Elio Gauge Cluster - Lord Elgin? - Other Options?

[Craig]

I think they should go with a dash from "Citizen" instead of Elgin, don't you think?

Always had a TimeX, growing up.

 

[Rickb]

The Monoco for those of you that remember Steve McQueen!

 

[Zipper]

Nice dash, but I see one glaring omission and am not sure just how it might be handled. If someone has a suggestion please speak up. We have no valid non-resettable odometer, and I believe that is a no no! The SB dash appears to have a digital unit so perhaps a window could be created for its display.

I won't disturb the factory odometer solution. My tablet will perform a function similar to a very large pastie covering the SB.

 

[RogWild]

I won't disturb the factory odometer solution. My tablet will perform a function similar to a very large pastie covering the SB.

YEP, just velcro the tablet OVER the 'Steele Boob' Display, plug in the OBDII, start your App....... good to go! Best 'solution'.... DO NOT MAKE THE 'SB DISPLAY' STANDARD (or waste the money, designing and making it)...... perhaps an 'OPTION' for those that like it.

 

[Jayne Shelby]

Within a few years all vehicle sold will have digital readouts. A small computer monitor with a program to allow for user selected configurations. We have the technology and I can't see how it could be more expensive than analog instrumentation. Its simply the way to go and I would hope that Elio Motors will consider going in that direction. You could color coordinate the dash (instrument monitor) to match the body color. You can personalize what you will be looking at while driving. Hey Aftermarket People - Hint, hint!!!!

 

[Lil4X]

I'm not going to say the SB instrument panel is a deal-breaker, but it would require me to substitute some other kind of panel. Digital displays have long been sought as some kind of zoomy styling exercise, but in practice they have proven to be both impractical and even dangerous. A digital dash is always tempting because we are capturing digital data from the ECU, so why not display it? While it's meaningful to the computer, it doesn't translate well to human intelligence.

I worked with a client developing a digital panel for all of the driller's instruments on a drilling rig. In theory it was brilliant, but in practice it could have been dangerous. It seems that faced with a set of changing numbers, it takes as much as two or three seconds to determine if the numbers are increasing or decreasing, particularly if they are moving rather quickly and the user is fatigued. We had to provide digital bar graphs alongside each readout to help communicate the trend of the instrument. Eventually, we had to color the background to provide a red warning highlight to anything running out of spec. Well, that was fine at night, but in glaring sun, it appeared too faint. We eventually went back to a digital representation of a conventional dial gauge. Humans easily interpret dials, known as "steam gauges" in the trade. We can see relative position and interpret it and any trend almost instantly. Designers of military aircraft panels learned years ago that "up" was the proper location for the optimal reading so that when all needles were pointed skyward, all was well. Without a reference point, raw numbers are almost meaningless.

This is an important consideration, to keep your scan going. You don't want to be distracted from what's going on the other side of the windshield any more than necessary. "OK, oil pressure is 32, is that good or bad, and why? . . . wait, was that a decimal in there?" Nope, WAY too long.

 

[raybonz]

Still a fan of round analog gauges and clocks.. Can see at a glance what is going on and bright light isn't a factor..

Ray

 

[Jason Cray]

Yes. Its unique and fits well with the Elio.

 

[KN16]

Still a fan of round analog gauges and clocks.. Can see at a glance what is going on and bright light isn't a factor..

Ray

They can be interpreted by your brain much faster than digits. There's a reason that after a short LED spurt most everyone went back to needles. Even the top end stuff with computer screens use computer generated needles with maybe some numbers thrown in to impress your friends.

Race cars (not including F1 as a real race car) still use analog gauges with the gauge rotated so the normal reading is on top. That allows for even faster interpretation.

 

[RogWild]

I'm not going to say the SB instrument panel is a deal-breaker, but it would require me to substitute some other kind of panel. Digital displays have long been sought as some kind of zoomy styling exercise, but in practice they have proven to be both impractical and even dangerous. A digital dash is always tempting because we are capturing digital data from the ECU, so why not display it? While it's meaningful to the computer, it doesn't translate well to human intelligence.

I worked with a client developing a digital panel for all of the driller's instruments on a drilling rig. In theory it was brilliant, but in practice it could have been dangerous. It seems that faced with a set of changing numbers, it takes as much as two or three seconds to determine if the numbers are increasing or decreasing, particularly if they are moving rather quickly and the user is fatigued. We had to provide digital bar graphs alongside each readout to help communicate the trend of the instrument. Eventually, we had to color the background to provide a red warning highlight to anything running out of spec. Well, that was fine at night, but in glaring sun, it appeared too faint. We eventually went back to a digital representation of a conventional dial gauge. Humans easily interpret dials, known as "steam gauges" in the trade. We can see relative position and interpret it and any trend almost instantly. Designers of military aircraft panels learned years ago that "up" was the proper location for the optimal reading so that when all needles were pointed skyward, all was well. Without a reference point, raw numbers are almost meaningless.

This is an important consideration, to keep your scan going. You don't want to be distracted from what's going on the other side of the windshield any more than necessary. "OK, oil pressure is 32, is that good or bad, and why? . . . wait, was that a decimal in there?" Nope, WAY too long.

WELL SAID!