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Does anyone else have a MobileLED MD-550?
edited to add:The Company appears to be out of business. This is a link to an archived verison of their web page (http://web.archive.org/web/20070228171615/www.mobileled.com/550vehicleadvertising.html).

I just bought one with red LEDs and am in the process of coming up with some messages for it.
I have room for 60 more and would like your ideas.

Right now I am keeping things pretty tame.
I am not out to upset people.

Here's what I have so far:
Good Morning
Good Afternoon
Good Evening
Driving Slowly...Please Pass
55 Saves Lives
Carpool to Madison...$2/Ride... (then my phone number)
Visit Madison Hybrid Group.com
Visit CleanMPG.com
Visit Hybridfest.com
Slowing (This scrolls up from the bottom, stays a moment, then goes back down, then comes back up loops continuously.)
<<<<<<<<<<<< (This scrolls from right to left continuously.)
>>>>>>>>>>>>(This scrolls from left to right continuously.)


I was thinking about some options like:
Today's gas mileage…70 mpg.
Today's gas mileage…75 mpg.
Today's gas mileage…80 mpg.
Today's gas mileage…85 mpg.
Today's gas mileage…90 mpg.

I can pre-program a bunch of these in different slots and then just choose them as needed.
If I was really talented I could even edit them on the fly. (But that's a bit dangerous.)

The unit fits nicely in the lower vertical hatch window in my Insight.
I'll take some pics and post them when I get a chance.

I have another unit I will be selling (New In Box. $50 plus shipping). I'll post it in the buy/sell area at a future date.


edit: Here's a quick photo I took. It's not great since I waited too long at night, but it'll give you an idea of letter size.
This is the end of a scrolling phrase that says:
"Today's Gas Mileage: 80 MPG"
http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/showphoto.php/photo/4628/cat/500/ppuser/8
http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/500/medium/DSC00628.JPG

Here's another photo during the daytime
http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/522/mobileled80.JPG
http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/522/mobileled80.JPG

Low flying UFO
Hamster powered
Your headlight is out
Come closer so my camera can read your license plate
Can I hitch a ride in your truck bed?
If I start slowing down I just need to rewind my rubber band
This vehicle is piloted by a robot
Last fill date: <date here>
30mph = 120mpg


Sorry. I'm in a silly mood. ;)

I'm have them all programmed for:

Faster than 55 MPH is now ILLEGAL!
Faster than 50 MPH is now ILLEGAL!
Faster than 45 MPH is now ILLEGAL!
Faster than 40 MPH is now ILLEGAL!
Faster than 35 MPH is now ILLEGAL!
Faster than 30 MPH is now ILLEGAL!
Faster than 25 MPH is now ILLEGAL!
Faster than 20 MPH is now ILLEGAL!
Faster than 15 MPH is now ILLEGAL!
Faster than 10 MPH is now ILLEGAL!

I'd program them for hot key 0-9 and just punch the right hot key when your in the correct speed zone. For my commute the speed limits are {70, 65, 55, 45, 40, 35, 30, 20, 15, 10}. The last two are posted in the Parking Lot ;).

Don't forget the speed limit (in Texas at least) on an exit or entry to any interstate (the ramp part) is 35 MPH. People always want me to charge the on-ramp even though there is a HUGE orange sign there stating 35 MPH.

Thanks for the link... May have to consider it for myself.

Edit:
Driving at speed limit, passing me is ILLEGAL!

I'd also consider:
Student Driver / Hypermiler

"Student Driver" is a sure way to get you passed without so much as a second thought.


11011011

Good stuff!! Thanks for the ideas. Keep them coming.
I am trying to stay lighthearlted and not anger people.
Not sure if I'm ready to point out the fact that people are speeding, yet.

Thanks for the link... May have to consider it for myself.
Dan, whatever you do, do not buy a unit at the incredibly high retail price. You should be able to easily find one under $75 if you are patient. (And as I mentioned at the end of my post, I have one to sell for $50.)

Please put the cell phone down so you dont run into me.
Go around me so you can win the race to the next red light.
Pass me so I can draft you for awhile.
Cant go any faster, I forgot to plug in my hybrid last night.
WOW, I bet your getting better mileage now that your behind me.
Do you know where the battery filling station is?
You honk now, I honk when I pass you at the gas staion.
Bet your not getting 65 mpg like I am.
You are to close! I can smell your breath.

Always liked:
GETTING 90 MPG - AND YOU?
MO MPG

I've already bought the "Try ECO driving, not EGO driving" bumper stickers. Any situational message I'd put an electronic sign would be inappropriate for this forum and unwise in any event. :D Which is why I won't be buying one of these devices.

By the way, yellow signs are advisory, not regulatory. Only white or orange signs are regulatory. "35 mph" on a white sign is a speed limit. "35 mph" on an orange sign in a construction zone is a speed limit. "35 mph" on a yellow sign is only a recommendation. I sure wouldn't want to be entering (or leaving) my local freeways at 35 mph!

