Application expertise makes designing the right outdoor display easy!
A bright display with a touch panel is not automatically an outdoor display. Sunlight, heat, water and the public all work against it. Getting it right means deciding a handful of things early in the design.
What makes a display work outdoors
- Brightness: direct sunlight calls for roughly 1,000 to 2,500+ nits. 1,500 nits is a good starting point for an outdoor kiosk, and up to 5,000 nits is achievable. Brightness has to be balanced against power and the heat it creates.
- Optical bonding: bonding the cover glass or touch panel to the LCD removes the air gap and its reflections, raising contrast in bright light. It also adds strength and keeps condensation and dust out.
- Anti-reflection and anti-glare treatments on the cover glass, and films that raise contrast, improve readability without adding heat.
- Wide operating temperature: at least -20 to 70°C, with up to 85°C preferred. High-Tni LCD cells rated up to 110°C reduce the risk of failure in high heat.
- Heat and solar load: IR-blocking films reduce surface heating from sunlight, and thermal interface materials move heat from the display into the enclosure.
- UV, water and vandalism: UV-resistant lens materials prevent yellowing, sealing protects against water, and thicker cover glass protects against impact, with touch tuned to match.
Plan it early
Where the product will be installed (Arizona or Minnesota, covered or exposed) and how people will use it should drive the display specification before the enclosure is designed. Adding bonding or a brighter backlight late changes the mechanical envelope, the thermal design and the lead time.
Learn more in our white paper Managing Heat in Outdoor Kiosks, browse sunlight-readable touch monitors and sunlight-readable embedded displays, or talk to a DCLTEK engineer about your outdoor application.
About DCL Technologies
DCL designs high quality display solutions that meet our clients’ overall objectives.
Our mission is to be the easiest display solution provider to do business with.
Our differentiator is a focus on delivering the best experience to our clients, at every desk. Our core value strategies are focused on making it easy for Engineers, Designers and Purchasing to get things done.
Contact:
Andrew Blum
DCL Technologies
800-407-8917
ablum@dcltek.com
www.dcltek.com
