Aydin Displays is certified as maintaining a high level of quality control in our processes and products. Currently, Aydin meets the requirements of a standard called AS9100B; this standard means that Aydin documents all the processes used to plan, build, and deliver our products to our customers.

KEMA is the independent company which currently certifies Aydin Displays as meeting the requirements of AS9100B. KEMA auditors visit the plant periodically to review processes and procedures and determine if Aydin’s Quality Management System is still functioning as documented.

Aydin’s Quality System is currently certified to this Aerospace Quality standard, which means that Aydin documents all processes affecting our products. Documentation of these processes eliminates variations in product quality which can happen if things are not done the same way every time. AS9100 certification includes ISO 9001:2000 plus additional requirements.

Aydin Displays supports three major markets, each of which has different needs and must be treated differently.

Commercial: Aydin does not deal in the commercial market, which supplies monitors like the ones used in homes or schools. These displays are massproduced and require no ruggedization or enhancements.

ATC: Air Traffic Control. The ATC market deals with displays installed in Air Traffic Control centers, and as such is highly specialized. The displays are relatively protected from damage, but need high resolutions and clarity.

Industrial: Industrial customers can include anything from rental car agencies looking for a display to put at the check-in station, to food processors needing displays on the packing line, to oil rigs that need displays to monitor functioning equipment. These displays need to be a little sturdier than commercial displays, but they don’t need to meet anything nearly as harsh as military requirements.

Military: Military customers are going to put their displays into very harsh environments, which will be described later in this document. In most cases, a display that is acceptable for Industrial or ATC customers will be quickly damaged or destroyed by a military customer’s normal use.

A 5-character code used in industry to identify a specific company quickly. The cage code is usually included on all technical documentation and on product labeling. Aydin’s cage code is 1NSE4.

National Stock Number. A part number assigned by the government to a product. An agency located in Battlecreek, MI, assigns them. Government employees and anyone else who has paid for access to the NSN website can use NSNs to order products. The NSN isn’t always tied to a complete part number, however. Some NSNs for Aydin product have been attached to incomplete model numbers instead.

General Services Administration. A government agency that acts as a sort of distributor which buys product from manufacturers for government agencies. Some government programs require that the parts involved be purchased from the GSA. When Aydin’s price list is not under revision, all of the Aydin-built products on the list are also listed with the GSA, including model number, part number, price, and delivery. The price on the GSA must be the lowest price for which the item was ever sold. Some products also list large quantity discounts.

Aydin places a silver label on each unit shipped so that a customer can contact us if they have questions or issues. In addition to full contact info (with cage code), the labels show a model and serial number, part or configuration number, and the date of manufacture. They can also include information such as power specs, contract, customer part number, etc. The information on the ID Label will be dictated by Engineering documentation associated with the product. If a unit must be returned for repair, Customer Service will need to know the model and serial numbers in order to authorize the return. When a customer wants a replacement for a discontinued unit, the full part or configuration number is needed to find a suitable match.

The first part of a configuration number, up to the first hyphen. The model number can help you determine if a unit is rugged or not, and often indicates its size, resolution, and mounting configuration. The specific information included in the model number is based on the configurator for the product, if one exists.

A number assigned to a finished product from Aydin Displays that includes characters which stand for features and information about the product. Each character in the configuration number means something specific, including details such as paint color, dimming options, window size, video inputs, power inputs, and anything else that is important to a customer when making a decision what configuration they wish to purchase. To decode the number, you must refer to the configurator for the model.

A document showing the numbering scheme created for an Aydin model and defining the meaning of each character in the configuration number. The configurator is created or controlled by Electrical Engineering.

A number used in Aydin’s system to identify a specific part. A part can be anything from one little transistor all the way up to a finished unit. Part numbers are generally independent of models or configurations, and are assigned by Documentation Control based on procedures included in the Quality Control System.

Electro-Static Discharge/Damage. Since our products all involve electricity, it is important to avoid any static shocks to material, even those you may not feel. New employees will receive training on ESD prevention.

Foreign Object Damage/Debris. This is essentially dirt that gets into products and reduces their quality. Depending on the product, it can make a unit worthless.

A document which dictates the requirements that a unit must meet. A customer supplies a specification, and that specification may call out other specifications or standards.

A document which dictates a requirement in detail. Standards are created by any organization which has been granted authority to define a subject. The military creates standards for determining when equipment will work in military environments, electrical societies create standards that describe how equipment will function in specified situations, safety commissions create safety standards, etc. A customer’s specification can call out standards as needed.

A commercial, mass-produced monitor.

A switch that’s covered by a thin layer of plastic or other flexible material so that nothing can get in around it. A membrane switch will be almost flat, with a slight lump in the center where you press. Some cell phones use this kind of switch to protect the phone from humidity.

