Tric Plate - Black out your license plate whenever you want

[scat19]

With an electro-film or something, you are able to completely hide your licene plate.

http://www.tricplate.com/

Freaking amazing, but with a 549.00 price tag....(Then again, I just did get a red light ticket worth 387 :banghead: )

[GQBalla]

http://forums.beyond.ca/st/276127/does-photo-radar-spray-work/


:repost: kinda?

[scat19]

Did you even read my link?

Those are sprays, which don't work.

This is a switchable film, so when power is applied, the film blackens. Making your plate completely black....

Newish technology I'm just spreading the word about - vs old crap.

[nobb]

I wonder if you can build something similar yourself. I'm guessing the technology is similar to the LCD in a calculator. Apply a small electric charge and the surface blacks out. If so, $500 seems like a huge markup for this.

[beyond_ban]

Cool idea, now i can gas n dash with ease :nut:

[scat19]

It's called PDLC film. I'm researching it. 500 bucks does seem like a huge markup.

[GQBalla]

Originally posted by scat19
Did you even read my link?

Those are sprays, which don't work.

This is a switchable film, so when power is applied, the film blackens. Making your plate completely black....

Newish technology I'm just spreading the word about - vs old crap.

did you even scroll down? in my link?


Originally posted by Pollywog
Tricplate. It uses an electronic film that can be darkened at the flip of a switch.

http://www.tricplate.com/picts/tricplate%20clear.jpghttp://www.tricplate.com/picts/tricplate%20dark.jpg

http://www.tricplate.com

[Revhard]

This I like!!!

[Pollywog]

Lol, I DID post about this in that spray thread.

[bubbley]

:repost: :facepalm:

[scat19]

Hah, skipped right over it.....

:facepalm:

[JimmyJones]

Originally posted by scat19
With an electro-film or something, you are able to completely hide your licene plate.

http://www.tricplate.com/

Freaking amazing, but with a 549.00 price tag....(Then again, I just did get a red light ticket worth 387 :banghead: )

everyone already knows your plate is wuznme

[persiancarpet]

Originally posted by scat19
Hah, skipped right over it.....

:facepalm:

You were wearing your tinted shades.

[beyond_ban]

Originally posted by persiancarpet


You were wearing your tinted shades.

fail.

[Thaco]

here you go, $100


only problem is, it's only for euro plates

http://www.dealextreme.com/photogallery.dx/sku.16963

[Mar]

He's just excited he can replace his windshield with this stuff.

Ha, sorry man, I just got a laugh out of it! :rofl: Old joke, slowly dying....

[scat19]

Originally posted by Mar
He's just excited he can replace his windshield with this stuff.

Ha, sorry man, I just got a laugh out of it! :rofl: Old joke, slowly dying....

:devil: I need something to black out

[adidas]

Theres gotta be a way to make this for much less!

[scat19]

http://www.funtechtalk.com/man-fined-for-using-electric-window-glazing-to-stop-police-photo-radar/

[94boosted]

Awesome idea actually. It probably wouldn't work as well in super cold weather. And if a cop saw it on your plate your busted.

[Tik-Tok]

Originally posted by Tik-Tok


That'd be useful if you could hook it up to a gps, and have it blank out everytime you go through a redright/speed on green intersection.

[mr2mike]

Originally posted by Thaco
here you go, $100


only problem is, it's only for euro plates

http://www.dealextreme.com/photogallery.dx/sku.16963

This is shit. It's mechanical like a sun shade on your grandma's 5th wheel. Will for sure break in 6 months. With the writing on the package, I'm guessing 6 days and it's done.


Originally posted by scat19
http://www.funtechtalk.com/man-fined-for-using-electric-window-glazing-to-stop-police-photo-radar/
What a tool. If you use it to do the same thing over and over, the pattern is pretty easy to spot.

[FiveFreshFish]

I like the plate flipper concept.

ZUp-Bg0BF-Y

[Nissan_Fanboy]

LOL, the flip plate,
on like 88ish camaro's they have a flip plate.
Just flip it, gas and go.

But this plate looks like it could get you in ALOT of trouble.

Doesn't have my vote.

[FiveFreshFish]

This one flips up. A bit too slowly I think.

zJEe6M9PdqY

[scat19]

Originally posted by 94boosted
Awesome idea actually. It probably wouldn't work as well in super cold weather. And if a cop saw it on your plate your busted.

