E-Class (W214) 2024 -

Traditional ambient light

Old Jun 2, 2025 | 01:19 AM
  #1  
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Traditional ambient light

Hello,

I cannot decide on an ambient light on my E Class, so I thought to just use the traditional ambient light that Mercedes uses before the 64 color came out. In my older BMWs they used to have amber (reddish orange) as their ambient lighting in the mid 2000s up to my 2012 BMW 5 series. Anybody know what ambient light color Mercedes Benz traditionally used before the adjustable lighting came out?
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Old Jun 2, 2025 | 09:17 AM
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The old color is that of typical incandescent bulbs which is called warm white and is slightly orange. You can try to simulate it by choosing it on the scale of colors but I don't think it has a name you can ask the car to use. At least I've never tried to ask the car so I don't know.
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Old Jun 2, 2025 | 04:15 PM
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Originally Posted by webby87
Hello,

I cannot decide on an ambient light on my E Class, so I thought to just use the traditional ambient light that Mercedes uses before the 64 color came out. In my older BMWs they used to have amber (reddish orange) as their ambient lighting in the mid 2000s up to my 2012 BMW 5 series. Anybody know what ambient light color Mercedes Benz traditionally used before the adjustable lighting came out?
Originally Posted by L1Wolf
The old color is that of typical incandescent bulbs which is called warm white and is slightly orange. You can try to simulate it by choosing it on the scale of colors but I don't think it has a name you can ask the car to use. At least I've never tried to ask the car so I don't know.
Wouldn't it be nice if they give you a colour palette and allow you to mix and match colours?
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Old Jun 2, 2025 | 07:16 PM
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Originally Posted by W205C43PFL
Wouldn't it be nice if they give you a colour palette and allow you to mix and match colours?
That would be better. It's likely too complicated for the average user though. Plus, 64 colors is enough for what it is.
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Old Jun 2, 2025 | 08:11 PM
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Originally Posted by L1Wolf
That would be better. It's likely too complicated for the average user though. Plus, 64 colors is enough for what it is.
Fair enough, I mean come to think of it, only MB has 64 colours (seriously curious how they came up with that number), most of the other automakers have way less.
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Old Jun 2, 2025 | 08:19 PM
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Originally Posted by L1Wolf
That would be better. It's likely too complicated for the average user though. Plus, 64 colors is enough for what it is.
Art class again : )
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Old Jun 2, 2025 | 08:24 PM
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Originally Posted by W205C43PFL
Fair enough, I mean come to think of it, only MB has 64 colours (seriously curious how they came up with that number), most of the other automakers have way less.
64 is a common number for computers when it comes to size or count. It represents a binary number where 1000000 = 64 or 2^6. Looked at another way you can say 000000 to 111111 has 64 possible unique values from 0 to 63. When programmers decide on maximum values, they often use powers of 2. Such as 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64, 128, 256, etc.
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Old Jun 2, 2025 | 08:28 PM
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Originally Posted by L1Wolf
64 is a common number for computers when it comes to size or count. It represents a binary number where 1000000 = 64 or 2^6. Looked at another way you can say 000000 to 111111 has 64 possible unique values from 0 to 63. When programmers decide on maximum values, they often use powers of 2. Such as 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64, 128, 256, etc.
Tech savvy stuff, too much for my brain
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Old Jun 2, 2025 | 08:35 PM
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Originally Posted by W205C43PFL
Tech savvy stuff, too much for my brain
I've been a professional software developer since 1997 and writing code since 1984. Its in my blood.
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Old Jun 3, 2025 | 05:49 AM
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Originally Posted by L1Wolf
64 is a common number for computers when it comes to size or count. It represents a binary number where 1000000 = 64 or 2^6. Looked at another way you can say 000000 to 111111 has 64 possible unique values from 0 to 63. When programmers decide on maximum values, they often use powers of 2. Such as 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64, 128, 256, etc.
WOW!!! I'll never take my ambient light selections for granted again!
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Old Jun 3, 2025 | 06:45 AM
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Originally Posted by W205C43PFL
Fair enough, I mean come to think of it, only MB has 64 colours (seriously curious how they came up with that number), most of the other automakers have way less.

The number 64 likely stems from the RGB (Red, Green, Blue) color model, widely used in digital displays and lighting systems. In this model, colors are created by combining varying intensities of red, green, and blue light.A common configuration for LED-based systems like ambient lighting is to use a limited set of intensity levels for each color channel to simplify processing and control. If each RGB channel (red, green, blue) is assigned 4 intensity levels (e.g., 0%, 33%, 66%, 100%), the total number of possible color combinations is calculated as: 4^3 = 64 This means 64 distinct colors can be produced by combining four intensity levels for each of the three color channels.

Last edited by regor60; Jun 3, 2025 at 06:48 AM.
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Old Jun 3, 2025 | 03:37 PM
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Originally Posted by regor60
The number 64 likely stems from the RGB (Red, Green, Blue) color model, widely used in digital displays and lighting systems. In this model, colors are created by combining varying intensities of red, green, and blue light.A common configuration for LED-based systems like ambient lighting is to use a limited set of intensity levels for each color channel to simplify processing and control. If each RGB channel (red, green, blue) is assigned 4 intensity levels (e.g., 0%, 33%, 66%, 100%), the total number of possible color combinations is calculated as: 4^3 = 64 This means 64 distinct colors can be produced by combining four intensity levels for each of the three color channels.
You are likely close to what they are actually using. There a few combinations that would not be useful such as when all three RGB values are 0, there would be no light. In addition when all are the same intensity its just a shade of gray or in the case of light, just a dimmer white. That drops 4 possibilities from the list making it only 60 colors. Im not a light expert, but I believe there is a known algorithm for the typical 64 colors for RGB LEDs. When I have more time, I may Google it. I think it is close to what you have suggested though.
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Old Jun 3, 2025 | 04:06 PM
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Originally Posted by L1Wolf
I've been a professional software developer since 1997 and writing code since 1984. Its in my blood.
Good for you, I think that is the future, everything is digital now, that is a good skillset to have.
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Old Jun 3, 2025 | 04:11 PM
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Originally Posted by pdeacon
WOW!!! I'll never take my ambient light selections for granted again!
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Old Jun 3, 2025 | 04:13 PM
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Originally Posted by regor60
The number 64 likely stems from the RGB (Red, Green, Blue) color model, widely used in digital displays and lighting systems. In this model, colors are created by combining varying intensities of red, green, and blue light.A common configuration for LED-based systems like ambient lighting is to use a limited set of intensity levels for each color channel to simplify processing and control. If each RGB channel (red, green, blue) is assigned 4 intensity levels (e.g., 0%, 33%, 66%, 100%), the total number of possible color combinations is calculated as: 4^3 = 64 This means 64 distinct colors can be produced by combining four intensity levels for each of the three color channels.
Originally Posted by L1Wolf
You are likely close to what they are actually using. There a few combinations that would not be useful such as when all three RGB values are 0, there would be no light. In addition when all are the same intensity its just a shade of gray or in the case of light, just a dimmer white. That drops 4 possibilities from the list making it only 60 colors. Im not a light expert, but I believe there is a known algorithm for the typical 64 colors for RGB LEDs. When I have more time, I may Google it. I think it is close to what you have suggested though.
Thanks both, learned so much from both of you.
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Old Jun 4, 2025 | 07:29 AM
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Originally Posted by W205C43PFL
Thanks both, learned so much from both of you.

Don't thank me, thank Grok. Of course, he may be hallucinating
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