Dan70

I got around to refreshing my instrument cluster a bit..(thanks to the sticky) got the whiteface guages and red 194 led replacements. the guages are definitely much easier to see during the day and even at night, plus i think they add a nice contrast to the surroundings. the needles are awesome during the day but with the red light they're a little hard to see at night. i might take it apart again and repaint with something higher contrast... maybe black?

NJTman

With all due respect.. and no reflection as to what you did, as it looks great.



I HATE RED Gauges at night. WHY ????

Can't see them worth a didley.

My wife has a honda, and it's gauges are red. Can't see anything, including the radio, heater controls ... I mean anything. Our eyes do not naturally have the ability to see red light at night, which causes the issues I've had driving her car. It has to do with the "rods and cones" which are a type of light receptor in our eyes. They don't recognize red very well, if at all, depending on rod or cone exposure

Read about it here: The Rods and Cones of the Human Eye

My gauges in my 23 year old brick? Green.. I can see them clear as day, even with my "needing to wear glasses while reading 48 year old eyes"

Dan70

of course, none taken.

That is definitely a good read, and i had no idea for sure... but personally i dont have any issue seeing them. maybe it would be different if i had that bright of lights to begin with... lol but for now i am pleased with my end product

thrashingcows

I agree the gauges look good...but red has never been a favorite of mine either.

I installed cool white light LED's in my gauge cluster, with the factory blue tinted domes and I really like it! Other then the cheap crappy 194 LED's I put in are flickering badly...guess they don't take kindly to the constant vibrations of a cummins motor...

j_martin

When I was in the Navy a few year ago, we'd be required to wear red goggles for a half hour before we went on a night watch on the bridge. All the instruments on the bridge were lit in red. The reason is that you can look at red and not reduce your night vision. Any other color would reduce your night vision. If you're careful about stray light, you can easily see another ship, unlit, mast up (about 15 miles away, all that shows is the mast because of the earth's curve) on a star lit moonless night.

You have to have high contrast gauges to make it work. White face with a flat black needle would work well. A shiny paint on the needle would be counter productive. The same combo is easy to see in white light also.

The common blue high beam indicator drives me nuts as it significantly reduces your night vision.

peckens

Same thing for us pilots too. We use red flashlights to read charts and even turn down the gauge lights to very dim. Once our eyes adjust we can see outside the cockpit much better. I now even turn my dash lights way down as well just for this reason, I can spot dear much better now.

Dan70

It does seem like my turn signal indicators and high beam indicator are much more prominent, but with me living in the city the high beam indicator is almost never on. I do think I will go with a higher contrast needle. I was honestly thinking a flat black the day after I drove it. I'll probably take it apart again this weekend.

Jim Lane

How much is a didley worth these days?

I have a red cockpit light out of a UH1 above and behind my head for night use, it works fine when you turn all of the interior lights off.

I also have an ultraviolet led that shines on the insturment panel and gauges that make the red pointers glow like they are fluorescent.
Blue/green light is also used to preserve night vision in place of the traditional red.
Jim

NJTman

As previously mentioned..red light has its place. I think why i cant deal with it well is because of all the other ambient light and oncoming cars headlamps preventing my eyes to completely adjust for low light. With the constant readjusting because of all the other lights on the road, it prevents my eyes from full adjustment to the red gauges, hence the complete inability to see them. My eyes burn when oncoming headlamps come my way
Here is why:
http://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/presbyopia

Btw, Jim. A didley isnt as valuable as it used to be. Seems as though inflation and governmental subsidised programs have made them almost of no worth

mknittle

As an armature photographer I noticed everybody sees colors differently. Just like the rest of an individual, Jim NJ and I look at the same color standing shoulder to shoulder and we will all see a different shade. I see a slightly different shade in one eye than the other.

NJTman

I agree. I just cant see red gauges in a vehicle, traveling at night, unless there is no other ambient or headlights around,

cougar

Red lights have an unusual effect on me, maybe from all those cop cars that one night.
Changed my oil and finally got around to installing my BHAF. Would have done more, but work interfered. Still have a LPPLP and 7X.010 injectors to install.

mknittle

That's my point( I know if I wear a hat nobody will notice) I am the same way I see green and blue a lot better in the dark.

mknittle

I did some painting on my frame. film later in my build thread.

w250 guy

Took this picture awhile back and thought it was cool!

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