Commercial Off-The-Shelf. A product which is used “as-is” and is usually purchased from a commercial vendor. Aydin orders COTS parts to use in our units, evaluating them at selection to determine that it meets our standards. Aydin’s standard products are also considered COTS because they are intended to plug right into the customer’s system with little difficulty and no modification. Aydin’s Quality Management System guarantees customers that each unit they purchase will be identical to other units with the same configuration, and will be interchangeable. However, because COTS parts are used in Aydin’s products (i.e., the LCD), the lifetime of these parts is not in Aydin’s control, which means that Aydin will need to deal with End of Life issues on some major parts to continue supporting our products.

Government Furnished Equipment/Customer Furnished Equipment. Any item which is owned by the government or a prime contractor (GFE) or another customer (CFE) but is currently on Aydin property. This can happen under several circumstances, such as:

• The customer sends a unit to Customer Service for repair
• The customer orders replacement or upgrade parts to be applied to consoles shipped to Aydin.
• The customer is paying for testing on units which Aydin builds; the moment the customer is billed for the unit, it must be treated as GFE, even if it has never been shipped to the customer.

GFE/CFE must be carefully tracked and handled to be sure it is returned to the customer in the same condition in which it arrived.

Export Administration Regulations. A section of the Code of Federal Regulations pertaining to the export of most commercial items.

International Traffic in Arms Regulations. These regulations control importing and exporting items or services listed on the United States Munitions List (USML). Anything which is included on the USML cannot be shared with anyone who is not a US citizen or organization unless the Department of State authorizes it or a special exemption is used. Although the ITAR name refers to Arms, it is a misconception that only products which are specifically weapons are affected; in fact, any product include on the USML is controlled by ITAR, and US citizens and organizations face heavy fines if they provide foreign persons access to any ITARcontrolled items without proper authorization.

Liquid Crystal Display - sometimes also shown as Active Matrix Liquid Crystal Display (AMLCD). This is a flat-panel monitor in which light is shined through a layer of liquid crystal in which color is filtered and controlled electronically. The original LCDs involved a passive matrix, but that technology is not longer used in regular applications, and thus LCD and AMLCD are used interchangeably. LCDs can be more subject to motion blurring than Plasma screens, but this can be corrected by faster response times in the LCD design. LCDs are far less likely to experience images showing up even when the image is supposed to have changed, and if the unit is shut off or a white screen is displayed for the same duration as the retained image, it will clear. LCDs are also less difficult to ruggedized and use reliably in military environments.

The width and height of the native resolution as it is displayed on the screen. On an LCD, the diagonal of the Active Display Area is the same as the diagonal of the visible screen. Because of the way they’re made, CRTs lose some of the Active Display Area, which means that the diagonal measure of the screen is not the same as the diagonal of the active display area. Thus, generally, a 20” CRT is comparable to a 19” LCD.

Picture Element. One “dot” on an LCD screen, which is the smallest piece of the information that makes up an image. The more pixels are used in an image, the more detail it can show. Each pixel in a color display is made of red, green, and blue subpixels, which are used to create the pixel color.

The dimensions of one pixel on the panel, usually measured in mm.

The number of pixels available on a monitor. It is usually shown as width by height or horizontal by vertical.

More detail: Width is the number of visible pixels in one line, height is the number of visible lines on the display. The more pixels are used in an image, the more detail it can show. A monitor that is 640 x 480 is 640 pixels wide and 480 pixels tall. High Resolution Digital Televisions (HDTV) are typically 1920 x 1080, or 1920 pixels wide by 1080 pixels tall. The numbers that represent resolution do not necessarily represent active display area dimensions, because a pixel can be a different size on a different LCD panel. VESA Standard resolutions have been given names, such as:

QCIF: 176 x 120	SXGA+: 1400 x1050
VGA: 640 x 480	WSXGA+: 1680 x 1050
PAL: 768 x 576	UXGA: 1600 x 1200
SVGA: 800 x 600	HD 1080: 1920 x 1080
WVGA: 854 x 480	WUXGA: 1920 x 1200
XGA: 1024 x 768	QXGA: 2048 x 1536
HD 720: 1280 x 720	WQXGA: 2560 x 1600
SXGA: 1280 x 1024	QSXGA: 2560 x 2048

Data sheets on different units list resolutions that are supported by the unit. If a resolution is not on the list, it cannot be assumed that it is supported. Most units support the standard, or named, resolutions up to their native resolution, but the video controller must be programmed to handle any resolution that is not one of these.

The ratio of the screen width to the height in generic units.
More Detail: The aspect ratio of the screen of a standard computer monitor and TV set is 4:3, which is a rectangle that is somewhat square. The 4 means 4 units wide, and the 3 means 3 units high. The high definition TV (HDTV) format is 16:9, which is a wide rectangle that is closer to panoramic wide screen movies. Although 4:3 and 16:9 are the common aspect ratios, there are some picture formats that use 5:4 and 16:10 formats.

Increasing the resolution of an image to a higher resolution for display. This can be used to zoom in on one section of an image and use that to fill the screen.

This is an option that allows the user to choose to either display the incoming video at its actual size on the screen (which could be smaller than the screen) or zoom the incoming video to fill the native resolution of the screen.

