Wireless and Waterproof Remote PC screen
Wayne.B
under all of the other advertisements. Yesterday I received this one:
It purports to be a wireless, waterproof, touch sensitive screen for
remote control and display of a PC. It looks like it might be
particularly useful for the cockpit of sailboats or on small power
boats. Apparently it is battery operated.
Anyone have any experience with something like this?
I have no connection with the product or vendor.
F.L.A.-J.I.M.@THENET.org
"Wayne.B" <waynebatr...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
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Pricy for what it is. I wonder about it's viewability in sunlight. If you
need to build a sunshade for it, you might just go ahead and build a water
resistant enclosure and throw a laptop into it.Very short battery life which
is understandable. There may be a practical application, but I can't think
of any.
I spoke too soon. I just thought of something. How about reading rec.boats
while taking a shower. Kidding of course.
Don White
"F.L.A.-J.I.M.@THENET.org" <j...@theusenetnet.net> wrote in message
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>
snip...
> I spoke too soon. I just thought of something. How about reading rec.boats
> while taking a shower. Kidding of course.
That sounds perverted..... especially on the Easter weekend.
HK
Well, that would be a change from your usual habit of reading rec.boats
and taking a dump.
F.L.A.-J.I.M.@THENET.org
"HK" <payer...@mypacks.net> wrote in message
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I can dump on you some more if that's what you want.
HK
Please...you're barely an amateur.
F.L.A.-J.I.M.@THENET.org
HK
Follow Reggie's example. Offer nothing of value, but insult everyone
else and what they've done, do, own, et cetera.
Capt. JG
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>
I agree it's pricey, but the practical apps would include chart-reading and
general nav issues?
--
"j" ganz @@
www.sailnow.com
Florida born
Be kinder than necessary, for everyone you meet is fighting some kind of
battle.
Short Wave Sportfishing
<waynebatr...@hotmail.com> wrote:
>It purports to be a wireless, waterproof, touch sensitive screen for
>remote control and display of a PC. It looks like it might be
>particularly useful for the cockpit of sailboats or on small power
>boats. Apparently it is battery operated
I could see an application for it if it had external power.
Battery life ain't much to brag about.
cavelamb himself
FWIW, I think it's too small for that...
Capt. JG
news:13uaqd6...@corp.supernews.com...
I guess it's a compromise between readability and size/weight. Seems like
the price should be 1/4 of what it's going for, which would help. Also,
you'd have to have a good place to put it... a holder of some sort.
Eisboch
<gfre...@aol.com> wrote in message
news:takau3deuhdp86gs7...@4ax.com...
> On Sat, 22 Mar 2008 11:03:04 -0400, "F.L.A.-J.I.M.@THENET.org"
> <j...@theusenetnet.net> wrote:
>
>>There may be a practical application, but I can't think
>>of any.
>
> boat and you wanted PC driven electronics on the flying bridge without
> trying to hide wires.
> The price is the killer
> If it was cheaper they might find more users and more uses.
> It is LAN attached so it could be used for almost anything, most of
> which are not boat related.
That's the first thing that occurred to me. Might be useful, but because
it's "marine", it's four times the price.
Eisboch
Wayne.B
>That's the first thing that occurred to me. Might be useful, but because
>it's "marine", it's four times the price.
That's part of it no doubt, but it really is difficult to make a piece
of electronics like that both waterproof and somewhat shock proof. I
don't view the price as a big obstacle if it actually works. Compare
it to the price of a Furuno 10 inch display.
Reginald P. Smithers III
>>>
>>> I agree it's pricey, but the practical apps would include chart-reading
>>> and general nav issues?
>>>
>> FWIW, I think it's too small for that...
>
>
> I guess it's a compromise between readability and size/weight. Seems like
> the price should be 1/4 of what it's going for, which would help. Also,
> you'd have to have a good place to put it... a holder of some sort.
>
For a little bit more you can buy a laptop built for marine enviroment
and/or one built to military specs for weather/water proof.
Capt. JG
news:Rr6dnQteAY11Dnja...@comcast.com...
Thus my comment about the cost. Having a screen rather than a full pc seems
like a good idea sans the cost and possibly the size of the screen in
question.
Jack Erbes
I don't have any experience with that one but it looks like it may have
something in common with the Panasonic Toughbook Wireless Displays. You
can see one of those here:
http://www.panasonic.com/business/toughbook/fully-rugged-computers.asp
That shows a 10.4" model and says it is rated at 460 NIT for daylight
use and will dim down to 5 NIT for nighttime use. I've heard that they
work very well with direct sunlight on the display but have not actually
seen on in action.
I think the Toughbook Wireless Displays used to be offered in a 8.2"
model, maybe that is what MapTech is selling as a branded product. I
don't see any links for more info or detailed specs from the MapTech page.
If the specs on display on the MapTech offering were not of comparable
brightness and range to that of the Toughbook, I probably wouldn't even
consider it.
Jack
cavelamb himself
My VHF radios are rated waterproof - to 10 feet for 30 minutes.
This is rated...
