Hi guys,

This is my first post here and, unsurprisingly, I have a question. I hope this isn't too far off-topic.

For an automotive project, I need to make a backlit indicator panel. What I mean is a small panel that is, say, black with white label text until the backlighting is turned on, at which point the white text is illuminated from behind. Basically, like the gauge cluster in pretty much any vehicle from the last twenty years.

The text will have to be very small (approx 11pt bold computer font) and I can't figure out how to make this happen. I was thinking about applying those very small rub-on letters from a craft shop to a piece of semi-opaque white acrylic, spray-painting the acrylic black and then peeling the rub-ons off, but that seems like a really questionable plan.

So, any advice on how to make this go? Thanks for any help.

 

I hope this helps... if you are familiar with transparancies? Those clear plastic pages used on overhead projectors in every school everywhere. I think Kinkos prints them. Anyway how about getting it printed in reverse, meaning start with a black page and use white lettering that would come out clear? Kind of the inverse of what they use now? That way it is already on plastic also.

 

In car displays used LCD-s. (any LCD can work with negative readout if the polarfilter on front side rotated 90 degrees) The display is transparent type (no mirror on back) and the readout appear only when backlight on.