i am searching for a cure for reading lcd displays outdoors.
here we have some nifty traffic signal controllers, but the design for the display is very poor for outdoor use, reflection and glare
its horrible ! like reading a book thru a security mirror..
especially bad if you have on something bright or reflective.
( like a safety vest ) anyway, i seen in previous N&V issues a company called "Noritake" they make VFD, i seenthat they boast of drop in replacement conversions, so i called them, and they said they cannot help me, so i am wondering if anyone else here has any ideas..
the displays we have are LCD 8 X 40 with a very puny EL strip for back light. you might be able to read it at night..
the number on the display is marked as... GM2406B-SGT2CEW
connections are 2 rows of 10 pins plus a 2 pin connector for the EL strip to connect to the inverter. is there a drop in replacement for this item such as a VFD or a different sort of LCD like a negitive view ?
( black background and white letters ) right now its black letters.
i am going blind trying to read these displays outdoors..
or if nothing else does anyone have any ideas for anti glare and reflections? thanks....
searching for a drop in display
An LCD display is usually easy to read in bright light (unless you are wearing polarized sunglasses). Could it be there is a glass lens or bezel in front of the actual LCD display you can remove.
Perhaps you can use an adhesive anti glare filter for PDA devices like this
http://www.boxwave.com/products/cleartouch/ For $12 or $30 its a cheap non invasive thing to try first. Probably find something equivalent in a store on the shelf.
You're going to have to wade through the Digikey search engine yourself unless you can come up with a datasheet rather than that unsearchable part number. I am sure there are at least some pin compatible LCD modules with different character colors. By looking at LCD module datasheets, you may discover there is a way to change the contrast on the displays you already have.
Another suggestion is to carry your own back-light in the form of a fiber optic flashlight http://www.kk.org/cooltools/archives/001491.php
Perhaps you can use an adhesive anti glare filter for PDA devices like this
http://www.boxwave.com/products/cleartouch/ For $12 or $30 its a cheap non invasive thing to try first. Probably find something equivalent in a store on the shelf.
You're going to have to wade through the Digikey search engine yourself unless you can come up with a datasheet rather than that unsearchable part number. I am sure there are at least some pin compatible LCD modules with different character colors. By looking at LCD module datasheets, you may discover there is a way to change the contrast on the displays you already have.
Another suggestion is to carry your own back-light in the form of a fiber optic flashlight http://www.kk.org/cooltools/archives/001491.php
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dacflyer
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the displays already have a contrast control. its just reflection and glare thats the worst problem, there is a plastic window infront of the display, but it has to be there to protect the display.
theres no way to backlight the displays, other than the built in EL strip thats useless. it would be great if they used leds. but the display is surrounded by a metal frame that holds the display glass.
not sure if the sides could be cut and maybe install side emitting leds.
not sure if there is a special filter that could replace the plastic window infront of the display..i am not an optic specialist.
theres no way to backlight the displays, other than the built in EL strip thats useless. it would be great if they used leds. but the display is surrounded by a metal frame that holds the display glass.
not sure if the sides could be cut and maybe install side emitting leds.
not sure if there is a special filter that could replace the plastic window infront of the display..i am not an optic specialist.
CRT displays have a similar problem, even at light levels well below daylight. There are several solutions which work to some extent.
A circularly polarized filter may help, since the reflected light is pollarized in the opposite direction and attenuated.
A filter that is matched to the color of the backlight may help increase the contrast of the display.
A filter that looks like a miniature set of venetian blinds attenuates off axis light, which might also help contrast.
Tektronix used to supply a black wire mesh screen which had a similar effect.
Another possibility is a neutral density filter. The light from the display goes through the filter once while the reflected light makes two trips through the filter. This increases contrast but reduces the display brightness to some degree.
A shroud or hood might also help by reducing the light whigh fall on the display. The indicator lights on a car dashboard would be hard to see in daylight if they were not recessed below the surface.
A circularly polarized filter may help, since the reflected light is pollarized in the opposite direction and attenuated.
A filter that is matched to the color of the backlight may help increase the contrast of the display.
A filter that looks like a miniature set of venetian blinds attenuates off axis light, which might also help contrast.
Tektronix used to supply a black wire mesh screen which had a similar effect.
Another possibility is a neutral density filter. The light from the display goes through the filter once while the reflected light makes two trips through the filter. This increases contrast but reduces the display brightness to some degree.
A shroud or hood might also help by reducing the light whigh fall on the display. The indicator lights on a car dashboard would be hard to see in daylight if they were not recessed below the surface.
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dacflyer
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- Location: USA / North Carolina / Fayetteville
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i tried the hood approach before, but when outdoors, i'd look into the hood, and all i'd see id the light behind me, unless i had my face right againts the opening.. i noticed that the new cell phones with the color displays are impossible to read outdoors.. my old phone has a lcd display, but if i hold it at the right angle, its excellent in the sun.
seems i might not have a easy solution here..
seems i might not have a easy solution here..
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dacflyer
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- Joined: Fri Feb 08, 2002 1:01 am
- Location: USA / North Carolina / Fayetteville
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apon further inspection, the display is not a 8x40 it is a lcd, but the whole screen is a display..but not sure what type, but when it is operating it appears like a 8x40
the numbers i posted earlier do show some info but not what i look for..
i know theres all sorts of displays out there, this display is used in a
traffic signal controller..made by safetran
the numbers i posted earlier do show some info but not what i look for..
i know theres all sorts of displays out there, this display is used in a
traffic signal controller..made by safetran
It's hard to say what drop-in replacement would work without knowing the pinout of the display you already have (a datasheet would be great if you can find one). What IC's are on the back of the display? If you have a picture of that, I could help a little more in figuring out what you might need. I've been working with LCD's (mostly monochrome) for about 4 years now, so have a bit of experience in working with them. If there's anything I can help you with, let me know.
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