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VDO Tacho, Original Type Face


garvice

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Ok, at the start of the year I bought an electronic VDO tacho to go with my new computer. I bought it because it looked like the closest font to the original tacho. I then proceeded to pull it apart so that I could add indicators to the face. You can see that thread here.

http://forums.hybridz.org/showthread.php?t=143337

This is what it looked like

IMG_1496.jpg

 

As stated in the previous thread, I was happy with the new tacho, but thought that I could do better with matching the type face.

This was the result. If you like what you see then keep reading for the details.

IMG_3818_2.jpg

 

Ok, so you like what you see.

What I liked about the VDO tacho was that the light shun through the perspex face rather then passing around the edges like the original.

So I dismantled the tacho again and found that the VDO tacho face was a thin (about 1mm) plastic sheet that was screen printed and glued to the 3mm perspex tacho.

IMG_3806_2.jpg

 

So I decided that I could replicate this. I first started with OHT (Over head Transparency) sheets, but I couldn't get the black, black enough to stop the light. Several sheets helped, but got hard to work with, and using a bubble jet printer wasn't going to last long in the sun. So with the help of a member on here and auszcar "sexual_sushi" (Yeah I know, gay name, but he's cool). He redrew my scanned tacho and got them printed by a professional photo lab. I then put a OHT copy behind a Photo copy and Double sided taped them to the tacho. I also took the hand (made of clear perspex with an orange paint on the bottom) and sanded the orange off the bottom to paint white.

 

OHT

IMG_3811_2.jpg

 

PHOTO

IMG_3825_2.jpg

 

IN CAR

IMG_3818_2.jpg

 

NIGHT PHOTO (See the difference in illumination between original speedo and new tacho, also note the redline lights up)

IMG_3824.jpg

This one shows the lights and hand better (first print)

IMG_3803_2.jpg

 

So, am I done? No, not yet. There are a few other things that I am going to work on. First is that the face isn't as matt as I wanted (might try some matt clear coat). Second, have to move the tacho down a little, also got to block out the light coming through the Kanto text down the bottom, move the indicators a little and find my round hand cover with chrome surround.

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