New 82 to 84 Instrument circuit foil replacement kit
 

The 928sRus printed circuit board replacement kit is designed to replace the no longer available and prone to failure, flexible circuit board that resides on the back of the gauge cluster. The circuit makes the connection from the vehicle wiring harness to all of the gauges and warning lights. The factory flexible circuit is notorious for tearing and nearly impossible to repair. The new fully redesigned replacement circuit is made from a combination of high quality hard circuit boards and wiring. The circuit boards are a much more modern design and aren't susceptible to the same issues that often plague the factory flexible circuit. This kit also comes with new warm white LED lights that consume less power, but keep the same warm incandescent bulb look.

This kit is designed to fit ALL 82-84 Porsche 928 Instrument Clusters - USA/CAN & ROW cars.
One circuit foil 928 641 973 01 fitted all cars 82 to 84 - USA/CAN, ROW, Euro, LHD & RHD.

The kit includes:
New Circuit Boards
New Warm White Indicator LED lights
New Warm White Illumination LED lights
Plugin Wiring and Zipties
Installation Instructions

I have a limited number available after I have covered the current waiting list. Requests to Roger@928sRus.com only please. Requests in this posting will not be considered binding and email requests will take a preference.

Price is $385 per kit plus shipping.:jumper::jumper::jumper:

Good job Roger! I was always nervous about handling the instrument cluster on my '84 due to the NLA foil--I was always worried that if I damaged it somehow I was screwed. Great to have vendors like you developing these replacement parts and keeping our cars on the road!

Email sent, order placed!!!

I've been waiting for this for years, thanks Roger!!

Regards:thumbup:

Got pics?

That is awesome Roger!!

Roger,
One qiuestion, not really very important but only curiosity.
With the new instrument cluster foil does the dimmer still works or not?
Thanks

Regards:thumbup:

The illumination LED's will dim with the dimmer, but the amount of control will be less using the LEDs. Meaning that the dimmest setting will likely be brighter than the dimmest setting with the incandescent bulbs.

Shipping today :jumper::jumper::jumper:

:jumper::jumper::jumper:

Any feedback on these? I'm curious how they are working? How was installation? My speedometer died about a month ago and from the forum searches it looks like the most common cause is a bad circuit foil.

Well, a common cause can be corrosion on the rivets between the plastic and the 'hard board' under it. That can be soldered with a bit of effort/skill.

Dwayne covers it very well.

Heads Up!!!
I have another batch of 10 arriving early next week with back orders for 5 of them.
Lots of extremely satisfied customers.

The early 78 foil is under development and will be also available soon.

Thanks for sending the install manual Roger. This is on my list in the next couple months. Just recovering from the 5spd conversion right now. This area has plagued me for years on my car. I won`t know how to act if all my dash pod functions correctly. !!

"The early 78 foil is under development and will be also available soon."

Looking forward to info on the above.

Hey Roger, this kit is definelty on my list. Can you, or in that case can any one reading this who has installed the kit, post a nighttime picture of the gage with the dimmer at both the lowest and highest setting?

Thanks in advance!

Hi,

I allready have one of these kits from Roger for some time but still not have the time (and the courage also...) to install it.
As anyone done it and what is the feedback?
Any special tips or tricks when doing it?

Thanks

Regards:thumbup:

repost

Ricardo, I installed mine and it was one of the easiest jobs I have done on the car so far. It's great to have all the gauges working as they should.

Nate, I can take a pic of the gauges at full illumination if you would like, but still have the dimmer jumped from before. I can tell you that at full, they are just right for me, no glare and no loss of night vision.

Mike

We installed one, here in the shop.

Had a couple of tiny little issues that we were able to solve with the great help from the people that make it, which I've been told are just normal new product issues which should be expected.

Better lighting and everything works perfectly.

In the end, fantastic result!

That would be great Mike. Thanks!

That's tough when you are running a business. And would be at least frustrating for the home DIY'er but glad to hear that they were responsive and good to work with. As an owner my view on aftermarket solutions like these is that I'm glad there are options for us beyond what is left in the Porsche part depots. I hope they get the bugs worked out. This is a product I will definitely be looking to install on my car.

https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...213fbe59be.jpg
Nate, sorry it took so long, but I hoppe this helps.
Mike

