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Waterproof external monitor for laptop
Hi all, different topic. SO in setting up my nav center - Dell laptop
with SeaClear software... I want to keep the laptop in the cabin so as to avoid exposing it to elements... So I was thinking I could find some sort of waterproof external monitor to run from the laptop to outside the boat near the tiller.... Does anyone know of such a monitor for this purpose? Thanks, David |
Waterproof external monitor for laptop
How about a wireless? http://www.nobeltec.com/products/prod_tb_wnd.asp
Or these: http://www.bigbaytech.com/displays.htm |
Waterproof external monitor for laptop
If you go on eBay and do a search for '7 VGA monitor', you will come up with
many 7" monitors that may suit you. These are not waterproof, but they are touchscreen which allows for remote control of laptop and could perhaps be protected with a plastic cover in bad weather. They are relatively inexpensive. Here is one typical auction: http://cgi.ebay.com/New-Lilliput-7-T... QcmdZViewItem I had been thinking about doing this myself, but now use my iPaq PPC with Fugawi - It works well both on the boat and in the car and in bad weather I just drop a ziploc bag over it. A new product should be on the market soon - The so-called Ultra Mobile - Samsung, Asus and others will have them. These units are bigger than an iPaq but smaller than a laptop and ideal for mobile computing and GPS display. Again, they won't be weatherproof, but as with the iPaq, should be easily protected in bad weather with plastic cover or just put it down below or on a bracket? http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/umpc/hardware.mspx Good Luck! GBM "DPFresh" wrote in message oups.com... Hi all, different topic. SO in setting up my nav center - Dell laptop with SeaClear software... I want to keep the laptop in the cabin so as to avoid exposing it to elements... So I was thinking I could find some sort of waterproof external monitor to run from the laptop to outside the boat near the tiller.... Does anyone know of such a monitor for this purpose? Thanks, David |
Waterproof external monitor for laptop
DPFresh wrote:
Hi all, different topic. SO in setting up my nav center - Dell laptop with SeaClear software... I want to keep the laptop in the cabin so as to avoid exposing it to elements... So I was thinking I could find some sort of waterproof external monitor to run from the laptop to outside the boat near the tiller.... Does anyone know of such a monitor for this purpose? Thanks, David Waterproof daylight-viewable TFT monitors were available some years ago at around $4000 US. You will not be able to see a "normal" TFT monitor until it gets pretty dark, hence the advice not to use laptops out of doors. Dennis. |
Waterproof external monitor for laptop
On 20 Apr 2006 13:09:02 -0700, "DPFresh"
wrote: Hi all, different topic. SO in setting up my nav center - Dell laptop with SeaClear software... I want to keep the laptop in the cabin so as to avoid exposing it to elements... So I was thinking I could find some sort of waterproof external monitor to run from the laptop to outside the boat near the tiller.... Does anyone know of such a monitor for this purpose? http://www.myelectronics.nl/index.ht...rget=d164.html Select waterproof displays. Don't know the thing. Cheers! Remco |
Waterproof external monitor for laptop
"Dennis Pogson" wrote in news:7h92g.902
: hence the advice not to use laptops out of doors The other problem is that EVERY laptop you can buy has a glossy, flat mirror protecting the LCD display. If you sit anywhere in bright light, like outdoors or near a bright window indoors, the damned thing lets you see YOURSELF or your surroundings smack dab in the middle of the picture. It's like watching a movie through a mirror.....and really aggravating. There's gotta be a better way.... |
Waterproof external monitor for laptop
David,
There are several issues that make PC screens unsuitable for marine use. There are considerations for power, protection from the harsh enrinment etc., but a real driver that few people are aware of is night viewing. It is imperitive that the display dims to black. PC monitors will not. Marine grade monitors are more money for two reasons. One is certification tests and the other is durability. Please check out this site. http://www.hatteland.com/ They make a large majority of the available marine screens relabled under different brands. If you avoid the commercial certified screens and go with the yacht screens, you will end up with the marine performance sans certification costs. Please also be aware that when interfacing things like black box radars, be aware of aspect ratio, not just screen size. If the screen size does not physically match the resolution to be used, circles appear as ovals and that really looks horrible. Steve "DPFresh" wrote in message oups.com... Hi all, different topic. SO in setting up my nav center - Dell laptop with SeaClear software... I want to keep the laptop in the cabin so as to avoid exposing it to elements... So I was thinking I could find some sort of waterproof external monitor to run from the laptop to outside the boat near the tiller.... Does anyone know of such a monitor for this purpose? Thanks, David |
