[puck724]

Originally Posted by a burrito

maybe it isnt a 3 series gauge? i know for a fact that the 6 series gauge has a automatic adjustable redline. Works just like the M gauge, but doesnt light up in stages, instead that circular bar moves up and down.

its a 3 series. if i remember from other thresads all you need to is to hardwire somehow to the system. there were suggestions that in coming models they will actually inplement it to give the e90 "siomething new" that previous models didnt have. so instead of changing the entire dash for future models they would just hve to program it.

[Tierfreund]

About the "adjustable red-line", that´s something that´s been debated hotly in some german E90-forums when the E90 first came out. Facts are:

The E90 in 6cylinder spec (so called "high" configration) has a cluster that is mechanically prepared to give a variable redline for a cold engine in the same way that the 6er does or some M-cars do (albeit with LEDs). There is a small electric motor that can move the disk with the redline stripes around the tach in just the same way that the Cruise control display (the marker of the set speed) is moved around the speedo.

BUT: the function is not active. The software in the cluster to show the variable redline is simply not functional. It looks like BMW wanted to implement a variable redline while developing the E90 and putting down the requirements for the cluster, but later decided not go ahead with it.

Much ado has been made in german forums by some feature freaks who thought there was some way of activating the function or believing it might get activated with a later software upgrade, but nothing has happened. BMW never stated that the e90 would have or ever get a variable redline.

So consider the variable redline disk behind the tach the same way that you consider your rump: A leftover from evolution.

Now, the reason why on these conversion fotos (btw, that definitely is an E90 cluster, the pics including the fully converted dash have been around in german E90 forums a while, the guy converted an E46 earlier as well) you can see the variable redline disk at all, is because during conversion, to test the LEDs and the conversion the modder put power to the cluster and put it into diagnostic mode to check the LEDs and take the pictures. And in diagnostic mode, you´ll see all functions the cluster is phsically capable off, not just the ones the car manufacturer has specified to be functional.

Thus, once the converted cluster is back in the E90 and working normally, the redline (in this case a blueline) will be back to where it is in your and my car as well.

[Tierfreund]

Btw. My first car, a 1987 VW Golf MKII came with green instrument lighting. Yuck.
I changed that to BMW orange...

The stuff you do when you´re young....

When you get older, you start to feel that life is to short to mod your car. There´s better things to do. Such as posting useless memories on Internet forums

[puck724]

^
nice post

[poldim]

Originally Posted by Tierfreund

About the "adjustable red-line", that´s something that´s been debated hotly in some german E90-forums when the E90 first came out. Facts are:

The E90 in 6cylinder spec (so called "high" configration) has a cluster that is mechanically prepared to give a variable redline for a cold engine in the same way that the 6er does or some M-cars do (albeit with LEDs). There is a small electric motor that can move the disk with the redline stripes around the tach in just the same way that the Cruise control display (the marker of the set speed) is moved around the speedo.

BUT: the function is not active. The software in the cluster to show the variable redline is simply not functional. It looks like BMW wanted to implement a variable redline while developing the E90 and putting down the requirements for the cluster, but later decided not go ahead with it.

Much ado has been made in german forums by some feature freaks who thought there was some way of activating the function or believing it might get activated with a later software upgrade, but nothing has happened. BMW never stated that the e90 would have or ever get a variable redline.

So consider the variable redline disk behind the tach the same way that you consider your rump: A leftover from evolution.

Now, the reason why on these conversion fotos (btw, that definitely is an E90 cluster, the pics including the fully converted dash have been around in german E90 forums a while, the guy converted an E46 earlier as well) you can see the variable redline disk at all, is because during conversion, to test the LEDs and the conversion the modder put power to the cluster and put it into diagnostic mode to check the LEDs and take the pictures. And in diagnostic mode, you´ll see all functions the cluster is phsically capable off, not just the ones the car manufacturer has specified to be functional.

Thus, once the converted cluster is back in the E90 and working normally, the redline (in this case a blueline) will be back to where it is in your and my car as well.

Thanks for the enlightenning facts.

I dont see it as a dire need feature, but it would be nice if it did in fact work.

