Illuminated Tesla 'T' please!

[aaron.s]

Thanks for looking into this - it would certainly be amazing as would the illuminated T!

I'd pay to have both done! :wink:

Aaron

Certainly possible Aaron. The letters would have to cut out with great precision, and perhaps that can be done with a laser. Then some kind of translucent backing would have to be applied and then LEDs. The latter steps are easy but the first not, but much easier if that long chrome piece is plastic, like the large T logo on the nose cone. I'll look into it.

 

[artsci]

Thanks for looking into this - it would certainly be amazing as would the illuminated T!

I'd pay to have both done! :wink:

Aaron

I'll order a spare of the chrome trunk strip to see what can be done. Let's hope it's plastic.

 

[PhilBa]

There are lots of different sizes of EL wire so you should be able to get something that is close.

However, there are drawbacks to EL wire: it gets dimmer over time (several thousand hours), it's not that bright to begin with and you have a relatively small number of colors to choose from. The inverters I know of that take 12V are big clunky things.

I would consider using RGB LEDs which will last a very long time. You can tune the color to what ever you want or even make it change colors on the fly and/or pulse it like a heartbeat. Use it to back-light a T that is cut out. Here's one example. With a small format Arduino you could set it up to rotate through different colors. It takes 12V so it would be easily compatible with the MS. It would be a very small package. I'd be happy to help with the programming and set up (though it's pretty much like falling of a log with an Arduino). If there was enough demand, an even smaller and cheap board could be designed.

Phil

 

[vfx]

The stores have this treatment in the signage. 3 foot white plexi T mounted in red walls and backlit. I'd guess the T protrudes from the wall about 7/16 or so.

My suggestion to Franz was on the hood (in the metal) and flush with a slight glow like the apple logo. This layout works real well with the Roadster hood T.

Having the plastic T stand out proud of the surface would have the glow bleed onto the hood (or cone) surface. Both work. Just different looks.

The Mercedes version (mocked up below)uses the edge glow. Also appropriate since the Tesla stores use this on the TESLA signs in front of the stores.

The cone has a pretty extreme curve. Would the T need to mimic this vertically? I think so for the most professional treatment.

 

[artsci]

There are lots of different sizes of EL wire so you should be able to get something that is close.

However, there are drawbacks to EL wire: it gets dimmer over time (several thousand hours), it's not that bright to begin with and you have a relatively small number of colors to choose from. The inverters I know of that take 12V are big clunky things.

I would consider using RGB LEDs which will last a very long time. You can tune the color to what ever you want or even make it change colors on the fly and/or pulse it like a heartbeat. Use it to back-light a T that is cut out. Here's one example. With a small format Arduino you could set it up to rotate through different colors. It takes 12V so it would be easily compatible with the MS. It would be a very small package. I'd be happy to help with the programming and set up (though it's pretty much like falling of a log with an Arduino). If there was enough demand, an even smaller and cheap board could be designed.

Phil

I'm going to experiment with both LEDs and EL. As they're already being made, I'll have the two logo T's in plexiglass by the end of the week. By then all of the other parts I need to create the two versions will be in hand.

This is next weekend's project. Hopefully I'll have some results to share by next Sunday.

 

[DEinspanjer]

Bah. I have my own plans that I have been working on long before I heard about the benz logo. Unfortunately, it is taking many weeks to get the logo and tail badge delivered. :/

Sent from my SPH-L710 using Tapatalk 4 Beta

 

[vfx]

Scion does it twice in this commercial.

 

[artsci]

I should have all the parts in place tomorrow and show the results of my several experiments by Sunday night.