Need: Cheap, Daylight-Viewable Monitor

[sailias]

Originally Posted by fgd3

I was mistaken about the USB port. I checked with a friend who has a Kindle and learned there is a USB port.

Fabbian

As far as I know it would be impossible to feed a display via a usb port on these devices as thy are hardwired on the motherboard as com ports. A screen input requires a vga port or similar. Its not a matter of what ports are available rather what the ports are connected too on the motherboard.

Now I suppose you could take it apart and determine where the screen is tethered in and work it back words and add an appropriate adaptor but no we are talking serioouse surgery not for the faint of heart.

/ch

[hellosailor]

Using an "electronic ink" display, i.e. such as a Kindle, for a chart plotter would prove amusing.

Watch the whole screen invert and blank once every second while the GPS position updates and either the ship icon or the entire chart has to be redrawn. And every time the screen redraws, it blinks and goes useless for, what, about one second?

"Never try to teach a pig to sing. It wastes your time and annoys the pig."
[Mark Twain]

There's a reason the Kindle sells for under $200 complete, and the daylight-readable monitors sell for five to ten times that price.

[marcello]

Has anyone tested this new 10" sunlight readable display?
Pixel Qi display

It's been announced last month as a
"revolutionary LCD display technology from Pixel Qi--the 3Qi display. This one-of-a-kind, plug-and-play 10.1-inch display offers two modes--an easy-to-read, real color, multi-media mode or a crisp, low power e-reader mode. The sunlight-ready, e-reader mode makes it easy to use outdoors."

It costs 275 $.


Maybe this is the solution for on board computers everybody was looking for.

[bobmor99]

I had hopes for a Pixel Qi /Display Solutions USB monitor but there's been nothing but vapor since the Sept 2010 "announcement".
Low-power, wireless displays made possible! | What’s Happening at Pixel Qi – Mary Lou Jepsen’s Blog

Along those lines, i.e. centralized boat-puter / laptop with remote, e.g. binnacle-mounted display, perhaps the new (/cheap) Nook Touch could use its secret web browser abilities to watch (via wi-fi) continuously published screenshots of a running OpenCPN application. The boat-puter could run an apache webserver to serve up the updates. There would be no user interaction at the helm but, on the plus side, all the device connections, e.g. to USB-GPS and RS-232/USB AIS would be handled inside the cabin by the boat-puter.

Link to Nook Touch web browser info:
Nook Touch comes with hidden Web browser | Ubergizmo

There would be many fewer moving parts if a hacked Kobo eReader (which can run some sort of Linux) could run OpenCPN and use the Kobo's mini/micro USB port to read from a USB GPS device (e.g. BU-353).
An AIS connection would be problematic but maybe you really just need AIS info when you're in the cabin - using your laptop / boat-puter to check what's going on outside.

At this time, I'm just a non-cruiser/day-sailing fool.

I'm in a bit over my head here. I hope some "uber-smarties" might chime in.

Bob Moriarty
Ox C&C 33-1
Jax, FL

[ka4wja]

Bob,
Not sure if this thread would be of any help.....but, have a look...

http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...tml#post748810

John
s/v Annie Laurie

[zumsel]

Has anybody tried one of these POS Touchscreen Monitor used in Restaurants?
12" inch Touch Screen Monitor TFT LCD VGA AV PC POS Car Retail Kiosk Restaurant | eBay

[hellosailor]

Sounds like it is just the typical (relatively) dim low resolution small monitor, with a driver to emulate a USB mouse when it is touched. Personally I try to avoid oddball hardware unless there's a real good reason for it. This won't be daylight viewable, so it stays below deck, at which point why bother?

[skipmac]

Originally Posted by zumsel

Has anybody tried one of these POS Touchscreen Monitor used in Restaurants?
12" inch Touch Screen Monitor TFT LCD VGA AV PC POS Car Retail Kiosk Restaurant | eBay

Specs show screen brightness at 350 cd/m2. Takes at least 1000 to be daylight viewable.

Have to agree with Hellosailor. Unless it has some other really unique, special features or is the bargain of the year I would stick with standard hardware.

I know the OP didn't have any luck with my solution but I bought a used Panasonic toughbook screen on eBay for $35 that is bright enough to work in direct sunlight and uses standard VGA plug. Not totally waterproof but I am setting mine up under the dodger and will just move it inside if the weather gets really bad. Mine is obviously used but the screen is perfect and my boat is used as well so don't care if the screen isn't cosmetically perfect.

