Hello William,

Must be frustrating.

I was unable to locate any "generic" dash light dimmers in a quick
Internet search but a more thorough search might turn up something.

We could specify a precise and cheap solution for you with resistances
if we knew the ratings of the bulbs in your dash. But we would still not
know just how dim you need the lights to be.

Here's a simple and cheap alternative:

Get a 12 volt bulb (assuming you have a 12 volt system) with wires or
with a holder that has wires you can connect to. Simply place this bulb
in series with your dash lights. The smaller the bulb is, the dimmer
your lights will be. Of course, you now have this new source of (dim)
light to contend with. I leave it to your ingenuity to conceal it
somewhere where it will not interfere with night vision and maybe even
perform some useful function. Say, one of those auto cigarette lighter
map lights might do the trick. Anyway, you may have to experiment with
different bulbs to get the brightness where you want it. Do you still
have the clear lamps you took out when you put the red ones in? One of
them might do the trick. Anyway, this will make your dash lights last
almost forever. If it works to your satisfaction, consider putting a
switch (spst) across the bulb so that you can restore full brightness
should you ever feel the need. Almost any switch you find in Radio Shack
or an auto parts store would do.

CAUTION:

You need to make sure that only the dash lights are in the circuit you
are modifying, and I assume your dash lights are not LEDs.

Good luck!

Chuck


William Andersen wrote:
Anyone know what I need to buy to add a dimmer to my instrument lights?
I want to be able to control the intensity of my instrument lights. They are
not shielded and reflect on the windshield, making it impossible to sit and
look through the windshield. We have to stand while at the wheel at night.
I've changed to red light bulbs, but the instrument panel is tilted so much
there's no way to shield the windshield from the reflected light.
I went to a Radio Shack today and all they could come up with was to offer a
volume control knob mounted on a wall switch plate. Since I'm not a techie,
I need to know exactly what to ask for, since they seem to know even less
than me.