Am I The Only Person Who Likes The Elgin Dash?

[outsydthebox]

...But a weapon of the wise

 

[Cache Man]

What was wrong with leaving the Geo Metro dash in it? That was a "off the shelf" parts. I think the dash that was in the P4 fit the vehicle perfectly; it is also one of the less expensive replacements I'm looking at to use once I get mine.

Why couldn't they leave things alone with four wheels?! They sell tires in sets of four. You know... buy three and get one free. Now with the larger single rear tire and the two smaller front tires we cannot do this. And whats up with the tandem seating? Heck, even the stagecoaches had side by side seating. Why do we want to change things. Now if I want a different bench seating I will have to cut a seat in half. Also what is wrong with good old fashion metal car parts. We don't need no stinking composite car parts! Three cylinders?? Heck, are they too cheap to make it an even four? What was wrong with horses? They were very useful. They were transportation, wagon puller, grass mower, fertilizer, plow power, and when times were hard they were a mobile food source. What is this talking picture box thingy they call a TV?? I give up because all these changes have gotten out of hand!

If man was meant to fly he would have been born with wings.

Thank goodness for all those who didn't listen to others that said... it should be left alone and it's good enough.

 

[Cache Man]

The fact that the Elgin dash has created so much controversy and passion should tell Elio that they should take a second look at their decision to use it.

"The secret to failure in a business is to sell only what "you" like." ( An old saying I just made up.)

.... and for those newbies who may have missed it, here's the Elgin dash in action: Look at the video first without the sound so you are not influenced and can make up your own mind.

Because there is so much controversy tells me Elio has hit it on the nose! Press on! The whole car has been a controversy. I can think of several things that created high controversy and they became game changers... then everyone else followed them.

 

[NSTG8R]

Because there is so much controversy tells me Elio has hit it on the nose! Press on! The whole car has been a controversy. I can think of several things that created high controversy and they became game changers... then everyone else followed them.

I like your attitude, Cache Man!

+100 on everything you just posted!

 

[Ty]

There are multiple things to dislike about that dash. The uninformative speedo is first, of course -- numbers indexed too widely for accurate interpolation, requires de-coding (position is easier to read than numbers, which is why gauges with needles are so successful). There's a reason watches with hands predominate, though read-outs have been around for 40 years. The Elgin dash is also mechanical, and so prone to failure.

Next thing up is the array of idiot lights. I need first-hand experience to tell how hard these are to see in daylight, but the pictures I've seen suggest they are too small and too faint to see readily and decode.

Finally, and this one is both important and dirt-cheap to fix, is the blank expanse of light gray plastic. It is boring, it is so light in color that it reduces contrast for the instruments, and it is 100% wasted space. A key principle in the visual display of quantitative information is to make sure you are using an optimal amount of "data ink." Data ink is defined as the percentage of your display area actually carrying useful information. The elgin dash's percentage of data ink is wretchedly small.

Notice, Ty and others, that that does not mean you need to have huge instruments. It does mean that the instrument panel needs to be used to display information. Similarly, it doesn't mean that you need to plaster 200 dials on a six-inch wide panel; if the information is hard to access, it's not useful, and so isn't good practice. The Elio's current dash is beyond bad in its percentage of data ink, and beyond bad in its sheer bland featureless character.

One thing that would help would be to use a much darker shade of gray -- or even black -- as most cars do. If you're going to have idiot lights, put them in an environment where they will contrast.

So: a more accurate, easily-read speedo, replace some idiot lights with gauges, either electronic displays or physical, and use a darker, more contrasty color in place of the current light gray. We probably won't see the speedo replaced, even through from an engineering standpoint it is a stupid design, but the plastic at least can be darkened and maybe made a little more visually interesting. that last step would help and will cost nothing.

I am not making this up about "data ink." Read http://www.amazon.com/The-Visual-Display-Quantitative-Information/dp/0961392142 . Edward Tufte is the world's leading authority in this area. Every engineer concerned with communicating his or her work effectively should study Tufte's books.

The Elgin dash is digital... no moving parts... just screens to simulate movement.

