Strange Cylon Light in my Skyline GTR Roof - Just What Is It???My Nissan Skyline GTR has a strange Cylon light cluster mounted onto the ceiling. It has no obvious purpose and is a complete mystery.
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 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 at an angle, so you can't easily see in, except if you put your head against it. Inside, I can see what looks like a mirror and prisms with red and green light.
My best suggestion so far is related to the Cylon light! (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 of this strange device to see what was in there. The switch panel has Nissan, indicating this is an optional accessory/dealer/factory fitted. It is a substantial kit as it is bolted through the headliner to the roof (not just stuck on by after-market). I can see a circuit panel with the switch panel removed, but there are no part numbers to identify it. I could see a little more when I removed the cover with the slots in. There seemed to be two lights and an array of mirrors inside, but I still had no idea what this thing was.
UPDATE Number 2: 26/04/2007 21:49
When I returned from work, I took the cover off 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 looks like factory mount points.
I checked the number on the circuit board, and it's an inverter. This will transform the 12V car supply to whatever voltage the lamp requires.
I cleaned the mirrors as well because they were thick with dust. This may increase the light intensity a bit. The whole unit is coated with optical-quality matte back paint - which isn't cheap. It's the same stuff that the inside of my telescope is coated with.
As the tree said to the lumberjack: "I'm Stumped!"
You can read more discussion about this thing on the GTR Owners Club Forum
So, after a bit more investigation, it appears that red light aids in night vision, while green light aids in visual enhancement to see map details. Mirrors polarise the light beam, which could be why the light does not reflect off the dash or windscreen.
I have finally had a chance to test this theory, and as a map light, this is very impractical. The light is barely bright enough and is in totally the wrong position.
The light is bright enough when it leaves the slots, but by the time it reaches the mirror, it would be too faint to see while driving. I had been outside for about 2 hours, so my eyes were accustomed to the light by then.
The beam of light is also far too narrow, like looking through a letterbox. The position of the dash and the windscreen rule out some map holders there, as there is insufficient space.
The position of the beam of light is also wrong; you have to look up to see the map.
The mirror can be adjusted up and down. However, you can't adjust it much, or the slats stop the light and break up.
I used my proper camera (Canon 350d dSLR) for these pictures as it is far superior to the little one at low light levels, and one thing I did notice in the pictures is that the green/red are split, not combined. The red only accounts for a small fraction of the beam.
