Date:         Thu, 12 Nov 1998 17:56:43 -0600
Reply-To:     Blue Eyes <lvlearn@MCI2000.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From:         Blue Eyes <lvlearn@MCI2000.COM>
Organization: Vexation Computer
Subject:      Re: Dash lights
Comments: To: vanagon@VANAGON.COM
Content-type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii

I had occasion to color a lot of light bulbs years ago due to the needs of a
business I owned.  The opaque enamels aren't the best choice.  Spray can
colored lacquers are the best.  They dry fast,  let out more light, appear
better, and run cooler.  It's not even a close decision, go with lacquer.

I'm not wild about going with red for information displays.  As I recall,
visual acuity is poor there, and even worse at the other end of the spectrum's
indigo and violet.  In the rainbow of colors, Roy G. Biv, I think that orange,
yellow and green  were the best for instrumentation.  The Air Force spend a
lot of your money finding out about this years ago, but I don't recall much of
the results.  Anyone have a line on that?

I'd like my display's illumination to be a little more spiffy than the low
temperature incandescent off white that it was originally.  But then if I'm
stopped by a highway patrolman at night, I don't want it to appear like some
carnival runway man is making decisions behind the wheel.
John