Waterproof external monitor for laptop
At only 350 to 600 nits those exterior displays don't seem to be daylight
viewable. -- Glenn Ashmore I'm building a 45' cutter in strip/composite. Watch my progress (or lack there of) at: http://www.rutuonline.com Shameless Commercial Division: http://www.spade-anchor-us.com "Steve Lusardi" wrote in message ... David, There are several issues that make PC screens unsuitable for marine use. There are considerations for power, protection from the harsh enrinment etc., but a real driver that few people are aware of is night viewing. It is imperitive that the display dims to black. PC monitors will not. Marine grade monitors are more money for two reasons. One is certification tests and the other is durability. Please check out this site. http://www.hatteland.com/ They make a large majority of the available marine screens relabled under different brands. If you avoid the commercial certified screens and go with the yacht screens, you will end up with the marine performance sans certification costs. Please also be aware that when interfacing things like black box radars, be aware of aspect ratio, not just screen size. If the screen size does not physically match the resolution to be used, circles appear as ovals and that really looks horrible. Steve "DPFresh" wrote in message oups.com... Hi all, different topic. SO in setting up my nav center - Dell laptop with SeaClear software... I want to keep the laptop in the cabin so as to avoid exposing it to elements... So I was thinking I could find some sort of waterproof external monitor to run from the laptop to outside the boat near the tiller.... Does anyone know of such a monitor for this purpose? Thanks, David |
Waterproof external monitor for laptop
Glenn,
To be honest, I don't know if they are, but an email to them would sort it out. I do know that they are very good and not too bad in price. Steve "Glenn Ashmore" wrote in message news:2Wm2g.3967$iF3.3217@dukeread01... At only 350 to 600 nits those exterior displays don't seem to be daylight viewable. -- Glenn Ashmore I'm building a 45' cutter in strip/composite. Watch my progress (or lack there of) at: http://www.rutuonline.com Shameless Commercial Division: http://www.spade-anchor-us.com "Steve Lusardi" wrote in message ... David, There are several issues that make PC screens unsuitable for marine use. There are considerations for power, protection from the harsh enrinment etc., but a real driver that few people are aware of is night viewing. It is imperitive that the display dims to black. PC monitors will not. Marine grade monitors are more money for two reasons. One is certification tests and the other is durability. Please check out this site. http://www.hatteland.com/ They make a large majority of the available marine screens relabled under different brands. If you avoid the commercial certified screens and go with the yacht screens, you will end up with the marine performance sans certification costs. Please also be aware that when interfacing things like black box radars, be aware of aspect ratio, not just screen size. If the screen size does not physically match the resolution to be used, circles appear as ovals and that really looks horrible. Steve "DPFresh" wrote in message oups.com... Hi all, different topic. SO in setting up my nav center - Dell laptop with SeaClear software... I want to keep the laptop in the cabin so as to avoid exposing it to elements... So I was thinking I could find some sort of waterproof external monitor to run from the laptop to outside the boat near the tiller.... Does anyone know of such a monitor for this purpose? Thanks, David |
Waterproof external monitor for laptop
"Steve Lusardi" wrote in message ... David, There are several issues that make PC screens unsuitable for marine use. There are considerations for power, protection from the harsh enrinment etc., but a real driver that few people are aware of is night viewing. It is imperitive that the display dims to black. PC monitors will not. Steve, For night viewing, a special monitor is not needed, because software can compensate. For example, Fugawi, one of the popular Nav programs has this feature. To quote from their feature list: "Dusk and Night vision display with color shifts designed to international maritime standards." We use this program on our boat and our car nav program 'iGuidance' has the same feature whether I am using the laptop or iPaq. GBM |
Waterproof external monitor for laptop
GBM,
