Date: Fri, 23 Mar 2001 00:37:19 +1200
Reply-To: Andrew Grebneff <andrew.grebneff@STONEBOW.OTAGO.AC.NZ>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Andrew Grebneff <andrew.grebneff@STONEBOW.OTAGO.AC.NZ>
Subject: Re: Golf II instruments fit Vanagon cluster? White faces?
Backlighting?
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
I believe, unless the Japanese market is very different, that the speedo
cable should plug right in. All that cable does is count tire rotations.
The only thing that would throw that off would be tire size differences
between the 2 vehicles.
As far as converting to Backlit guages, the only way I can see that working
is to swap out the whole cluster for one from a car that had backlit
gauges. The current gauge faces are just sheets of tin or aluminum or thin
steel. the gauge innards were never meant to be backlit.
Now that you have a gauge set up from a Golf II, you have a few options as
far as the faces. Check out http://www.4130products.com/overlays/a2/ . I am
still in the process of getting the white face gauges for the stock
Vanagons, but I need to get a hold of a set of stock gauge faces to send to
the guy so that templates can be made. If I had another vehicle, I could
just use mine, but unfortunately, that van is my daily driver.
********************************************************************
A cable gearbox can correct rotation speed, so should be no problem there.
The cable's a clip-on type, and may well fit the T3 speedo head. Haven't
compared them yet.
You think the gauges have innards so bulky that they'd cast shadows on the
faces if lights were set into the case's base? Maybe white LEDs could be
installed in the side walls of the plastic casings, not too far in from the
faces? I'll have to look into this (very recently I'd read that they hadn't
been able yet to make white LEDs, but have since heard that they are
available). Need to see if LED intensity can be varied by the
instrument-lighting control.
I was thinking of making lighting color selectable (as in some car
stereos). Fit a row of LEDs into the case, maybe 3-4cm "below" the face.
Make these LEDS in sets of 6 each of one color, 6 of another... wired to a
rotary switch, thence to the intensity controller. bored with white faces?
switch to blue. or green, purple, red... only problem, how to make the
needle visible? Any idea how to illuminate this?
If the backlighting idea is feasible I guess I'd have to get my own made.
They'd have to be UV-proof white plastic, slightly translucent (must look
opaque white in daylight), with opaque markings printed on. Black numbers,
maybe green red zone (needs to be visible with all selectable colors). Have
to remember to do the small inset faces for the temp & fuel gauges too.
Is the digital clock backlit or only illuminated by the cowl bulbs? Might
be able to fit LEDs into the clock too.
Fitting a Japanese cluster would be great but a huge amount of work to
finish so that it looks like it was made that way by the factory.
Andrew Grebneff
165 Evans St, Dunedin, New Zealand
fax 64 (3) 479-7527
<andrew.grebneff@stonebow.otago.ac.nz>
VW van (something for every man), Toyota diesel & seashell nut
Macintosh 7500/200/64, 6116/60/24, LCIII, LC, Classic, Plus
Even though Mac Users may be only 10% of the market,
always remember that we are the TOP 10%
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