Due to the way this screen is constructed there is no effect at all related to sunlight visibility.
It is made from pure glass and in fact is part of the optical system of the LCD display, just as before. The display polarizer that has the most to do with sunlight visibility is, as before, the final layer of the display and it has our normal surface treatment like you find on any of our displays (anti-glare, anti reflections).
The display we showed at Oshkosh last year had a whopping 2000 nits (but at that stage we did not yet have the final coating of the polarizer so it was still very reflective). Since we have the final display and evaluated it in sunlight we found it was just as good as our Voyager (perhaps very slightly better) with only 800 nits so that will be our standard version. We may still offer the 2000 nits as option but in my own opinion, it's pointless unless you would be operating in some really unusual applications.
Your comment on normal touch screens are very valid which is exactly why it has taken us so long to come up with a solution that works. Pretty much 5 years. It was clear from the beginning that some form of touch screen was needed - but a touch screen that you could operate with an unsupported hand in turbulence and a screen that would work in sunlight without undue cost and drain on power resources (one of the things I have not yet mentioned is that the Explorer runs on a tiny sniff of power, only around 0.6A at full brightness !!!).
Capacitive screens need a smooth surface - trouble is, that means reflections. Also, they react to the lightest touch and it is not possible to derive the force that the screen is pressed at in any reliable way. This is needed if you want to properly emulate a button - you must be able to place your finger on the screen quite firmly to steady it in turbulence (much like you would with a good, tactile button). Then press when ready.
Older resistive touch screens can do that (sort of) but have other disadvantages - they don't work well in sunlight at all, have a limited life span and can't handle pressure changes very well.
We went back to the resistive touch screen as a base but then improved it and made it part of the natural display rather than just something you stick on top of it. Using the latest vapour deposition machinery as is used by LCD manufacturers it became possible to use only glass in the construction and reduce spacings to just microns. Due to the methods used we can now accurately and repeatedly measure not only position but also force while completely elliminating all other concerns such as life time and atmospheric pressure. That is the answer.
I like it - but the final verdict will be made by those that use it.
Rainier
CEO MGL Avionics
I'll definitely want to see the performance in sunlight, now that i've used capacitive touchscreens (iPads, iPhones) in the cockpit in daylight I would have a hard time going back to a panel that uses resistive technology. But I remain optimistic!
Any chance there will be some visible at a booth at Arlington, WA this year?