The same as the resolution used to describe the panel; an XGA (1024 x 768) panel has a native resolution of 1024 x 768. Most panels can display resolutions up to their native resolution, but no higher.

The brightness of the screen output. Luminance is usually determined by measuring the brightness of white, and can be expressed as a number of either NITS or cd/m2. These two units of measure are interchangeable. Foot lamberts is also a way of expressing the level of output luminance.

A way to express luminance of a display 3.43 NITS = 1 foot lambert.

A measure of light intensity. A lux is a little over 1/10 of 1 foot candle.

Contrast determines the ability of the user to separate an image from its background. The greater the contrast, the easier this is.

More detail: Contrast Ratio is expressed in terms like 300:1, which means that in a dark room, white will be 300 times brighter than black on the panel. Contrast Ratio will vary anywhere from 300:1 up to and over 1000:1. In a room with light or in sunlight, the Contrast Ratio will decrease. Depending on the customer’s requirement regarding ambient light (the amount of surrounding light the unit will be used in), the panel may require modification to keep the contrast ratio from decreasing too far. Typical sunlight Contrast Ratios will be around 6:1 through 30:1, depending on the unit. In an office environment, it could be much higher. Ambient lighting is expressed in foot candles.

A way to measure ambient light for Contrast Ratio measurement.

More detail: A typical sunlight requirement for Ground Mobile is an ambient environment of 6,000 foot candles, which is direct sunlight on the face of the earth. In an airborne application, it can reach 8,000 foot candles. Specific customer applications will define the ambient light.

The amount of light surrounding a unit; more ambient light will reduce the contrast ratio of the unit. Ambient light is expressed in foot candles. The light of the sun hitting the earth’s surface is typically expressed as 6,000 foot candles.

As you move side-to-side or up-and-down relative to an LCD screen, the image can get harder to see, or colors can become dimmer or change. The viewing angle for an LCD is the most extreme angle you can view the image from without distortion.

More Detail: The viewing angle is usually measured as the point where the contrast ratio decreases below 5:1 (or 10:1 if a specific requirement calls for it). Although the viewing angle can be the same in all directions, it is most often different left-to-right (l,r) from up-and-down (u,d). Sometimes even up is different from down (typically, when the screens are smaller, the viewing angle in the vertical direction is reduced). The total possible viewing angle for either l,r or u,d is 180°, which is all the way from one side of the panel to the other (going over 180° would mean going behind the panel). Usually, if the viewing angle is shown as a number over 90, it is the total viewing angle for either horizontal or vertical. If it is 90 or under, it is usually the viewing angle for one direction only (left or right, up or down), and would be doubled to get the total viewing angle for both directions.

Processes done to an LCD panel to improve its performance. These can include surface treatments like AR or AG, replacing the backlight, or lamination.

A lighting unit that sits behind the main LCD panel. Light from the backlight passes through a layer that filters the colors and controls the brightness. Two kinds of backlight currently used are CCFL (Cold-Cathode Fluorescent Lamp), which uses multiple fluorescent bulbs, and LED (Light Emitting Diode), which uses individual, tiny light bulbs arrayed in a pattern. Each type of backlight has its own pros and cons, but CCFLs are still the most common backlight in use.

LED Backlight: A backlight which uses Light Emitting Diodes. LED backlights can result in longer life, improved ruggedness, extremely low dimming ranges, and/ or lower power usage. An LED backlight with a specially-designed controller can even be used to improve a panel’s contrast ratio (by turning off LEDs behind areas that are supposed to be dark), and they permit a much lower dimming level than CCFLs can handle on larger panels. However, LED backlights are more expensive to build, and they have additional issues such as heat which must be dealt with in the unit design - especially as the panel size increases and more LEDs are required. These are challenges that most display manufacturers must currently take on, however, because it is where market demand is leading the industry.

CCFL Backlight: A backlight which uses Cold Cathode Fluorescent Lamps, very small glass tubes which function much like the fluorescent lights in an office. Also like those lights, each bulb in a CCFL backlight contains a very small amount of mercury, although the total amount of mercury in a typical backlight unit is less than that contained in one overhead bulb. CCFL backlights have been around as long as LCD panels, and so they do not cost much, but they Page 12 Decoding Display-Speak can take extra time to reach maximum brightness when used in cold situations and can begin to flicker in very low dimming ranges. They also require more ruggedization to meet severe vibration and shock specifications.

Light-Emitting Diode. This is a very small light which burns very bright for the amount of power it uses. LEDs are found all over the common household, as the little indicator lights that glow red or amber or green to indicate the status of a piece of equipment, and because of their low power impact they are even used on some USB memory sticks to indicate when they are powered. They are even found as replacements for light bulbs in modern car taillight designs, which results in much more visibility at night. Because of current concerns over lead in the environment, many applications are now moving to the use of LEDs for backlights. An LED backlight with a specially-designed controller can even be used to improve a panel’s contrast ratio (by turning off LEDs behind areas that are supposed to be dark), and they permit a much lower dimming level than CCFLs can handle on larger panels. However, LED backlights are more expensive to build, and they have additional issues such as heat which must be dealt with in the unit design - especially as the panel size increases and more LEDs are required. These are challenges that most display manufacturers must currently take on, however, because it is where market demand is leading the industry.

