|
Why do virtually all manufacturers use black instrument dials ......
because they are more ergonomic. Look at a black/dark object and your pupils dilate to maximise light input and info the brain. Use a white background and your pupils contract, effectively making it harder to see.
Check out aircraft cockpits - most instruments have black backgrounds.Aircraft manufacturers have spent milloions on researching this topic.
Head-up displays are a relatively recent development enabled by advances in technology.But ask yourself this - would you want all the visual information you receive a a driver, given in a head-up fashion? Probably not. Most types of information fall into two main categories:- Caught and Sought.
Caught is for the very important stuff you get your system/car to 'throw at you' e.g. head-up displays which are difficult to avoid so the info is delivered.
Sought is the stuff you use less frequently and go looking for, essentially secondary info oil pressure, engine tempertature etc. That's where black backgrounds, white pointers on analogue displays give a quick and fairly rough indicator of value. You are not worried about exact engine coolant temperature is it 89 deg or 91? it doesn't matter too much. What's more important is whether the engine is still cold or is it overheating. i.e. which end of the dial is the pointer.
Sorry for banging on car ergonomics are a bit of a hobby horse.
|
