HUD - what I now know

neon_eddy · 06-19-2005, 06:12 PM

I just got a '02 Rendezvous, nice ride, and has a sweet HUD. I don't see and special coating on it, but it may be the whole windshield.

Here is what I've seen with it that make it work very nice:
1- the display is in a deep "well" to add contrast and eliminate the sun's direct light on it.
2- it's adjustable by mirror but not big deal
3- it uses LEDs which are super bright

now here is my plan for making one, on my ford explorer, I have a 5" composite LCD i'm thinking of using. Yes I tried it one day and saw nothing really, the LCD just can't compete with the sun, odd huh.

so my idea was, block the sun, and increase reflection of screen. it would require building a hood or well in the dash for the screen, then I was thinking of using mirror style window tint on the inside, just a small 7x7" square or something, from the outside of the auto it would appear slightly smoked.

now, I don't want the 20/80 stuff.. that is basicly a mirror, I cna't find mush for mirrored tint here anyway, and since this is prototype and I'm cheap, I don't want to spend much to figure it all out. THis is where you all chume in and say 1) this is stupid and been talked about over and over again, or 2) sounds like it might work, but just spend some money and try it out ya cheapo, or 3) print("$your_answer_here");

tom61 · 06-19-2005, 06:26 PM

Keep in mind the image will be mirrored, and you'll need to compensate for that either in software, or by flipping the LCD over and shining the light from the otherside. Someone on here made a HUD, but I can't remember who.

neon_eddy · 06-19-2005, 10:16 PM

I searched a bunch but never found a clear solution, however I beleive tonight i figured onje out.

an array of LEDs! .. I gotta price white ones out.. but they are very bright and with some diffusion via sandpaper, they will give nice even light, use little power, and could be used on normal LCDs too!

and yes I know the inversion part.. that's the least of my troubles :-)..

anyone got a line on white LEDs?.. I'm figuring 100 or more.
http://sickmods.net/catalog.html here is the cheapest I've found them.. $.26 ea!

fuctup · 06-19-2005, 11:10 PM

you can buy bulk LEDs on ebay right from the source, usually hong kong. they ship pretty fast too.

Custommx3 · 06-20-2005, 09:32 AM

Heres my solution using a VFD.

Im probably going to tint the lower 6" of my window to reduce glare and better clarity.

techeros · 07-23-2005, 01:24 AM

Hey I want to help on this project. I have a 4"x4" screen I made for my first carputer. See my sig for the link, goto for sale, look at my carputer, the screen is in there.
I remember seeing some material you could stick to the windshiled that was/is used for factory HUD's. I am tring to find it.

KyleYankan · 07-23-2005, 01:35 AM

now figure out howto make it touchscreen

techeros · 07-23-2005, 02:15 AM

that'd be my luck, my dumbarse self touching my windshield so freggin much I couldn't see cause of all the smudges.... sheesh! I could really rackup some points

turbocad6 · 07-23-2005, 09:06 PM

dude...I've built a hud like you proposed....played with it quite a bit........ it is not going to work.....it's not just about brightness but the contrast that is necissary on a high resolution display..... I winded up with the mirror tint too, but during the day it was unusable & at night it was a huge distraction...... converted my design to a pop up screen instead since I already chopped up the dash in that car....

hud are good for simple monochromatic displays.... not for high resolution details...... if you don't belive me (I know I wouldn't before I tried it) then go for it... but you will come to the same conclusion....

techeros · 07-24-2005, 01:58 AM

hey Turbo
Nah, I'll take your advice. Sounds like you have been there done that. So, doin a HUD sounds kinda outta th question.. I'm kinda loosing interest in the project now. Now what am I gunna do?

KyleYankan · 07-24-2005, 02:19 AM

make a black/white HUD.

or better yet have a high contrast skin? BLACK/GREEN?

PatO · 07-24-2005, 02:25 AM

Quote: Originally Posted by techeros

Now what am I gunna do?

Back to the LED/VFD/LCD(char) option. Get that working... They're monochrome, aren't they? Good for displaying song titles, engine diagnostics, and other such info. I'll bet Frodo could even skin it!

Acura9 · 07-27-2005, 09:22 AM

Stupid question.. but whats a HUD?

turbocad6 · 07-27-2005, 10:08 AM

Heads Up Display

rsd212 · 07-27-2005, 10:23 AM

When shopping for White LEDs, be aware that there can be HUGE differences in brightness, so check the ratings. The cheap ones can often be 1/10th the brightness, so you may want to pay a little more per light which would save you overall in money and soldering time.