HBT-1212O High Bright Open Frame Monitor used in Mid-West Screw Product's Application

When Walter A. Lisowski founded Mid-West Screw Products in 1946 he realized that to excel in this competitive industry his customers must always receive uncompromised perfection in all their machined parts. He also offered assistance and creative ideas to help his valued Customer reduce costs.

So the story continues. The second generation, Walter E. and Kenneth, have experienced continued growth as they have expanded and replaced their equipment to the latest industry standards. Zero-defect manufacturing, Statistical Process Control (SPC), as well as TQM and the newest Just-in-Time (JIT) manufacturing techniques and software, as well as becoming ISO Qualified hopefully makes Mid-West Products your supplier of choice. Our primary goal was then and now, continues to be total customer service and satisfaction. Continuing to input ideas that can result in cost savings.

Below is a letter from Walter Lesowski, President of Mid-west Screw Products Inc.

I would like to thank you for your assistance in acquiring a High Definition LED / LCD screen that fit my application perfectly. After searching the internet for a unit that would suit my needs I came to an impasse. There were no TV or Computer screens available that I could use. I came to the realization that if you cannot buy one then I would have to find a screen manufacturer and make it myself. I am a licensed Captain (100 ton) and the item that I needed was for my boat, I also own a large machine shop in the Chicago area where my boat is moored. So I figured I could design and make the needed unit myself. If I could only find just the right screen! And I did. Because of the size constraints where this viewing system had to go, the only option was to find a screen with just enough electronics to be able to connect a switching device that could view the nine lookout cameras onboard. Why nine? Not being able to see the stern make backing up less difficult, I need to monitor the two engines, people on the bow and on both the port and starboard walkways, directly behind me on the aft deck, one to see further aft as a rearview mirror would do, and one underwater for a total of nine cameras. When I came across your company on the internet I had a concern that a person needing one screen would be turned away. But I still made the call. What a pleasure it was to work with someone who showed as much interest in my single screen project as if I were buying thousands of screens. After several e-mails and phone discussions I settled on the perfect size and type. I chose the 12.1” high bright model. I have had all sorts of screens from computers, to lap tops and small TV’s that never gave me a good picture in bright sunlight. Until now!

After placing my order I was as anxious as I was apprehensive. Anxious since I just might have found the answer to years of searching the net, magazines and attending boat shows from coast to coast looking for the perfect screen. I know that there are those who would say I should have just purchased another GPS with camera capabilities. NOPE, the screen might not fit, it would have been much too small, and three to four times the price. Now, why apprehensive? Because I realized that the screen would come to me with way too much sheet metal around the screen because it was designed for other types of OEM mounting purposes. I realized that this type of screen usually winds up in machines like cash stations, where the cabinetry can support a larger mounting framework. My application needed the finished bezel to be almost as high as the screen itself. I had a little more room from left to right. This is where I was hoping to move the controls from the back of the frame to the front, where they were munted by the manufacturer for internal adjustments when the screen was first set up at the factory. Typically these controls were not to be used by the consumer. The screen arrived and my fears were correct. I had to dismantle this sturdy yet delicate piece of electronics to cut away all of the exposed metal around the screen. Once I had done that I was ready to reassemble the frame and retest the screen to assure myself it still worked properly. And it did!

Now I could design the bezel to house the screen. I was fortunate that all the controls were assembled on one complete circuit board. To make adjustments to the screen I had to take the controls mounted in the back and reposition them to a new location on the front of the Bezel. Fortunately the circuit board was attached with an umbilical cord of about six to eight inches long. That allowed me to reposition the control board to the front and right next to the screen. Once I drew up the idea for the bezel I could then realize exactly the size it would be in height, length, and thickness. I then cut a cardboard template and tried it out on the dash of my boat. It fit! Now I had to order plastic that would machine easily and work in the marine environment. Having built other items for my boats the choice was easy, “Star Board”. I ordered a piece 24” x 12” x ¾” in gray since most marine instruments come in gray. Once the plastic arrived, it was down to the shop and out to one of my CNC milling machines. We gingerly programmed each cut, checking and rechecking every move as if we were going to be launching this screen into space. Finally we slipped the screen into the newly machined bezel, with the circuit board mounted next to it. It fit almost too well, so we trimmed just a little more. By design, the circuit board was installed way below the surface. So I still had to make the Buttons that would toggle the circuit board buttons and a Light Pipe to show that the unit was on. The next thing was to mount the completed unit into the dash. When it was done I was proud of every hard working moment it took. Just look at the pictures and you will see for yourself the beauty of the finished product. The image you see on the screen is the aft of the boat with my dingy in sight. Note how clear it appears and in the same picture you can see the sunlight all around. Even the gray scale instrument screen images are a little faint. But not my full color high-definition LED Caltron display! I just had to tell the story. It has meant a lot to me in operating my boat to have this completed. I would like to thank Stan at Caltron Industries and the guys at my shop, especially Butch for his ingenious programming skills. If anyone would like to visit Mid-West Screw Products, Inc. you can catch us on the web, www.m-wsp.com.

Respectfully,

Walter E. Lisowski

President,

Mid-West Screw Products, Inc.