Hoods for LCD Displays
 

Has anyone ever constructed a viewing hood for using a LCD display (monitor)
in daylight? I am thinking about a full hood that would be positioned over a
screen and one would then peer into it. Sort of a truncated pyramid sort of
thingy that could easily be removed and stowed. These sort of things used to
be used on PPI radar scopes and on Oscilloscopes.

If you have done this and would be willing to share your knowledge, I would
like to hear from you. I have searched with google and could only find sites
that sold some partial hoods that do not interest me.

Any enlightenment will be appreciated.

TIA

Vic

--
__________________________________________________ ______

Victor Fraenckel - The Windman
victorf ATSIGN windreader DOTcom
KC2GUI

Home of the WindReader Electronic Theodolite
Read the WIND

"Victory at all costs, victory in spite of all terror, victory however long
and hard the road may be; for without victory there is no survival."
- Winston [Leonard Spencer] Churchill (1874 - 1965)

"Dost thou not know, my son, with how little wisdom the world is governed?"
-Count Oxenstierna (ca 1620) to the young King Gustavus Adolphus

"People sleep peacefully in their beds at night only because rough
men stand ready to do violence on their behalf."
-George Orwell

"When a true genius appears in the world you may know him by this sign: that
all the dunces are in confederacy against him." -Jonathan Swift

"Vic Fraenckel" wrote in message
...
Has anyone ever constructed a viewing hood for using a LCD display
(monitor)
in daylight? I am thinking about a full hood that would be positioned over
a
screen and one would then peer into it. Sort of a truncated pyramid sort
of
thingy that could easily be removed and stowed. These sort of things used
to
be used on PPI radar scopes and on Oscilloscopes.

If you have done this and would be willing to share your knowledge, I
would
like to hear from you. I have searched with google and could only find
sites
that sold some partial hoods that do not interest me.

Any enlightenment will be appreciated.

TIA

Vic

I did that for a Garmin Ique 3600. It has 2 openings on opposite sides of
the top for the stylus and for a headphone jack. I located 2 brass rods of
the appropriate diameter and made sure the smaller one was short enough not
to short out the contacts in the jack. Then I drilled appropriate sized and
placed holes in a piece of brass bar stock and soldered the rods in place.
That bar was gorilla glued and screwed to a 1/2 x 3/4 inch stick of wood the
width of the unit. Using the wooden piece as the main support, I made a hood
from 1/4 inch plywood pieces gorilla glued together. A wooden support bar
was placed between the sides and under the screen for further support. The
bar was glued in place and also pinned in place with glue coated brass wire
through the plywood sides and into the bar ends. 1/8 inch square and
appropriately long glue blocks reinforce the plywood joints. A hardwood 3/8
inch square stick a few inches long with a hole drilled lengthwise is glued
to one side of the hood to hold the stylus. The whole unit is painted flat
black.

Pat

On Sun, 15 May 2005 02:37:05 GMT, "Vic Fraenckel"
wrote (with possible editing):

Has anyone ever constructed a viewing hood for using a LCD display (monitor)
in daylight? I am thinking about a full hood that would be positioned over a
screen and one would then peer into it. Sort of a truncated pyramid sort of
thingy that could easily be removed and stowed. These sort of things used to
be used on PPI radar scopes and on Oscilloscopes.

If you have done this and would be willing to share your knowledge, I would
like to hear from you. I have searched with google and could only find sites
that sold some partial hoods that do not interest me.

Any enlightenment will be appreciated.

