dashboard light are working ever since.
    Thanks !

    ReplyDelete
  4. Merci beaucoup!
    Après éclat de montage comme neuf.
    Bon produit, livraison juste, facile d'installation, garantie.
    Sebring est maintenant heureux à Paris.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Martin from UnterschleissheimSeptember 3, 2014 at 1:53 PM

    I bought and received your ELD5 for my Sebring 2008.
    Soldered the connections and did the cuts. It worked. Thanks for support that you provided

    ReplyDelete
  6. Bought this card for my 08 Sebring. Made all the connections (I thought) as per the instructions, only to find out it hadn't worked. Tried again and still couldn't get the lights on. Took it a local electronics company who fitted the card as per the instructions, and repaired the damage that my hatchet job had created - Result, perfect dashboard lights.

    It just proves that there is always a way back from the edge of disaster.

    Thanks for all your support

    ReplyDelete
  7. I've tried to order yesterday and the item showed "out of stock" today I tried again and it shows "item sold out". Cant seem to ba able to contact the vendor through email. Email just wont send. So. I'm putting my email contact on here hoping they see it a get in touch with me.
    Stalion5380@yahoo.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hello Leslie,
      I'm sorry for this short disruption in ELD5 supply. Due to surprisingly large orders recently received we have run "out of stock". Now we have took all necessary measures that regardless any high future demands for ELD5, this situation will not occur again.
      We have the ELD5 back in stock now, and we will resume shipping in couple of days.
      Our emails are working fine now, and there are always the Contact Form at the beginning of this webpage from where anyone can contact us.
      Also there is now a new page with ELD5 Dealers that will be constantly updated.

      Delete
  8. Hello,
    I bought the ELD5 and installed it myself with a litle patience because the soldering points are too small, and glued the card on the back and also the whires to the soldering points to avoid problems with the vibrations of the car and now I have a cluster that works fine. I find the ELD5 is the most cheaper and effective solution for who have this problem. Thanks Alexandru Ivan.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Hello
    i' ve install 3 monts ago in my Dodge Caliber, and cluster light works very good! The instructions are very clear and miki reply at my question very fast. The mounting operations keep 4h in totally, but the final result is perfect! reccommended!!
    Ciao a tutti
    ho montato la scheda 3 mesi fa e le luci del cruscotto funzionano perfettamente! le istruzioni sono chiare e Miki risponde ad eventuali mail molto velocemente! Il montaggio dura circa 4 ore in totale. Raccomandato per risolvere il problema delle luci con poca spesa!
    Emanuele

    ReplyDelete
  10. Hello.
    I repaired 2 calibers with ELD5 cards and it takes 1h30min each.
    Little tip to share 1, get small soldering iron to smaller soldering points and larger to bigger ones.
    Old weller with temperature control and detachable iron works fine.
    Tip 2 if you don`t see traces what needed to cut , get reading glass or ask guy who had better eyes.
    Great work . Thanks.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Very relevant tips indeed. Make sure that ALL FOUR tracks are cut and soldering is properly done.
      This is basically the quintessence of the repair procedure.

      Delete
  11. Hi.
    Got my card today,Gonna install it tomorrow gonna keep u guys posted on my progress.
    Thank you for fast hassle free shipping...
    thanks Per-Arne

    ReplyDelete
  12. Works great, dimming and everything. Fixed the instrument cluster lights on a 2009 Chrysler Sebring today with the ELD5-print. Print is surprisingly small. The wires are pretty thin, be carefull not to break them during installation. I used a simple glue gun to keep it in place, but you could use strong double sided tape or ty-raps. Also glued the six soldering points (after testing) for extra strength. Total time: 90 min.

    Chrysler Sebring dash removal seems a lot easier than the Dodge Caliber dash (instructions will be made available on this site).

    Greetings from The Netherlands (JVR).

    ReplyDelete
  13. Hi Guys,

    I have a 2006 Caliber and just started having this problem too, I will follow the steps and keep you posted as well.

    Thanks Lerato

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Let me know if you have any questions.
      Also, after you getting familiar with the above 7 steps of repairing procedure, you can see how they are carry out, here in this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P-8SEo-8P-g

      Regards, Miki

      Delete
  14. How do I order this fix kit for my 2007 Dodge Caliber in the USA? I only see payment in Euros.
    Thanks, Suzanne

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hello Suzanne,
      ELD5 repair kit can be ordered worldwide regardless of each individual national currency. PayPal will take care of conversion. All you have to do is to click the PayPal button above, fill the desired quantity and place an order.
      Also, in dealer list section of this website there are two USA dealers - repair workshop that have ELD5 repair kit in theirs stock and they can provide whole repair operation.

      Regards, Miki

      Delete
    2. Thanks, Miki!! I will order the repair kit ASAP!! I had purchased another instrument cluster from EBay but it was not exact......didn't have button for personal settings, outside temp, mpg etc.......also had 40,000 more miles than my actual mileage....not good for resale!! But now have dash lights in the meantime. My brother is an electrician and can fix my cluster no prob with your kit.