How fast the picture gets painted on the screen. The horizontal scanning frequency refers to the time to paint one line of the image, left to right. Vertical scanning frequency is the whole image, top to bottom, and is usually called refresh rate.

A method for painting an image onto the screen in which alternate lines are shown first, and when the last line in that group is painted, the scan returns to the top of the screen and fills in the missing lines. Although it takes more time to paint the entire picture than the progressive (newer) method, the viewer may perceive it as about the same because they will not have time to notice the missing data before it is filled in, and may thus perceive the entire image as being completed quicker than it is.

Essentially interlaced presentation of images.

A method for painting an image onto the screen in which lines are shown in order from top to bottom without interruption. If the scanning frequency is too slow, a user may perceive Progressive scanning as being slower than Interlaced, but this is not true. At normal scanning frequencies, the viewer won’t notice anything.

The panels Aydin usually uses are “normal-black”, which means that the panel doesn’t allow light from the backlight to pass through unless an electrical current is applied. The opposite of a normal-black panel is a normal-white panel, where no light is blocked unless a charge is applied.

On a normal-black panel, the temperature at which the pixels in an LCD turn black; the LCD will have to cool after reaching its clearing point before any more information can be displayed.

The ability to split screen and show two images from two different video sources, each in a designated section of the screen, side-by-side, to fill the screen in the same aspect ratio as the aspect ratio of the screen.

The ability of a unit to display multiple video signals on the screen at nearly any size and resolution.

See Multi-Imaging.

Extended Display Identification Data. EDID identifies a display to the graphics card to which it is connected. If you plug a new monitor into a computer and it recognizes that monitor immediately, it has EDID. If it identifies the monitor only in generic terms, it doesn’t have functioning EDID. The EDID helps the graphics card determine how to communicate with the display, and avoids issues with special resolutions or formats not being shown correctly on the display.

More Detail: The standard for EDID is published by the Video Electronics Standards Association (VESA). EDID includes the manufacturer name, product type, phosphor or filter type (for CRTs), timings the display supports, size, luminance data and (digital only) pixel mapping data.

On-Screen Display. The OSD is a menu through which the user can adjust the various settings available on the display, including brightness, resolution, etc. The OSD is usually activated with a button or switch on the display, itself, although sometimes it can be reached through the computer running the display.

A coating which is applied to a substrate through evaporation. The substrate is placed in a vacuum with the material to be applied, which is heated until it evaporates. The coating will then stick to all exposed surfaces of the substrate in an even layer.

Anti-Reflective. A coating applied to a surface to reduce the amount of reflected light. The reflected image will have the same clarity, but will be reduced in brightness. For instance, if you were looking at a window with AR at night, you would still see your reflection, but the image would be much dimmer than if there was no AR. Can be combined with AG for better results.

Anti-Glare. A finish applied to a surface to scatter reflected light. The same amount of light is reflected, but it is blurred over a larger area. This would be the equivalent of a matte finish in car paint as opposed to a gloss, which shows reflections. Can be combined with AR for better results.

Indium-Tin Oxide. A thin coating of Indium-Tin Oxide which is see-through and conducts electricity. An ITO-coated surface can be used in front of an LCD to provide EMI shielding. ITO can also be used to quickly heat the LCD in extremely cold environments by applying a current through the ITO coating .

Glass which is designed for improved safety. There are two kinds of safety glass: laminated glass and tempered glass.

Laminated Glass: A type of safety glass made with a thin layer of flexible, clear rubber or epoxy between two pieces of glass. The plastic/resin holds the glass in place when the glass breaks, helping to reduce injuries from flying glass shards. Car windshields are this sort of safety glass.

Heat Tempered Glass: (Tempered glass is used in safety glass, and some people use the terms interchangeably.) Glass that has been heated and then quickly cooled. The quick temperature change causes tension between the inside and surface of the glass which adds strength and changes the breaking properties. Temper-ing increases the strength of the glass to 5-10 times that of untempered glass. When tempered glass is struck, it doesn’t break into large, sharp, jagged pieces as untempered glass does. Instead, it shatters into many little pebble-like pieces, without sharp edges. Unlike untempered glass, tempered glass can’t be cut by standard methods without shattering.

Chemically Strengthened (or Tempered) Glass: Glass can be strengthened by heating it and dipping it into a chemical bath for a prolonged period. Like tempered glass, chemically strengthened glass will be 5-10 times stronger than it was originally.

Plastic Window: Used instead of glass in front on an LCD. Plastic strengthens the display because it adds another layer of protection. It also functions like safety glass, because it has no sharp edges when broken. Some forms of plastic are:

Polycarbonate: The hardest and most scratch-resistant plastic—Lexan® is one brand name.

Acrylic: A softer plastic. Trade names include Lucite® and Plexiglass®.

