sweet screen-hider idea

**therussman2002** · 02-03-2005, 03:50 PM

so heres my vision:

the way i am installing my screen, i will have some space between the actual screen and the fabricated dash piece in front of it. what i WANT is perhaps some cd drive motor spin a bar around, and roll up/down a small screen-sized cloth with a slick "pontiac" logo on it, this would roll down when i arm my alarm, and roll up when i disarm it

anyone ever tried this before, or know of an easier motor/system to use? I can have an armed/disarmed output from my alarm system for 1-255 seconds, so in theory i could hook up any motor and just time it right

**jasonrun** · 02-03-2005, 04:27 PM

Seems like a pretty good idea. I'll give you some thoughts and you can see where they lead you.

From your basic description I'm picturing this with a rolled up coth above the lcd and then letting it drape down on it's own when it's unrolled. This would be simple enough, but to make sure it looks solid I would try having it attached to a rod on the bottom also, maybe with some narrow bands of cloth on the sides so it can roll up enough to show the LCD, but still be attached to the other rod. Then just have one rod with a motor attached and the other rod spring loaded to wind back. You could also have part of it be a clear plastic to allow viewing and protect your LCD screen.

A simple dc motor isn't the best for controlled amounts of rotation, the speed varies based on the voltage so 5 seconds with a fully charged unloaded battery might move the coth more than 5 seconds with a slightly undercharged loaded battery. A really clean way to set it up would be with a stepper motor or servo to get more control, but that's a lot more complex. So I think the dc motor might be easiest, but just design it so that when the cloth is fully extended the torque exerted by the motor is significantly less than the attachment can handle. That way you can time it to run a little longer than needed, and when it's all the way extended the motor will just be in a stalled state. As long as it's only for a second or two that shouldn't cause any problems.

Another option would be a complete loop of cloth/open area that goes around behind the lcd panel. This would allow you to make it very tight and smooth.

I know none of these ideas are really "easier" but they are some things to think about if a simple roll-up/down doesn't drape the cloth consistantly well enough to hide the LCD. Good luck with this! I'm personally going to attempt a whole solid fake front face cover for mine. I would like to have it automatic or at least attached/spring loaded, but I won't have much space above/below my screen for it to slide back into.

**Gobby** · 02-03-2005, 04:29 PM

I'd have guides either side of the cloth which a lower bar is guided down ... this way it appears to be more solid from the outside of the car but still give you the roll/slide up and down functionality.

**Matthew230** · 02-03-2005, 04:31 PM

Surely over time the cloth would become creased from being rolled up

**therussman2002** · 02-03-2005, 04:45 PM

so i looked on ebay for some kind of material... like a duffle bag with a pontiac logo on it

ya know, so it would be a sturdier material, and yes with a bar on the bottom i wouldnt think there be any problems... just a matter of finding the material, and perhaps some sort of pontiac badge to sew on? (or have my mom sow on lol )

**zPilott** · 02-03-2005, 05:11 PM

what about something like a miniature garage door?

**therussman2002** · 02-03-2005, 05:14 PM

that would be ideal but i have no clue how to build something like that

unless one is already available as part of some model of.. something, who knows

**Don 944 LA** · 02-03-2005, 05:25 PM

have a picture of a ripped out dash on it.
That way to the casual observer, you have already been robbed.

**PatO** · 02-03-2005, 07:20 PM

Use one of those roll-up doors from a bread box. Here's are some examples. I like the Bread one. No one would ever expect you're hiding anything behind that!
http://www.kitchencollection.com/tem...m?sku=00624809
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...353746348&rd=1

I know, I know... Stupid idea. But the concept is simple - don't ROLL it up, have the material slide up along the top of the cavity. For instance, cardboard. Painted to look like a breadbox, of course.

**therussman2002** · 02-03-2005, 07:49 PM

i should get a metal mini-garage door thats electrically charged with a non-lethal amount of voltage (when the alarm is armed), but enough where one would rather NOT steal anything in my car