When a Display Goes End-of-Life, How Do You Find a Compatible Replacement?
January 19, 2022
When a display goes end-of-life, the manufacturer sets a last order date, and from then on a product that uses it needs either enough stock to cover its remaining builds or a replacement that fits without a redesign. We work on both. We monitor the products we offer for product change notifications (PCN) and end-of-life (EOL) notices, help with last-time buys, hold stock for time-sensitive components, and find drop-in replacements or compatible products, customizing them mechanically or electrically when necessary. The examples below show how that has worked in practice.
What happened when Mitsubishi stopped making TFT displays?
In mid-June 2020, Mitsubishi Electric announced that it would shut down its TFT display production by June 2022, with a last order date in June 2021, which hit customers with long-term projects hard. FORTEC Integrated, our sister company in the FORTEC Group, answered with its own successor displays, 100% compatible with the corresponding Mitsubishi types. Some add IPS technology for a wider, symmetrical viewing angle, and all offer an operating range of -30 to +80°C as standard:
| FORTEC successor | Replaces Mitsubishi |
|---|---|
| DD-0500-MG03 | AA050MG03 |
| DD-0700-ME01 | AA070ME01 |
| DD-0700-MC01 | AA070MC01 |
| DD-0700-ME11 | AA070ME11 |
| DD-0840-XE01 | AA084XE01, AA084XB01 |
| DD-0840-XE11 | AA084XE11, AA084XB11 |
For other Mitsubishi types we supply replacements from other manufacturers, from 3.5 to 19.2 inches and with wide operating temperature ranges, many with optional touch. Some are 100% compatible and need no redesign; others need slight redesign engineering. Tianma, for example, developed the 10.4-inch P1040XGF1MA00 in response to Mitsubishi discontinuing its 10.4-inch HiBrite TFTs: XGA, 1300 cd/m², -30 to +80°C, and 6.8G vibration resistance. Mitsubishi displays with an integrated touchscreen can be replaced on a project basis with our own long-term available touchscreens. The original specifications are on record in our posts on Mitsubishi’s 3.5 to 7 inch rugged TFTs and Mitsubishi’s 8.4 to 15 inch TFTs.
Does every discontinued display have a successor?
No. In 2015, Samsung declared its 46-inch LTI460HN01 and 55-inch LTI550HN01 EOL with a last order date of September 15, 2015 and no successor models, because it was concentrating on its ultra-narrow-bezel versions. Without a successor, the choice is a last-time buy sized to the remaining builds, or a replacement from another manufacturer qualified before stock runs out.
Can a discontinued touchscreen be replaced without a redesign?
Yes, when the replacement is built to the original’s mechanics and electronics. When DMC discontinued its 7-inch AST-070A080A resistive touchscreen, FORTEC worked with DMC to develop the TP-4845S1F0 as a custom successor. It is fully mechanically and electrically compatible, with identical mounting dimensions and pin assignment, and keeps the 4-wire resistive technology that industrial operators use with gloves. It is available long-term, and exclusively, through FORTEC.
How do you design for long availability from the start?
Choose parts with a record of long availability and compatible successors. Our Prisma TFT controller boards, developed in-house in the FORTEC Group, have stayed compatible in form and function across versions for more than 20 years. Some TFT display models from AUO, Kyocera, and Tianma have been available for more than 15 years, with guaranteed availability of at least five to seven years. In embedded computing, the conga-SMX8-Plus module is available until 2035, with a compatible successor to follow. FORTEC Integrated is a member of the Component Obsolescence Group Germany (COGD), which works to minimize or prevent the impact of component unavailability. For a planning checklist, see how to plan for component obsolescence before it becomes a problem.
Tell us which parts your product depends on, and we will take it from there. When one of them receives an EOL notice, we tell you early and plan with you: a last-time buy to cover remaining builds, or qualifying a replacement before supply runs out. Our obsolescence management service covers the whole process, and our list of EOL products shows what has already been discontinued.
