[Tfug] OT: Outdoor displays

[Terence Rudkin]

How about a PC Came pointed at the display connected to a large display that
could be see by the opperator.  Or WIFI to a notebook in the cab ?

TR

On Sun, Mar 28, 2010 at 11:54 AM, Bexley Hall <bexley401 at yahoo.com> wrote:

> Hi,
>
> World Care has large "pallet scales" used to weigh
> pallets (surprise!) of stuff at a time.  E.g., they
> probably have a limit of a few thousand pounds
> and accept loads with footprints up to 4ft x 4ft.
>
> These are outside as they are accessed by forklift
> (I don't think you could get a forklift *into*
> the facility!).
>
> The "indicators" (electronics) for these are located
> *inside* the building (on the end of long cables).
> This keeps them out of the weather and prevents
> local urchins from vandalizing them after hours.
>
> Unfortunately, the location of the indicator as well
> as the *size* means you have to literally be standing
> a few feet from the display in order to read the
> weight registered, there.  This means the forklift
> operator has to dismount his truck to view and
> record the weight.
>
> I've been asked to "fix" this problem.
>
> A quick and dirty solution is just to interface a
> large display to the indicator and mount that in
> a location viewable from the forklift.  I.e.,
> operator can just jot the displayed value on a piece
> of paper from his seat.
>
> A zero-cost way of doing this is just to interface
> an otherwise unusable LCD monitor to the scale (via
> a "PC"), poll the scale and display the result in
> a very large "typeface".
>
> Downside of this is the display would have to be outside
> (since the scale's location was chosen less than ideally).
> Ignoring the urchin threat, (:<) I suspect even a shaded
> location would toast the monitor pretty quick (I have no
> desire to be repairing monitors all Summer!).
>
> So, one alternative is to find a display medium that is
> intended to be "exposed" to the elements and cobble
> together an interface between the scale and display.
>
> Another approach is to use a wireless display siting
> the "receiver" in/on the forklift.  That "display"
> could "have memory" to eliminate the problem of
> writing down the weight (you can see the logical
> extension of this).
>
> The "no cost" implementation there would be a laptop on
> each forklift, etc.
>
> The downside to this is the laptops would get beat to hell,
> stolen/vandalized *or* toasted when stored with the
> forklifts (outdoors).
>
> So, the "ideal" solution would probably be WiFi-enabled
> PDA's (?).
>
> Or....?
>
>
>
>
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