Polarized Sunglasses
 

I picked up some new sunglasses which are polarized and now if I look directly at the radio or climate display I see nothing. I have to look at an angle to see the display.

Anyone else experiencing this?

Just the opposite...if I tilt my head, stuff darkens.

Yep, I actually like non-polarized for that reason.

When I look through my motorcycle face shield with polarized sunglasses I see strange patterns which is why I use tinted glasses.

Ken

Hi,


The Climate Control Display is an LCD and all LCDs have a layer of polarizing material in them.

Remember the old Science Class experiment - take 2 pairs of polarized sunglasses, hold one in front of the other, look through them both. Rotate 1 pair and eventually, the view gets dimmer and may even go black as the orientation of the 2 lenses blocks each other out.

This is what you're experiencing. Either get non-polarized glasses, or get John Lennon style glasses and rotate the lenses in the frame until you can see the display... ;)

Happy Motoring!... Jim'99

i actually helped develop a series of sports sunglasses in the mid 90's that utilized this concept - fixed polarized lens against a rotating partial polarized lens - the idea was a pair of sport sunglasses that allowed the wearer the ability to 'dial in' both the amount of light transmission and color contrast without having to switch lenses (yeah, our competition was Oakley Mframes and Killer loop, as well as the photchromic models offered by Serengetti). We called them Sundials - we generated alot of interest in the eyewear/sports/sunglass industry for a couple of years, but never got a final product into stores - closest I got was an almost sealed deal with Brookstone - of course, Sunglass Hut was the ideal goal. Problem was, our company Pres was too much of a perfectionist (he was Japanese) so everytime we had a 'final' prototype, he'd scrap the lot and wanna start all over - finally people in the biz got tired of all our hype and waiting, the idea fizzled. In 2 years we spent several million $$$ of his families money (roots in Nissan in Japan) - his family also put the squash on things. It was sad, cuz the idea was very cool (especially once we got the frame design down to something sweet looking that properly utilized the technology) and would definitely had been stiff competition for Oakley (not too mention a major windfall for my checking acct).

Maybe if this medicine thing don't work out, I'll revive the idea...

Hi,

Great Minds... Sounds like an interesting concept - too bad it never got past the Prototype stage - been there myself - very frustrating.

Actually doing some CAD work right now on a DIY Car related tool. I'm working with a couple established companies. If it gets off the ground, I'll offer it here to Forum Members at a considerable discount under retail.

Btw, I was glancing at your sig - don't you have a Harmon-Kardon Audio System?...

Happy Motoring!... Jim'99

uh, yup - either way HK or KH - it's not that impressive - thanks for catching the glitch

I have a pair of polarized Oakleys and I can still see the LCD readouts in the car. However, tint looks REALLY funky with the glasses on. Some tint is purple, some is gold, and some looks like a bunch of spots on the window.

Hi,

That's entirely possible. It all depends upon how the polarizing material is oriented relative to the display...

Happy Motoring!... Jim'99

My experience with polarized is that the windstop looks to have a crimson tint when viewing it via the rear view mirror. Most rear windows have a "quilted" look. I can't read my iPod at all...

Yeah, it is interesting. It seems I can see the quality of the tint through the glasses. Higher end cars have the more gold and even tint, whereas the baseline models are either spotty or purple. I've also seen the "quilted" look Larry mentioned.

In radiography that's called the morray effect and relates to scatter grid configeration. I like my polorized shades, especially on the water and in light fog.

Anyone who rides motorcycles is familiar with this. Polarized lenses behind a tinted shield do funny things.