MIMA Display and Joystick housings.

[Mike Dabrowski 2000]

I think the other MIMA topics are getting spread into too many areas, so I want to focus this thread on the options that are being developed for making a nice looking mount for the two MIMA components that will be visible. I can't see any way we can get a molded plastic case that will look good because of the high cost of molds, and the low quantities involved.
The machined housing is tootime consuming($) to make, and is difficult to finish, in all consuming over an hour each. I want to offer a slick display that is easy and inexpensive to make. I have made a prototype of the type I am thinking of. I will make a mold of this unit, and try to make a simple fabrication fixture/mold that would let me embed the display board in epoxy putty that will then be pressed into the mold, and squeezed in a vice to extrude out any extra. When hard, a little sanding, and painting, and it looks just like a plastic enclosure.
I am mounting mine with two strips of adhesive backed velcro, but was thinking that a simple spring mount could be made that would hold it into the crack between the LCD displaybezel and the steering wheel bezel. The gap on my car is nearly .3", but we have found that it can vary down to almost nothing on others. The spring mount would adjust to accomidate a range of gaps, but I would like a bigger sampling to know that I have enough range in the mount to accomidate both extremes.
Check out my user interface page for a photo of the display, and please let me know how big your gap is.
http://pages.cthome.net/genesisone/mima ... erface.htm
Thanks

[Rick Reece]

Mike,

The new display looks great. I was thinking about moving mine forward and using the epoxy to make a stand but I think yours is just right. Also just a note on LED brightness. I have driven a good deal at night with the current housing and don't think the leds hamper night driving in the least. I know you have the dimming sensor in there and were trying to determine set points but whatever you used on mine seams to be just fine. Actually I think they would be fine at full brightness as well. Have fun, RIck

[Mike Dabrowski 2000]

Hi Rick
Glad to hear the the display brightness seemed to work. The best way to see what the display would look like if full brightness is to shine a laser pointer, or other small flashlight into the detector while watching the display. It should brighten noticeably.
About the hand hewn epoxy display, After fooling with a mold, and only finding that it is lots of tricky work, to get just the right amount of epoxy (it don't flow very well) and I will have to sand it when I am done anyways, It is much easier to just form it by hand, a little oversize, then sand it to shape once the epoxy hardenes. I was worried that temperature extremes could cause damage because of differential expansion between the epoxy and the parts, so I coated the board and parts with a thin layer of hot melt before encasing the board in the epoxy, that should allow expansion differences without component damage, I will run several freezing to baking in the sun cycles an see how it holds up.
I have built up another display, that I call the minimum discrete. The last display I will call shaded bicolor.
I have a few more that I want to try.
I put up a few photos, remember the minimum discrete is not finished.
http://pages.cthome.net/genesisone/mima ... erface.htm

[Rick Reece]

Mike,
I spray painted the display housing and moved it forward so that the ribbon cable goes directly down and around the left side of the steering wheel. I will take a picture later and post it. Have fun, RIck