A signal that acts like a wave, and is translated by looking at the different levels/strengths of the signal. Analog signals are vulnerable to loss of information as they travel, and are considered outdated in most modern systems.

A signal that acts as a pulse, and is translated by looking at strings of “on” and “off” settings in the signal. Because they depend on transmission of only two values, digital signals can carry more information with less loss, and are the modern signal of choice.

Composite video is the earliest form of transmitting video information, and transmits all the information about the video signal in one wire. It is an analog video type.

More Detail: The Composite Video Signal is made up of 3 components: 1. A signal corresponding to the variations in light. 2. The synchronizing pulses, or sync, to synchronize the scanning. 3. The blanking pulses to make the retraces invisible. Color information was added to the composite video signal in 1953.


NTSC or PAL RCA jack input.

National Television System Committee. For driving a display, NTSC is a single-wire analog video signal using an RCA connector. Although this is an old system, some monitor video controller cards still maintain an NTSC input. If one of the inputs is an RCA connector, the monitor will accept an NTSC signal.

More Detail: NTSC originally started as a standard for transmitting video monochrome (black and white TV) information in 1941. Color information was added to the monochrome signal in 1953.

Phase Alteration Line; the European version of NTSC. Unlike NTSC, PAL has several variations depending on the country. As with NTSC, the PAL standard is complex and includes the signal requirements for monochrome (black and white TV) and color signals.

Red, Green, and Blue are the three primary colors that are mixed to create all the colors you see when you are using light. RGB video signals use separate red, green, and blue signals, each carrying a version of the original image as it would look through a red, green, or blue optical filter. RGB is an analog system. Signal levels control how bright or intense a color appears to the viewer, in addition to how the three primary colors will mix to create the intended color on the screen. RGB and the accompanying sync signals can be fed from a video source using either BNC connectors or a sub-miniature “D” connector like the one normally used by modern computers to connect to a monitor.

Synchronization (Sync) signals: These RGB control signals dictate how the picture is painted across the viewing screen side-to-side (horizontal) and topto- bottom (vertical).


Analog (RGB) video “D” connector.

High Definition Multimedia Interface. This digital connection system is primarily intended for commercial use and is currently not used in Aydin monitors.

More Detail: HDMI connects digital audio/video sources like set-top boxes, Bluray Disc players, personal computers, video game consoles, and AV receivers to compatible digital audio devices, computer monitors, and digital televisions including HD (high definition). (AV receiver: Audio/Video receiver, better known as surround sound receiver/ amplifier.)

Direct Current. This is the type of voltage (electricity) that a battery produces. “It is called “Direct” because it always flows in the same direction in the wire.

More Detail: The voltage contains no frequency component, or 0 Hz. Flashlights, cell phones, and portable electronic gear are all examples of equipment powered by batteries (DC voltage). Televisions, stereo amplifies, and surround sound amplifiers plug into the wall outlets, but power supplies inside the equipment converts the wall power (115 VAC, 60 Hz) into DC power that is used by the electronic circuits.

Commonly called “Power”. It is the ability of the voltage and current to do work. Work can be thought of as simply lighting a flashlight bulb in the case of DC or heating up your toaster in the case of AC. The electric company measures the amount of power you use in your house by installing a Watt Meter.

Touch screen resolution refers to the number of touch points available on the screen, and determines how fine the target of a touch can be. This is independent of the resolution of the LCD panel.

The software necessary to work with an operating system to make a piece of equipment connected to a computer work. Aydin’s products have drivers compatible with Windows operating systems; Linux drivers can usually be purchased from the Touch Screen Vendor online.

There are several types of touch screen; the ones Aydin currently uses are described, in order from least to most expensive, below:

Resistive: Anything can be used to touch the screen. The touch screen is made up of a layer of insulated spacers surrounded by two layers of material, one of which is a plastic and the other glass, each of which carries an electric current on the side facing the other. The screen senses the place where the plastic and glass layers touch.

Advantage: Can touch it with anything. Unaffected by anything sticking to the surface.

Disadvantage: Because there are two layers of material that go over the screen, it reduces the light output by about 18% and blurs the image. Because the outer surface is plastic, it can scratch, which will also impair the image even though the plastic does have a hard coating on the surface.

Capacitive: The user must touch this type of screen with an exposed finger. The screen senses the touch because of a change in the electrical charge on the surface of the touchscreen.

Advantage: Because it is clear glass, this type is very durable and does not block very much light from passing through, and it doesn’t blur the image.

Disadvantage: Can’t wear gloves or use anything but a finger. Scratches can cause dead spots.

SAW: Surface Acoustic Wave. The user must touch this type of screen with an exposed finger. The screen senses the touch because of a change in the flow of sound waves sent across the surface of the touchscreen.

Advantage: Because it is clear glass, this type is very durable and does not block very much light from passing through, and it doesn’t blur the image. The user can also wear some types of gloves.

Disadvantage: Liquids or other things that stick to the screen can cause dead spots. This type of touch isn’t good for NEMA sealing.

IR: Infrared. Anything can be used to touch the screen. The screen senses the touch because infrared light that is being shone down and across the screen is blocked by the touch.