First I heard of it until today (thanks Sean) - common courtesy would have been to let the supplier know.
I called the manufacturer - I now know that the manufacturer helped Jake work through the issues and that they found a dry soldered joint. All new manufacture is now machine soldered so that should resolve any future issues. Jake was told by the manufacturer that he would do all he could to resolve the issue including comping the kit. He also offered further help but none of this was accepted. Had I known, I would have, at the very least, refunded the kit price and shipping as a way of offsetting the obvious inconvenience.
We have over 40 units in successful use (happy customers) and more to be installed. The first batch was successful apart from a glitch on an 83 cluster where Porsche had added an extra post and we did not have a locating hole on our circuit board. Replacement boards were shipped immediately with no further issues. All other kits now have the extra hole.
One customer in Australia found one of the LED lights was dud but bought one locally for a couple of $.
When I see complaints like this it makes one wonder why we bothered to make a cutting edge 928 product that is not available anywhere else. Developing new product on a 30 plus old car is not easy and very difficult. I think it is very unfair to use a statement like "total disaster" when the product works as it should in 99% of installations.
We went through issues with Greg's fuel hoses in the early days with some (a couple) leaks and GB was, as always, very professional and replaced the product immediately. However I never labeled the product a "total disaster" as I knew it was a glitch in the process and that is how we learn in development of a new product.
Both myself and the manufacturer stand by this product 110%. We will, I am sure, have some other issues in the future with the new board we have developed for the 78 cars but rest assured that we will deal with the issues in a professional and courteous manner as we always do.
Greg I am sorry, that of all people, you were the one to have an issue and I humbly apologize for the inconvenience.:surr:

Thanks a lot Mike. Is that on full bright? And at night I assume. Definitely looks brighter than stock. How is it a dusk? I find that time of day being the hardest to see my gauges. Not enough ambient light too see clearly without pod lights on and too much ambient for the dim stock lights to illuminate the gauges.

I must admit I was peeved at not receiving a call from you guys. The the first call I would have made would be to you in a similar situation. Lets leave it as courteous and pull professional out of the context (I apologize for my overstatement).
I have credited your account with the amount of the kit plus shipping as my small way of trying to make it right.

Nate, I don't know about the lighting at dusk as I have only so far as of late driven in the day or after dark. The one thing I can say for sure is the cluster is much easier to see without being overpowering. If you are in need of a new foil, you will find this to be a life saver and be a much more happy camper in the end.
Mike.

This was caused by a bleed to ground somewhere in the wiring harness and to save time tracking down that bleed point the manufacturer suggested adding a resistor to rectify the issue without wasting valuable time. Not an issue with the board.

...

...

Just installed one of these yesterday and think it' a great product. All the issues I've had with it are due to the wiring car side and it's been a bitch to figure them all out.

What posses people to think anything will be gained by airing all this out on a public forum?

Initial complaint - fine, it looks like we as a community have worked through it.

Greg we all thank you for taking the time & effort (and money) to work through this. Yes these situations suck, I see it day in and day out at my friends local shops.

Can we not move on???

...

Everyone can read the above posts. Everyone can make their own informed decision & opinion from them. Continuing to pile on serves zero purpose, none, nada..... imagine what this place would look like if we have 50 people who felt the same as you, and such things need to be endlessly hashed out.

If you have issues with anything Greg said - PM or call Greg - this forum is NOT here for people to endlessly air out grievances. Especially between people who are otherwise mostly cordial to each other.

If anything this is between Greg & Roger....Jake too but he doesn't chime in much. They don't need your help on this one.

Alrighty, that's fair. I'll self-ban from this thread.

My apology, carry on.

Yet you keep asking some of us to post threads calling in to question other vendors/specialists practices which you know will end up as a pile on session. Then it will all get deleted and no record of the grievance shows up when others need it most.

Come on man, can't have it both ways.

Well that's pretty low, comparing this debacle to those situations. Hope Roger doesn't see this. :icon107:

This is really simple though, the "pile on" part is what gets those threads shut down 99.999% of the time. See Doc graciously stepping back here?

Yes, and thank you for that feedback.

Look, I really don't care either way, just voicing my opinion that anything after post 25 / 26 isn't really necessary to keep hashing out the issue(s) at hand. But if you guys disagree...have at it.

I just know for a fact the majority of the people who view this forum don't like seeing this infighting between you guys. Just an FYI.... As Trump would say: "I hear a lot of things...."

You aint no bad guy Greg. We've been trolling Hacker offline so he's a bit touchy today. PMS or some such thing. :D

Excuse me to Hell.

Went back and "fixed" it. You guys can go back and delete your posts with any reference to anything I said and no one will every know that anything negative was ever said.

Everyone happy, now?

Can we see a picture of the kit? Im about to order and would like to see it.

Just installed this,and SHOCKED i took no photos.

I had one issue, being it was a very early unit, but a swap from Rog and all is well.