      Delete
  15. I don't have the same terminal on my instrument panel to solder J5 and J6. Suggestions?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hello Kate,
      You probably have a no-JAT option cluster (no EVIC display) where some parts are not present on the electronic board. That doesn't change the way ELD5 should be connected.
      As we explained in F.A.Q section answering the same question put by previous users:
      "Some electronic parts may not be placed on that main-boards, some dials may look different on outside but the Printed Circuit Board which means "layout cooper traces" are the same in any Instrument Clusters.
      And we are going to connect to the "cooper traces" / PCB points, not to the electronic parts that may or may not be there"
      The Install Instructions doesn't change at all !

      Here is this subject discussed with photos: http://dodgecaliberinstrumentclusterlight.blogspot.com/p/eld5-inverter-faq.html

      Delete
  16. Just finished installing the ELD5 Print in my Dodge Caliber 2007. Getting the cluster out of the car was easier then expected. Soldering went like a dream and now I have perfect light.. Thanx.

    Best regards.

    Gisle, Norway

    ReplyDelete
  17. The instrument light on my Dodge Caliber is not working too. I can't see the speed. It is the same reason? If so, what can I do since I don't have all the tools to fix it and have few knowledge in electronic.

    ReplyDelete
  18. I can still see the mileage, gears position, tire pressure info or fuel economy but the speed, fuel left and water temp are no clear because no light

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Your Illumination is affected by the issue described by this webpage. If you do not have the soldering tool and some decent soldering skill to install ELD5 then you should contact one of our dealer - repair workshop from the "Dealer List" page.
      http://dodgecaliberinstrumentclusterlight.blogspot.com/p/blog-page_2.html?m=1
      Regards. Miki

      Delete
  19. Replies
    1. Basically, any electronic repair workshop (especially TV / GSM) can install ELD5 into your cluster. See Simon's post above.

      Delete
  20. I installed it myself and the installation was easy with the user manual and YouTube video. I have had in for about a week now and absolutely no problems. Money well spent! Thank you.

    ReplyDelete
  21. Works perfectly, in all order!

    Thank you!

    ReplyDelete
  22. Everything according to description.
    One thing suggest: magnifying glass will be very very useful.
    Thanks and best regards!
    Vladimir - Singapore

    ReplyDelete
  23. Dash lights are back on. Soldering wires on needs little bit skills and exactness. But doing it exactly like user´s manual says it goes fine. Thank You.
    Tony - Finland

    ReplyDelete
  24. Nachdem alles wie beschrieben erledigt war, leuchtet alles wieder wie neu. Bin sehr zufrieden mit dieser Lösung.
    Sigi - Deutschland

    ReplyDelete
  25. I installed the ELD5 in my 2008 Chrysler Sebring convertible, works perfect.
    save me tons of cash.

    ReplyDelete
  26. hello, work perfect, regards from spain

    ReplyDelete
  27. HI, Installed ELD5 to my Sebring convertible and no more dash light problems,followed repair process from your diaphragm with ease.
    Greg-Australia

    ReplyDelete
  28. I Have Chrysler sebring 2.0crd from 2007 and the problem was with my Clustler, it didnt light...
    I spoke with american Chrysler Service and they offered me that i should get contact with this page. It works fastly and the Romanian guys were so helpful. I bought one of ELD5 for my car and I got in 4 Businessday... :) I fixed onto my car and of course it works!

    Many Thanks again

    Best Regards from Hungary,

    László

    ReplyDelete
  29. got a 2007 caliber sxt with the same problem. already ordered the ELD5 kit. can anyone help me out on removing the cluster? do i need to totally remove the upper dash just to remove the cluster? i am stuck here in Qatar with no tech support. hope somebody helps me out before i get the ELD5. thanks peepz!

    DJ, Qatar

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hello
      Clusters removing procedures are outlined in F.A.Q. section of this webpage: http://dodgecaliberinstrumentclusterlight.blogspot.com/p/eld5-inverter-faq.html

      Also there are couple useful video like this one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CQhw6NdZK8A

      Regards, Miki

      Delete
  30. Hello,

    I just installed this in my 2007 Caliber and it works perfectly! Thank you so much for reverse engineering this and making a product superior to the manufacturer's and providing a much lower cost solution than replacing the whole panel.

    For anyone removing the instrument panel from a Caliber, the only plastic pieces you need to totally remove are the driver-side A-pillar, the driver-side end cap, and the top cover at the very front of the dash. You only need to loosen the shift bezel, the radio bezel, and the steering column cover to get access to the bolts to remove the instrument panel itself. Hope this helps.

    Brian - Canada

    ReplyDelete
  31. I installed the ELD5 inverter on my Grand Caravan 2009. Now I can see my gauges at night, awesome!!
    I want to thank Miky RC for all the help he provided in my journey. Every question I had, he answered very professionally. The repair is done easily, by just following the instructions. My only problem was to remove the clip that holds the EL-foil. Not too much room to work with it in my instrument panel.

