While the stock Front Scanner of our Fanhome 1:8 scale Knight Rider K.I.T.T. is quite good looking, I did have to modify it during my first Electrics Test as a bad component was causing me troubles. Also, it is basically either on or off with no control over speed or color.
Strangely enough, I found that one of the LEGO lighting companies I frequent use has a Drop-In Scanner Upgrade for our K.I.T.T. for $30 USD.
Not only is this Brickstuff upgrade simply plug-and-play, but it also adds the classic all-on pulse when starting up AND has two scanning speed options with both red and yellow colored LEDs. For those who want to build a K.A.R.R. version of our model, this is perfect!
Installation
The installation of this replacement board is as simple as removing the stock one and replacing it with this one. The wiring/plug is already attached and is directly compatible with the stock wiring:
If you would like to change the speed/color of the LEDs, you can attach the included button to the board and hide the button somewhere inside the model. If you decide to go with the yellow color, you will have to change out the red lens in front of these LEDs:
A quick power-on test and everything works perfectly!
Operation
This upgraded Front Scanner works just like the stock one and is powered by the model. However, if the small button is attached, it can be switched between four modes:
- Pressing the button once will change the speed of the scanning between slow and fast
- Holding the button down for a couple of seconds and letting go will start the board up in the alternate color (red or yellow)
I made a quick YouTube video showing the different modes here:
Thoughts
What an easy and immediate improvement mod for our Knight Rider build! If you want a great looking scanner effect or even if you have one of the first stock boards with the bad capacitor on it, I highly recommend this affordable Drop-In Scanner Upgrade from Brickstuff!
Thanks for highlighting this great mod – I’ve put my order in! For me this is like the flux capacitor all over again. The scanner is the most iconic part of KITT, yet the standard item lacks the subtle dimming and brightening effect along with the startup pulse. It’s great that these things get corrected by the aftermarket but it really shouldn’t be necessary for the money we pay.
My Brickstuff upgrade mod arrived today and I am super excited to install! I really didn’t want to mess with removing the capacitor on the stock board and this is far more authentic. Cheers!
Yeah, if anyone is affected by the bad capacitor on the scanner board, this Brickstuff replacement is perfect!
I received my Brickstuff upgrade (only took 1 week US-UK with standard shipping) and it looks and functions great, however there are a few things to watch out for. Compared to the standard PCB there are multiple surface mount components on the rear that prevent the plastic cover piece sitting down flush against it. There’s also a component positioned right in the middle of the PCB – considering the PCB has to bend at this point when installed this is the worst place you could put it and hopefully this won’t fail over time. Lastly the power lead coming off the PCB is about 150mm/6 inches shorter than the standard part and doesn’t reach the harness so you’re going to need a Mike Lane extension cable.
That is good to know about the wiring length. I do have some Mike Lane extension cables handy. If needed, I will update this page with the info.