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AndyTips
21 Posts |
 Posted - 07 mars 2012 : 18:35:02
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I'm looking for some way to hack the brightness levels on my Garmin 3790 - the 0% brightness level is too bright for using on an unlit road, and I've never yet wanted to go above 60% even in bright daylight.
I find it too bright at night, even though I've got it set to 0% brightness, and that's on an urban road with lots of good lighting. On an unlit country road it's far too bright for my eyes and would stop me seeing the road ahead properly if I kept it turned on.
Is anyone aware of a way of changing the brightness levels? It's either that or turn it off when I'm on unlit roads, which seems less than ideal. I'm sure there's no point asking Garmin as it's a two year old product and they no longer care.
I mentioned this in another thread, but that probably wasn't the place for it, so I've started a new one. |
Nuvi 3790T fw4.8 & Quest |
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popej
Poland
513 Posts |
Posted - 07 mars 2012 : 21:17:12
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Are you using night mode? I set brightness to minimum and I find it usable.
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popej |
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danham
USA
7339 Posts |
Posted - 07 mars 2012 : 22:32:41
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I don't think the new nuvis do this, but I used to set my 350 to 0% ON BATTERY and it would automatically come up to a tolerable (but still too bright for constant display) level for turns, and then go back to very dim a few seconds later. Connected to 12-volt power it was always too bright.
-dan |
- Nüvi forum moderator -
Nüvi 760 in a '10 Jetta TDI Diesel SportWagen & zumo 660 on a BMW F800 ST
Guide to working with pre-programmed routes: >> details <<
Language Guide / US Topo / 350 & 680 / MacBook & Intel iMac with OS X & Win XP / BaseCamp / Cape Cod, MA
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AndyTips
21 Posts |
Posted - 08 mars 2012 : 07:28:50
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popej,
Of course I am, yes.
dan,
I haven't tried that. It would be a bit fiddly trying to unplug it and plug it back in again while I was driving though. It took me a couple of attempts to get the lighter plug in the right position in the socket when I connected it.
I wonder if there's just a table of the brightness levels to use for each setting (0% to 100%, in 10% steps). I can see why they'd allow more brightness at the top end than any normal person could stand - to allow for the backlight fading with age, I guess, but they don't seem to have done much usability testing for the low end. That's another point where my Quest is much better thought out.
Really, I should be able to turn the screen off all together and just listen to the nagging voice. I guess putting a cloth over it, like the cage of an annoying parrot, might be the only solution.
Maybe they decided not to allow the screen to go off because the only way to turn it back on again would be by voice command. Personally, I can only get that to work reliably by turning the engine and air blower off, and adopting an American accent.
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Nuvi 3790T fw4.8 & Quest |
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SergZak
USA
1757 Posts |
Posted - 08 mars 2012 : 07:46:12
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Just an FYI, the 34xx series screen brightness has been lowered compared to the 37xx series. There is a difference of about 20% between the two with the 37xx being 20% brighter:
Equal brightness (nighttime mode on battery)
37xx=10%
34xx=30%
0% brightness on both units seem to be identical.
I don't know if it's an intentional lowering or coincidence but at least my two units show this difference.
EDIT: corrected unit naming |
nüvi 3490LMT, nüvi 3790LMT, nüvi 765T, nüvi 855, nüvi 760, nüvi 750 |
Edited by - SergZak on 08 mars 2012 07:55:16 |
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AndyTips
21 Posts |
Posted - 08 mars 2012 : 07:53:38
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That's interesting. Thanks, SergZak (I assume you mean "the 34xx series screen brightness has been lowered compared to the 37xx series").
I guess it could be due to a hardware difference but it could also be due to differences in the firmware, if there is a table of brightnesses. It's a shame about 0% being the same though. That's the one that counts, for night driving. |
Nuvi 3790T fw4.8 & Quest |
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danham
USA
7339 Posts |
Posted - 08 mars 2012 : 14:28:21
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@AndyTips:
Usually the 12v socket is pretty easy to reach, but the other factor for me was that I only found the screen too bright in rural night driving, so it was not difficult to plan ahead when i wanted to go "off the grid."
Love the parrot idea. Maybe Garmin should name its next series "Norwegian Blue."
