The term "NEMA" is the acronym for the National Electrical Manufacturers Association. This association has set a number of "standards" for manufacturers to follow. One of them is the degree of protection a given enclosure design provides. For NEMA 12 it means the enclosure provides protection for dusty environments. For NEMA 4 it protects against dust and hose directed water. Finally, NEMA 4X protects against the above as well as corrosion resistance. This is a common means of "rating" enclosure designs to make it easier for users to specify the level of protection they need.

1. Temperature - the computer, display and other electronics must be designed for industrial, high-temperature use. The internal temperatures may reach 130 F and the components must operate at these elevated temperature levels.
2. Material - should be metal design with industrial powder coat finish. Most indoor materials will not survive outdoors and will be subject to cracking under sun load and varying conditions.
3. Sealing - all connections, openings, doors, panels into the Kiosk must be designed with watertight gasketing, latches and fittings. Otherwise, water will get into the unit.
4. Shock / Vibration - these Kiosks will take more physical abuse than indoor versions so all electronic components need to be "shock-mounted" to prevent damage.

Powder coating is an advanced method of applying a decorative and protective finish to a wide range of materials. The powder used for the process is a mixture of finely ground particles of pigment and resin, which is sprayed onto a surface to be coated. The charged powder particles adhere to the electrically grounded surfaces until heated and fused into a smooth coating in a curing oven. The result is a uniform, durable, high-quality, and attractive finish. Powder coating is the fastest-growing finishing technology in North America, representing over 10% of all industrial finishing applications.
Powder coated surfaces are more resistant to chipping, scratching, fading, and wearing than other finishes. Color selection is virtually unlimited with high and low gloss, metallic, and clear finishes available. In addition, colors stay bright and vibrant longer. Texture selections range from smooth surfaces to a wrinkled or matte
finish, and rough textures designed for hiding surface imperfections.

Everything! Have you ever pulled up to an ATM at your bank and not be able to read the display? It can be frustrating. The natural variables associated with placing electronic displays outside are uncontrollable. Time of day, time of year, clouds or bright sunlight are all factors which effect the "viewabilty" of a display. Pro-Tech solves these issues by using top quality High Bright displays which are considered "daylight readable". We can also include an auto adjusting feature in our units which senses changes in the surrounding light and adjusts the display accordingly in order to maintain a comfortable illumination level.

The touch screen works just like a mouse. Instead of moving the mouse, you move your finger or stylus across the screen or tap the screen where you are instructed. There are different types of touch screens, however they all basically work on an X and Y grid axis that detect where you are placing your finger. You can click or even double click simply by tapping the screen with your finger. There is standard software that is provided in a driver format that handles the intelligence of where your finger is. In most touch screen applications a series of icons are created on the various display screens that allow the operator to "touch" and activate an action. Touch screens are very intuitive for the operator.

CRT "sizes" are measured based on the size of the internal tube. A 17" monitor for example means that the tube, measured diagonally, is a total of 17". However, when the monitor is turned on only about 15-15.5" of the tube is active. As a result you only get an image that is 15.5" diagonal, not 17". Flat panels are different. When they say 17" they mean 17" worth of usable display area. A 17" CRT is therefore equivalent to a 15.1" Flat panel display. A 18.1" flat panel display will provide an equivalent viewing area to a 20-21" CRT.

That depends. Some companies require it, others don't but they definitely "prefer it". Having UL approval separates the companies that do this for a living from companies that have just built a few units for outdoor use. By submitting these products to a third-party agency it is another level of assurance for the end-user that the product they are getting has been "certified" by an independent 3rd party agency like Underwriters Laboratories (UL). Having this approval also reduces the liability, which should translate to lower insurance costs.

That will depend on three things.
1.What is the maximum temperature it could be outside?
2. How much heat is the computer system generating?
3. How much heat can your computer system tolerate before it shuts down or begins to malfunction? Putting a computer in a closed box normally requires some kind of cooling or internal air movement. It just makes good sense.

Depending on how you configure your system, there are several options. The rear panel normally contains a removable conduit plate. This allows for flexible conduit to be brought to the back of the Kiosk.
Another approach is to use a "cable Through" design in which all any cables or chords are hidden within the mounting device.

The backlights are basically the "bulbs" that provide the lighting of the display. They have a standard 50,000-hour life. Basically, if these units were run continuously under normal conditions 24 hours per day, 7 days a week, then the "life" would be 5.7 years. The 12" and 15.1" displays the backlights are "field-replaceable".