Contrast rises with light
Ambient light is the illumination source, so the brightest conditions are the best-case reading conditions.
ApplicationsIndustrialRetailTransportationOEMBy conditionDirect sunlightBattery and solarExtreme temperatureBy technologyReflective LCDTransflective LCD
What full sun does to a display
100,000 luxpeak ambient at midday
1.4:1transmissive contrast in full sun
12:1reflective contrast, unchanged
0 Wbacklight draw in daylight
The conditions this application imposes on a display, not module ratings. Per-module figures are issued as a datasheet with the conditions behind each one.
Brightness is the wrong lever outdoors
A backlit panel fights the sun with nits, and loses: surface glare lifts the black state faster than the backlight lifts the white one. A reflective panel uses the same light that causes the glare, so the ratio holds no matter how bright it gets.
No brightness boost to power
There is no high-brightness backlight to drive, and no thermal budget spent cooling one.
The cover lens does the work
Anti-glare treatment and optical bonding matter more than nits, and both are specified with the panel.
Four products that live in full sun
Outdoor kiosks and signage
Wayfinding and queue information on forecourts, platforms and concourses.
Marine helm instruments
Depth, speed and chart repeaters on an open helm with no shade at all.
Open-site machine HMI
Plant and yard interfaces read at two metres in changing light.
Kerbside charge points
Status and payment screens facing the sky on a metered power budget.
Panels specified for direct sunlight
43-Inch RLCD Display
A 43-inch hanging RLCD display designed for digital signage, delivering clear portrait-format content with ...
Reflective LCD · 43 in
43-Inch RLCD Kiosk
A 43-inch free-standing RLCD kiosk designed for digital signage, delivering clear portrait-format content w...
Reflective LCD · 43 in
Specify
What we need to specify for full sun
Outdoor readability is decided by the optical stack as much as the panel, so the brief covers the lens and the viewing geometry.
Ambient
Lowest and highest light level the product sees, and whether it is ever in deep shade.
Cover lens
Material, thickness, anti-glare treatment and whether the panel will be optically bonded.
Viewing
Distance, angle and whether the operator wears polarised sunglasses.
Night use
Whether the product is read after dark, which decides reflective against transflective.
Mounting
Orientation relative to the sky, and any hood or recess in the enclosure.
Documentation for an outdoor evaluation
On request
Datasheets
Each module is characterised before its datasheet is issued, so we send the current specification on request rather than post one that may be stale.
Publishing soon
Integration guides
Not published yet: they are written from real integrations. If you are driving a panel now, an application engineer walks through the interface and timing with you.
Available now
Power calculator
Size a reflective panel against your power budget before samples arrive. A sizing aid, with its assumptions stated on the page.
Designing something that has to be read in the sun?
Send the enclosure drawing and the viewing geometry. Our engineers size the panel and specify the optical stack with it.
Where the power actually goes
1.8 mWholding a static frame
1%of transmissive LCD power draw
0 Wbacklight draw in daylight
5 yrtarget service life on one cell
The conditions this application imposes on a display, not module ratings. Per-module figures are issued as a datasheet with the conditions behind each one.
The backlight is usually the biggest load on the board
In most portable instruments the backlight draws more than the sensor stack, the radio and the processor combined. Removing it does not shave a percentage off the budget — it removes the dominant term, and the battery, the enclosure and the charge interval all shrink behind it.
The dominant load, removed
No backlight means the largest continuous draw in a portable design simply is not there.
Static frames cost almost nothing
A frame that does not change holds at near-zero current, which suits meters, labels and telemetry.
Smaller cell, smaller product
A lower budget lets the battery drop a size class, which usually takes the enclosure with it.
Four products running on their own supply
Handheld field instruments
Meters and analysers expected to last a full shift, or a full season, per charge.
Solar-powered signage
Roadside and site signage sized around a panel and a small battery.
Coin-cell shelf labels
Retail labels where service life is measured in years and replacement is a labour cost.
Remote telemetry
Unattended monitoring points with a local readout and no mains supply.