-dan |
- Nüvi forum moderator -
Nüvi 760 in a '10 Jetta TDI Diesel SportWagen & zumo 660 on a BMW F800 ST
Guide to working with pre-programmed routes: >> details <<
Language Guide / US Topo / 350 & 680 / MacBook & Intel iMac with OS X & Win XP / BaseCamp / Cape Cod, MA
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ddabcd277
307 Posts |
Posted - 08 mars 2012 : 15:20:03
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| Have you tried using a screen protector over the nuvi screen? Maybe if it is a little bit dimmed it would meet your needs. |
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AndyTips
21 Posts |
Posted - 08 mars 2012 : 15:45:50
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I put one on before I ever used it in my car, ddabcd277. Someone should make a heavily tinted one. It would still be ridiculous using up the battery that fast, and then dimming it like that though.
"I wish to register a complaint... Ello, Miss?" |
Nuvi 3790T fw4.8 & Quest |
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pillowcase
USA
62 Posts |
Posted - 12 mars 2012 : 04:15:27
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Have you tried locking the screen? I do not have a 3790.
On my 13xx and 24xx models, the screen brightness is dimmed to a level not readable in daylight but quite comfortable for night use along unlit road. |
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AndyTips
21 Posts |
Posted - 14 mars 2012 : 00:36:18
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That sounded promising, pillowcase, but it doesn't seem to be possible on a 3700 series. The PDF manual I looked at referred to locking the screen on page 5, but there was nothing about locking the screen, only locking the whole thing, which means it's completely turned off and can't be turned back on without entering a PIN, or driving back to the place where you locked it.
Also, if I disconnect it from the 12V supply (danham's method) it shuts down shortly afterwards... I guess I could set it so it doesn't. I was on an unlit road today and I was tempted to try unplugging it but I didn't want to get distracted by fiddling with it while I was driving. We now have some stupid vaguely defined law where you can be given a ticket for doing almost anything while driving too. Even eating a sweet.
It was too bright for comfort but I didn't turn it off. I could really have done with it being a lot dimmer though. There was the glare from the GPS screen itself, and a ghost image where it reflects off the windscreen above it to deal with. It's a lot brighter than I have the lights on my dashboard set to. |
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dasilvarsa
90 Posts |
Posted - 14 mars 2012 : 08:21:53
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| The only physical control on the 3790T's chassis is the power/lock button located on the device's top edge. Tapping this button brings up the lock screen, from where you can choose between locking the touch screen and putting the device into a sleep state. Holding this button toggles the unit's power on and off. |
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AndyTips
21 Posts |
Posted - 14 mars 2012 : 09:41:55
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Pressing the power button on mine just puts it to sleep. Maybe that's a setting I made, I can't remember. When I press it again I see a screen with a lock icon on that says double tap (on the icon) to unlock.
Did the other models have a separate button to lock the screen then? |
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pillowcase
USA
62 Posts |
Posted - 14 mars 2012 : 14:58:09
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quote:
Originally posted by dasilvarsa
The only physical control on the 3790T's chassis is the power/lock button located on the device's top edge. Tapping this button brings up the lock screen, from where you can choose between locking the touch screen and putting the device into a sleep state. Holding this button toggles the unit's power on and off.
It is the exactly the same way on the 13xx/23xx series.
The extreme-dimming of the screen is to conserve power might be one of those "concealed" features of Garmin. The dimming occurs a few (~5?) seconds after the screen lock is activated. Touching the screen or pushing the on/off button brings the screen back to its preset brightness and the unlock prompt. I do not set the security code on mine, so it just brightens to the map screen.
P.S. In the screen-locked mode, all the touch control functions are disabled of course. I believe this is intended for use with the pedestrian mode to prevent accidental activation.
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Edited by - pillowcase on 14 mars 2012 15:13:26 |
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popej
Poland
513 Posts |
Posted - 14 mars 2012 : 16:06:55
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I have never seen lock screen option on 37xx. I'm on 34xx firmware now, but I think it behaves the same as 37xx. Any short tap at power button makes device go to sleep mode with black screen. Longer press gives menu with 2 options: cancel and power off.
1200 and 2340 have lock screen option after short press at power button, but I can't notice any additional dimming after setting the lowest brightness. |
popej |
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pillowcase
USA
62 Posts |
Posted - 14 mars 2012 : 16:45:44
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Interesting.
Additional notes: Both my 1370 and 2465 are Taiwanese models.
I wonder if the dimming features are only available on models for the Asian and ??? models? |
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3790 - 0% brightness - still too bright!
