Start with how long the people using the screen have to see it. If they work in sessions and the screen can sit out of sight in between, pick a display that slides out of a one-unit drawer. A rugged rack mount flip-up LCD monitor does that, and it takes one rack unit. If someone has to read the picture without opening anything first, pick a display fixed in the rack face. If the screen has to leave the rack, pick a display you carry.
Choose by screen size and rack height alone, and the rest is guesswork. A crew can end up with a screen it has to open before it can see anything. Or with a model that can’t run from the platform’s power or video source. Either one can force a second order and rework of the rack.
Seatronx’s own catalog draws that line: its rack drawer page lists a 1U display that slides out and rotates up, while its rack and shipboard page lists 15-inch to 32-inch touch displays with a rack mount design, so one is chosen as a screen to open and the other as a screen to leave in view. Once the install is settled, the power input, the video input and the touch option still have to match the platform.
The three installs differ in where the screen sits and in what each product page lists.
| Install | What the page lists | Confirm before ordering |
|---|---|---|
| A drawer display hides the screen until it slides out. | The page lists a 1U drawer with a 17-inch or 19-inch LCD. It lists a 9 to 36 volts DC input and a VGA input. Touch is an option. | Confirm the platform supplies DC power and a VGA source. Check the clear space in front of the rack. |
| A fixed rack display keeps the screen in view. | The page lists 15-inch to 32-inch PCAP multi-touch displays. Power is universal AC, 100 to 240 volts, with DC as an option. The page lists MIL-STD-810G and MIL-STD-461E. | Ask which video connection the model takes. Confirm the rack face has the room. |
| A portable display leaves the rack with the operator. | The page lists 12 volts DC or battery power. Video is HDMI, with 3G SDI or Mini DisplayPort optional. | Plan power and cabling for each place it is used. Decide whether touch is needed. |
How Long the Screen Has to Stay in View
A screen somebody has to watch wins this point for the fixed panel. It sits in the rack face and stays there. A drawer display can’t be watched unless it’s left open, and as a general rule, a drawer that’s left open gives up much of the reason to choose one.
So write down who looks at the screen and for how long. Setup, periodic checks and maintenance work happen in sessions. A screen an operator reads while on duty doesn’t.
Height matters too. Where a display sits in the rack changes where the operator’s eyes have to go. OSHA’s workstation guidance says, “Place monitor so top line of screen is at or below eye level.” That guidance is written for computer workstations, not racks. As a general rule, the same idea carries to a rack: check the display’s height against the operator’s eyes before choosing where the drawer or the panel sits.
If the space runs under night-vision lighting, that’s a separate question, and NVIS compatibility for military displays covers it.
What a Rugged Rack Mount Flip-Up LCD Monitor Gives and Takes Away
The drawer wins on rack face. Seatronx’s 1U rack drawer displays are listed as a 1U LCD display drawer with a 17-inch or 19-inch LCD, or an optional 17.3-inch wide aspect monitor. When needed, the monitor slides out and the display portion of the monitor rotates up. The page lists an adjustment from 0 to 125 degrees, and a torque hinge holds it in place. Friction slides and adjustable mounting arms are listed for installation in a standard 19-inch rack enclosure.
Listed features include Full HD, a 17-inch LCD with an LED backlight, a 9 to 36 volts DC input and a VGA input, each on a D38999 connector. Resistive touch over USB is listed as an option.
What the drawer takes away is visibility. The page says the drawer is held closed with a keyed cam lock or thumb screws, so seeing the screen is a deliberate act. As a general rule, that suits a screen used in sessions, such as setup, checks or maintenance, better than one that has to be watched. A drawer that slides out can also need open space in front of the rack, and the angle adjustment changes the screen’s tilt rather than where the drawer sits.
When a Fixed Rack Display Earns Its Rack Space
The fixed panel wins whenever an operator has to read the screen at a glance. Seatronx’s rack and shipboard displays are listed in sizes from 15 inches to 32 inches, with PCAP multi-touch screens and front IP65. The page lists a rack mount mechanical design that supports VESA mount, plus a defense-grade power connector (MIL-DTL-38999/1). Power is listed as universal AC, 100 to 240 volts, with an optional 9 to 36 volts DC input. On-screen display controls are listed as well.
As a general rule, a panel fixed in the rack face takes more of that face than a one-unit drawer. That’s the trade. The rack gives up face area, and the operator keeps the screen in view.
Two things still need checking on the exact model. The page lists no video input, so that connection has to be confirmed. And the power listing tells you what the display accepts, not what your platform delivers.