You're right. The specs on just the film is 0-50C.

[soloracer]

I had this idea a long time ago but with a twist. Ever try to take a picture of a television screen? Notice how 1/2 the screen is black? What if you split the film into 4 or 5 separate pieces and then cycled through them fast enough that to the naked eye the plate was visable but when you took a picture part of the plate is blacked out? I'm curious if it would work. Someone mentioned once that the photo radars use JPG's but I don't know how that would change things.

[FiveFreshFish]

Originally posted by soloracer
I'm curious if it would work.

It would depend on your cycling frequency and the photo radar camera's shutter speed.

[mr2mike]

Also if the camera has an IR filter or not. You could but a bunch of IR leds on it and when the camera went off it would show up white. But I'm guessing they're using IR filters.

http://extnasa.usu.edu/on_target/images_independent/nir_remote_test.jpg

[nobb]

^You would need a VERY bright IR source for that to work in the daytime.

[soloracer]

Imagine 3 strips of film that are clear when no power is applied and go completely black when power is applied - sort of like some high end homes have for windows. Now alternate when they go off and on. At no time are all of them on or off at the same time. Camera shutter speed doesn't matter then. Also, since it's not IR to begin with there is no issue with IR filters, etc. The film just cycles between black and transparent.

The only thing I can see defeating it would be video and having the live person writing down the plate number.

[bjstare]

Originally posted by soloracer
Imagine 3 strips of film that are clear when no power is applied and go completely black when power is applied - sort of like some high end homes have for windows. Now alternate when they go off and on. At no time are all of them on or off at the same time. Camera shutter speed doesn't matter then. Also, since it's not IR to begin with there is no issue with IR filters, etc. The film just cycles between black and transparent.

The only thing I can see defeating it would be video and having the live person writing down the plate number.

Unless they were cycling at an enormous rate, it would be obvious to anyone looking at it. And in the case they are cycling at an enormous rate, your plate would appear grey, thus attracting heat from the cops. You would also have to find the exact shutter speed, or slightly slower than the shutter speed used in the camera, to cycle your 'film strips' for this to be kinda possible.

[FiveFreshFish]

Originally posted by soloracer
Imagine 3 strips of film that are clear when no power is applied and go completely black when power is applied - sort of like some high end homes have for windows. Now alternate when they go off and on. At no time are all of them on or off at the same time. Camera shutter speed doesn't matter then. Also, since it's not IR to begin with there is no issue with IR filters, etc. The film just cycles between black and transparent.



PERCEIVED DIMMING is something that you didn't consider in your design.

Your device as you describe it can have two possible operation modes:

Mode "A": 2 strips are black and 1 strip is clear; never all black and never all clear

Mode "B": 2 strips are clear and 1 strip is black; never all black and never all clear

Mode "A" hides 2/3 of the plate at any time so its brightness is only one third as bright as an uncovered plate as perceived by the naked eye. This would be very obvious to cops.

Mode "B" hides 1/3 of the plate at any time so its brightness is two thirds as bright as an uncovered plate. Not as nearly as dark as Mode "A" but still very noticeable. This is the mode you would most likely use to minimize the dimming effect.

Random strip switching and varying the alternating time will be easily visible to the naked eye and is therefore not feasible.

____________________________________


SHUTTER SPEED is a factor. I'm going to assume the following for this proof:
- Your design uses Mode "B" described above
- The strips switch on and off without lag
- The strip frequency is 100 Hz (strips alternate every 0.010 s)
- The photo radar camera shutter speed is 1/125 s (=0.008 s)


T = 0.000 s Reference time for strip cycle to begin
Strip 1 = black
Strip 2 = clear
Strip 3 = clear
Shutter = closed

T = 0.005 s Camera operation begins at this arbitrary time
Strip 1 = black
Strip 2 = clear
Strip 3 = clear
Shutter = open

T = 0.010 s Strips alternate
Strip 1 = clear
Strip 2 = black
Strip 3 = clear
Shutter = open

T = 0.013 s Camera shutter closes
Strip 1 = clear
Strip 2 = black
Strip 3 = clear
Shutter = closed

T = 0.020 s Strips alternate
Strip 1 = clear
Strip 2 = clear
Strip 3 = black
Camera shutter = closed

T = 0.030 s Strips alternate -- entire cycle completed
Strip 1 = black
Strip 2 = clear
Strip 3 = clear
Shutter = closed


As you can see, the entire plate can be seen over the shutter duration of 1/125 s. Strips 1 and 2 will be underexposed but still readable. However, if the shutter opened coincidentally with the strip start time (at T = 0.000 s) then the device would have worked. It CAN work but it's hit and miss.

