HELP!!! WTF is this light? - Calling all sherlock holmes wannabee's!

[Mookistar]

incredible developments there guys

perhaps someone who's in contact with the Japanese GTROC could ask?

John, scott, Moley?

mook

[Aphid]

Ok, I was only messing around in my last thread but after looking into it I think that I could be right in saying that it’s a 3D image projector. Why do I say this? Because I was looking at this thread and thinking that threes GOT to be something missing. then I saw the image below and they kinda reminded me of a pair of 3D glasses you know, the kind you get at the Cinema

]

A 3D holographic projector would make sense as it uses red+blue or red+green colours to project an image. It uses a Halogen Bulb and it uses mirrors to reflect the image onto the dashboard! All you need to see it is 3D glasses.

What you need to do is to see if there is a video cable going to the back of your head unit. Or to some other location in your car. That would suggest that the previous owner had a TV/DVD Head unit or box of some sort. If so, That would mean that the driver could watch a DVD (e.g. Shreak 3D) On his dashbord!!!

That would mean that this is the button to switch on the projector and on the right is the button to change the sharpness


But then I could be wrong

[ru']

There's nothing really special; a PSU to drive the lamp (possibly with some sort of dimming control), a changeable slide currently with a cylinder on, and a set of mirrors/filters(?) to provide two beams of light.

By the looks of things there's nothing to move the cylinder image around, nor is there anything to act as an LCD screen or anything so video could be projected.

My previous guess still stands, although i am completely at a loss as to why you'd want such a thing...

[Aphid]

Projectors dont use LCD screens. they project onto any blank white surface. A sheet of A4 would probably do in this case.

Lonewolf, Whats that dangling wire for?

[lonewolf]

That dangling wire was where the on/off and brightness controls plug in. I unplugged it to remove the cover.

I would love this to be some sort of holographic dvd projection cinema display, but there is nothing to project apart from that slide.

The circuit board is purely power conversion and voltage regulation. There are only three cables. One from the main vehicle loom, red and black, = power. There is the one for the switch/dimmer and the other goes to the lamp. There are no other external connectors. There is no camera/lcd anywhere, this will only shine the lamp through the slide and create a red/green image.

By the time the light passes out the slots it is to diffused to create a noticeable cylinder pattern, its just an orangery glow on white paper. By the time the paper is on the windscreen it barely illuminates as the beam is spread over a large area. Maybe there is a lens missing or something? Who knows.


Regards

Tim

[lonewolf]

I should also point out that the slide isn't really changeable. To get to it I had to remove the cover, undo 4 bolts and remove the thing from the roof, then undo 5 screws on the top side (nearest the roof) before I could get the 'box' off to gain access to the slide. It took about 45 minutes to do that.

[SimonM]

Originally Posted by Aphid

Projectors dont use LCD screens.

It would need something to generate an image to project the light through, whether this is an LCD display or CRT display. The electronics in the photographs are nowhere near complex enough to be a '3d projector' even if such a thing existed.

[Steve]

spooky goings on in that car !!!

[Aphid]

Oh well guess i was wrong

But i still cant help thinking there could be a bit missing

[DanLeMan]

lol at this thread...

i can see this going to last right into the summer....


think an admin should make it into a competition.. whoever finds out what it is gets free entry into a show or something lol...

[Jim27]

Aha.

I think I've got it.

This has been bugging the hell out of me for the last day or so so have been doing alot of reading and think I've figured it out.

It takes the human eye a short time to get accustomed to low light levels. The receptors in the human eye that are used in the dark are highly sensitive to light - have you ever crawled out of bed in the middle of the night because you're dying for the loo and without a thought flicked the bathroom light on? Yep - squinting and blinking and lots of AARGGHing - then you flick the light back off. But by then you've lost your 'night vision' and you're almost blind in the dark.

Same thing happens when some muppet leaves their main beam on and it flashes across your face when night driving - you can't see diddly squat afterwards.