I'm not speaking about the dimming of just the displayed data. I'm talking about the back glow of the powered up screen itself. The back glow on some of these PC screens will light up the whole cockpit ruining your night vision. No software fixes that. Steve "GBM" wrote in message ... "Steve Lusardi" wrote in message ... David, There are several issues that make PC screens unsuitable for marine use. There are considerations for power, protection from the harsh enrinment etc., but a real driver that few people are aware of is night viewing. It is imperitive that the display dims to black. PC monitors will not. Steve, For night viewing, a special monitor is not needed, because software can compensate. For example, Fugawi, one of the popular Nav programs has this feature. To quote from their feature list: "Dusk and Night vision display with color shifts designed to international maritime standards." We use this program on our boat and our car nav program 'iGuidance' has the same feature whether I am using the laptop or iPaq. GBM |
Waterproof external monitor for laptop
"Steve Lusardi" wrote in message ... GBM, I'm not speaking about the dimming of just the displayed data. I'm talking about the back glow of the powered up screen itself. The back glow on some of these PC screens will light up the whole cockpit ruining your night vision. No software fixes that. Steve Steve, Perhaps some laptops may do that, but we have sailed with a conventional laptop sitting on cabin top, under bimini day and night and not found it to be a problem. We also use our iPaq day and night with the software compensating for day/night conditions and it works perfectly - even in car where any glare would be distracting. The iPaq has adjustable backlighting (as do most laptops) but I don't find any need to adjust it - it's mainly a power saving feature. Do the low cost chartplotters by Garmin and others have any special nightime visibility built into their displays? I seem to recall that they too have software that changes colours for day/night use and perhaps they too have adjustable backlighting like the iPaq. I am sure that the commercial displays are better, but for us at least, we see no problems using standard low cost computer hardware for recreational navigation purposes. GBM |
Waterproof external monitor for laptop
DPFresh wrote:
Hi all, different topic. SO in setting up my nav center - Dell laptop with SeaClear software... I want to keep the laptop in the cabin so as to avoid exposing it to elements... So I was thinking I could find some sort of waterproof external monitor to run from the laptop to outside the boat near the tiller.... Does anyone know of such a monitor for this purpose? The Panasonic Toughbook line has some interesting stuff. The line includes a tablet model (MDWD) that could be mounted in the cockpit to provide a wireless data mobile display (with full I/O) for programs running on a nearby laptop. All of the fully ruggedized pieces (they are also some less ruggedized models in the line) in that hardware line look to be pretty well qualified for marine use. Check the models out here, http://tinyurl.com/bwrnk The stuff on the trailing edge is available at fair to good prices on eBay and through a number of online houses specializing in medical/industrial needs. The prices might create a little sticker shock but I suspect that in the long run, the toughness and survivability will offset the initial costs. Jack -- Jack Erbes in Ellsworth, Maine, USA - jackerbes at adelphia dot net (also receiving email at jacker at midmaine.com) |
Waterproof external monitor for laptop
Doesn't most nav software allow only a limited number of usages (like
2?)? So what happens when your cheap ebay laptop crashes? Isn't your software history also? Just wondering Gordon "purple_stars" wrote in message oups.com... DPFresh wrote: Hi all, different topic. SO in setting up my nav center - Dell laptop with SeaClear software... I want to keep the laptop in the cabin so as to avoid exposing it to elements... So I was thinking I could find some sort of waterproof external monitor to run from the laptop to outside the boat near the tiller.... Does anyone know of such a monitor for this purpose? Thanks, David personally i think it's better to think "big picture" on this. what is the goal ? to see your charts and other information out in the cockpit near the tiller from now until the cows come home. you want it to work in all conditions, have high reliability, be difficult to steal, etc. one solution to that is to get a marine monitor which is going to set you back about 4k$us. has high brightness and is made for the environment, that's it's high point, it's the "perfect solution" or as close as there is to one. bad points include things such as ... well, it's expensive, you'll worry about someone taking it, you'll worry about it being damaged and you might turn into one of those annoying "don't touch that" people, chances are it's going to get scratched or