Does anyone know if the car has a computer system that can be programmed with code to create an out put for this feature rather than requiring new hardware?

[smellygas]

Originally Posted by Dizzy330i

VW red/blue lighting is terrible! It's so busy to me, ugh! Especially the red ambient lights. And if you like it, please explain yourself. White/red is much better.

ANYTHING is better than plain red. Single-color instrument displays may have been ordinary several decades ago, but they're terribly dated nowadays. BMW has failed to innovate in this respect....and while there will always be oldtimers who demand the "classic BMW" look, as time passes, the percentage of those oldtimers will diminish..and people will demand modernization.

And the lights in BMWs are amber (or orange), but not red. Get it right.

They look more red than orange to me, and they certainly are not amber. Unless you have a colorimeter and you've measured the dominant wavelengths emitted by the instrument panel, I'm not sure where you get off telling others what color they see.

SmellyGas

[Bimmerista]

Funny thing how the grass is always bluer on the other side. I have a friend who had a VR6 Jetta, blue gauges-I thought I would get a migrane if i had to drive that car all the time. When I got the BMW I was very pleased with night fighter lighting, clear, inobtrusive I really like it.

I suggest you check out previous gen VWs and see if you really want the blue.

[Compos Mentis]

Originally Posted by smellygas

Yeah, real solid reasoning there, chief. Enhancing the plain monochrmatic red color with more modern colors suddenly transforms a BMW into a 3-generation old Accord...because without the ugly red dash color, people will confuse this BMW with a 10-year old Japanese import with a large exhaust. Yeeaahhh. I don't even know where people come up with this crap.

SmellyGas

SmellyGas: Do you have a Japanese import?

[smellygas]

Originally Posted by Compos Mentis

SmellyGas: Do you have a Japanese import?

I did...but I don't see how that changes anything.

SmellyGas

[jhbodle]

Originally Posted by M3ti Compact

Hey...
How come this car seems to have an adjustable redline??? My car doesn't do this??

I initially thought this was a 3 series instrument cluster, but i'm now almost certain that it is from a E60 5 series or possibly a 6. Look at the chrome around the main dials - it's too thick to be off a 3 series. The E90 has a thinner chrome dial round the main guages. It also explains the moving redline.

I admit it - i'm a BMW anorak

[ward]

Originally Posted by smellygas

ANYTHING is better than plain red. Single-color instrument displays may have been ordinary several decades ago, but they're terribly dated nowadays. BMW has failed to innovate in this respect....and while there will always be oldtimers who demand the "classic BMW" look, as time passes, the percentage of those oldtimers will diminish..and people will demand modernization.



They look more red than orange to me, and they certainly are not amber. Unless you have a colorimeter and you've measured the dominant wavelengths emitted by the instrument panel, I'm not sure where you get off telling others what color they see.

SmellyGas

did you miss the memo?
BMW puts function over design (for the most part)

orange/red/amber whatever you want to call it is easier on the eyes at night and that's why the display is that color

BMW is not about being "trendy" at the expense of performance, and they don't change for the sake of change (when they do change they do it for a reason)

if you want a "modern" design that doesn't work as well as BMW's you'll have to get an acura, VW, Lexus........

[Tierfreund]

Originally Posted by smellygas

They look more red than orange to me, and they certainly are not amber. Unless you have a colorimeter and you've measured the dominant wavelengths emitted by the instrument panel, I'm not sure where you get off telling others what color they see.

SmellyGas

your preception is right. The BMW is not amber, but orange. But it ain´t red either. By definition. The LEDs lighting the BMW Instruments have a wavelength og 605nm which is defined as orange. Audis for example have 615nm lighting which is defined as red. People often say orange when they mean amber and vice versa though. Amber is defined as 600nm though, thus a little more left on the spectrum.

At least, thats the common definition. Of ourse your free to redefine for your personal use

When retrofitting a Nav/Radio I went through the trouble of changing 64 SMD Leds in the Radio from red (615nm) to amber (605nm) just to make it match the instrument lighting. So learned about those things the hard way.

