S1 Elite/éclat “pinhole” dash light

[Pete Boole]

Or this one?



Pete

[Hawaiis0]

Can anyone see this photo?

Yep

[Pete Boole]

Flickr to the rescue!

Pete

[MetBlue]

Possible mines been replaced based on fact the Blue spades are unlikely to have come out of Hethel. They aren't my work, at least as best I can recall. It was 30 + years ago if I did anything on it.
I'll put power to it later and see if it works. The small cap on the end either clips on, or screws on, I presume accessing the bulb. Squinting through the sides, I suspect there's a female screw bayonet inside, as in your photo.

[Alan_M]

Possible mines been replaced based on fact the Blue spades are unlikely to have come out of Hethel. They aren't my work, at least as best I can recall. It was 30 + years ago if I did anything on it.
I'll put power to it later and see if it works. The small cap on the end either clips on, or screws on, I presume accessing the bulb. Squinting through the sides, I suspect there's a female screw bayonet inside, as in your photo.

The spades may not be original, but I think the connector block is. This is the connector on mine and is part of the original wiring loom. Also the fact yours has the cap, I’m thinking this is the original.
Note the jubilee clip around the bar - no idea what that’s for?
IMG_1702 by Alan McKenzie, on Flickr

Arcolectric are still in business and make some similar ones still - see from P67 in catalogue - https://www.farnell.com/datasheets/23607.pdf


If cap screws on I suspect it replaces the screw on lens.

[MetBlue]

Section M10 of the Elite service manual has line drawing of the light and it's 'adjustment'. Definitely not the same as the unit I have, which has no adjustment at all.
I do recall reading from road tests that even when new, the panel light was worse than useless though.
The lens cap on the end of mine does unscrew, revealing a Philips 222 bulb. A bit of research shows this now to be badged as E10 and it's 2.2v which explains the resistor. Fortunately still available. Quite a special bulb which looks to have a kind of lens integrated into the glass.
My best guess is that mine is original, but Lotus changed supply quite early in production for something that could be directed at the panel. Be interesting to know what Rolands car (TLF) has got being an early car.

[Pete Boole]

One of the photos I posted was actually of Rolands light - it's the same as mine. The connector is the same on mine as Alan's photo.

Pete

[MetBlue]

The only photos of your's I saw Pete were the wires soldered to a screw fixing and some old insulting tape. Can you post again picture of Rolands lamp. Ta

[Pete Boole]

That's the only bit I have! ISTR that the bulb holder pushes into a plastic tube - close fit presumably - that then "telescopes" into an outer plastic sleeve - the bit with the square hole in the end - and the combination allows the thing to be focussed on the dash. Don't know how the bezel is held in place.

I vaguely remember finding a bit of plastic with a hole in the end and I may have thrown it out thinking it was some rubbish!!

Pete

[MetBlue]

I'm pleased I've got what I've got. The screw cap is in the first photo also. It's a clear acrylic moulding, with attempts of circumferential lens ridges on the inside leading to the centre, then a black cap around leaving a central pin hole.
Pictures from the service notes:


And the instructions - for what they are worth. Basically saying "these are the adjustments you've got - Play until you are board"

[Alan_M]

Interesting - I guess it will be easy to check if this was the type fitted as there should be 2 holes for the rivets that hold the bracket in place still in the trim panel. I shall check next time I’m with the car.

[AndrewWebber]

So in my 1978 build Elite it is like the drawings in the manual and I also have the jubilee clip on the 'roll bar', this holds a simple metal 90 degree bracket that in tern holds the light unit. The black plastic bezel that sits on the outside of the trim slides onto the forward black tube that protrudes through the hole in the roll bar trim with a tightish fit (no other fixing). The end of this black tube has a small square hole in it, presumably such that the light shape matches the approximate shape of the 'switch area' at the centre dash panel. The end of the bulb does indeed look like it has a 'lens'.

Mine does work of sorts, the illumination (like that of the gauges) goes from very little with the 'panel' knob rotated clockwise, progressively brightening slightly with the 'panel' knob rotated anti clockwise and then for the last 20 degrees or so further anti clockwise they all switch off just when the illuminations would worth having!?

It would be an improvement to the night time experience if both the gauges and switch illumination could be about twice as bright as they are in my case....

Andy

[rbgosling]

It would be an improvement to the night time experience if both the gauges and switch illumination could be about twice as bright as they are in my case....

Andy

I've replaced all the gauge lights on my Excel with LEDs. The green light is a good match for the originals, but they are significantly brighter, they still respond (sort of) to the dimmer so there is some control too. Less current draw and heat buildup too, and they (should) never need replacing again.

viewtopic.php?p=105471#p105471, but the bulb sizes I worked out are likely different for Elite.

[AndrewWebber]

It would be an improvement to the night time experience if both the gauges and switch illumination could be about twice as bright as they are in my case....

Andy

I've replaced all the gauge lights on my Excel with LEDs. The green light is a good match for the originals, but they are significantly brighter, they still respond (sort of) to the dimmer so there is some control too. Less current draw and heat buildup too, and they (should) never need replacing again.

viewtopic.php?p=105471#p105471, but the bulb sizes I worked out are likely different for Elite.

Thanks Richard, good to hear you have retained an amount of brightness control with LED's, next time I'm not planning to use it for a couple of weeks I'll pull out the gauge panel and a gauge bulb and look into bulb options to suit and try in the Elite, I'd also like to try and increase the brightness of the turn direction indicator warning lights, and (back to the thread) the ''pinhole'' dash light.