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HUD subtle flicker?

Discussion in 'Gen 4 Prius Audio and Electronics' started by wfolta, Apr 10, 2018.

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  1. wfolta

    wfolta Active Member

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    I've noticed that the HUD brightness flickers subtly. Hard to see when the car's moving, but sitting still I see it. I can't find any threads on this, so wondering if it's just me.

    (Thanks for your feedback! This is a 2018 Prius Four. And it's a small dimming where it stays at full brightness for 4-10 seconds, then dims subtly for 2-4 seconds. Not any kind of flashing. I first saw it in the evening, not yet dark but not full daylight, and assumed it might be something like shadows and light falling on a sensor that adjusts its brightness. I haven't noticed it in bright light, and can't remember if I've seen it at night. I have seen it in our underground garage. When the car's moving, there's enough motion of things that I would hardly notice it if I hadn't been sensitized in a stopped car.)
     
    #1 wfolta, Apr 10, 2018
    Last edited: Apr 10, 2018
  2. krmcg

    krmcg Lowered Blizzard Pearl Beauty

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    I have not noticed it in mine. I will take extra effort to see if it is happening.
     
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  3. Diemaster

    Diemaster Active Member

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    same here.
     
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  4. RCO

    RCO Senior Member

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    The ambient light sensor in the front of the centre of the windscreen decides when to dim the screens when entering tunnels etc. Perhaps the ambient light is on the cusp of dimming the brilliance of the HUD. Any ideas?
     
  5. Diemaster

    Diemaster Active Member

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    lately my HUD has been steady. i assume the HUD dims with headlights on? mine does not.
     
  6. Harters

    Harters Active Member

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    I can see mine adjusting brighter/dimmer to the varying light conditions all the time so its not just in the dark that it dims.

    Whether or not it does not auto adjust if you have the brightness all the way up or down I don't know.
     
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  7. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    upload_2018-4-23_12-22-29.png

    It could be the HUD automatically adjusting the brightness?

    The auto-dim when the vehicle is stopped is normal.
     
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  8. RCO

    RCO Senior Member

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    Erm, my post #4
     
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  9. wfolta

    wfolta Active Member

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    I noticed it very strongly yesterday in our complex's garage. For some reason, the car was slow to switch from day to night mode (navigation flipping from white to black, etc) and as the car went under overhead flourescent lights, the HUD dimmed very noticeably in response.

    So I think what I've seen is a combination of two things: a) the HUD does not have as strong a hysteresis-prevention as the rest of the display, and b) the HUD adjusts more strongly in daylight conditions. This may be due to the HUD actually having to adjust more rapidly since it's in your line-of-sight, or it may be that they didn't figure it's worth the extra time and effort to make it work differently.

    So I'm very sure now it's a real effect and it could be quite normal, but require just the right conditions to see. It's possible that our Prius' environmental light level sensor system is defective, I guess, and I'll report here if that happens. Thanks all!
     
  10. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    Right, for the first one. I was thinking it could be the second possibility too - the one where it automatically dims when you're stopped.
     
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  11. RCO

    RCO Senior Member

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    Never noticed that! Should I pay more attention to detail? :)
     
  12. pilotgrrl

    pilotgrrl Senior Member

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    I have the brightness all the way up because I don't like the "negative" maps. I've never seen it dim or flicker
     
  13. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    Err I'm not sure. I don't have a HUD on our Gen 4 so I can't say how obvious it is in real life. I didn't notice it on the test drive of the Prime.
     
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  14. wb9tyj

    wb9tyj 2017 Prius Prime Advanced

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    My prime 's HUD flickers ,as well...I noticed it as I backed out of the garage...maybe it's the light sensor getting confused...i went up/down with the light intensity ...made no difference...but then, as i continued into steady light...the flicker went away...