TIA

Vic

I did it for a Garmin 168. Basically, it was three sided - top,
right, and left. I left the bottom open as I thought it wasn't
necessary. The top and left sides were extended and attached to the
top and left side of the unit with velcro. The top protruded maybe 4
inches and the sides tapered from 4 inches at the top to maybe 2
inches at the bottom. I made it out of aluminum, bent it over a form,
and painted the inside flat black and the outside white. The right
side of the hood was finished flush, given a rounded edge and covered
with electrical tape so that it wouldn't scratch. (The right side of
the unit is where the controls were located. It helped, but I ended
up replacing the unit with a Garmin 182c. The problem, of course it
the longer the hood, the more restricted the viewing angle.
--

Larry
Email to rapp at lmr dot com

Vic Fraenckel wrote:
Has anyone ever constructed a viewing hood for using a LCD display
(monitor) in daylight? I am thinking about a full hood that would
be positioned over a screen and one would then peer into it. Sort
of a truncated pyramid sort of thingy that could easily be removed
and stowed. These sort of things used to be used on PPI radar
scopes and on Oscilloscopes.

I have not built one, but I have seen them available for the purpose you
describe. One possibility online is Captain Jacks. They provide laptop
mounts, accessories, etc, that are quite good for boats.

--
Good luck and good sailing.
s/v Kerry Deare of Barnegat
http://kerrydeare.home.comcast.net

Vic Fraenckel wrote:

Has anyone ever constructed a viewing hood for using a LCD display (monitor)
in daylight? I am thinking about a full hood that would be positioned over a
screen and one would then peer into it. Sort of a truncated pyramid sort of
thingy that could easily be removed and stowed. These sort of things used to
be used on PPI radar scopes and on Oscilloscopes.

If you have done this and would be willing to share your knowledge, I would
like to hear from you. I have searched with google and could only find sites
that sold some partial hoods that do not interest me.

Any enlightenment will be appreciated.

Measure the circumference around case where you think a hood would
mount. Then look for plastic milk jugs or juice jugs or chemical jugs
with an eye for one that is close to the right size. Then cut the
bottom out and the top off to make a hood. There is a lot of room for
creativity here. If it is a slip fit try using it like that.
Experiment with paint on the interior or exterior (flat black?) to
improve light masking.

If you have to make it fit better, cut down one side (the bottom?),
punch some holes and lace it on. Or overlap the edges and hold it on
with a small bungee cord or rubber bands.

I used to work in rooms where the lighting was dimmed down in order to
use one large, unhooded, not very bright display. And there were about
10 other adjacent smaller displays of various types.

Many of the other displays had to have the intensity either turned up,
turned down, or lived with as they were if they did not have adjustable
intensity. That gave rise to a non stop procession of ad hoc hoods to
keep the too bright displays from bothering the dimmer displays and the
eyes of the people operating the big display.

Jack

--
Jack Erbes in Ellsworth, Maine, USA - jackerbes at adelphia dot net
(also receiving email at jacker at midmaine.com)

various hoods here

http://www.hoodmanusa.com/


"Vic Fraenckel" wrote in message
...
Has anyone ever constructed a viewing hood for using a LCD display
(monitor)
in daylight? I am thinking about a full hood that would be positioned over
a
screen and one would then peer into it. Sort of a truncated pyramid sort
of
thingy that could easily be removed and stowed. These sort of things used
to
be used on PPI radar scopes and on Oscilloscopes.

If you have done this and would be willing to share your knowledge, I
would
like to hear from you. I have searched with google and could only find
sites
that sold some partial hoods that do not interest me.

Any enlightenment will be appreciated.

TIA

Vic

--
__________________________________________________ ______

Victor Fraenckel - The Windman
victorf ATSIGN windreader DOTcom
KC2GUI

Home of the WindReader Electronic Theodolite
Read the WIND

"Victory at all costs, victory in spite of all terror, victory however
long
and hard the road may be; for without victory there is no survival."
- Winston [Leonard Spencer] Churchill (1874 - 1965)

"Dost thou not know, my son, with how little wisdom the world is
governed?"
-Count Oxenstierna (ca 1620) to the young King Gustavus Adolphus

"People sleep peacefully in their beds at night only because rough
men stand ready to do violence on their behalf."
-George Orwell

"When a true genius appears in the world you may know him by this sign:
that
all the dunces are in confederacy against him." -Jonathan Swift