Environmental Control – Inside an LCD Enclosure

People commonly think of LCD enclosures as just waterproof cabinets to allow TVs to be used outdoors or in wash down environments; however, there is a lot more to an LCD enclosure than just protecting standard LCD screens form the weather. LCD enclosures, in fact, provide a complete and controllable environment that allows LCDs to be used in almost any location.

LCDs are extremely vulnerable to all sorts of outdoor elements, not just the weather, and in particular temperature and humidity. Standard LCD devices are designed to operate in locations such as homes, offices and retail units, not outdoors where not only the weather is unpredictable, but the temperature can be too.

Because most LCD TVs are designed for indoor use they have a finite operating range and when internal temperatures in the LCD enclosure drop either below this, or above—problems can occur.

When heat builds up inside an LCD enclosure, the LCD will be at risk of overheating, this will lead to the device either turning itself off, or burning out. And if temperatures inside the LCD enclosure fall below zero degrees Celsius, this can also disable the screen, especially if any humidity of condensation has built up inside the enclosure, which can freeze and the consequential expansion can damage components.

The inside of any outdoor digital signage enclosure, therefore, needs to have a controllable environment that ensures the LCD operating inside is doing so within its operational ranges.

To ensure the optimum environment for an LCD display, LCD enclosures tend to house all sorts of climatic systems: cooling fans, heaters, insulation and even air conditioners are often all, or partly, placed inside the enclosure under thermostatic control. So, when temperatures drop too low, the heater is switched on, while when temperatures get too hot the cooling fans kick-in, and for extremely hot locations the air con is activated.

As LCD enclosures provide the perfectly controlled environment for a modern LCD display, they are ideal for all sorts of external TV use from outdoor digital signage and information screens, to protecting standard TVs outside the home in backyards and pub gardens.

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