Advantage: No glass or plastic needs to be overlaid on the monitor, so no light is blocked and no blurring will occur.

Disadvantage: The resolution is much lower, because it is dictated by the number of IR photo diodes (the part that shines the light).

Optical: Anything can be used to touch the screen. Cameras aimed across the screen sense the touch point.

Advantage: No glass or plastic needs to be overlaid on the monitor, so no light is blocked and no blurring will occur.

Disadvantage: Only available for large screens, and more expensive that other available types.

A standard which defines the hole pattern on the front of a unit to be mounted in a rack. Sometimes referred to as RETMA Rack. Any unit which is RETMA rack compatible will fit into any RETMA rack in the world. The rack front panel is always 19” wide and is always a standard “U” in height. 1U represents 1.75”; therefore 9U is 15.75” high.

A simple metalwork that houses the electronics and generally embedded into customer furniture.

A unit which is intended to be mounted in to a customer’s console . The console design is determined by the display provider whether a standard or custom. This includes the hole opening and the mounting technique i.e. studs or clamps. The customer is required to place mounting holes in specified locations to match up with the console design. If clamps are used in place of the stud design, only the hole/opening dimensions must be observed by the customer.

A metal enclosure (generally non NEMA rated) and has a 75 and/ or a 100mm mounting pattern in the rear of the cabinet for mounting to an arm or a table stand.

Either a monitor like the ones used on office desks or a VESA wall mount that is attached to a desktop stand.

A rack mount unit that stores within one unit of rack height. Aydin offers 1U units that include a 15” - 20” display, keyboard, and trackball, all of which are stored by sliding them into the rack with the display folded down. These may also include a KVM.

A rack mount unit that stores within two units of rack height. Aydin offers 2U units that include a 15” - 20” display, keyboard, and trackball, all of which are stored by sliding them into the rack with the display folded down. These may also include a KVM.

A display which has the capabilities of a complete computer included in the design. A Panel PC is capable of running programs and storing information, and may be able to connect to a network. Panel PCs ship with input devices, usually a keyboard with a trackball attached.

A limited version of a Panel PC, which has less operating system capability and limited input/output capability. This is a low-cost but functional embedded computer.

Another term for a Panel PC when the customer will be running the Linux operating system only.

Any embedded computer which has the capability to boot using an operating system from a network. To do this, the computer must have a specific software in the boot-up sequence that looks for the operating system on the network and copies locally. Such a computer can have local memory for file storage, or it can the network for this function, as well. When this type of computer is shut down, the operating system goes away, because it is stored in temporary memory. PXE boot systems are often selected for security reasons.

The software that runs the computer. The two most typical operating systems Aydin deals with are Win XP (Windows XP) and Linux. If a customer is referencing kernels, this is a specific version of the core Linux software.

The chip in the computer that the operating system runs on. The processor speed dictates how quickly the computer can respond and how many programs can be open at the same time. Some processor types are Pentium M 1.4 GHz or Core 2 Duo 2.16 GHz.. The “GHz” is the term referencing the speed.

Temporary memory used by the operating system to store the information it is currently working on. This memory clears when the computer is shut off.

A form of memory used to store data. The data is stored in electronic circuits instead of mechanical media like magnetic hard drives (the drives used in normal computers). This type of memory can withstand military shock and vibration better than mechanical storage. The USB “memory sticks” or “thumb drives” people use to transfer data between computers are one form of flash drive.

See flash drive.

A standard for regulating the way data is transmitted.

A high-speed connection between computers or equipment . Ethernet connections are more secure than other connection types such as RS-232 and USB because the protocol is more sophisticated. Ethernet connections can also bridge greater distances than other connection types. The most common Ethernet connector and cable (Cat 5 cable) looks like a phone jack and line, only larger (image below), but Ethernet can (rarely, these days) also use coaxial cable with a round plug.


Ethernet Connector Left: on the computer Right: on the cable

A cable used in networking, especially in Ethernet networks.

Protocol for transmission of data between computers. The RS-232 connector is typically a 9-pin connector; older versions could also be 25-pin. AN image of an RS-232 connection on a computer is shown below. The RS-232 connector usually has two screws that attach it to the computer so that it cannot be shaken or jarred loose.


RS-232 Connector on the computer

A computer interface used to transfer data between devices. RS-232 is one type of serial port.

Universal Serial Bus - a connection for attaching devices to a computer. Modern keyboards and mice often connect using USB, along with printers, digital cameras, scanners, and nearly everything a user might wish to connect. USB connectors can be vibrated or knocked loose because they do not lock into place. Although USB connectors can come in a variety of shapes depending upon the equipment they plug into, the USB connector installed on a computer will be the rectangular connector pictured below.


USB Connector Left: on the computer Right: on the cable

The type of connector originally used for keyboards and mice. This connector has often been replaced by the USB connector, but many computers still have them. See image below.


PS/2 Connectors on the computer

A connector that looks like the ones used with phone line; however, phone line uses only 4 wires, and RJ-45 uses 8. This connector can be used in networking.

