Tim Trott's Blog
The weblog of an amateur Astronomer, Photographer, Programmer and car enthusiast.
Strange Lights in GTR
Wednesday 25th April 2007
I have in my Nissan Skyline GTR a strange light cluster mounted onto the ceiling, and I cannot see any useful purpose for it (or ANY purpose for that matter!).
I have been racking my brains trying to work out just what this thing is. All I can work out is that it is some kind of projector onto the lower central part of the windscreen… but nothing is projected and I can only see it when the windscreen is misted up at night.
The cluster has slots in it at an angle so that you can’t easy see in, except if you put your head up against it. Inside I can see what looks like a mirror and prisms with a red light and a green light.
The best suggestion I have had so far is Cylon related! (compare the first picture with the Cylon from classic Battlestar Galactica)
If anybody can tell me what this is please do!!!
UPDATE Number 1: 26-04-2007 08:10
This morning in the light I decided to take off the cover to this strange device to see what was in there. The switch panel has Nissan on it which would indicate that this is a optional accessory/dealer/factory fitted. It is a substantial piece of kit as it is bolted through the head liner to the roof (not just stuck on by after market). With the switch panel removed I can see a circuit panel but there is no part numbers to identify it. When I removed the cover with the slots in, I can see a little more, there seems to be two lights and an array of mirrors in side, but I still have no idea what this thing is.
UPDATE Number 2: 26-04-2007 21:49
I took the cover off when I got back from work, and found that everything was still under wraps. The headlining has been cut away, you can see where it was marked out. It has been done very professionally. Still no observed part numbers. The unit is bolted to the actual roof of the car, through what look like factory mount points.
I checked the number on the circuit board and its an inverter. This will transform the 12V car supply to whatever voltage that the lamp would require.
I cleaned the mirrors as well because they were thick with dust. Maybe this will increase the light intensity a bit. The whole unit is coated with optical quality matte back paint - which isn’t cheap. Its the same stuff that the inside of my telescope is coated with.
As the tree said to the lumberjack: “I’m Stumped!”
There are more pictures of the whatever this is in my Skyline Pictures gallery
You can read more discussion about this thing on the GTR Owners Club Forum
Attached Thumbnails
This post is filed under Nissan Skyline by Lonewolf at 10:34pm
Visitor Comments »
Wednesday 25th April 2007 @ 4:27am
I have no idea what that is but it looks kinda freaky enough for everyone to want one!
Thursday 26th April 2007 @ 7:01am
its gotta be some sort of
a.) radar jammer
b.) HUD
c.) alien heat ray
Thursday 26th April 2007 @ 1:20pm
A bit of a random stab in the dark here….
But could it be to prevent glare from the rear view mirror, from other cars at night??
Thursday 26th April 2007 @ 9:34pm
I read that the Japanese (along with several other Eastern societies) have a prevalence towards the red end of the visible spectrum and can therefore suffer from colour blindness at the other end of the spectrum to a certain degree. As I understand it, a green/red colour blindness is quite a common kind of colour blindness (although don’t know if that’s the case for Japanese people).
I wonder if this unit is designed to project a faint red and/or green light onto the windscreen to enhance the coloured light that the driver finds it hard to see? Maybe enable a colour blinded driver to differentiate a red STOP light from a green GO light? Does the scroll switch change the light from red tinted to green at all? Maybe allowing the user to select the most appropriate setting to cater for his own personal vision problem?
Friday 27th April 2007 @ 3:34pm
perhaps the last fellow to own the car decided to have some fun with the next British owner, and wired up some random LEDs and is now getting quite a chuckle out of us westerners trying to puzzle this one out 
Saturday 28th April 2007 @ 9:42am
Hey, maybe it’s for the drag track. It senses the color of the Christmas tree and dumps the clutch for you. 
I have no idea what that is but it looks kinda freaky enough for everyone to want one!
its gotta be some sort of
a.) radar jammer
b.) HUD
c.) alien heat ray
A bit of a random stab in the dark here….
But could it be to prevent glare from the rear view mirror, from other cars at night??
I read that the Japanese (along with several other Eastern societies) have a prevalence towards the red end of the visible spectrum and can therefore suffer from colour blindness at the other end of the spectrum to a certain degree. As I understand it, a green/red colour blindness is quite a common kind of colour blindness (although don’t know if that’s the case for Japanese people).
I wonder if this unit is designed to project a faint red and/or green light onto the windscreen to enhance the coloured light that the driver finds it hard to see? Maybe enable a colour blinded driver to differentiate a red STOP light from a green GO light? Does the scroll switch change the light from red tinted to green at all? Maybe allowing the user to select the most appropriate setting to cater for his own personal vision problem?
perhaps the last fellow to own the car decided to have some fun with the next British owner, and wired up some random LEDs and is now getting quite a chuckle out of us westerners trying to puzzle this one out
Hey, maybe it’s for the drag track. It senses the color of the Christmas tree and dumps the clutch for you.
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