Works wonderfully.

How do you know if you have one of the very early units? I bought one many months ago and have yet to install it. Is there a way to tell?

The only issue with the first batch was on 83 cars. An extra post hole in the CB was required. You should have no issue with 82 & 84 cars. Best way to contact me is Roger@928srus.com

Just received one. Thanks.

Ok, some feedback on the instrument cluster circuit foil for the 82-84 cars.

Just installed one (not me, my electrician…) on my 83S and after 35 years “sleeping” my instrument cluster comes back to life!
All is perfect, all fits well, only one small problem that I’ve told Roger and he immediately come with the solution, after contacting the maker of the circuit foil, Brian Lutz.
The “Stop Lamp” warning light after the engine is running and after the first press of the brake pedal seems to not going completely off, it stays lighted very dimly.
Coincidentally I found on Rennlist an old thread of someone with exactly the same problem with the same warning lamp when doing a Led conversation.
The solution, told by Roger and Brian Lutz and confirmed here on Rennlist by Alan (thank you all) is the following:

Install a 1k (1000 ohm) 1/4 watt resistor across (in parallel with) the offending LED. This increases the overall current drawn by the LED/resistor combo and causes the LED to be completely extinguished when it is supposed to be off.

Hope this helps who needs to install one of these!

Regards:thumbup:

Thanks for all the great feedback on the cluster kit - Ricardo, Speedtoys and others. Bryan has incorporated the relevant updates/tweaks into the design for all to benefit.
The "Stop" light issue seems to be on the car side relative to the use of an LED and Bryan is adding the resistor as standard on new kits.

Just want to post my experience with this kit on my 83 928S. As usual dealing with Roger is easy so I opted to try out the kit because I was having speedo issues and realized the crimp connections were the cause regardless of my efforts to solder the connections. Here is the kit installed, which took a few hours taking my time.

https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...fbb9d695b1.jpg

After the initial installation everything was fine, but I was not satisfied with the gauge brightness despite the addition of the LED bulbs. To me it was as bright as the stock bulbs so after discussing with Roger I decided to coat the bulb area with reflective foil as shown below. I had already added to the foil to the prisms.
https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...05e501bda3.jpg

Adding the foil to the bulb area indeed helped, but it was still not as bright as I wanted. So I set out to find a replacement bulb and located these on Amazon, which was a pack of 20 for $16.99 shipped. These bulbs are listed as 350 lumin vs 95 lumin for the bulbs provided.

https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...0ea6ec8c43.jpg


These LEDs are clearly longer vs the LEDs provided, but have significantly more LED's on them. The rubber connectors that pass through the back of the board don't provide much security so I decided to use some zip ties to secure. After pulling the pod apart I attached a zip tie overlapping both the connector and LED.
https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...3042ea61d6.jpg

I then pulled the LED out until it was stopped by the zip tie and applied a zip tie to the outside.
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...262e686747.jpg

After reinstalling the gauge pod I can tell you the dash is significantly brighter and will definitely meet my needs. I will update the post this evening once the sun goes down so I can take a picture of the dash lights at night. I built my own dimmer after the factory one took a dump and it seems to dim the LED about 30% from full brightness so I should be good.
https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...1977637533.jpg

https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...22be1f1e7f.jpg

https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...7273138ac0.jpg

The new LED bulbs did the trick and the dashpod has more than enough light for my taste. I ordered some different T10 socket connectors to get a connector that actually fits the OEM hole so I can ditch the zip ties. If I get something to work, which I think I will, I will post the results. The dashpod hole is ~1/2" so it is actually the same size as a standard T10 socket connector, but the trick is to get the right prongs so you can twist into place.

https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...63b4df0b4c.jpg

IMHO, theres more to be said about fatigue when there's that much light, thats wayyyy too much. But sure, you can solve that problem by complicating the solution with more parts.

Late night troll strikes again. For sure I am the first person on Rennlist to post on how to improve the brightness of the dashpod using LED's. If you bothered to read instead of going full troll then you would see the LED's are on a dimmer. Please keep inspiring me with your wisdom.

So...why do you need..a dimmer?

4pm is not late night...maybe that's our first sign of trouble here.

Maybe this isn't the kids-table forum you're looking for.

Rather think Roger's speced out the proper lighting, as is.

I personally like the idea of dimmable illumination that is too bright at night. The issue I have on my '84 with stock illumination is not at night but rather at twighlight where the ambient light isn't enough to clearly see the gauges and not dark enough to provide contrast. During this time more brightness is needed. Then when it gets darker just dial it down.