Original Equipment Manufacturer. Although this term can be used for almost any manufacturer, this usually means the manufacturer of computer parts combined by another manufacturer into a finished product. Aydin doesn’t build the computers we embed in our displays; instead, we buy them from an OEM, and the OEM usually sells them with the operating system installed. Sometimes OEM can also be used to reference the manufacturer who packages the parts for re-sale.

Keyboard, Video, Mouse - A KVM is used to connect a display, keyboard and mouse/trackball to two or more computers. In addition to allowing one set of input devices to be used with multiple computers, a KVM can also be used to extend the distance the user and their display are from the computer on which they are working.

Military documents are numbered in a meaningful way, and knowing how to decode the document number can avoid confusion when discussing them. All Military document numbers will start with MIL (military) or DOD (Department of Defense), and the code after the first hyphen indicates what type of document it is. STD stands for Standard, while S alone stands for Specification. HDBK is Handbook. If the document number ends in a letter, the letter indicates the revision level of the document. For instance, MIL-STD-810E is older than MIL-STD-810F. Following are some typical MIL docs:

MIL-STD-810: a general requirement for environments, including things like temperature, humidity, some shock, some vibration, salt fog, fungus, sand and dust, altitude, and more.

MIL-S-901: Shipboard (Naval) Shock.

MIL-STD-167-1: Shipboard (Naval) Vibration

MIL-STD-461: EMI (Electromagnetic Interference).

MIL-STD-108: enclosures, including things like drip proof, etc.

DOD-STD-1399: Magnetic Fields – this is important because surface ships demagnetize their hulls so that magnetic torpedoes and other such weapons won’t be drawn to them. This de-magnetization interferes with CRTs, but LCDs aren’t affected. However, some customers still require proof that the display won’t be affected.

Military customers most often cite MIL/DOD documents in their requirements, but occasionally a non-military specification is cited for a military project. In these cases, it is often helpful to engineering for the customer to provide both the document number and name, and also indicate what specific part of this document applies, in case it needs to be procured to determine compliance. The specs listed below are some of the non-military specifications cited for military applications:

RS-232, 422, 423 and 485: serial interface document

EIA-RS 170, 343, 412: video interface specifications

A sudden change in the direction of movement. (not an electrical term as used in military specs) Operational shock requires a unit to keep working, nonoperational or safety hazard shock only requires that pieces of the unit not fly out and harm anyone nearby.

Airborne: shock comes from landing quickly (operational) or crashing (nonoperational) in an aircraft.

- Typical military standard: MIL-STD-810F.

Shipboard: shock is caused by explosions, and the worst effect is the upward force. The importance of how the unit is used on the ship determines if it will require Grade B or Grade A shock. Grade B is for equipment that is not critical to the completion of the mission, and is a safety concern only. Grade A is for equipment without which a mission cannot be completed, and means that the unit must still work after the shock happens.

- Typical military specification: MIL-S-901D

Ground Mobile (army vehicles): shock is caused by rough terrain and nearby explosions. The Army doesn’t make any distinction between operational and non-operational shock; if the vehicle can keep going, the monitor should keep working.

- Typical military standard: MIL-STD-810F.

The effect of dropping a unit a short distance (lifting one corner or side 12” and letting go).

- Typical military standard: MIL-STD-810F.

The effect of dropping a unit in shipping packaging from 48”.

- Typical military standard: MIL-STD-810F.

Vibration comes from the vehicle the unit is mounted in, and is shaking caused by the engine or the terrain the vehicle travels through.

Airborne: caused by the engines on the aircraft, and requires full operation. An aircraft’s vibration can be very high.

- Typical military standard: MIL-STD-810F.

Shipboard: caused by the engines, and can increase depending on rough seas. A ship’s vibration is very low.

- Typical military standard: MIL-STD-167-1.

Ground Mobile (army vehicles): this is the worst vibration environment (can be up to 6 times what is found on a ship), and is caused by the rough terrain that the vehicle travels through.

- Typical military standard: MIL-STD-810F.

Electromagnetic Interference. The ability of a piece of electronic equipment to work in the same room with another piece of equipment without either interfering with the other. An example of interference would be when you are listening to the radio in your car and go through a traffic light, and the light causes your radio to have static. EMI is the reason people with pacemakers have to be careful around microwaves. Interference can come from signals either in a powerline cable or in the air.

- Typical military standard: MIL-STD-461E.

Mean Time To Repair. The amount of time usually needed to repair a unit which has suffered a failure. Most Aydin units are repaired by replacing the entire unit with a spare and shipping the original back to our Customer Service Department.

Electronic Chart Display and Information System. ECDIS is used by international Maritime Organizations and the US Navy and Coast Guard to display electronic charts with which ships are navigated. Because different monitors can display the same color information in different ways, units meant to display this information are often required to be ECDIS-certified prior to installation for this purpose. Certification is an option paid for by the customer at an outside source; Aydin builds the units as ECDIS-certifiable by selecting panels capable of properly displaying the specified ECDIS colors. A unit is not certified, however, until it has been characterized through the official process.