 

[Ty]

There are multiple things to dislike about that dash. The uninformative speedo is first, of course -- numbers indexed too widely for accurate interpolation, requires de-coding (position is easier to read than numbers, which is why gauges with needles are so successful). There's a reason watches with hands predominate, though read-outs have been around for 40 years. The Elgin dash is also mechanical, and so prone to failure.

Next thing up is the array of idiot lights. I need first-hand experience to tell how hard these are to see in daylight, but the pictures I've seen suggest they are too small and too faint to see readily and decode.

Finally, and this one is both important and dirt-cheap to fix, is the blank expanse of light gray plastic. It is boring, it is so light in color that it reduces contrast for the instruments, and it is 100% wasted space. A key principle in the visual display of quantitative information is to make sure you are using an optimal amount of "data ink." Data ink is defined as the percentage of your display area actually carrying useful information. The elgin dash's percentage of data ink is wretchedly small.

Notice, Ty and others, that that does not mean you need to have huge instruments. It does mean that the instrument panel needs to be used to display information. Similarly, it doesn't mean that you need to plaster 200 dials on a six-inch wide panel; if the information is hard to access, it's not useful, and so isn't good practice. The Elio's current dash is beyond bad in its percentage of data ink, and beyond bad in its sheer bland featureless character.

One thing that would help would be to use a much darker shade of gray -- or even black -- as most cars do. If you're going to have idiot lights, put them in an environment where they will contrast.

So: a more accurate, easily-read speedo, replace some idiot lights with gauges, either electronic displays or physical, and use a darker, more contrasty color in place of the current light gray. We probably won't see the speedo replaced, even through from an engineering standpoint it is a stupid design, but the plastic at least can be darkened and maybe made a little more visually interesting. that last step would help and will cost nothing.

I am not making this up about "data ink." Read http://www.amazon.com/The-Visual-Display-Quantitative-Information/dp/0961392142 . Edward Tufte is the world's leading authority in this area. Every engineer concerned with communicating his or her work effectively should study Tufte's books.

I actually am not a big fan of the Elgin dash. I just think it looks right in the Elio. It fits the look and style. Are there better solutions? Of course there are. I just don't think it would be worth the hour or so it would take to pull it out, build a new one, and install it. If that was a hobby of mine, I'd be all over it though. But, to be honest, I'd probably try to match the style but with easier to read numbers perhaps.

 

[Bert]

The Elgin dash is digital... no moving parts... just screens to simulate movement.

I disagree, based on what I've seen, heard and observed with the Elgin dash. The "face plate" that is in place of the indicator needle, moves just like the needle pointer would.
Digital dash speedometers indicate the speed in increments of one mile per hour. The Elgin dash brings up the speed traveled at the top, where an opening is.
Just IMO, and my two cents.

 

[NSTG8R]

I disagree, based on what I've seen, heard and observed with the Elgin dash. The "face plate" that is in place of the indicator needle, moves just like the needle pointer would.
Digital dash speedometers indicate the speed in increments of one mile per hour. The Elgin dash brings up the speed traveled at the top, where an opening is.
Just IMO, and my two cents.

Hmmm...Made me look at it again. I think you're right. If it were 'digital' [no moving parts] wouldn't it be blank when the power was off?

 

[msmith5150]

The Elgin gauge cluster is analog, not digital. The dials rotate inside the bezel.

Dash Wars: The Face Awakens

(cue the screen crawl and dramatic music)

It has been several years since the galactic anti-hero, Darth Elio, blew up Starbase Detroit with his plans to mass produce the Elio, a lightweight and efficient fighter for the masses. With this new weapon, Darth Elio's plans to win the peoples' hearts and rule the automotive galaxy began to take shape. In the meantime, the ungrateful citizens of the Republic, led by Puke Dashblocker, have risen up to rebel against Darth Elio and his long remembered master, Lord Elgin. And on the small, inconsequential planet called Elioowners.com, the rebellion continued to fester, unstoppable except perhaps by the new hope of an adequately-funded and timely mass production and distribution of the Elio throughout the galaxy, including that far-off Outer Rim planet known as Cantaffordia...

Alright, can we possibly get an "OK" to use this post in it's own thread and expand on this story? This was awesome, I want more!

 

[Elio Amazed]