How to Protect the Components Inside Outdoor Digital Signage Housing?

Brief

Outdoor digital signs are a part of public infrastructure, they operate 24 hours a day, under all weather conditions. Due to their complexity things can and will go wrong. Any good digital signage manufacturer acknowledges and addresses these issues appropriately.

Protection of Critical Components

LCD and PC are normally two electronic components within an outdoor LCD system, which represent the highest value (in terms of purchase cost) and are the »fragile« components in terms of spectra of their recommended operating temperature range.

In order to extend the lifetime of these two and also other electronic components, they are to be provided with suitable operating conditions, and/or they need to be turned off in case the operating conditions jump out of specified range due to unexpected conditions.

Storage temperature range (temperature range which these two components are able to withstand if turned off) is significantly wider (normally 20°C both in minus as well as in plus) therefore turning off component helps it withstand too high or too low temperatures.

Sequential Hot & Cold Start-up Feature

Let's say you have a network of outdoor digital signs. In the middle of a heatwave, there is a sudden power outage for a few minutes. Your digital signs are left alone under the hot European sun. While the temperature around 35°C doesn’t seem that extreme. Without thermal management, enclosure temperature can quickly rise above recommended operational and storage temperature. When the power comes back, digital signs automatically turn on. Suddenly LCD panels and other critical components are operating way above recommended operational temperature range and the thermal management is overloaded.

This kind of issue solves sequential hot & cold start-up feature. Upon start-up, critical electrical components remain turned off until a suitable temperature range within the housing is achieved.

This is an important feature that ensures an optimal lifetime of the critical components, by turning them ON only within the temperature range for which they are dedicated to be working.

Critical Error and Maintenance Call

Outdoor digital totems can be installed in various locations. These locations can be located far away from system administrators. In the case of analog technologies constant surveillance was needed. If the storm (wind gust) damaged an advertising billboard, the only way that the maintenance team knew that, was to check every location that was affected by the storm. Automatic self-diagnostics – take away the need for constant system surveillance, as automatic reporting is available.

All information regarding unit status can be periodically sent to system administrators. So, in case of any failure alert can be automatically sent to the system administrators which can then act quickly and any critical damage to unit components can be avoided.

Learn more about unique technology features in imotion outdoor digital signs.