The benefits of industrial touchscreen monitors

Industrial LCD monitors are made specifically for industrial use. Industrial monitors from 12 to 19 inches are designed to work in harsh industrial environments where dust, dirt, heat, humidity, vibration, and electrical noise are common. The industrial monitors are highly durable and feature a die-cast aluminum front panel with IP65 and higher dust and water resistance.  

An industrial touch screen is usually equipped with multiple inputs for connecting to industrial computers.

How to choose an industrial monitor?

When choosing an industrial monitor, it is important to consider the conditions and location of its future use. Will it be exposed to spray or dust? Do you need more brightness? Also, pay attention to installation type (rack, panel, etc.), as it is very important. Furthermore, it is more reasonable to rely only on trusted providers, like Beetronics Inc.   

Depending on the working environment and the intended use, you can choose:

  1. The size and format of an industrial touchscreen monitor

It is necessary to determine the diagonal (in inches) and the ratio of width and height. The best-known ratios are 6:9 and 4:3, but there are also 5:4 and 16:10 monitors.

2. Resolution of the monitor

Resolution is the amount of detail in a visual content expressed in pixels.

3. Brightness

This is the intensity of the screen light. If a screen is not bright enough, you will hardly see anything in the daylight. The brightness is expressed in candelas per square meter (thread in English). The standard brightness is about 250 cd/m². It should be noted that currently there are monitors * read in sunlight » (sun readable), which are designed for use in very bright lighting conditions. The brightness of these monitors exceeds 1000 cd/m2.

4. Monitor resistance

The strength of the monitor is the resistance of the monitor to aggressive action to avoid short circuits or liquid entering your system. When choosing protection against various types of spray (water, oils, solvents, etc.), impacts, or spraying of more aggressive substances in explosive areas, several standards should be followed (see below the protection standards paragraph).

5. Install and fix the monitor

The VESA standard defines the norms for fixing monitors: the size of the holes, the screws used for these holes, and the configuration of the holes on the back of the monitor.

6. Touch screen or not

As touch screen monitors are used more and more frequently, when choosing such a monitor, you will need to examine the conditions of use.

What technology is better for industrial monitors?

  1. LCD monitors use illuminated pixels, providing a standard image, with no black density and no gray shades. The backlight system makes an LCD monitor quite wide and heavy. LCD monitors are very energy-intensive. Yet, their benefit is that they are low-priced.
  2. LED monitors (LED) are quite widespread in the market. Their image is accurate and uniform. LED monitors are illuminated by LEDs. This provides better image quality and contrast. In addition, this technology saves about 30% of energy compared to LCD monitors. LED monitors are slightly more expensive than LCD monitors but remain affordable.
  3. OLED monitors (organic LED) offer the top image quality in the niche. This monitor uses a chemical that ignites when in contact with an electrical current. It provides the best sharpness and unmatched color nuances. Such a monitor is thinner and lighter than other technologies and consumes less energy. However, it is much more expensive.
  4. Compared to LCD monitors, plasma monitors have better image quality, shades of gray and black are more accurate, and the depth is greater. It consumes more energy than the LCD screen. Since the technology used is relatively old, the price of this type of monitor is low.

How to pick out an industrial touchscreen monitor?

There are two technologies for Beetronics Inc. industrial touchscreen monitors:

  • Resistive technology

Two conducting layers are divided by an insulating layer. When the user touches the layer, the two conductive films touch each other, resulting in a current flow. The device will supply voltage, the coordinates of which on the screen will be measured and transferred to the system. This panel is needed in many applications (GPS, video games, cash registers, electronic diaries, etc.), it is potentially more accurate than the capacitive panel, and responds to any form of pressing. The resistive panel reacts to the touch of the stylus, hand in gloves, bare finger, nail, etc. It is resistant to water, fat, and dust. 

  • Capacitive technology

In this technology, the layer placed on the glass plate accumulates charges. When the user touches the layer with a finger, the charges are transferred to it, creating a measurable interruption of the electrostatic field on the layer. After, the sensors define the coordinates of the stirred area. For multi-touch applications, panels with projected capacitive technology must be used. They can function with thicker screens. It is also possible to cover the touch panel with a durable armored glass screen. A capacitive monitor has many advantages. It is durable and scratch resistant, and it is also brighter and more transparent than a resistive panel (90% transparency compared to 75% for resistive panels). 

Which connector is recommended for an industrial monitor?

  1. VGA analog port

This is the most widely used video signal port and is standard on an industrial monitor. However, it is not good enough for extremely high resolutions.

2. VGA-DVI Port

This is an enhanced version of VGA that allows you to receive analog and digital signals. 

3. HDMI and Display Ports

These are increasingly being used in consumer products. They send every audio and video signal through a single cable. They also allow a very high resolution to be transmitted.

4. LVDS port

This port is preferable to the built-in monitor. The monitor is bound to the video card with copper wire and provides high data transmission speed.

5. Port S-video is used for analog video signals which transmit colors and brightness separately.

6. Connector BNC

Transmits video signal in analog mode and also provides audio signal transmission. 

Conclusion

Industrial monitors are designed for increased durability and withstand harsh operating conditions in industrial and commercial environments. They are available in different sizes and resolutions, and installation options are also varied (panel mounting, rack mounting, open frame, etc). Industrial monitors can be with a touch screen, as well. LCD versions are available as resistive or capacitive panels.