Here's the skinny on the latest lightbar (3.0) It uses 30 groups of 3 LEDs for a total of 90 LEDs.

I hope the photos help give a better idea on what to expect when you pull to covers off the rig.

Here's a shot of the back of the front panel showing the display board.

NOTE: There is now an external dimmer board available which eliminates any modifications to the display board.

The red alignment tool is pointing to one of the ten mounting lugs that hold the LCD housing to the circuit board. The removal of the LCD housing is the most skill intensive part of the process. I wouldn't recommend it unless you've had some prior experience in this arena.

You'll have to remove the display circuit board to gain access to the back of the LCD display. When re-installing the board, verify that is is seated in the mounting groove(s) as shown in this fuzzy photo below.

The photo below shows what it looks like when not fully seated in the slot.

I ended up mounting the dimmer control pot on the back panel. Plenty of room back there, and inside.

NOTICE!!!!! I have sinced resorted to mounting the pot under the top cover of the Mark V.

Drilling of the rear panel is un-necessary unless you require adjustment from the rear of the rig.

The "dimmer" circuit consists of substituting two parallel resistors with a transistor and a pot. Here's the schematic.

I am currently recommending a 5k pot for dimmer control. It's still a little touchy, but manageable.

View of the lightbar mounted inside the illumination slot of the LCD display. Left side and the next photo the right side. Take note of the black "O" rings that hold the lightbar in place. They fit into the grooves where the CFL was originally mounted.

*****UPDATE We're now trimming the lightbar to fit into the original rubber CFL mounts.

Finally a view of the lightbar before mounting operating at a low intensity.