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Today they are called heads-up displays. Heads-up displays have been around since the 1980's
Quote:
Originally Posted by victimofGM
I’ve been seeing more and more of these video screen dashboards with virtual gages, some of which you can select or unselect for the display. Seen some that allowed the driver to add more readouts on the touch screen display located on the center dash. I can see the purpose and use for performance vehicles and work vehicles (such as work trucks for example) but why are such features making their way into traditional passenger vehicles? Are such displays becoming cheaper to produce than traditional analog gages? Is it an ease of manufacturing not needing special cables run to and from each gauge? For car people it would be nice to see volts, temperature, oil pressure, and other points but the average passenger vehicle driver just wants to know speed and fuel.
Today they are called heads-up displays. Heads-up displays have been around since the 1980's. This stuff goes further back to early computer inter-action with cars in the 1960's, as in (VW). Today by using that (On Board Diagnostic Program OBD2) and an application via phone or android tablet with your cars computer and a wireless obd2 reader all working together. You then can create your own custom very sophisticated dash. This stuff goes back to the 1990's but was more expensive to put together back then.
The heads up displays also sell as a self-contained separate unit for a few bucks on line. Be aware as with desktops and laptops car computers, phones, androids all have limitations and they sometimes crash. Third party diagnostic tools such as wireless obd2, heads-up displays. LED lights and other add on's can void warranty's or worse. The responsibility is yours when it comes to third party add-on's. So read your owners manual about manufacture's recommendations and understand you are the risk taker.
Or track you.
Or, do as IT wants to.
Or, do as it will be told to, regardless of what you want to.
I agree, with both comments.
Quote:
Originally Posted by LKJ1988
Corvettes have had them for years.
Yes and no. GM tried them on the C-4 generation of Corvettes ('84-'97) with mixed results, therefore, they went back to "analog" gauge clusters in the C-5 generation ('98-'04). As much as a Corvette enthusiast as I am, I have to plead ignorance on what the C-6 and C-7 generations had for instrument clusters.
It looks a bit funky and video game-y to me, but then, I’m a bit of a Luddite anyway.
Probably the biggest reason they like it is that when you buy screens like that in bulk, it gets dirty cheap, probably cheaper than assembling a gauge cluster with moving parts.
Today they are called heads-up displays. Heads-up displays have been around since the 1980's.
Not actually correct. "Heads up displays" are the optical units that project certain elements of the instrument cluster's information directly on to the middle/lower portion of the windshield. This is done so the driver doesn't have to "look down" at the instrument panel, hence the term "heads up".
This system was initially developed by the military, for use in fighter jets, beginning in the late 70s.
Thank you. I should have made myself more clear I was referring to a Nissan SX my sister in law owned in the 1980's
Quote:
Originally Posted by leadfoot4
Not actually correct. "Heads up displays" are the optical units that project certain elements of the instrument cluster's information directly on to the middle/lower portion of the windshield. This is done so the driver doesn't have to "look down" at the instrument panel, hence the term "heads up".
This system was initially developed by the military, for use in fighter jets, beginning in the late 70s.
Thank you. I should have made myself more clear. I was referring to a Nissan SX my sister-in-law owned in the 1980's. That car had the windshield laser type display you are referring to.
Since then the wireless interaction of OBD2 data with Phones, Tablets, Laptops, etc also uses the same data source to project information on their digital screens. The number of data points being extracted via the OBD2 source and the infinite screen presentation options make heads up displays a desirable inexpensive option on today's cars. Again to clarify digital, laser, LED and other options exist are available to consumers.
I’ve been seeing more and more of these video screen dashboards with virtual gages, some of which you can select or unselect for the display. Seen some that allowed the driver to add more readouts on the touch screen display located on the center dash. I can see the purpose and use for performance vehicles and work vehicles (such as work trucks for example) but why are such features making their way into traditional passenger vehicles? Are such displays becoming cheaper to produce than traditional analog gages? Is it an ease of manufacturing not needing special cables run to and from each gauge? For car people it would be nice to see volts, temperature, oil pressure, and other points but the average passenger vehicle driver just wants to know speed and fuel.
The number of wires is the same for all options. The main advantage is that you can choose the gauges yourself (oil pressure, volts, etc.)
I prefer a button, knob, dial, for my heater/AC. Turn the knob to choose what speed fan and what temperature for heat.
Not some touch screen to go through an extensive menu just to find the heater or AC. Then another menu to select the temperature.
I agree!!!
And when you first turn on the car, you get the Government required message screen, telling you that "distracted driving" is dangerous......No s**t, Captain Obvious!! Why do i need to navigate through 2-3 pages on a touch screen, to do a simple task like turn up the blower speed, or change the station on the radio, when a simple lever or dial did the job for 60 years???
Well that’s a bit different than talking about the instrument panel. Frankly, for secondary controls like that, if it can’t be done by feel, it’s distraction and the type of potential hazard the safety Nazis have been trying to get rid of for years. I don’t know why they even bothered with all the other safety crap if they then turn a blind eye to infotainment screens.
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Today they are called heads-up displays. Heads-up displays have been around since the 1980's