Wow, Eric, that looks GREAT.

Nice work. :-)

"Please back off - you are endangering us both"

"The speed limit is not negotiable"

"Driving slower will steal a terrorist's lunch"

WOW, that looks so much better than the little licence plate ones! Those worry me because people might get too close trying to read them, but these letters are readable from a nice safe distance.

You're not worried that someone will see "80mpg", find out where you park, and steal the car? Especially if gas prices shoot up again?

It never fails to amuse me that the people who whiz by me on the interstate have no clue that my Insight is getting 95-100mpg (my commute is very mpg-friendly!). As someone here calculated, assuming they're getting even 20mpg, the gas they pay $3/gal for in effect costs me 63 cents/gal. OTOH, I'm not sure some of them would be too happy if they knew that, and I cherish a peaceful driving experience.

So maybe I'd just put "STUDENT DRIVER" up there - after all hypermiling is always a learning experience!

You need to hook it up to the car computer so you can have the car feed the average MPG to the display constantly :)

Hmm, do we see a trend beginning of drivers wanting to be able
to communicate with other drivers with slightly more granularity
than the equivalent of a baby crying? There's my fantasy of
inter-car short range radio of some sort, but then immediately
thinking it would become the world's biggest "f.y." network
and fail in its purpose ... but all we've got to date are hand
gestures and brake lights and the occasional horn, so not many
colors on the palette. Oh, and turn signals, which are too
often used after the fact to say "ha ha, I cut you off" or
not used at all.
.
Effective communication of intent and need would add a whole
new dimension to that "predictive driving" thing, wouldn't it..
.
_H*

There's my fantasy of
inter-car short range radio of some sort, but then immediately
thinking it would become the world's biggest "f.y." network
and fail in its purpose ... but all we've got to date are hand
gestures and brake lights and the occasional horn, so not many
colors on the palette. Oh, and turn signals, which are too
often used after the fact to say "ha ha, I cut you off" or
not used at all.
.
Effective communication of intent and need would add a whole
new dimension to that "predictive driving" thing, wouldn't it..
.
_H*
We had that. It was called "CB radio", good buddy.

What is this magical "SeeBee" radio of which you speak?

:D

I do brake for FIBs

(sorry, grew up in Chicagoland)

Thought of this today while driving in to work:
"NICE GRILLE!" [this could appear in two sections, one after the other: NICE and then GRILLE!]

You need to hook it up to the car computer so you can have the car feed the average MPG to the display constantly :)

I definitely don't have the skills to do that, but I did add these to my repitoire:
Currently getting 70 MPG
Currently getting 75 MPG
Currently getting 80 MPG
Currently getting 85 MPG
etc
I can quickly choose from a number of them that I preprogrammed in. All I do is enter a 2 digit code.

Here's how it shows on the screen...
The message scrolls in from the left, stops with just the "80 MPG" showing for a few seconds, then the "80 MPG" scrolls downwards off the screen. Then the whole thing loops through again.

I figure this is simply a statement of my gas mileage and shouldn't be controversial. I am choosing to not end the statement with "..and you?" because I think it sounds too much like I'm trying to challenge people.

I added another photo to original post in this thread. It's of the sign during the daytime.
I took it with an old camera so it still isn't great. But you get the idea.

And lastly here's a picture of the keypad used for inputting the MobileLED messages.
It also has a scrolling screen so you can see what message is playing on the sign.

I keep the keypad between the seats next to the emergency brake.

That item on the left is not part of the MobileLED hardware. That's the MIMA joystick.
http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/522/mobileled80keypad.JPG
http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/522/mobileled80keypad.JPG

So I've been driving a while with the new sign.
Although the "Currently Getting XX MPG"" slogan gets a lot of attention and thumbs up, I think the slogan that gets the most attention and has the greatest visible impact is the "SCHOOL ZONE: 20 MPH". It's nice to see people actually slow down as they come up behind me when we are in the school zone.

I've moved the keyapad to a new location and velcroed it down. no pocs yet.

I have a sign like this as well, but I seem to have lost the software to connect to my computer. I have searched everywhere online for it. It seems that the company has gone out of business and their web site now belongs to another company. I was wondering if you would be able to post it. Thanks in advance.

That sign is sweet.

How cool! I always wondered if something like that could be done...

I would put something like: current mpg to date ... 68.9 MPG. Then update it every time you add a tank to cleanmpg. There's also:

Please drive responsibly
if you can read this you're too close
refrain from tailgating

and of course:
get off my bumper jackass
your momma is so fat she looses 2mpg everywhere she goes
breathe, you're not late, relax
eat my......unpolluted air
my @$$^*#$ makes more gas than this car
mmmm.... fuelsavings
gas at $3.49 a gallon, are you driving the right car?