• Moisture- and dust-resistant LCD, keyboard and touchpad
thu...@takeoutgti.net
> That's part of it no doubt, but it really is difficult to make a piece
> of electronics like that both waterproof and somewhat shock proof. I
> don't view the price as a big obstacle if it actually works. Compare it
> to the price of a Furuno 10 inch display.
Have you considered a tablet PC? Some of them are mil-spec.
Wayne.B
<jack...@roadrunner.com> wrote:
>I don't have any experience with that one but it looks like it may have
>something in common with the Panasonic Toughbook Wireless Displays.
Yes, I think that's it:
I already have an older Panasonic Toughbook laptop and it's a good
unit, surviving several salt water showers and one 3 ft drop. With a
remote display I could leave the laptop down below in a safer
environment or even run a more powerful desktop box.
Wayne.B
>> That's part of it no doubt, but it really is difficult to make a piece
>> of electronics like that both waterproof and somewhat shock proof. I
>> don't view the price as a big obstacle if it actually works. Compare it
>> to the price of a Furuno 10 inch display.
>
>Have you considered a tablet PC? Some of them are mil-spec.
Don't know much about them, any that you'd recommend ?
Jack Erbes
The Toughbook Wireless Display is not really just a display, and it is
not a computer either. It is actually more like a PDA. It has 64 MB of
memory (not expandable I guess) and runs Windows Mobile. Then you're
using the wireless link and Windows Remote Desktop to see and use the
applications running on the other nearby computer.
So, unless the MapTech device is any different, you'd need to have a
nearby computer running your applications. But if it works it ought to
be pretty good what with the touchscreen and the bright display. I'd
still want to have a handheld GPS receiver or something for a backup but
that display would be good enough with something like Coastal Navigator
running down on the nav station.
The Windows Remote Desktop is a strange thing the first time you see it.
I had to call Symantec for some tech support last year and they were
running applications on my desktop from India while I sat and watched
them. Made me a little nervous.
That was under Windows 2000. As far as I know, you might need to be
running XP Pro or Vista to use the Toughbook Wireless Display.
Jack
cavelamb himself
Big enough to see, and bright enough to read, that looks like a much
better choice, there are still a couple of gotchas involved.
1 it's still only rated moisture resistant. Maybe it will survive
spray - maybe not.
AND 10 hours on a set of batteries.
thu...@takeoutgti.net
Sorry, no recommendations. I just found the remote LCD interesting. So,
I did a little Googling. There seem to be quite a few weather resistant,
or mil-spec Point of Sale, touch screens, but I couldn't find any
wireless ones. This site has submersible and mil-spec touch screens that
might give you some ideas.
http://www.vartechsystems.com/products/resources/touch_screen_technology.asp
The table PC just came from the searching. It would have all the
capabilities of a display, plus would be, in itself, a PC. There are mil-
spec or weather resistant ones, and wireless capability is common.
cavelamb himself
Now that's more like ot!
http://www.vartechsystems.com/products/all-weather-lcd-flat-panels-monitors.asp
So run wires.
What's the big deal.
It's going to be mounted on the steering station where it can do some good.
Wayne.B
<cave...@Xearthlink.net> wrote:
>> http://www.vartechsystems.com/products/resources/touch_screen_technology.asp
>>
>> The table PC just came from the searching. It would have all the
>> capabilities of a display, plus would be, in itself, a PC. There are mil-
>> spec or weather resistant ones, and wireless capability is common.
>>
On of the features of the Panasonic wireless touch screen that looks
valuable is the ability to dim the screen to a low level. That is
really important at night and I have yet to find a laptop display with
sufficient dimming capability. I have to keep the laptop cover closed
much of the time to preserve night vision.
Loogy...@gmail.com
> F.L.A.-J.I...@THENET.org wrote:
>
> > "Wayne.B" <waynebatrecdotbo...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
> >news:br5au31je4d3kuqvv...@4ax.com...
> >> Every once in awhile something interesting shows up in my inbox buried
> >> under all of the other advertisements. Yesterday I received this one:
>
> >>http://tinyurl.com/yrl8bb
>
> >> It purports to be a wireless, waterproof, touch sensitive screen for
> >> remote control and display of a PC. It looks like it might be
> >> particularly useful for the cockpit of sailboats or on small power
> >> boats. Apparently it is battery operated.
>
> >> Anyone have any experience with something like this?
>
> >> I have no connection with the product or vendor.
>
> > you need to build a sunshade for it, you might just go ahead and build a
> > water resistant enclosure and throw a laptop into it.Very short battery
> > I can't think of any.
> > rec.boats while taking a shower. Kidding of course.
>
>
> - Show quoted text -
What a refined and cultured statement, Harry.....
Loogy...@gmail.com
> >news:64ksimF...@mid.individual.net...
> >> F.L.A.-J.I...@THENET.org wrote:
>
> >>> "HK" <payer33...@mypacks.net> wrote in message
> >>>news:64ko4pF...@mid.individual.net...
> >>>> F.L.A.-J.I...@THENET.org wrote:
>
> >>>>> "Wayne.B" <waynebatrecdotbo...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
>
> - Show quoted text -
There's the pot calling the kettle black.......