Panels specified into battery-powered products
43-Inch RLCD Display
A 43-inch hanging RLCD display designed for digital signage, delivering clear portrait-format content with ...
Reflective LCD · 43 in
43-Inch RLCD Kiosk
A 43-inch free-standing RLCD kiosk designed for digital signage, delivering clear portrait-format content w...
Reflective LCD · 43 in
Specify
What we need to specify against a power budget
Power is a duty-cycle question before it is a panel question, so the brief starts with how often the frame actually changes.
Budget
Current available for the display, and whether it is a peak or an average figure.
Duty cycle
How often the frame changes, and how much of it changes when it does.
Supply
Cell chemistry or panel size, nominal voltage and the recharge interval you are designing to.
Night use
Whether a backlight is needed after dark, and for what fraction of the time.
Service life
Target years in the field, which sets the acceptable average draw.
Documentation for a power-budget evaluation
On request
Datasheets
Each module is characterised before its datasheet is issued, so we send the current specification on request rather than post one that may be stale.
Publishing soon
Integration guides
Not published yet: they are written from real integrations. If you are driving a panel now, an application engineer walks through the interface and timing with you.
Available now
Power calculator
Size a reflective panel against your power budget before samples arrive. A sizing aid, with its assumptions stated on the page.
Working to a power budget the display keeps breaking?
Send the budget and the duty cycle. Our engineers return a panel and a refresh strategy that fits inside it.
The range these products live in
−30 to +85 °Cspecified operating range
0 LEDsno backlight lifetime to derate
10 yrtypical field life
IP65sealed against damp and dust
The conditions this application imposes on a display, not module ratings. Per-module figures are issued as a datasheet with the conditions behind each one.
Heat shortens a backlight before it shortens a panel
In a sealed enclosure the backlight is both the largest heat source and the component most sensitive to heat, so its rated life falls exactly where the ambient is worst. A reflective panel removes that part entirely, which removes the derating curve with it.
Nothing to derate
With no LEDs there is no lifetime curve against junction temperature to design margin around.
Less heat to remove
The display stops contributing to the thermal load it is supposed to survive.
Fewer failure modes
Removing the backlight assembly removes the parts most exposed to thermal cycling and vibration.
Four places the range actually matters
Unheated cabs and cabinets
Vehicles and roadside equipment that start cold and run hot in the same day.
Arctic and desert deployment
Products sold into both ends of the range without a separate variant.
Process plant enclosures
Sealed housings where ambient sits well above room temperature all shift.
Rooftop and pole mounts
Installations in full sun with no shade and no forced cooling.
Panels specified across the full range
43-Inch RLCD Display
A 43-inch hanging RLCD display designed for digital signage, delivering clear portrait-format content with ...
Reflective LCD · 43 in
43-Inch RLCD Kiosk
A 43-inch free-standing RLCD kiosk designed for digital signage, delivering clear portrait-format content w...
Reflective LCD · 43 in
Specify
What we need to specify across the range
Temperature is a system question, so the brief covers the thermal path and the start-up case as well as the numbers on the label.
Range
Operating and storage extremes, and how long the product sits at each.
Thermal path
Whether the enclosure is sealed, vented or actively cooled, and what the panel is mounted to.
Condensation
Humidity, sealing and whether the product cycles through the dew point.
Start-up
The coldest temperature at which the display must come up and be readable.
Certification
Any thermal shock, cycling or vibration standard the product has to pass.
Documentation for a thermal evaluation
On request
Datasheets
Each module is characterised before its datasheet is issued, so we send the current specification on request rather than post one that may be stale.
Publishing soon
Integration guides
Not published yet: they are written from real integrations. If you are driving a panel now, an application engineer walks through the interface and timing with you.
Available now
Power calculator
Size a reflective panel against your power budget before samples arrive. A sizing aid, with its assumptions stated on the page.
Specifying for an enclosure you cannot condition?
Send the range and the thermal path. Our engineers confirm the panel against both ends before you commit to tooling.