Electroluminescent Displays Used at NASA

If your display project requires high brightness and contrast, a wide temperature range, along with reliability and long operating life, you might want to take a look at Planar's electroluminescent (EL) displays. Over the years significant improvements have been made to brightness and contrast, reduction of power consumption, development of proprietary gray-scale algorithms and packaging improvements to reduce size and enhance shock and vibration resistance for these extremely rugged and durable displays.

Among applications used by EL displays, NASA depends on electroluminescent displays in their mission control center. When viewing critical data during space missions, NASA managers depend on the unparralleled image quality offered in the EL display. Information gathered by technicians during missions provide opportunities for the scientific community to conduct experiments during space exploration and upon return to earth.

For more information about El displays, check out Planar's electroluminescent technology overview or the FAQ.

Large Format Quick Serve Menu Boards Go Digital

The quick serve restaurant (QSR) menu boards are changing, much like the way you view video rental options on kiosk displays at outdoor venues. When requirements call for a large format, high bright display that can operate in rugged, outdoor environments Planar has a solution for your application.

Planar recently partnered with UniStructures, Inc. to provide a 46"outdoor digital signage menu board for a KFC drive thru. The ultra bright 2000 nit display makes reading food selections easier for drive through customers, and the ability to change content easier for KFC.

Available in size forms up to 65", a variety of key benefits are available including optically bonded vandal resistant front glass, state of the art custom IR Reflector and color matched hot cathode Fluorescent lamps.

Let us know what you like about easy to read drive through menu boards.

EL: Electroluminescent Glass - Versatile for Many Applications

Seems like lots of folks are catching on to the versatility of Electroluminescent glass for various types of applications. When your display project calls for a solution to a challenging and demanding application, the unique performance and visual characteristics of high-performance electroluminescent (EL) displays make it an ideal choice.

Recently, Inventables posted a blog about Electroluminescent glass. For use in military, medical or industrial applications, EL glass features a wide temperature range and reliability which are critical in these applications and others.

See Planar's 20 Reasons why Thin Film EL is your most reliable display choice for rugged viewing conditions and let us know if there are other reasons to add.

Electroluminescent Displays at the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum

The electroluminescent (EL) display that was used in the GRID Compass 1101 laptop on the space shuttle in 1985 has made history again. The GRID laptop, one of the first laptops on the market, is on display in the Smithsonian Air & Space Museum.

In a previous blog post, you can see an image of the laptop with the EL display on board the space shuttle. EL technology has made continual and dramatic improvements, but you'd have to say that a display that can withstand g-force environments is an ideal solution for the most challenging and demanding applications.

Planar's EL displays have significantly improved over the past 25 years. Besides improved display brightness and contrast, improvements have been made to reduce power consumption and improve enhanced shock and vibration resistence.

What project do you have that would benefit from an EL display?

Planar Displays New Products at Society for Information Display Show

Planar featured several new prototype products recently at the SID 2009 Exhibition in San Antonio, TX, along with a wide range of the Electroluminescent products seen here that meet your needs for an ultra-wide temperature range, rugged at-a-glance viewing and proven technology display.

For the first time, Planar exhibited a green EL display featuring a wide viewing angle, alongside the existing transparent EL display that features unique, adaptive, rugged see-through technology. Also on exhibit were the marine and mining displays and a StereoMirror 3D display.

What type of display are you looking for? Request Planar's Design Guide to learn more.

Ultra-wide Temperature Test. Can a Display Survive -78°C?

Lyle Simonsen recently did a cold temperature test on several electroluminescent displays. Originally the test was specified for -60°C. Once that was completed successfully Lyle tested the EL displays at the lowest temperature possible with the environmental test chamber. See what happens.