Jack Erbes
<snip>
> On of the features of the Panasonic wireless touch screen that looks
> valuable is the ability to dim the screen to a low level. That is
> really important at night and I have yet to find a laptop display with
> sufficient dimming capability. I have to keep the laptop cover closed
> much of the time to preserve night vision.
Never underestimate the need for both good daylight brightness and also
equally good night dimming on those displays. The Raymarine C series
and E series have finally started getting it right as far as being
useful for both day and night use. But there are still some limitations.
When you have big 8", 10", 12", and even 14" displays at the helm, and
want to use them at night, you'll find that those will intrude on your
night vision some even at the dimmest settings that lets them be useful.
Last year, when I used the Raymarine C12 dimmed way down at night, I
still had to move to the side and lean forward over the dash (to get the
dimmed down screen below and out of my line of sight) to discern details
on the water when entering a port at night. It took three to five
seconds to make the transition from using the display to being able to
see much outside the boat.
It is almost essential to have two or more pairs of eyes at night and
have one person keep their eyes isolated from the display and helm area
and working the ambient light issues while the other works the dimmed
down chart plotter with a split screen or superimposed radar display and
the other instruments.
The spec sheet for the Toughbook Wireless Display says that it has the
brightness range of 5 NIT to 460 NIT and that will probably work well
for both day and night and maybe with direct sunlight on the display
too. But I have a hunch that direct sunlight on the screen may wash out
the visibility quite a bit. How good or useful it will be almost has
to be determined under the actual conditions of use.
Toughbook makes another model of the wireless display that is called the
PDRC (Permanent Display Removable Computer):
ftp://ftp.panasonic.com/pub/Panasonic/toughbook/specsheets/s_TBPDRC.pdf
That is a fixed mount tablet PC display and separate wireless keyboard
that will work as a companion with the Toughbook 19 or 30 models.
The PDRC display and keyboard are suitable for use in nearly any
environment. The PDRC display has a screen brightness of 1250 NIT.
That would, I assume, certainly be easily viewable under any daylight
conditions. Of course, at 1250 NIT, it would also be capable of welding
eyelids shut at night. But it is stated to be "fully adjustable" (for
brightness I assume) so it may dim down and still be good enough for
night use too. But it is quite an investment at $2,200 or more.
When you tot up the cost of a Toughbook laptop and one of the wireless
displays, you are getting into the cost range of one of the better
marine grade systems like the Raymarines.
Jack
Wayne.B
<jack...@roadrunner.com> wrote:
>When you tot up the cost of a Toughbook laptop and one of the wireless
>displays, you are getting into the cost range of one of the better
>marine grade systems like the Raymarines.
Yes. I already have a pretty good Furuno system integrated into a 10
inch display with excellent daytime brightness and good night time
dimming. I use a laptop PC as a back up chart plotter because I
prefer the look of raster charts when in unfamiliar areas, and also
because the Maptech software has superior route planning and tracking.
A remote, portable, weather proof display would allow me to keep the
laptop in a dry secure location at the lower helm, and also might be
useful on a small runabout.
Richard Casady
<jack...@roadrunner.com> wrote:
>you'll find that those will intrude on your
>night vision some even at the dimmest settings that lets them be useful.
Has next to nothing to do with night vision. Same thing is true in
broad daylight. When you have a relatively bright light shining
directly into your eyes it is more difficult to see dimmer objects.
Regardless of the actual ammount of light involved. It takes as much
as 45 minutes in close to complete darkness to get full night vision.
Ask any astronomer.
Casady
Ryk
<13uaqd6...@corp.supernews.com>
cavelamb himself <cave...@Xearthlink.net> wrote:
My NAVMAN chartplotter has a 5" screen that is large enough to be very
useful. It was about half the price of this display and stands alone
with a much lower current draw. (less than 1 amp vs 6 or 7 amps to run
my notebook)
Still, I am intrigued by the product and hope it will come down in
price. It's right up there now with similar sized Raymarine displays.
Ryk
Victor Fraenckel
display like the early radar-scopes had. Sort of a truncated pyramid
thingy that was shaped to fit around your nose and eyes and make sort of
a light-tight seal. The screen brightness would not be quite so annoying
then. Ever hear of such a thing?
Vic
cavelamb himself
A polarized screen might just do teh trick.
Notice how narrow the field of view is on the PC versions.
Richard
--
(remove the X to email)
It's never too late to be the person you might have been.
George Elliot
Travis Fickett
I've actually installed and used one.
It is a very nice unit however it does have some issues.
1) Limited color depth, it drops your desktop color depth to 16bit
2) Limited resolution, IIRC 1024x768 or less
3) Odd network setup required.
Good points,
Its a great size.
Serial port on the device (the one I used had one anyways)
Very good stylus.
Decent range (WiFi)
The bottom line is that its probably too expensive.
--
Travis
Richard Casady
Forgot one thing. Once you have night vision, red light won't hurt it.
Even a little bit of white light and most of your night vision goes
away.
Casady
Karl
higher than the similar Nanov $1100 waterproof LCD?
"Jack Erbes" <jack...@roadrunner.com> wrote in message
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