Illuminated dash

[kaptain Jack]

The other day Iv seen a video of the Tamiya truck with very realistic illuminated dash board.From what I understand, people use fiber optics to deliver different colours.The question is: how does one achieve the effect of translucent glass like effect of the whole board. Here is the video, you can watch the whole thing,or go to min.3 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NmLl2ysqvj0

[Wombii]

I've done some experimenting with that. I would build a small light box behind the instrument panel with an LED illuminating a thin (0.010?) sheet of styrene, then print the instruments on a transparency / overhead projector sheet (or draw it on clear packing tape with black a sharpie).
As an alternative to fiber optics, buttons on a panel can be made in the same way by covering the light box with a styrene plate with thin spots carved out of the back of it for the light to pass through.
You can get some special effects by using colored neon fluorescent sharpies and a near UV LED to make them glow. A normal blue LED covered with clear packing tape covered in black sharpie will block most visible light but pass the near UV light too.

[ramjetexpress]

I did the small light box thing , drilled holes behind where the dash decal would be placed , worked okay but I sold off the car a while back . no fancy colours though . I like the fiber optic results but too much work for me and my tired old eyes LOL

[kaptain Jack]

Thanks for the input, some great tips here.

[ittigger]

I'd like to do something like this in my Semi's. :)

[ramjetexpress]

Kaptain Jack ... At Dollarama I saw a stupid little fiber optic lamp for 3 bucks , I don't see a reason a person could cut the strands off build a little box for a led light and the run the strands to the dash ... I'm thinking about trying it now too

[ittigger]

From what I've read, you will need alot of strands.

[ramjetexpress]

This light thingy I saw had a lot of strands , very fine

[kaptain Jack]

Many years ago, while in Japan, I saw some beautiful crafts made with fiberoptics
I bought a bunch of very fine strands, maybe its time to put them in good use.

[ramjetexpress]

For $3.00 at the dollar store you would really have nothing to lose . After all that's only a coffee and donut from Timmy's

[kaptain Jack]

I'm with you.

[Pippoe]

I took the easy road. Used acryllic glass, put the decal on it and blacked out parts of it. I used some smd-leds.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iVQQyvRBiNs

[ittigger]

Nice!

[kaptain Jack]

Great solution!

[frizzen]

Ran across this about making the gauge inserts, indented for 1/25 models but whatever.

http://blog.modeljunkyard.com/2012/07/22/gauges-for-your-dashboard/

I'd suggest scuffing the back side of the lens to diffuse light. If you need to have something colored like warning lights, translucent paint or sharpie markers