So shutter speed matters, in conjunction with when the pic is taken relative to the strip time. In other words, if the shutter duration overlaps a strip change, the whole license plate will be revealed.

If the shutter speed is long enough relative to the strip frequency, there's a point where the design will not work at all. That point is: S > (1/f) where "S" is the shutter speed and "f" is the strip frequency. For example, shutter speed is 1/60 s and frequency is 80 Hz.

If the shutter speed is very short relative to the strip frequency, then the design will work MOST of the time. For example, shutter speed is 1/1000 s and frequency is 100 Hz.

____________________________________


RED LIGHT CAMERAS are another problem. Two pics are taken so there's a chance that your entire plate can be determined.


Sorry to rain on your parade. ;)

[alloroc]

Wins my vote for most colourful post of the year.


Originally posted by FiveFreshFish


PERCEIVED DIMMING is something that you didn't consider in your design.

Your device as you describe it can have two possible operation modes:

Mode "A": 2 strips are black and 1 strip is clear; never all black and never all clear

Mode "B": 2 strips are clear and 1 strip is black; never all black and never all clear

Mode "A" hides 2/3 of the plate at any time so its brightness is only one third as bright as an uncovered plate as perceived by the naked eye. This would be very obvious to cops.

Mode "B" hides 1/3 of the plate at any time so its brightness is two thirds as bright as an uncovered plate. Not as nearly as dark as Mode "A" but still very noticeable. This is the mode you would most likely use to minimize the dimming effect.

Random strip switching and varying the alternating time will be easily visible to the naked eye and is therefore not feasible.

____________________________________


SHUTTER SPEED is a factor. I'm going to assume the following for this proof:
- Your design uses Mode "B" described above
- The strips switch on and off without lag
- The strip frequency is 100 Hz (strips alternate every 0.010 s)
- The photo radar camera shutter speed is 1/125 s (=0.008 s)


T = 0.000 s Reference time for strip cycle to begin
Strip 1 = black
Strip 2 = clear
Strip 3 = clear
Shutter = closed

T = 0.005 s Camera operation begins at this arbitrary time
Strip 1 = black
Strip 2 = clear
Strip 3 = clear
Shutter = open

T = 0.010 s Strips alternate
Strip 1 = clear
Strip 2 = black
Strip 3 = clear
Shutter = open

T = 0.013 s Camera shutter closes
Strip 1 = clear
Strip 2 = black
Strip 3 = clear
Shutter = closed

T = 0.020 s Strips alternate
Strip 1 = clear
Strip 2 = clear
Strip 3 = black
Camera shutter = closed

T = 0.030 s Strips alternate -- entire cycle completed
Strip 1 = black
Strip 2 = clear
Strip 3 = clear
Shutter = closed


As you can see, the entire plate can be seen over the shutter duration of 1/125 s. Strips 1 and 2 will be underexposed but still readable. However, if the shutter opened coincidentally with the strip start time (at T = 0.000 s) then the device would have worked. It CAN work but it's hit and miss.

So shutter speed matters, in conjunction with when the pic is taken relative to the strip time. In other words, if the shutter duration overlaps a strip change, the whole license plate will be revealed.

If the shutter speed is long enough relative to the strip frequency, there's a point where the design will not work at all. That point is: S > (1/f) where "S" is the shutter speed and "f" is the strip frequency. For example, shutter speed is 1/60 s and frequency is 80 Hz.

If the shutter speed is very short relative to the strip frequency, then the design will work MOST of the time. For example, shutter speed is 1/1000 s and frequency is 100 Hz.

____________________________________


RED LIGHT CAMERAS are another problem. Two pics are taken so there's a chance that your entire plate can be determined.


Sorry to rain on your parade. ;)

[mr2mike]

There's always this, I'm sure it's cheap:

http://www.geekologie.com/2008/09/05/ghetto-plate.jpg

http://www.geekologie.com/2008/09/guy_ghetto_rigs_license_plate.php

[shizzay]

i like it.... seems like it would be a pretty decent investment!