broken by your man over board pole or when you're loading supplies or during that unexpected storm that drops giant hail stones or something. a marine monitor is going to be a princess and will want to be treated as such, it's just a very expensive piece of deck equipment, one that's exposed to the same sort of abuse that any deck equipment is. OR, you can just get a couple of cheap monitors and shield them from the sun. tons of choices and they are coming down in price all the time. even better you can get used laptops off of ebay for 100$us or 200$us and have some sort of mount made for them. disadvantages are obvious, it's not the perfect display, harder to see if you don't have some kind of sun shield, not as fancy as your perfect marine monitor maybe though i'm sure you could make just as nice a mount for it, etc, etc, i'm sure there are some other disadvantages as well. advantages, price .. since it costs a few hundred $us you can buy TEN of them instead of one marine monitor. in the "big picture" that's better because then you won't worry about it so much, you won't be a "don't touch that" person, you won't care so much that it's getting salt encrusted on it, you won't care so much that it's sitting in the sun all the time. if someone gets onboard and steals it, who cares, you've got another one, and if someone accidentally scratches the face of it with deck equipment it doesn't matter either. true peace of mind, if it breaks, you install another one, just like anything else on deck, it becomes a tool that can break and that you can have spares for, something you can rely on. your significant other has really already proven the point, you've got an expensive Dell laptop you don't want to expose to the elements. if you had a couple of 200$us ebay laptops you wouldn't care, and you'd have spares. just a thought. (i realize fully that there are people for which 4k$us is pocket change and they can afford to swap out 4k$us monitors all day long ... but that's not me! lol) |
Waterproof external monitor for laptop
"Gordon" wrote in message ... Doesn't most nav software allow only a limited number of usages (like 2?)? So what happens when your cheap ebay laptop crashes? Isn't your software history also? Just wondering Gordon Gordon, I think that Fugawi allows two installations - That's not bad when you consider most software only allows one plus a backup. I believe that Fugawi will also accommodate you if you have a system crash and need to re-install - BUT, I have not tried this - it presumably requires a telephone call and some of the people there are a bit difficult to deal with! I have had Fugawi 3 for quite a number of years and have not hit into the installation limitation, even although I have it on my Desktop, on my laptop and on my Iraq. The laptop has had one hard drive replacement. Fortunately, I had backed up my complete laptop hard drive so did not have to re-install. There does not seem to be any limitations on number of installations to iPaq, because I have lost all programs in memory several time when battery ran down due to lack of use and had to re-install. GBM |
Waterproof external monitor for laptop
Does anyone know of such a monitor for this purpose?
http://www.cdynamics.com/ http://www.inducomp.com/ http://www.datalux.com/ http://www.hismonitors.com/ http://www.norteng.com/ http://www.dynamicdisplay.com/ http://www.smallpc.com/lcdmonitors.php Stealth has PCs you can leave right in the cockpit, no problem. http://www.stealthcomputer.com/portables.htm They also have displays you could attach to your fragile notebook in the cabin. Stealth computers are currently at war with the boys in Iraq and Afghanistan. I've talked to a few of them on Skype...(c; |
Waterproof external monitor for laptop
Also consider getting an actual marine chartplotter and a PC interface. Get
a pair of cheap PC laptops (lay in one as a spare) and stick it belowdecks. Use the PC for it's regular features and chartplotting. Then upload the routes and download other data from the marine chartplotter. That way you get at-sea reliability from the 'real' chartplotter but also get the flexibility of the PC. This is what I do and it works out great. When looking, check out MapTech's Chart Navigator Pro. It's a repackaging of Rosepoint's Coastal Explorer in conjuction with ALL of MapTech's US charts (including contours). Quite a bargain if you buy it online from Boatfix, and there's a $50 rebate from Maptech running now. -Bill Kearney |
Waterproof external monitor for laptop
If you get two PCs that are the identical model you could setup one and
simple mirror the drive for the other one. Most software also allows more than one install. Most allow 2, some allow three. Most also allow you to call in and request they rearrange the keys in the event of machine failures. |
Waterproof external monitor for laptop
There are several issues that make PC screens unsuitable for marine use.