BTW. I prefere the monochromatic orange ligthing over any other setup. I find it easiest to red in the dark while the least distracting when not reading the instruments but looking at the road. I also have the brightness at the lowest setting. I actually forwent the factory nav (though I would have liked to have the functionallity) because I find the multi-coloured screen, that cannot even be fully switched off (the backlight allways stays on) incredibly distracting in nightime driving (some backroads over here can be incredibly dark at night so to see anything you need to have as little light as possible in your peripherial vision.

Just goes to show how much personal preferrences vary.
For me, amber, dim and monochromatic please. I don´t find that old-fashioned at all but rather the most "no-frills", "no-distraction", "it´s about driving and nothing else" solution

For reference: I don´t own a TV either (and I don´t mean in the car, I mean none at all) because I find them distracting, annoying and a waste of time. I guess I´m not eactly mainstream in these matters.

Trivia fact: Some M-cars by BMW actually DO have amber lighting. Just to confuse us all....

[Tierfreund]

Originally Posted by jhbodle

I initially thought this was a 3 series instrument cluster, but i'm now almost certain that it is from a E60 5 series or possibly a 6. Look at the chrome around the main dials - it's too thick to be off a 3 series. The E90 has a thinner chrome dial round the main guages. It also explains the moving redline.

I admit it - i'm a BMW anorak

You are correct ! Very good eye. I found the references to those pictures, and they clearly state E60.

Though I know that an E90 has also been converted to blue. I´ve seen pictures of a completely blue E90 dash

This is a link to a page containing many pictures of all sorts of BMW´s that have been converted to blue. Even a Mini and an Alpina Z8.

http://www.becha.de/gallery/index.php?lang=english

Strangely, only the E90 section is empty. Go figure....

[smellygas]

Tierfreund, do you happen to know how the instrument gauges are lit? Are they SMD LED's or filament bulbs?

SmellyGas

[Tierfreund]

Originally Posted by smellygas

Tierfreund, do you happen to know how the instrument gauges are lit? Are they SMD LED's or filament bulbs?

SmellyGas

I only "know" from my Radio. It had SMD-LEDs. But most Dot-Matrix-displays nowadays have SMD-LEDs for lighting. Very cheap and reliable. Besides, the conversion pictures seem to show SMD-LEDs.

Check the conversions in these galleries

http://www.becha.de/gallery/index.php?lang=english

and you´ll find some pictures of BMW Dot-Matrix-Displays taken apart and the all seem to have SMD-LEDs. But since there is no picture of a completely knocked down E90-cluster, we can´t be sure. Only an educated guess.

[Tierfreund]

E65 cluster taken apart. Lot´s of SMD-LED´s and a little fun by the engineers.

[lux.sh]

^ OMG. is that elephant thing real?? hahhaahahaha funny german engineers.
geniuses with sense of humor. damn. what more can you ask.


btw, I understand and respect this whole "orange is bmw heritage" thing, but jeez, its 21st century. Move on. Every damn 'Standard' cars have orange lights and its no different than BMW. My cousin's KIA has orange lights. You might claim "oh its bmw thing", but if you do, Im gonna laugh my ass off. thats just too funny, and old, stuck-minded.

all that being said, I would never change the dash color from orange to blue. I did that to my previous honda, blue LED dash conversion(oh and it originally had "bmw original" orange lights too. ). Looked great.

[ward]

Originally Posted by lux.sh

btw, I understand and respect this whole "orange is bmw heritage" thing, but jeez, its 21st century. Move on. Every damn 'Standard' cars have orange lights and its no different than BMW. My cousin's KIA has orange lights. You might claim "oh its bmw thing", but if you do, Im gonna laugh my ass off. thats just too funny, and old, stuck-minded.

the lights are orange because they work better, not to try and be cool or stylish

BMW doesn't do things to be trendy or stylish, part of the reason an 8 year old BMW still looks good while an 8 year old honda looks like a relic

[smellygas]

Originally Posted by Tierfreund

E65 cluster taken apart. Lot´s of SMD-LED´s and a little fun by the engineers.

Well, thanks for posting that. I'm pretty sure I'd have a hard time desoldering/soldering SMD LED's, so I guess I won't bother. Sigh. Guess I'm stuck with red/orange/whatever.

SmellyGas