8000+ posts from Speedtoys and your response registers at 3am...troll. The kit is manufactured by Lutz Auto so Roger didn't spec the lights, but please keep posting so the forum can benefit from your knowledge.

I found that most customers wanted to emulate the stock lighting which by current LED standards is not so bright. Hence the kit matches that specification.
We have now added additional info to the instructions to enable those that want Bright LED to do so.
Thanks for the input.

I was able to source some lock type connectors to replace the rubber connectors provided with the kit. The rubber connectors work just fine, but when I went to the longer bulb I cannot push in the connector far enough to lock in place before it bottoms out. The rubber connectors have ribs so you need to push past the first rib to lock the connector in place. See the picture below comparing the rubber connector with short bulb (right) vs the modified connector with long bulb (left).

https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...b678fb24e0.jpg

The actual hole in the dashpod is ~0.5", which is the standard size for the smaller T10 connectors available. The trick is to find one that has the correct width tabs (to fit factory tab width) as well as having the ability to rotate 90deg once inserted so that it can lock in place.
https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...a9aae2c1cc.jpg


I sourced the following connectors from Amazon, but they do require modification.

Uxcell 4 x T10 Light Instrument Bulb Socket Extension Connector Wire Harness

Two issues with these connectors when purchased as is..

• The tab is wider than the tab on the dashpod so you have to use a file to make the tab hole wider
• The tab only allows for minor rotation before it locks so it you want to rotate 90 deg you have to remove some material first.

In the picture below I widened the two tab slots using a file along with having to put a slight angle on the tab slots
https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...5318573509.jpg


In the picture below I had to remove the material highlighted in yellow to allow the connector to rotate 90 deg. This isn't necessary as it actually locked into place, but I wanted it to rotate 90deg so I used a dremel with a cutoff wheel to remove the material highlighted in yellow. The area highlighted in red is tab used to hold the connector to the gauge pod.
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...457d8fae94.jpg

I am quite confident that an actual connector exists that requires no modification to the connector or dashpod, but I didn't find it just yet. Now that I know what I'm looking for I should be able to find something that is plug and play.

The pic below shows how the connector locks in place prior to cutting out the portion I previously highlighted in yellow. It seems to secure just fine so not necessary to remove the extra material so that it can rotate 90deg. However, it took less than 10 minutes to modify to allow me to rotate 90 deg.
https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...18510dcc19.jpg

And the picture after I removed the material previously highlighted in yellow, which then allows it to rotate 90deg.
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...0dc3210fad.jpg

Does this upgrade exist for a '79 as well?

We only developed the kit for the 78 & 82 to 84 cars because the circuit foils were NLA.
79 to 81 & 85 to 88 are still readily available.

Hey Roger. do you have any of these kits available? Also do the instructions for LED bulbs include bulb recommendations?

Currently in stock - $425 plus shipping.
The kit comes with LED bulbs but includes information on how to further upgrade them if needed.

Thanks Roger. Are the LEDs dimmable using the exiting dimmer wheel under the dash?

No, the resistance is wrong, but Ed makes a module that will dim the LEDs. For it to work well, you'll need all the interior lights to all be LEDs (HVAC, aux gauges, etc)

Any updates on these? How well do the board edge connectors work with the factory wiring harness?

Maybe a voltage controlled LED dimming driver could be patched in?

Seems like the early issues are worked out and maybe its time for group buy to get the numbers up.

We have sold over a 100 sets so far with nothing but happy customers. Teething issues with the first few sets were sorted by the designer. I have plenty in stock and no need for a group buy unless you want a "deal" based on quantity.
Connection to the factory harness has not been an issue at all. We added LED's to replicate the ambiance of the original lighting and work with the original dimmer. If you want to add brighter LED's and a dimmer to match you can.

We also sell the boards for the early 78 cars as well.

Roger can you confirm or deny Petza's reply to my earlier inquiry about the dimmability? Is replacement of ALL other interior bulbs to LED required?

Hi Nate,
Unfortunately, and no disrespect, Petza914 is not correct (and as far as I know does not have one of our kits) about the dimmer with the LED's as supplied - see post #7. Remember our goal was to emulate the original lighting and not super bright as some folks want. Instructions include info on how to upgrade to "BRIGHT" led's and also enhance the brightness of the the cluster.
Also, and above, starting at Post #47 it shows how to increase the brightness by changing the LED bulbs and adding a dimmer.
No idea about other bulbs but if you use our stock kit nothing else needs changing. If you change to brighter LEDs I do not know the effect on other bulbs.
Roger

Correct. I do not have one of Roger's kits. I have pod LED wedge bulbs from Jager and one of Ed's dimmers along with all regular incandescent bulbs everywhere else. When I hooked up the dimmer with that setup it worked great on the wedge bulbs but essentially shut off the light output from the other bulbs once I had the LEDs at the intensity I wanted them.

