Here's a short test of a tiny 10-inch surveillance monitor bought from a Chinese mail order site. Here I will measure its power consumption and test its performance with a single PAL camera. How much does it cost to use such a monitor? Will it be suitable for the Raspberry? Let's find out!
The device is available for between PLN100 and PLN200, depending on promotions and where you buy.
The kit turns out to be quite rich. We even get a remote control. In addition, we have a 12 V 2 A power supply and a full set of cables, including HDMI, VGA, RCA and even BNC.
Instructions:
The monitor looks surprisingly solid, I expected the cheapest plastic.
The device has a bit more functionality than I thought. There's USB support, you can view photos, play music, movies, etc. You can change picture settings, aspect ratio, colour temperature, similarly there are sound settings. There is also a clock available along with on/off and sleep time. The OSD language can also be changed.
This is what Elektroda.co.uk looks like on the monitor, loaded via HDMI.
The viewing angle is not bad:
Immediate response time (comparison against laptop screen, connected via HDMI):
And then there's the foot - it could be heavier, but it still holds up:
Test with photos on USB:
Test with camera on BNC connector:
Power consumption in standby and when switched on:
In summary , the monitor seemed a bit pricey to me, even though I ordered it at a bargain price - I see it's even more expensive now, but surprisingly the kit and its construction compensates for this to some extent. You get it with all the cabling, power supply and leg. I also rate the image and viewing angle as acceptable. A purchase can be considered.
And what is your opinion, what small monitors do you recommend?
Cool? Ranking DIY Helpful post? Buy me a coffee.