Matching Power, Video and Touch to the Platform
No install wins this one. All three have to match what the platform supplies, and these pages can’t tell you what that is. That part belongs to you and the integrator.
Platforms can supply different kinds of power, so the input on the page has to match what’s available.
- The rack drawer page lists a 9 to 36 volts DC input.
- The rack and shipboard page lists universal AC power, 100 to 240 volts, with an optional 9 to 36 volts DC input.
- Seatronx’s console and rack display page lists a flush rack or rack mount design with AC and DC power options.
- The portable page lists 12 volts DC or batteries.
Say which one you have when you ask about a model.
Video is the second check. A display shows what a source sends over a video connection, so the two have to match. The drawer page lists a VGA input. The portable page lists HDMI inputs, with 3G SDI or Mini DisplayPort as options. The rack and shipboard page lists none, so ask Seatronx which connection the model takes. A source that puts out a different connection can need a different display or a converter, and that’s a question for the integrator.
Touch is the third. A touch screen can need its own connection to the computer on top of the video connection. If touch matters for the job, ask how it connects and who runs that cable.
One more thing travels badly between pages: standards. The rack and shipboard page lists MIL-STD-810G and MIL-STD-461E. The drawer page’s feature list names no MIL-STD. Ask for the exact model’s data sheet and test records, and read how the MIL-STD environmental tests map to a display for what those tests cover.
When the Display Has to Leave the Rack
The portable display wins the moment the screen has to travel. If it moves between sites, neither rack install fits. Seatronx’s rugged mobile military display is a portable monitor. The page lists 12 volts DC or battery power. Video is HDMI, with 3G SDI or Mini DisplayPort optional. High Bright, Daylight Viewable and Optical Bonding are listed features.
A portable display leaves the rack, so power and cabling become your decisions. As a general rule, plan where it draws power at each place it’s used. The page lists a built-in kickstand and a V-Mount battery cradle among its features and options, and the cradle is the part to confirm if the kit runs on batteries.
Four Situations and What Fits Each
Find the one that matches the install.
- The screen is for setup, checks and maintenance, and the rack has room to open a drawer. Choose the drawer display.
- An operator has to read the picture at a glance while on duty. Choose a fixed rack display.
- The screen moves between sites or works away from the rack. Choose a portable display.
- You can’t yet say what the platform supplies for power or video. Settle that with Seatronx before you order either rack install.
The Tradeoff the Drawer Asks You to Accept
A rugged rack mount flip-up LCD monitor takes only one rack unit of the rack face. The catch is visibility. While the drawer is closed, nobody can see the screen, and the keyed cam lock or thumb screws make opening it deliberate. The drawer can also need room in front of the rack to slide out and rotate up. If the answer to that is to leave it open, much of the reason for choosing a drawer is gone.
A fixed panel gives something up too. As a general rule, it takes more of the rack face, and it’s in view whether anyone needs it there or not. Final specification of any install stays with the integrator and the platform’s own requirements.
Frequently Asked Questions About Rack Display Installs
Does a flip-up rack monitor take a full rack unit?
Seatronx lists its rack drawer display as a 1U LCD display drawer, so it’s designed for one rack unit of face. The depth behind the face and the room in front of the rack are separate questions. The drawer has to slide out before the display portion can rotate up, so measure the clear space ahead of the rack too.
Does one MIL-STD listing cover every rack display?
No. Standards belong to the model whose documentation lists them. Seatronx’s rack and shipboard page lists MIL-STD-810G and MIL-STD-461E; its rack drawer page’s feature list names no MIL-STD. Treat each model separately and ask for its data sheet and test records before you write a standard into a specification. The integrator and the platform’s own requirements decide what the install has to meet.
Does a portable military display need its own power?
It needs a power plan wherever it’s used. Seatronx’s rugged mobile military display page lists 12 volts DC or batteries, plus a V-Mount battery cradle among its features and options. Once the screen leaves the rack, the rack’s supply isn’t available, so decide at each location what powers it and who carries the cable. Confirm the exact model’s input before you build the kit.
Can a rack display take touch input?
Some models list it. Seatronx’s rack and shipboard page lists a PCAP multi-touch screen with front IP65. Its rack drawer page lists resistive touch over USB as an option. A touch screen can need its own connection to the computer besides the video cable, so ask how it connects and who supplies that cable.
Send the Rack, Power and Video Details to Seatronx
You can settle the visibility question on your own. The rest needs the exact model.
Write down what’s free in the rack face, the clear space in front of the rack, what the platform supplies for power, and what connection the video source puts out. Then tell Seatronx the rack space, power and video source for your install, along with the models you’re comparing, before you order a rugged rack mount flip-up LCD monitor or a fixed rack display.