Currently I'm bypassing the dimmer until I can change all the other bulbs to LEDs.

Thanks for clearing that up Rog!

I just installed a LUTZ Automotive hard circuit board in my '83 928...I got tired of messing with the 'X-Ray Film' circuit foil....Very nice item....Now my speedometer goes to 40 MPH on start-up & stays there. I have NO Tach., Temp, Oil pressure or Voltage gauge reading....All the warning lights go on when I turn the key & all of them go off except Brake lamps & brake fluid....At least my Fuel Gauge works now...It seems that because of the added thickness of the hard-board, the black plastic clips don't engage the contacts on the back of the gauges...I modified the clips by adding some Aluminium tubing to extend the contact pins ( see Pics)
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...f3ec3bc331.jpg
Normal clips on the right, Extended one on the left...Let's see how it goes.
Anyone have an idea why the speedo ( That worked with the Film circuit,) Suddenly reads 40 ?? A bad ground somewhere, Maybe....I AM getting faster taking it apart, Nothing like practice...LOL

Instead of putting the whole pod back together, you can save time testing. Just plug in the instrument cluster into its 3 plugs and leave it sitting on top of a towel then go for a test drive. As for the nonfunctional gauges, assuming they all worked before, it's more likely than not a connection issue with one of those three connectors, or possibly an issue with how the boards are installed into the back of the gauges. I little sleuthing with an ohmmeter will tell you -- test connectivity from the car side of the connector, follow the trace you're testing, and test where it ends up at a gauge for connectivity. Did you use DeOxit? Did you inspect the three big connectors to make sure that none of the little contacts inside are bent? Triple check the instructions to make sure you've got everything installed correctly. Also check with Roger as to those standoffs and in fact all your issues. I'm going to assume that if nobody else has had issues, which Roger will know, then I would be very hesitant to go making any changes. What's that black fuzzy stuff in your picture? If that's dirt then clean everything, this is definitely an area where surgical cleanliness is a Good Thing. One final note -- the speedo repair guy I took mine to (Palo Alto Speedometer) mentioned that the capacitor(s) do fail over time. I have no idea if that can cause the issue you're seeing, but as a general matter, now that you are taking it out again you should have it tested and calibrated if you haven't done so already, and they'll change out any old electronic components. It'll be good to go for decades. Good luck!!

Hey man I'm having these exact same issues! Were you ever able to get it resolved?! Thanks!

That's weird. I had the Lutz Boards in my 81 Euro S and they worked perfectly.


https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...0833fffda2.jpg

Yeah I'm definitely scratching my head right now haha. Before I replaced the foil with this kit only my tach and oil pressure gauges worked. No odometer, speedo, temp pegged, fuel pegged, voltage dead and I had just the flashing exclamation light. My high beams indicators worked as well as the OXY light and turn signal as well as all the individual lights. Now though, with ignition ON even with headlights off, the actual illumination is already on which is strange. My high beam indicator now flashes instead of exclamation. When I actually toggle the high beam lever, it turns on and off a brake fluid light (huh???). Speedo goes to 40mph. It's just a **** show right now haha I'm so confused. My 928 was built in 04/1982 so it should be fine. Triple check all the setup/wiring and it's all coordinated and wired up right. Anyway, yeah, super confused.

Bryan Lutz is an amazing electrical engineer.
Kdruva - I have passed your emails to him.
He will get back to you and try and help.

Email from KDruva -----"Hey guys just wanted to update! The pinout helped because in all my excitement, I accidentally got the right two plugs messed up from the car side! They were laying in a way that I was able to plug one into the other haha so anyway got that resolved! The pinout helped because it made me realize the wrong wires! Much appreciated! I'll also update the forum listing! Dash is all working perfectly now and I'm stoked!"

These guys were awesome in the immediate replies back and the gauges all work flawlessly now. Well laid out kit and instructions. Thanks again!

How much of a 'kit' is this? I'm tired of dicking with ancient foils, but soldering is not my forte.

Just completed new foil for my 79. Seems to work perfect. No soldering req'd. Thanks Roger.

Old foil damaged by PO.

Is this kit still available? And would it fit on an 81?

I have had a constant problem of the temperature light coming on and setting off the master warning, even though the temperature is normal. Also, my instrument lights are intermittent, and I need to recover the dash pod anyway due to cracks.