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AUTRONIC EYE RETROFIT/REPAIR By Barry Dorr Cadillac introduced the “Autronic Eye, an accessory for automatic headlight control in 1952. This system dutifully dimmed the headlights when it detected an oncoming car. In its day, the system was a modern electronic device. By today’s standards, the electronics are outdated, and most units are not operational. A solid-state retrofit, designed originally by Roger Dorr (Cadillac/LaSalle Club #1759), is available, which works just like the original and mounts undetectably in the original enclosure.
The Autronic Eye (automatic headlight beam control) was introduced as a Cadillac accessory on the 1952 models. The purpose of the Autronic Eye was to automatically dim the car’s headlights when another car approached. The system consists of the “eye” unit mounted on the dashboard, the Amplifier Unit located in the black box under the hood, and the power relay also located under the hood. The black box or Amplifier Unit located under the hood and is the “brain” of the system. By today’s standards, its vacuum tube circuitry is outdated and unreliable. Failures occur because the vacuum tubes wear out, the capacitors leak, and fungus and corrosion attack the entire unit. Parts are difficult to find, and repair of the units is difficult, so many owners just leave them in a non-operational state. My father, Roger Dorr, was an electronic/optical engineer, and in the early sixties he repaired the Autronic Eye on his own car as well as on several of his friends' cars. Before long, he was the national CLC club contact for the Autronic Eye. Using his knowledge of vacuum tubes, optics, and solid state circuitry, he built a modern retrofit for the Amplifier Unit. He made several units by hand and successfully installed them in vehicles. As a boy, I helped my Dad with this project, and enjoyed working with the oscilloscope, light meter, and the cars themselves. One thing led to another, and I became an electrical engineer, forming a small consulting firm in San Diego eight years ago. Four years ago, I designed a product based on my father’s original prototypes. The product is now available, and can be easily installed by the average owner. It is electrically and mechanically rugged, and comes with clear instructions and a warranty. The solid state unit works exactly like the old system. (…yes, it dims the lights for reflective road signs!) After I became involved with the project, I met many Cadillac/LaSalle Club members. Some offered tidbits of information which they had acquired over the years. One member provided me with the original Sun and Kent-Moore calibration fixtures used by Cadillac dealerships. This equipment allows me to calibrate the units to the original factory specifications. A sad note is that my father passed away in July of 2002. However, prior to his death, he enjoyed receiving letters from owners pleased with our retrofit. |