Tech Center

How Do I Mount My TRU-Vu Monitor?

• Many of our monitors are supplied with a tabletop base.  (If the picture on our website shows a base, it is included.)
• We offer optional tabletop bases and wall mount brackets for all monitors.  See this PAGE for more details and available styles.
• All TRU-Vu monitors 8.4″ and larger have 4 industry-standard VESA screw holes for mounting.  These are arranged in a square pattern, 75 x 75 mm, 100 x 100 mm or 200 x 200 mm center-to-center.  Monitors from 8.4″ to 32″ use M4 screws.  They should sink into the monitor no more than 6-7 mm.  Monitors 42″ and larger use M6 screws.  They should sink into the monitor no more than 7 mm.  VESA mount hole patterns range from 100 x 100 mm to 200 x 200 mm.

How Should I Clean an LCD Monitor Screen Without Protective Glass?

We highly recommend Whoosh! Screen Cleaner.  It is a powerful, natural cleaner for any monitor, touch screen, or LCD display.  It is 100% natural, non-toxic and environmentally friendly.  Whoosh! removes dirt, smudges, streaks, fingerprints and skin oils.  It is alcohol-free, ammonia-free, streak-free and anti-static.  It will not scratch, mark or etch the LCD screen.  And, a nano-thin coating helps protect the LCD screen from future fingerprints.

OR

1. Create a solution of 50/50 distilled or ionized water and isopropyl alcohol.   **DO NOT USE WINDEX OR OTHER HOUSEHOLD GLASS CLEANERS**  These can have ammonia as an ingredient, which will damage the screen.
2. Turn the monitor off and apply the solution to a soft cloth (not directly to the screen) and gently wipe the screen in a singular direction to remove any dirt or deposits.  Harsh paper towels can abrade the LCD surface.
3. Avoid pressure on the screen; this can damage the individual cells of the LCD matrix.

How Should I Clean Monitors with Protective Glass Over the LCD Panel?

We highly recommend Whoosh! Screen Cleaner for all the reasons stated above.

What is TRU-Tuff?

TRU-Tuff is a unique treatment to maximize shock and vibration resistance.  This is standard on all 7″ and 19″ TRU-Vu monitors.  It is available as an option on any other monitor.  This process includes:

1. RTV silicone on all critical components and connections
2. All wires are dressed, tie-wrapped and secured
3. ThreadLock applied to all screws

TRU-Tuff enables our monitors to be used in the most challenging applications, including vehicles, manufacturing plants, helicopters, on ships, in portable/mobile systems, off-shore drilling rigs and more.

I don’t see exactly what I need.  Do you provide customization?

Yes! We offer a wide array of customization for all our products, far too much to detail on our website.  If you don’t see exactly what you want, call us at (847) 259-2344 and talk to one of our sales engineers.  We are happy to help with any request and can usually provide exactly what you are looking for.

Do you have any videos available?

Yes! Subscribe to our YouTube Channel for new upcoming content. Below are a few videos to help explain what makes up an LCD monitor and demonstrations of both our Sunlight Readable Monitors & Waterproof Sunlight Readable Monitors.

• TRU-Vu Sunlight Readable Monitors & Optically Bonded Monitors
• Totally Waterproof Sunlight Readable Monitors Video
• Components of an LCD Monitor

What is a Pixel?

Often referred to as dot, as in “dots per inch”, “Pixel” is short for picture elements, which make up an image, similar to grains in a photograph or dots in a half-tone.  Each pixel can represent a number of different shades or colors, depending on how much storage space is allocated for it.  Pixels per inch (ppi) are sometimes the preferred term, as it more accurately describes the digital image.  The actual physical size of the pixel is equal to the dot pitch of the display.  If your display is set to something less than the maximum resolution, then a pixel will be larger than the actual size of the screen dot, i.e., a pixel will use more than one dot.

What is a NIT?

A NIT is a measurement of light in candelas per meter squared (cd/m²).
For an LCD monitor, it is brightness out of the front panel of the display.  A NIT is a good basic reference when comparing brightness from monitor to monitor.  Most desktop LCDs or laptops have a brightness of 150 to 250 Nits.  These standard LCDs are not readable in direct or even indirect sunlight as they become washed out. In such instances, use our Optically Bonded or Sunlight Readable monitors.

What is considered a true Sunlight Readable LCD Monitor?

