An apparatus for providing color backlight illumination to a motor vehicle dashboard and for controlling the color of light of the backlight illumination generated by combining the light emitted from first and second differently-colored light emitting diodes (LEDs) (206, 208) of a tri-color dummy LED, the apparatus comprising the tri-color dummy LED, which comprises the first LED configured for generating a first nominal color having an intensity that varies responsive to an amount of current flowing through the first LED and the second LED configured for generating a second and different nominal color, having an intensity, which varies responsive to an amount of current flowing through the second LED, the color of light generated by combining the first LED's light and the second LED's light together being a third color, the third color varying responsive to the intensities of the colors emitted from the first and second LEDs (206, 208), the apparatus further comprising: a first phototransistor optically coupled to the first and second LEDs (206, 208), the first phototransistor having a first spectral sensitivity and generating an output voltage having a magnitude that varies responsive to the wavelength of light impinging on the first phototransistor from the first and second LEDs (206, 208); a second phototransistor optically coupled to the first and second LEDs (206, 208), the second phototransistor having a second and different spectral sensitivity and generating an output voltage having a magnitude that varies responsive to the wavelength of light impinging on the second phototransistor from the first and second LEDs (206, 208), wherein the first phototransistor and the second phototransistor generate output voltages that differ from each other when they are subject to the same color and same intensity of light; wherein the magnitudes of the output voltages output from the first and second phototransistors (214, 218) for a particular wavelength of light impinging on the first and second phototransistors are different, the apparatus further comprising: a plastic multi-compartment frame having a plurality of small, shallow compartments, a substantially cylindrical compartment, several tri-color LEDs, a circuit board, the circuit board supports the tri-color dummy LED (204; 110) and the two phototransistors (214, 218; 112, 114), which are located adjacent to the tri-color dummy LED (204, 210) and inside the substantially cylindrical compartment, attached to the circuit board are said several tri-color LEDs, whereby said several tri-color LEDs are inside or surrounded by the plurality of small, shallow compartments, whereby the plastic multi-compartment frame is also attached to the circuit board, the tri-color dummy LED (204; 110) has the same electrical and physical characteristics of said several tri-color LEDs. a first phototransistor optically coupled to the first and second LEDs (206, 208), the first phototransistor having a first spectral sensitivity and generating an output voltage having a magnitude that varies responsive to the wavelength of light impinging on the first phototransistor from the first and second LEDs (206, 208); a second phototransistor optically coupled to the first and second LEDs (206, 208), the second phototransistor having a second and different spectral sensitivity and generating an output voltage having a magnitude that varies responsive to the wavelength of light impinging on the second phototransistor from the first and second LEDs (206, 208), wherein the first phototransistor and the second phototransistor generate output voltages that differ from each other when they are subject to the same color and same intensity of light; wherein the magnitudes of the output voltages output from the first and second phototransistors (214, 218) for a particular wavelength of light impinging on the first and second phototransistors are different, the apparatus further comprising: a plastic multi-compartment frame having a plurality of small, shallow compartments, a substantially cylindrical compartment, several tri-color LEDs, a circuit board, a plastic multi-compartment frame having a plurality of small, shallow compartments, a substantially cylindrical compartment, several tri-color LEDs, a circuit board, the circuit board supports the tri-color dummy LED (204; 110) and the two phototransistors (214, 218; 112, 114), which are located adjacent to the tri-color dummy LED (204, 210) and inside the substantially cylindrical compartment, attached to the circuit board are said several tri-color LEDs, whereby said several tri-color LEDs are inside or surrounded by the plurality of small, shallow compartments, whereby the plastic multi-compartment frame is also attached to the circuit board, the tri-color dummy LED (204; 110) has the same electrical and physical characteristics of said several tri-color LEDs.