[stensmo]

What do you guys mean by cheap? I am thinking of importing a 15" monitor which would retail for about $1000 - $1200 + taxes. It is daylight viewable and IP 65. Power consumption is about 40 watts.

I am unsure if people would pay for this monitor. I would include a CD with OpenCPN and a GPS. What do you think about it?

[hellosailor]

sten, a conventional 15" monitor is what, $150? From a brand name with a warranty?

Now take the tiny marine market...maybe someone will pay $1200 but the reason you can't buy a daylight readable monitor at West Marine for $1200 is because not many people are willing to pay anything near the market price of them.

Get a couple of sample units, piggyback someone's booth at a few boat shows, who knows. Market research is sometimes more reliable than augering entrails. And sometimes not.<G>

[skipmac]

Originally Posted by hellosailor

sten, a conventional 15" monitor is what, $150? From a brand name with a warranty?

Now take the tiny marine market...maybe someone will pay $1200 but the reason you can't buy a daylight readable monitor at West Marine for $1200 is because not many people are willing to pay anything near the market price of them.

Get a couple of sample units, piggyback someone's booth at a few boat shows, who knows. Market research is sometimes more reliable than augering entrails. And sometimes not.<G>

$1000-$1200 isn't what I was looking for. Have found waterproof, touchscreen, daylight viewable monitors from a couple of companies for that price. I was looking for new monitor only for 1/3 - 1/2 that.

For $1200 you are approaching the cost of a chartpotter with charts.

[stensmo]

So you would pay $ 500 - $ 600? Would you rather buy a 19" than a 15" one?

A 15" chartplotter is usually expensive. For small plotters, it is impossible to beat Garmin, but they charge a lot for 15" ones.

I bought a sample, and the monitor performs, but its not 100%. OpenCPN looks great though. The price is high so it would sell for more than $ 1000, and that might be too much.

Waterproof, daylight viewable displays are unfortunately expensive to manufacture.

Originally Posted by skipmac

$1000-$1200 isn't what I was looking for. Have found waterproof, touchscreen, daylight viewable monitors from a couple of companies for that price. I was looking for new monitor only for 1/3 - 1/2 that.

For $1200 you are approaching the cost of a chartpotter with charts.

[SailFastTri]

I have a Panasonic Toughbook CF-08 I would sell for $575 + shipping (in US only). It is waterproof, shock resistant and daylight viewable.

It's just a wireless pen-touch remote display that runs Windows CE and connects to a full computer over the wireless peer network, using RDP (Microsoft Remote Desktop Services built into Windows 7), or Citrix (it has the ICA client built in). It is shown here connected to a Windows 7 netbook running Coastal Explorer, and using a Verizon 5-Spot (shown) as the local Wireless Access Point to connect them. It could use any wireless access point.

Note that when using RDP only the remote display is active. PM me if interested.

[stensmo]

I thought about that one but discarded it. How is it working for you? According to the specs, the screen is only 460 nits. It is preferred (in my opinion) that the screen has over 1000 nits for marine applications. What battery life do you get?

I own an iPad, and my first thought was to use that. You can even get a waterproof case cheaply. But the iPad is unusable when it is sunny.

I thought about getting a Toughbook CF-19, but it is very expensive. Decided to use a separate screen and keep a standard laptop inside. Works well.

Originally Posted by SailFastTri

I have a Panasonic Toughbook CF-08 I would sell for $575 + shipping (in US only). It is waterproof, shock resistant and daylight viewable.

It's just a wireless pen-touch remote display that runs Windows CE and connects to a full computer over the wireless peer network, using RDP (Microsoft Remote Desktop Services built into Windows 7), or Citrix (it has the ICA client built in). It is shown here connected to a Windows 7 netbook running Coastal Explorer, and using a Verizon 5-Spot (shown) as the local Wireless Access Point to connect them. It could use any wireless access point.

Note that when using RDP only the remote display is active. PM me if interested.

[ktcanuck]

I am looking for one for my to-be-updated fly-bridge helm. I used a DELL ATG with a display of about 750nits. It was bright enough in almost all cases. I have come across this monitor from Orion as a possible replacement at $770 and 1000nits. Anyone have any experience? It is not ruggedised or waterproof in any way of course but it is "commercial".