There are considerations for power, protection from the harsh enrinment True, protection against outdoor moisture levels is well beyond what most PC monitors can deliver. Not to mention they're not very good at displaying in direct sunlight. etc., but a real driver that few people are aware of is night viewing. It is imperitive that the display dims to black. PC monitors will not. That's untrue. It's entirely dependent on the application driving the monitor. If the application program doesn't use the energy star or other power managment functions then it'd certainly be less than ideal. But in this day an age very few things remain that defective regarding power managment. If you avoid the commercial certified screens and go with the yacht screens, you will end up with the marine performance sans certification costs. +1, great suggestion. Please also be aware that when interfacing things like black box radars, be aware of aspect ratio, not just screen size. If the screen size does not physically match the resolution to be used, circles appear as ovals and that really looks horrible. If you're running PC applications just make sure your video display card can drive the monitor at it's native resolution. Most cards can support the usual 4:3 aspect ratio as well as newer 16:9 and other variants. Check first, otherwise stick with getting a 4:3 aspect ratio monitor at pixel resolutions like 800x600, 1024x768 or 1280x1024. Avoid the automobile screens with only 400 line vertical resolution. That's fine for presenting a touchscreen FM radio/CD player but it's horrible for the sort of precision you'd need for chartplotter applications. |
Waterproof external monitor for laptop
Bill Kearney wrote:
Also consider getting an actual marine chartplotter and a PC interface. Get a pair of cheap PC laptops (lay in one as a spare) and stick it belowdecks. Use the PC for it's regular features and chartplotting. Then upload the routes and download other data from the marine chartplotter. That way you get at-sea reliability from the 'real' chartplotter but also get the flexibility of the PC. This is what I do and it works out great. When looking, check out MapTech's Chart Navigator Pro. It's a repackaging of Rosepoint's Coastal Explorer in conjuction with ALL of MapTech's US charts (including contours). Quite a bargain if you buy it online from Boatfix, and there's a $50 rebate from Maptech running now. -Bill Kearney All he needs is a waterproof super-hi-candela screen (shatterproof glass, of course), mounted in a steel bulkhead (preferably by welding), with a steel plate door, double locked, a waterproof keypad and a waterproof mouse or scroll ball, with a drop-down table for the keypad. The whole think linked by Wi-Fi to his laptop down below. Seven or eight thousand dollars should easily cover it. Thank God I'm not sailing on the boat with him! BTW, a Garmin GPSMAP60C or CSx will cover most cockpit navigation problems, particuarly if you use the same Bluecharts in the Garmin as you use on the laptop. Less than $500 if you know where to look, and you take it home with you at night! Dennis. |
Waterproof external monitor for laptop
This may be what you're looking for. The CarrolTouch model is probably
most suitable. 15" touchscreen lcd designed for harsh environments (imagine doing worse to it on your sailboat than at a bar on the beach during spring break). A quick Froogle seach turns them up for around $700 http://www.elotouch.com/products/lcds/1529l.asp |
Waterproof external monitor for laptop
Gordon wrote:
Doesn't most nav software allow only a limited number of usages (like 2?)? So what happens when your cheap ebay laptop crashes? Isn't your software history also? Just wondering Gordon I've never seen a software that required a key or unlock code that could not be reinstalled and have the key re-entered. So if you rebuild your system or acquire another, and are smart enough to have kept the registration key or unlock code, you simply install again and start over. Some of these softwares can be installed on multiple devices as long as the devices all have the same user I.D. On some hardware, particularly PDAs, the device must have the same Device I.D. (normally the name used for syncing) in order for the reinstall to work. And some software (Tom Tom 5 Navigator is a good example) a unique number in hardware (like the ROM I.D. or MAC address) is used in conjunction with the unlock code to