What is it?

"PartyPooper2012" (PartyPooper2012)
10/21/2019 at 14:21 • Filed to: None

1958 Caddy Eldorado on BAT

What is on the dashboard? Looks like a spot light, but it doesn’t have option for turning

DISCUSSION (20)

Snuze: Needs another Swede > PartyPooper2012
10/21/2019 at 14:25

I believe it’s an auto dimmer - it detects oncoming headlights and dims your hi-beams (if they’re on).

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > PartyPooper2012
10/21/2019 at 14:27

Most likely an automatic headlight dimmer.

They were a common thing in the 50s on high level vehicles. Basically, if the headlights are on, and it sees bright light, it dims the headlights.

PartyPooper2012 > Snuze: Needs another Swede
10/21/2019 at 14:27

? Really or you pulling my leg?

PartyPooper2012 > RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht
10/21/2019 at 14:28

WOW!!!

Holy shit! They had that back in 58???

PartyPooper2012 > RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht
10/21/2019 at 14:29

I thought you were kidding. Guy sitting next to me was born in 58 and he had no idea they had that technology back then. Had no idea what that was

Snuze: Needs another Swede > PartyPooper2012
10/21/2019 at 14:29

No, I’m not kidding. GM called it the “Autronic Eye”.

PartyPooper2012 > Snuze: Needs another Swede
10/21/2019 at 14:32

I thought you were kidding. Guy sitting next to me was born in 58 and he had no idea they had that technology back then. Had no idea what that was

Got Kinjad and my reply went to another bidder

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > PartyPooper2012
10/21/2019 at 14:34

My dad had an early ‘50s Olds Holiday Coupe before I was born, and it was apparently optioned out the wazoo. Had one of those. FoMoCo’s version was available as an option on my ‘59 Lincoln, but I don’t have it.

Snuze: Needs another Swede > PartyPooper2012
10/21/2019 at 14:38

No worries. And that might actually be a “GuideM atic. ” Apparently GM had 2 technologies, “ Autronic Eye” for headlight control, and “Twilight Sentinal” which dimmed/brightened the interior lighting based on exterior conditions.

The Autronic E ye came out in ‘52 on Cadillacs and ‘53 on Oldsmobile and Buicks. In ‘58 the GuideMatic debuted which was basically a more compact version that also had a drive controlled sensitivity adjustment. The GuideMatic also incorporated the function of the Twilight Sentinal.

Apparently these things never really worked all that well, and then in the 70s when retro-reflective road signs were adopted it really screwed with them, every road sign caused the system to dim, so they were mostly dropped, though it looks like you could get them in certain Cadillacs up through 1988.

PartyPooper2012 > Snuze: Needs another Swede
10/21/2019 at 14:41

fascinating. Thanks for that info. Would have never guessed it. Would have thought it was a spot light but from personal experience I know not to turn on a flashlight in a car and shine it through glass.

PartyPooper2012 > RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht
10/21/2019 at 14:43

That is an amazing piece of technology for that era

Snuze: Needs another Swede > PartyPooper2012
10/21/2019 at 14:54

If you google image search you can find some old ads for it. There’s also some pictures of the unit itself - it looks like it’s basically a photo-cell hooked to a vacuum tube amplifier that’s in turn connected to a high-beam relay. When the photo-cell detects enough light (what it thinks is a headlight being shined into it), it’s voltage increases, the amplifier amplifies that signal and if it breaks a certain threshold it can cycle a relay to turn off the highbeams.

Of course the problem here is that it’s a “dumb” system, it has no way to determine if the light being shined into it is from a headlight, a street light, a flashlight, reflection, etc. In my brief googling it looks like a few manufacturers, Mercedes-Benz was one name that kept popping up, are working on modern versions of this that use cameras that can discriminate between headlights and other light sources. So maybe we’ll see this make a comeback!

Kiltedpadre > PartyPooper2012
10/21/2019 at 14:59

I didn’t get here to say what it does, but I can provide a copy of an ad for it.

Kinja'd!!!

ranwhenparked > PartyPooper2012
10/21/2019 at 15:01

Headlamp dimmer, but they weren't the most reliable at the time. Your own headlights reflecting off street signs, or anything shiny, could fool it into thinking another car was coming and cause it to dip the high beams.

PartyPooper2012 > Snuze: Needs another Swede
10/21/2019 at 15:05

My wife has a car with LED headlights. I do believe it has that feature - when it detects some light it is supposed to lower the brightness.

Of course, it does not work well. It needs to be nose to nose to detect the light to lower it. By then, I have gone blind and my corneas are sizzling.

This is why I was amazed this technology existed that far back. Of Course it still does not work

PartyPooper2012 > Kiltedpadre
10/21/2019 at 15:06

Yes. I googled it already. Amazing someone thought of it back then.

Even more amazing in today’s day and age my wife’s car came with similar technology - supposed to lower her cornea burning LED lights down but it doesn’t work.

This is what we'll show whenever you publish anything on Kinja: > PartyPooper2012
10/21/2019 at 17:23

That’s the kind of ingenuity that put people on the moon.

Back when anything was possible and the future actually looked bright. Or so I’ve heard.

RPM esq. > Snuze: Needs another Swede
10/21/2019 at 17:23

Mercedes has automatic high beams that come on at highway speed in the dark and switch to low beams if oncoming light is detected. SOURCE: my C63 has this feature, and surprised me very much the first time it activated.

PartyPooper2012 > This is what we'll show whenever you publish anything on Kinja:
10/22/2019 at 06:19

Back in the day sales people were much better.... they could sell you any idea and you bought it :P

NojustNo > Snuze: Needs another Swede
10/22/2019 at 13:31

I I rented a new Camry LE last year and drove it from Boise to Salt Lake City and back in a day. it had this feature . at night it actually worked r eally well even when other headlights were way off in the distance and was mindful of cars ahead going the same way too.

Between the comfy seats the radar cruise control and this feature it was a really effortless d rive.