mk1 blue vs. mk2 blue

I find that the mk.1 blue would be better for my VW Golf.. but I have the mk.2 empeg. Why was the blue colour changed?

Why was the blue colour changed?

..to maximise the brightness.

Rob

Oh. Here in dark dark Finland it's almost too bright .

On the other hand it seems that the blue that previously existed would have fitted my VW perfectly.. Is it available upon special request or mayhaps a prize on the next Empeg meet? ;)

Amarth

No, there are no Mk.2 panels in that colour. There are some very dark panels on early players (we sent replacements to the couple of hundred people that got them) but that's not a match for the Mk.1 blue either.

The Mk.2 blue panel seems to match in nicely with VW LCD backlights - at least, it does on Hugo's Beetle.

Rob

Mmm, not really Rob; the mk1 was a much closer match (but never installed in there). The VWs have quite a pure blue, the mk2 blue screen is more blue-green.

Hugo

OK you can do the colour approvals yourself next time

Rob

I knew we couldn't get a VW match *and* good brightness though, the phosphor of the VFD just doesn't emit the required spectrum. All the VW illumination is either blue LED or EL sheet lighting...

Hugo

...the blue that previously existed would have fitted my VW perfectly.. Is it available upon special request...

I'll bet you could find a blue MkI faceplate somewhere... all you'd have to do is drill a 12mm hole in the appropriate place for the rotary knob shaft, and you'd be in business.

Or am I overlooking something here?

tanstaafl.



"There Ain't No Such Thing As A Free Lunch"

The Mk1 and Mk2 faceplates are different thicknesses, and the button cutouts are a different shape.

You could probably attach a Mk1 face and buttons if you discarded the plastic fascia of the Mark2...

___________
Tony Fabris

I wonder if there is a market for "Customising" empegs, in the way you can take your GSM to custom shops and get them tricked out with blue LEDs, transparent cases, and stuff. Maybe a "Mk 1 Retro Kit" would be a hot seller? The hole centres are the same - the only problem is the shaft hole for the rotary knob and how it would look in combination with the older front panel.

One of the few remaining Mk1 owners... #00015

Correct, the buttons are identically located. Mk1 button caps, plus a hole in a mk1 fascia, will fit on a mk2 - though the handle will look a bit strange!

Hugo

Well the MKI handle was milled and anodised, which is pretty easy to do - you could quite easily manufacture a handle with the "MKI look". I don't know how easy MKI buttons are to get hold of, but it must be possible (Farnell?). The only trick would be to find a knob that looks good with the rest of it.

I personally much prefer the colour of the MKI screen. Looks much better than the MKII blue. Will have to do a side by side test to see, but I reckon the contrast is a little better on the MKI too. That was something I noticed on a MKI with a clear panel - it was brighter, but the contrast didn't seem nearly as good.

(list 6284, Mk1 S/N 00299 4GB blue [for sale]. Mk2 S/N 080000094 6GB blue)

Pretty much the reason why I didn't use it much after I had a smoked one made - looked great when the unit was being shown off, but too bright at night and washed out in sunshine. In the end I just went back to the original panel.

One of the few remaining Mk1 owners... #00015

If you want mk1 buttons, we have lots of them here. Lots of them.

Hugo

Next thing you know people are gonna start making their own fascia designs as well

_______________________

Steve - 18GB Mk II Amber

Hugo, those buggers at Farnell won't accept a private order under GBP 100 pounds. If you have some for sale, I'll have two sets please. Mail me off line for costs and delivery prices!

Rob S

One of the few remaining Mk1 owners... #00015

Mail support and we can probably send some out for free, I'm sure I can dig some out - selling them is a bit silly as they cost almost nothing and the ones we have we're unlikely to be using in the future...

Hugo

*Sigh*

Hugo, Hugo, Hugo. *Shakes head*

That's no way to make money! I can just imagine the PHB citing those exact reasons as an argument FOR (rather than against) selling something and then exclaiming with glee "It's 100% profit!".

:) <- for the differently humoured.

Am i being stupid or does anyone else remeber a post where someone was printing off sheets to go over the empeg that were multi coloured

No. There was a post a while back about that. Combined with a clear face plate, it would allow you to customize your display quite a bit. Please note, that would defeat the EMC shielding the factory plates have (conductive coating to make them meet FCC requirements), but it looks cool anyway!

Paul G.
SN# 090000587 (40GB Clear)