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Permalink Reply by John Austin on October 16, 2021 at 7:25am

When I said, "ideal for an instrument panel display," I, of course, meant using the entire tablet computer as a display, not just the display screen! LOL!

The screen brightness at 1200 nits was what really caught my attention - I have an iFly 740 (the original 740, not the 740b that Adventure Pilot currently sells) and it has a 1300 nit screen.  Visibility/legibility/overheating has never been an issue!  Don't remember the original cost but I think it was almost the same as this 1200 nit TRIPLTEK tablet, but with the tablet, you're getting an Android tablet and all that can do, plus you could run iFly GPS on this tablet same as I run it on my Android smartphone.  So, as Michael pointed out - seems to be a good value!

John

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Permalink Reply by Bob Simmons on October 17, 2021 at 10:43am

I like that it's Android, but I'd be concerned with long term supportability for a device with such a small market share. The Amazon reviews aren't quite as glowing, but they aren't bad. Many of the complaints are restricted to drone use or other non-aviation issues, but weight and the thickness of the case were common complaints. Apparently the thick case makes it very difficult to find USB cables that work.

https://www.amazon.com/TRIPLTEK-Brightness-Processor-Construction-B...

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Permalink Reply by John Austin on October 17, 2021 at 12:04pm

The link you posted is for the wrong tablet, Bob.  I'm discussing the TRIPLTEK 8" Pro tablet.  The one you referenced is their older 7" model and it appears to me to have a completely different case.

I agree that this is a relatively unknown company and could be a flash in the pan, but unfortunately, computers get obsolete so quickly that even if you just got a few years out of it, you've gotten your money's worth.  Of course, the Android OS is likely to be supported/upgraded for a long time!.

Looking at the specs, the 8" TRIPLTEK Pro weighs 1.3 lbs vs the 7" 1.45 lbs - lighter and a thinner case.  

What my whole point of posting was is that with the bright display and form factor, might be a good alternative for an instrument panel display for a moving map GPS such as iFly, etc.  Adventure Pilot/iFly GPS has the dedicated 740b, but it appears they're going to an "iFly EFB" that will need the oomph of a more modern computer processor than presently in the 740 or 740b, although I think they'll continue to support these dedicated units for quite some time.

John

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Permalink Reply by Bob Simmons on October 17, 2021 at 9:06pm

I'm sorry. Guess I wasn't paying close enough attention. I can't help but wonder why some of the computer geniuses in experimental aviation can't just come up with something that uses that same 1300 nit screen, or something similar, for a good homebuilt solution. I was in IT, but not the sort that did that kind of system design and development. I was in operations. Still, I can't imagine it would be all that difficult, and I've considered several times the possibility of starting my own company to do exactly that kind of stuff. Unfortunately, financing such a company is difficult when such a small potential market is involved. That, plus the fact that I'm still disabled and can't manage a full time job.

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Permalink Reply by Douglas Binder on October 21, 2021 at 7:45am

There are. Check out makerplane.org. They have a display for a Raspberry Pi that is bright enough for a cockpit.

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