    ReplyDelete
  32. Hi, I'm having the same problem with an 09 Sebring. To add to this the gearshifter p,n,r,d lights are also not turning on. Are the dashboard lights and the gearshift lights connected? Will the ELD5 inverter fix this too? Thanks

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. No, the dashboard lights and the gearshift lights are not connected.
      ELD5 will only repair only the dashlight

      Delete
    2. Appreciate the response. Thank you.

      Delete
  33. Hello i'm from Mexico and i have the same problem how can i order one of this ELD5 inverter ?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hello Daniel,
      You can order ELD5 by clicking the "Buy Now" PayPal button from the upper right side on this webpage. The shipping cost is automatically added at checkout.

      Delete
  34. Contact with the seller by email, always answer, impeccable. !
    Ordered and paiyed by PayPal, no problem!
    Arrived after 9 days, box well protected without any problem.
    Installed in the dashboard on the Sebring, no problem !
    Very clear instructions with pictures!

    Everything works OK!

    Thanks to Miki / RC

    David, front Switzerland

    ReplyDelete
  35. Miky RC,
    I have a 2002 sebring convertible that is doing this.
    Will this work for the 2002?
    Thxx, Mike

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hello Mike,
      This webpage is for ELD5 inverter which dosen't have your car on its compatibility list. The list is at the top of the webpage.

      You will need ELD-M Inverter which do repair dashlight for 2002 Chrysler Sebring.
      You can find ELD-M here: http://dodgemagnuminstrumentclusterlight.blogspot.com/

      Regards, Miky

      Delete
  36. I installed the ELD5 in my 2007 Sebring and the backlights are working again. When i first came across this website while researching the problem, i watched the repair video with the eld5 and though it was over my head. I watched the video and read the repair instructions many times and thought that maybe i would try it. I purchased a new Weller solder iron, WLC100. All went pretty smooth and the lights did come back on. Only mistake was one tab on the ribbon connector broke as i tried to disconnect it. It seemed to connect ok when i reconnected it. Just study the instructions carefully and it should go ok. A good, new soldering tip will help the job be a success.

    ReplyDelete
  37. I installed the ELD5 in my Son's 2007 Caliber.
    Be aware that you need a small soldering iron because the soldering points are very small.
    And you have to use a loupe. But it works fine. Saved a lot of money.
    Thanks Miki.

    ReplyDelete
  38. My cluster light in Dodge Caliber is sexy again :)
    I found very usefull video for Dodge Caliber cluster removal procedure.
    I think, it was simple to do with it. Here it is:
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N6JD573GPug

    Biggest problem was with soldering wire J6. I needed to set up higher temperature to cca 340°C for stronger soldering joint.

    Miki, thank you very much for your fast shipping and your usefull answers for my many questions.
    Your ELD5 is magnificant!!



    ReplyDelete
  39. Installed in 2007 Chrysler Sebring, everything is working great again. Thank you

    ReplyDelete
  40. Dodge Caliber 1.8 SXT petrol. Cluster light problem.
    It was a great experience buying from Miki. Fast shipping. The part arrived in Serbia for 7 days. I planned installation to be done by professional service, but at the end, I did it myself with the help of friend who know soldering(A/V service technician). I followed this video to take the cluster out https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CDES0kswWCk. When the cluster was on the table I followed the user manual provided on my email from the seller and scratched the contacts. You really need to pay attention on this part to be done properly. I found that the most difficult connection to cut is J3. It is very close to another connection, so pay extra attention. After that, my soldiering experienced friend did the rest for 5min. I could do it all by myself(like anyone who have some soldiering experience), but during scratching J3 I made a scratch on another contact by accident, so I wanted to be sure everything is done properly and to be checked twice. Whole process took around 4 hours of my time. Cluster light is now repaired.

    ReplyDelete
  41. Installed on a 2008 Sebring. Great to have dash illumination again. One question. The dimmer switch only works on the odometer/temp/clock lights and not on the gauges themselves. Is this normal, or did I miss something on the install? The lights were already not working when I got the car so am not sure what the normal behaviour is. Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hello.
      The dimmer should work on gauges themselves also.
      If in your case it doesn't and the backlite stay on maximum brightness, that means the J4 wire is not soldered correctly or respective "old cooper trace" not cut. (as per step 4 of Install Instruction)
      Please check J4 wire. Make sure solder not too bulky and not making short to ground.

      Miki

      Delete
  42. Arrived at UK address 11th October 2021, mid morning. Followed your instructions and refitted the dash this afternoon, with all illumination working fine. I shall tell my Romanian lodger guys that the only person on the planet who worked out how to fix this poorly designed Sebring is one of their fellow Countrymen!

    ReplyDelete
  43. I need such a device .. I have a Dodge Caliber and I also don't have lighting on the clock face .. zvolonlior@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. ELD5 Inverter can be purchased by clicking PayPal button above.

      Delete
  44. Hi there: Can this part be used on a 2005 Sebring intrument panel?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. For 2005 Sebring there is ELD-M inverter that will repair its backlite panel.
      Here's it is: https://dodgemagnuminstrumentclusterlight.blogspot.com/

      Delete
  45. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete