Need: Cheap, Daylight-Viewable Monitor

[wingssail]

Originally Posted by hellosailor

wings-
Stuff from no-name or new-name vendors direct from China? WIth no US distribution or warranty or repair networks?
I try not to stretch my luck that far. And not just with "screens".

Are you happier with the cheap Chinese made goods if Apple or Panasonic puts their label on it and charges three times as much?

Personally I've found the warranties to be fine and the quality to be equal, and for the money I'll take my chances on the device holding up.

But suit yourself.

[AKA-None]

Originally Posted by wingssail

Are you happier with the cheap Chinese made goods if Apple or Panasonic puts their label on it and charges three times as much?



Personally I've found the warranties to be fine and the quality to be equal, and for the money I'll take my chances on the device holding up.



But suit yourself.

It all depends on if quality is designed in or QA. Personally I want designed in quality

[hellosailor]

"Are you happier with the cheap Chinese made goods if Apple or Panasonic puts their label on it and charges three times as much?"

First off, as you really should know, Apple and Panasonic don't just slap their label on things. They design, they monitor quality control, they specify performance. Granted that all of them (especially Apple) have been making a number of "What were they thinking?!" design errors. But I can also return a dead iPhone to the local Apple store--I don't have to ship it back to China and hope that maybe some guy in Shenzhen is still going to be in business to fix the basement brand copy. Yes, we pay for that reputation and reliance.


General tear-down estimates are that it costs Apple 1/3 of what they sell to product an i-thing in China and ship it over here. But then again...some of us have argued that they were radically overpriced even in the days of the Apple II computer, and by the time they were selling the IIfx they took some serious market hits and cut their prices a good 50%. Yes, Apple always did charge a premium. Not everyone matches that extreme--or their stock prices. Cults are not great examples to offer.

Having the level of quality control and warranty dependability (they're going to be there to honor it next year) adds value. And they're not charging 3x as much--since the product already costs 1/3 of the selling price, that means they've only marked in up 2x, not 3x, to make their profits.

"Personally I've found the warranties to be fine and the quality to be equal, and for the money I'll take my chances on the device holding up."
If you're lucky, go to Vegas. Some folks are and do. For many other folks? Making a warranty claim or return of anything from the US to China is not economically feasible, at any price. One reason that our fearless leader wants to withdraw the US from the international postal union, is that Chinese postal rates are heavily subsidized by the Old World. It is often cheaper for me to buy a new gadget--shipped from China at heavily subsidized rates--than it is to simply mail a broken one back.

Come back to this thread in five years, and let us all know how that new display has held up. And if the maker is still in business.
Hey, once upon a time SONY was a gamble and still later, Hitachi was a total unknown. I think my friend gambled on a Hitachi way back when...one of the "new" brands. He got 3 DOA color TV's from them, but #4 worked fine for the next 20 years, at less than half the price of a SONY. Sometimes, you win.

[wingssail]

Originally Posted by hellosailor

Come back to this thread in five years, and let us all know how that new display has held up. And if the maker is still in business.

Look, I can't, and wouldn't try to, argue with or refute any of your points.

Lower cost for comparable features and design drives my choice. People make different choices for different reasons and if we are armed with the facts we can each make our own decision. I can't figure out why you are so angry sounding anyhow. Somebody really put a burr under your saddle, it seems. Are you a US based manufacturer? If so I am sorry.

As for me I've been buying Chinese goods directly for 13 years, mostly sails, and a few electronic gadgets over the years, including one daylight viewable tablet (it's one year old now, and fine, in fact excellent) which is the subject of this thread.

As I said, for me the cost was the main driver. The purchases I've made from China allowed me to obtain goods I absolutely could not otherwise afford.

Originally Posted by hellosailor

Making a warranty claim or return of anything from the US to China is not economically feasible, at any price.

I returned a defective sail to China under warranty. It was easy since the vendor arranged a Fed-Ex pickup and paid for it, and the sail was replaced. The replacement is excellent.

Originally Posted by hellosailor

our fearless leader wants to withdraw the US from the international postal union

This probably needs to be done, or at least correct the imbalance in postage which benefits China. The fact that I can buy a $7 gadget in China and have it shipped to me in North America in 4 days, (for free!) is baffling. I really don't understand it. That being said, most of the stuff I buy comes FedEx or DHL. I am not sure fearless leader can change their rates much.

Actually, his tariff threats might affect me more than anything.

[geoffr]

Just found this today .. may be of interest:

https://www.argonautcomputer.com/col...-touch-monitor

[benet250]

Have you tried AliBaba, I have seen many monitors ranging from 245 to 500 dollars with 1000 nits and IP 67/68 Bezels with HDMI/VGA inputs and capacitive and resistive screens,

[erik23_de]

For around 100 Bucks, if you have the possibility to build a housing:

https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:3654930


https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:3655055

[henklor]

Interesting display!. Does the back light dim all the way to 0?

[erik23_de]

@henklor

Yes; you do it with the old fashioned turning knob (remember the times where you switched channels that way.


It goes fast when it's turned the usual way, maybe 15 Steps between most bright and dark.

It goes single step when it's pressed while tururning. Brightness resolution is 256 steps than.

[henklor]

@eric
I have been looking at the schematic and cant find where to connect the dimmer function. Did you create the PWM for the backlight yourself?
Thanks!
Henk

[erik23_de]

There are two pwm pins already (only that I turned the connectors by 180° to keep the housing small). You see them with a black und a white wire on one of the 2 'inside' photos.

They're connected to GND of the Arduino nano and to the pin wich is defined as output in the Arduino source.

[henklor]

Originally Posted by erik23_de

There are two pwm pins already (only that I turned the connectors by 180° to keep the housing small). You see them with a black und a white wire on one of the 2 'inside' photos.

They're connected to GND of the Arduino nano and to the pin wich is defined as output in the Arduino source.

Ok, i see it in the manual. It probably could easily be done with a 555. Offcourse the arduino works great as well.
I think I'll get one to test!