Digital Outside Signage ? Winter Challenges

Out-of-doors digital advertising is very widespread but just think has your recent deployment been thought out? Was it employed in the warmer months? If so there is a chance that the technology will have no winter defense built into the project.

When projects are born and planned for the urgent deployment, a common issue arises and this is one element is sometimes overlooked. This issue does not come to light until later when the advertising solutions has been installed for some time and customers start complaining that the LCD monitors are not operational; this is not through any physical attack, just through Mother Nature.

The main common challenge is when a project is being deployed to a tight deadline and the customer does not understanding the notion of a “lead time” expecting it on site tomorrow.  It only needs one component and the lack of this item could potentially cause a challenge because it has been disregarded or omitted because of the lead time.

One part that cannot be forgotten is an out-of-doors LCD enclosure, otherwise the monitor will fail in the first winter, and with the extra costs of the replacement display this will undoubtedly make this specific project loss-making.

Engineers have been known to disregard an outdoor dynamic marketing cabinet as too much, but the reason of these defending enclosures is to make sure the advertising hardware is in a micro climate, so no matter what the outside conditions are the hardware inside is kept in the most suitable and controlled order. This is done with a mix of air conditioning units, heaters and thermo management system permitting the engineer to set the accurate internal temperature so when the heat inside rises owing to the high external temperature the cooling unit is switched and the air inside is cooled down below the preset, the opposite happens in winter when the temperature drops fast over night, this rapid drop can affect the display dramatically if not sheltered, this is why heaters are deployed to outside LCD housings, as they work to lift the interior temperature to above the preset temperature protecting the machine from frost and sub zero temperatures.

The heaters also stop condensation building up inside the casing as this will cause the machine to sweat, this too can have negative effects on the inside hardware.

The author owns the leading manufacturer of LCD enclosure, these units are supplied throughout the world to integrators of outdoor digital signage. An LCD enclosure offers all the protection needed for outdoor use.