Illuminator
Encyclopedia
Electroluminescence
Electroluminescence is an optical phenomenon and electrical phenomenon in which a material emits light in response to the passage of an electric current or to a strong electric field...
Luminescent (EL) Backlight
Backlight
A backlight is a form of illumination used in liquid crystal displays . As LCDs do not produce light themselves , they need illumination to produce a visible image...
LCD development used in some Casio
Casio
is a multinational electronic devices manufacturing company founded in 1946, with its headquarters in Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan. Casio is best known for its electronic products, such as calculators, audio equipment, PDAs, cameras, musical instruments, and watches...
watches (Also known as Fox Fire). The Timex
Timex Group
Timex Group B.V., or Timex Group, is a Dutch holding company headquartered in Hoofddorp, the Netherlands, and the corporate parent of several watchmaking companies around the globe including Timex Group USA, Inc., TMX Philippines, Inc., and Timex Group India Ltd...
corporation has its very own similar technology called Indiglo
Indiglo
Indiglo is a brand name of Indiglo Corporation, solely owned by Timex for licensing purposes. Timex electroluminescent lamps, branded Indiglo, were introduced through Kmart in 1992 in the Ironman watch line...
.
History
In response to the Indiglo backlight which TimexTimex Group
Timex Group B.V., or Timex Group, is a Dutch holding company headquartered in Hoofddorp, the Netherlands, and the corporate parent of several watchmaking companies around the globe including Timex Group USA, Inc., TMX Philippines, Inc., and Timex Group India Ltd...
had introduced in 1992, Casio introduced in 1995 an electroluminescent backlight on its modules. One of the first models was the Casio DW-5600E, also well-known as the G-Shock
G-Shock
G-Shock is a brand of watches manufactured by Casio, known for its resistance to shocks . They were, and continue to be, designed primarily for sports, military, and outdoor adventure oriented activity; for example, practically all G-Shocks have some kind of stopwatch feature, countdown timer,...
ILLUMINATOR (where the "E" of the model number means Electroluminescent), since one of the things that highlights this watch is the blue/green light that makes the display visible under any light condition.
In reference to this, domestic models (Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
) would typically bear the term "Foxfire
Foxfire (bioluminescence)
Foxfire, also sometimes referred to as "fairy fire", is the bioluminescence created by some species of fungi present in decaying wood. The bluish green glow is attributed to luciferase, an oxidizing agent, which emits light as it reacts with luciferin...
", while export models bore "ILLUMINATOR."
See also
- ElectroluminescenceElectroluminescenceElectroluminescence is an optical phenomenon and electrical phenomenon in which a material emits light in response to the passage of an electric current or to a strong electric field...
- CasioCasiois a multinational electronic devices manufacturing company founded in 1946, with its headquarters in Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan. Casio is best known for its electronic products, such as calculators, audio equipment, PDAs, cameras, musical instruments, and watches...
- Timex
- IndigloIndigloIndiglo is a brand name of Indiglo Corporation, solely owned by Timex for licensing purposes. Timex electroluminescent lamps, branded Indiglo, were introduced through Kmart in 1992 in the Ironman watch line...
- Foxfire (bioluminescence)Foxfire (bioluminescence)Foxfire, also sometimes referred to as "fairy fire", is the bioluminescence created by some species of fungi present in decaying wood. The bluish green glow is attributed to luciferase, an oxidizing agent, which emits light as it reacts with luciferin...