Well imagine you're on your own driving on a motorway and need to check your map to see what junction you're coming off at. Turning on a white courtesy/map reading light and then looking at the map in the light will result in you losing a substantial portion of your ability to see in the dark, as the white light is reflected off the map. However if the light you use is red this doesn't badly compromise your night vision (it's why armed forces use red lights at night as a) they can still see in the dark afterwards, and b) the light isn't easily visible to possible enemy forces). So using a red light to read pace notes is fine, as these are written in dark ink on white paper (and the red light won't dazzle the driver next to the navigator or prevent the navigator from then being able to see outside the car) BUT.... a map has markings in many colours, some of which would not be clearly visible in pure red light. Now, here you have a red light with green mixed in, which produces a yellow light with a red tinge. Still easy on the eye but you'll be able to see red map markings too in that light.

Right. Now we move onto polarised light. This is light where the light waves vibrate in one plane only as opposed to the multi-directional vibrations of normal rays. Polarisation is a natural effect produced by some reflecting surfaces, such as glass, water, polished wood, etc., but can also be simulated by placing a special screen in front of the light source. When a polarising filter is placed in front of a light source it can eliminate undesirable reflections from a subject such as water, glass, or other objects with shiny surfaces. Whether it's the coloured filters or the mirrors inside it, it's a pretty safe bet that the light emitted into the cabin is polarised.

Now look at the direction of the light. It's not aimed in that particular direction in order to shine on the screen or dash per se. I think it's directed as it is so that there is a beam of light that passes alongside the side of the driver's head - so whenever they pick up a map and hold it at head height so that they can glance at it without really taking their eyes off the road then the light is in exactly the right position, illuminating the map.

Because it's polarised, when there's no map in the beam of light it won't reflect off the screen or dash and dazzle the driver. Because of it's colour it won't mean that after a glance at a map illuminated by the light the driver won't be able to see clearly in the dark. Because it's angled as it is the light won't blind the driver in the rear view mirror, not really be visible to other drivers.

There ya go. That's my two penn'orth

[ru']

And the slide of the cylinder???

I'm not so sure they'd go to all the trouble to get a red/green light. All you'd need would be a light source and a red/green filter. No need for the mirrors etc. or the cylinder slide IMHO.

Holding a map up to the windscreen to read it sounds pretty dangerous too.

Jury still out?

[Jim27]

Originally Posted by ru'

And the slide of the cylinder???

I'm not so sure they'd go to all the trouble to get a red/green light. All you'd need would be a light source and a red/green filter. No need for the mirrors etc. or the cylinder slide IMHO.

Holding a map up to the windscreen to read it sounds pretty dangerous too.

Jury still out?

Slide of the cylinder - it's just a masked filter to change the shape of the light beam so that there's no light scatter inside the unit. That would also explain why the matt black optical paint was used on the interior of the unit - to ensure that the polarisation of the light wasn't compromised by scattered rays bouncing around off reflective interior surfaces...?

The fact of the matter is that a lone driver WILL need to refer to either a map or directions at some point, and may not have the luxury of being able to pull over and check. The safest way to do that would be to be able to glance at the directions/map and still have you peripheral vision on the road ahead. To do that you would need to raise your document (be it directions or map) to eye level, off to the side of your head (obviously not right in front of you - bit to dangerous!!), so you'd need a light that projects from behind you, forwards. Exactly like this one does. Furthermore, you'd need a a filter/mirror set up in order to achieve polarisation of the light, and you'd need the light to be PROJECTED rather than just cast (i.e. you need a parabolic dished bulb - like the halogen lamp - rather than just a plain bulb). To fit the unit incorporating those components in the rear of the car would seriously compromise headroom in back. The only real section of the cabin roof where you don't expect a human head to be or move through is the centre, in the front half of the cabin. So logically you'd want to try and site the projector unit there. But you wouldn't get the light in the right place, at the right angle - so the best solution is the have the unit there and a slim projection chamber run along the roof and a mirror at the rear to redirect the light. All works rather neatly IMHO and I can't imagine a neater, more space-efficient solution.

[lonewolf]

Hey, Jim

Thats the most convincing theory yet and I can't find fault with your argument. I will head out to the country tonight and test this theory!


Tim

[Jim27]

Cool Let us know how it fairs, eh?