SCRAM Technologies

(Insight Media, Projection Monthly)

BOWIE, MD - SCRAM Technologies showed several LED projection systems in its private suite at the Renaissance Hotel at CES. On display was an LED illuminated SXGA front projector, an LED illuminated XGA front projector, and a 21-inch LED illuminated ruggedized military rear-projection display.

Rear Projection Demos
The 21-inch military display is not new, but SCRAM was at the consumer electronics show to promote its use for commercial marine, aviation and outdoor applications. The performance parameters include SXGA resolution, with tolerances for shock, vibration and temperatures from -40 to 100 degrees Fahrenheit. It is only 7 inches in depth so it can fit in many tight retrofit applications. A second version of this same technology features an XGA-resolution DLP chip set and an LED illumination source that produces 200 lumens. This was shown at CES in a front projector, but the same engine was developed for use in a rear-projection 5 x 5 avionic display system for the F-18. SCRAM just passed the salt spray test for this unit (see photo) and has already passed thermal shock and operation testing from -40 to 100 C. The LEDs can operate at 100C for short periods of time - think of pilots tuning on the display when the plane has been parked in the desert all afternoon. This enables faster scramble times (LCDs require time to cool down, which can limit their combat readiness).


It has also passed a number of additional high-G shock and vibration tests, plus explosive decompression at 40,000 ft (equivalent to cockpit blowing off at 40,000 feet). The display features a 5-mil SCRAMscreen for ambient light rejection (pilots like this screen because of good visibility in bright sunlight). This is one bright unit that needs to be turned down in a normal room ambient. In addition, SCRAM is cooperating with Digital Dash (Montreal, Canada; www.digital-dash.com), showing their reconfigurable tactile instrument panel display for automotive and other transportation applications in the suite. Because of the need for sunlight readability, DIgital Dash suses a 10mil SCRAMscreen in their prototype and a 100-lumen XGA DLP LED projector - the same one qualified for the 5 x 5-inch display for the F-18. Digital Dash will use this technology to try to get design wins in automobiles for the 2010-2011 model year cars, and having passed tough F-18 environmental requirements will make this sales job a lot easier. SCRAM has also done some modeling on how thin it thinks it can push its rear-projection designs. It now thinks a 12 x 15-inch display can be created with a thickness of only 3 inches - incredible!

Front Projection Demos
In front projection, SCRAM applied its LED technology to retrofit an off-the-shelf Dell projector. This was a projector that used a 0.9-inch SXGA+ (1400x1050) DLP chip set with the lamp and color wheel removed. The original light tunnel was used so the demo was not optimized for light output, but did achieve about 100 lumens. Optimization should enable the projector to reach even more. The demo only consumed about 50W of wall plug power, too, illustrating the company's ability to create high efficiency and high brightness LED illumination. By next June, SCRAM plans to work on a new pocket projector concept centered around the 0.55-inch XGA DLP chip set. The expectation is that the current technology will be able to achieve 100 lumens from this platform. SCRAM has put together both development and manufacturing partners for its LED engines, too. FLextronics will be making SCRAM's patented LED illuminator module, LED illuminator subcomponents, and LED illuminated optical projection engine. To augment their capability in the area of optics and projection technology, SCRAM announced their acquisition of e-Light of Korea. e-Light will bring technical, research and development assistance to the parent company and provide SCRAM a marketing presence in Asia. -- CC