prevent installation on more than one single device. On those the process is to install the software, send the installation code generated by the install process to Tom Tom, they then send you an unlock code, you enter that, and the software becomes fully capable. That PDA and the software are paired for life and it cannot be installed on any other device ever. Magellan limits their MapSend nav software to use with one GPS receiver and uses the hardware serial number embedded in the receiver to make that work. Garmin lets you use MapSource software products with two hardware devices. That is controlled by unlock codes obtained instantly via the internet, only two unlock codes are allowed for a given software serial number. There are minor variations in the processes for different type of software (street, topo, or marine mapping) and the process is not the same for all older versions of the software. Jack -- Jack Erbes in Ellsworth, Maine, USA - jackerbes at adelphia dot net (also receiving email at jacker at midmaine.com) |
Waterproof external monitor for laptop
I don't know where the $4K number comes from, but the firm I mentioned has
marine displays below $1,000. Steve "purple_stars" wrote in message oups.com... DPFresh wrote: Hi all, different topic. SO in setting up my nav center - Dell laptop with SeaClear software... I want to keep the laptop in the cabin so as to avoid exposing it to elements... So I was thinking I could find some sort of waterproof external monitor to run from the laptop to outside the boat near the tiller.... Does anyone know of such a monitor for this purpose? Thanks, David personally i think it's better to think "big picture" on this. what is the goal ? to see your charts and other information out in the cockpit near the tiller from now until the cows come home. you want it to work in all conditions, have high reliability, be difficult to steal, etc. one solution to that is to get a marine monitor which is going to set you back about 4k$us. has high brightness and is made for the environment, that's it's high point, it's the "perfect solution" or as close as there is to one. bad points include things such as ... well, it's expensive, you'll worry about someone taking it, you'll worry about it being damaged and you might turn into one of those annoying "don't touch that" people, chances are it's going to get scratched or broken by your man over board pole or when you're loading supplies or during that unexpected storm that drops giant hail stones or something. a marine monitor is going to be a princess and will want to be treated as such, it's just a very expensive piece of deck equipment, one that's exposed to the same sort of abuse that any deck equipment is. OR, you can just get a couple of cheap monitors and shield them from the sun. tons of choices and they are coming down in price all the time. even better you can get used laptops off of ebay for 100$us or 200$us and have some sort of mount made for them. disadvantages are obvious, it's not the perfect display, harder to see if you don't have some kind of sun shield, not as fancy as your perfect marine monitor maybe though i'm sure you could make just as nice a mount for it, etc, etc, i'm sure there are some other disadvantages as well. advantages, price .. since it costs a few hundred $us you can buy TEN of them instead of one marine monitor. in the "big picture" that's better because then you won't worry about it so much, you won't be a "don't touch that" person, you won't care so much that it's getting salt encrusted on it, you won't care so much that it's sitting in the sun all the time. if someone gets onboard and steals it, who cares, you've got another one, and if someone accidentally scratches the face of it with deck equipment it doesn't matter either. true peace of mind, if it breaks, you install another one, just like anything else on deck, it becomes a tool that can break and that you can have spares for, something you can rely on. your significant other has really already proven the point, you've got an expensive Dell laptop you don't want to expose to the elements. if you had a couple of 200$us ebay laptops you wouldn't care, and you'd have spares. just a thought. (i realize fully that there are people for which 4k$us is pocket change and they can afford to swap out 4k$us monitors all day long ... but that's not me! lol) |
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