First, the display screen on a Sunlight Readable LCD should be bright enough so that the display is visible in direct or strong sunlight.  Second, the display contrast ratio must be maintained at 5 to 1 or higher.

Although a display with less than 500 nits screen brightness and a mere 2 to 1 contrast ratio can be read in outdoor environments, the quality of the display will be dreadfully poor and not get the desired information across effectively.  A true Sunlight Readable display is normally considered to have at least 1000 nits of brightness and a contrast ratio greater than 5 to 1.  In outdoor environments, such a display can provide excellent image quality.

What is Luminance?

Luminance is the term that specifies the visual brightness of an object.  It is another term for NIT.   Like NIT, it is measured in candelas per square meter (Cd/m2) or nits.  Luminance is an influential factor of perceived picture quality in an LCD.  The importance of luminance is enhanced by the fact that humans will react more positively to a brightly illuminated screen.  In indoor environments, a standard active-matrix LCD with a screen luminance of around 250 nits will look good.  In the same scenario, an LCD with a luminance of 1,000 nits or more will look utterly captivating.

What is Contrast Ratio (CR)?

Contrast ratio is the ratio of luminance between the brightest “white” and the darkest “black” that can be produced on a display.  Contrast Ratio is another influence of perceived picture quality.  If a picture has high Contrast Ratio, you will consider it to be sharper and crisper than a picture with lower Contrast Ratio.  For example, a typical newspaper picture has a Contrast Ratio of about 5 to 7, whereas a high quality magazine picture has a Contrast Ratio that is greater than 15.  Therefore, the magazine picture will look better even if the resolution is the same as that of the newspaper picture.

A typical LCD exhibits a Contrast Ratio of approximately 300 to 700 when measured in a dark room.  The Contrast Ratio on the same unit measured under ambient illumination is drastically lowered due to surface reflection (glare).  For example, a standard 200 nit LCD measured in a dark room has 300 Contrast Ratio, but will have less than a 2.0 Contrast Ratio under intense direct sunlight.  This is due to the fact that the surface glare increases the luminance by over 200 nits both on the “white” and the “black” that are produced on the display screen.  The result is the luminance of the white is slightly over 400 nits, and the luminance of the black is over 200 nits.  The Contrast Ratio then becomes less than 2 and the picture quality is drastically reduced and not acceptable.

What is a Viewing Angle and why does it matter?

The viewing angle is the angle at which the image quality of an LCD degrades and becomes unacceptable for the intended application.  Viewing angles are usually quoted in horizontal and vertical degrees with importance dependent on the specific application.  As the observer physically moves to the sides of the LCD, the images will degrade in three ways.  First, the luminance drops.  Second, the contrast ratio usually drops off at large angles.  Third, the colors may shift.  Most modern LCDs have acceptable viewing angles even for viewing from the sides.

For LCDs used in outdoor applications, defining the viewing angle based on CR alone is not adequate.  Under very bright ambient light conditions the display is hardly visible when the screen luminance drops below 200 nits.  Therefore, the viewing angles are defined based on both the CR and the Luminance.

What is an Automated Ambient Light Sensor?

An ambient light sensor in an LCD monitor is used to enable automatic brightness adjustment of the monitor, eliminating manual adjustment which can be tedious and unsafe if adjustment is needed while operating equipment or vehicles.  TRU-Vu’s Ambient Light Sensors also allow users to set brightness and timing parameters. For example, users have the ability to specify the maximum and minimum brightness the Ambient Light Sensor can adjust between. Additionally, you can specify how long you would like the sensor to wait before adjusting the brightness (between 1 and 60 seconds). Automated Ambient Light Sensors are standard on many TRU-Vu Sunlight Readable monitors, and can be added to virtually every model. These are the ultimate tool to enable use of our monitors from total darkness at night to direct, bright sunlight during the day, completely automatically.

Dim-to-Black: What does it mean?

A monitor featuring Dim-to-Black Hotkeys means the monitor’s UP Arrow and Down Arrow buttons have been reprogrammed to adjust the monitor’s brightness, with the ability to bring the LCD screen down to absolute black (no backlight glow). Dim-to-Black is useful in applications where users want control over the monitor’s brightness levels, especially when operating during the night, but do not want to navigate through an on-screen display (OSD) menu to adjust the brightness. Dim-to-Black Hotkeys are standard on many TRU-Vu Sunlight Readable monitors, and can be added to virtually every model as an option.