The higher above the earth’s surface that a unit is used, the less air will be around and in the unit. This causes problems with controlling temperature, and can also cause electrical issues such as arcing (electricity jumping from one part to another inside the unit). rapid decompression and explosive decompression are concerns at high altitude.

- Typical military standard: MIL-STD-810F.

When an aircraft loses cabin pressure due to a puncture; this quickly reduces both the amount of air and the heat inside the aircraft. Temperatures at high altitude can be freezing.

Like rapid decompression, but the loss of cabin pressure happens at a significantly higher speed.

If a unit is operated in an enclosed area in which jet fuel fumes can gather, it must not cause the fumes in the air to ignite.

The amount of moisture in the air effects how well a unit works. High and low moisture changes the way electricity moves in the unit, and can lead to sparks or shorts. Additionally, exposure to high and low humidity can wear down the electrical parts and cause them to fail quicker than they would if used consistently in a normal office environment. Humidity without condensation is easier to meet, because condensation leads to shorting of the electrical parts and affects the operation more strongly than when the air is humid, but no moisture condenses.

- Typical military standard: MIL-STD-810F.

A unit is submersible if it can be placed under water without the water getting into the unit. Depending on the customer’s specific requirement, a unit may only need to function after submerged while it is turned off, or it may need to continue to function while it is underwater. The typical submersible requirement is non-functional, and only requires the unit to be tested under a small amount of water (1 meter or thereabouts for two hours). Deeper water puts more stress on the seals of a unit, which makes the design more difficult.

- Typical military standard: MIL-STD-108.

Salt fog occurs especially in ocean settings, and is a form of high humidity that carries salt with it. Salt in humidity adds to corrosion of materials inside a unit, and also makes the moisture carry electricity more freely, which can lead to sparks or shorts.

- Typical military standard: MIL-STD-810F or MIL-STD-108.

Sand or dust blown or pulled into a unit will degrade its performance, possibly causing problems with overheating. This can be avoided with a variety of solutions including anything from filters over openings that draw air into the unit to, in the most extreme environments, a sealed unit design.

- Typical military standard: MIL-STD-810F or MIL-STD-108.

Working LCDs are warm and dark inside, which means that if a unit is exposed to high humidity, it could end up growing fungus; a fungus requirement means that the design cannot allow this to happen. This is avoided by selecting parts for the display which are made from materials on which fungus will not grow, by coating parts with a special material that doesn’t allow fungus to grow and doesn’t interfere with how the parts work (conformal coating), and/or by designing the unit as a sealed unit so that fungus spores and humidity cannot get inside.

- Typical military standard: MIL-STD-810F.

Coating parts with a material that blocks out humidity or fungus spores, which could damage the parts.

A unit designed for a drip-proof environment is intended to keep dripping water from entering the unit through any holes in the outer surface. This can be accomplished by using shields or louvers (slats of angled metal that break up an opening), or by designing a sealed unit. There are two levels of requirements, one that requires the unit to be drip proof when tilted 15°, and one that requires a tilt of 45°. The requirement can also be limited to front-panel only.

- Typical military standard: MIL-STD-810F or MIL-STD-108.

A more severe form of the Drip Proof requirement, where the moisture falling onto the unit will be more constant and have more force. It may also have a more severe angle.

A sealed unit has no holes in the outer surfaces, and will not use fans or airflow to deal with high temperatures. A unit can be sealed to deal with humidity, salt fog, sand and dust, fungus, or other requirements to avoid something from getting into the unit from outside. A sealed unit is not necessarily submersible. The requirement for a sealed unit is typically a ground mobile requirement.

- Typical military standard: MIL-STD-108.

Nuclear, Biological, Chemical. These are contaminants which can be experienced by the military in the field, and which will need to be removed from a display. An NBC requirement means that the display must be able to withstand the moisture and cleaners used in the cleaning process, and that it must be capable of being operated by a person wearing the gear that protects them from these contaminants.

Chemical Agent Resistant Coating Paint. This is a special paint which is especially resistant to NBC, in addition to providing extra protection from water. It is used by the US military for equipment which may be exposed to NBC, and cannot be exported to other countries. It also requires special handling on products because touching up scratches is not easy, and must be done under controlled circumstances.

A unit which has undergone NBC contamination will need to be cleaned with high-pressure water or steam. The test to determine if a unit passes this requirement involves spraying the display with something similar to a fire hose and then opening the unit to see if any water has gotten inside. One drop observed inside the casing when it is opened can be a failure in the test.

Military Operational Protective Posture. The MOPP rating determines the type of gear personnel can be wearing while trying to operate the display. Most of Aydin’s MOPP requirements have been MOPP 4, in which the user will be wearing protective rubber gloves as a part of their overall protective gear. The display must have controls which allow it to function and respond properly to use by a person wearing the MOPP 4 gloves, an buttons or other controls must be spaced to be both accessible to fingers enlarged by these gloves and also to avoid such fingers accidentally activating two controls at once.