Split-flap display

A split-flap display, or sometimes simply a flap display, is a digital electromechanical display device that presents changeable alphanumeric text, and occasionally fixed graphics.

Often used as a public transport timetable in airports or railway stations, as such they are often called Solari boards after Italian display manufacturer Solari di Udine, or in Central European countries they are called Pragotron after the Czech manufacturer.

Split-flap displays were once commonly used in consumer digital clocks known as flip clocks.

Description

Each character position or graphic position has a collection of flaps on which the characters or graphics are painted or silkscreened. These flaps are precisely rotated to show the desired character or graphic. These displays are often found in railway stations and airports, where they serve as flight information display system and typically display departure or arrival information.

Sometimes the flaps are large and display whole words, and in other installations there are several smaller flaps, each displaying a single character.

Flip-dot displays and LED display boards may be used instead of split-flap displays in most applications. Their output can be changed by reprogramming instead of replacement of physical parts but they suffer from lower readability. They also can refresh more quickly, as a split-flap display often must cycle through many states.

Advantages to these displays include:
* high visibility and wide viewing angle in most lighting conditions
* little or no power consumption while the display remains static
* Distinct metallic flapping sound draws attention when the information is updated.

The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority has designed the new LED replacements for its aging Solari boards at North Station and South Station to emit an electronically generated flapping noise to cue passengers to train boarding updates.

Many game shows of the 1970s used this type of display for the contestant podium scoreboards. Usually, the flip was left-to-right on a vertical axis, although up/down on a horizontal axis was not completely unknown. Early seasons of the game show ''Family Feud'' used a split flap display as part of the game board (subsequent seasons used more modern digital displays, and eventually simply used a large digital flat screen monitor). The game board on the Nickelodeon game show ''Make the Grade'' was a 7x7 split-flap display, used to display subjects and wild cards, as well as tracking contestants' progress. The television game show ''Chain Reaction'' on Game Show Network features computer-simulated split-flap displays to display the various words in a chain.

In Italy, split-flap displays have also been occasionally used as destination signs for transit vehicles; there was also a brief vogue for them in the United Kingdom in the mid 1980s.

Operational boards in transport terminals and businesses

The boards are currently in use at the following stations:

Australia

* Melbourne Airport (Melbourne Tullamarine Airport, IATA Code MEL). Located in the Qantas First Lounge.
* Sydney Airport (IATA Code SYD). Located in the Qantas First Lounge.

Belgium

* Brussels Airport (IATA Code BRU). Located in the main departure hall, displaying departures and check-in information. Very popular meeting point for people travelling together. (Was repaired after being damaged in the 2016 Brussels bombings, rather than being replaced, because of its high social and historical value.)

China

* Shanghai Starbucks Roastery. Lists the featured coffee beans on a split flap display installed by Solari di Udine S.P.A.

France

* Some railway stations in France still have one or several split-flap displays, Strasbourg, Nantes and Toulouse-Matabiau stations.

Germany

* Frankfurt Airport (Flughafen Frankfurt am Main, IATA Code FRA) has split-flap boards made by German manufacturer KRONE throughout terminal 1 of the airport, still in use . Each row ends with a pair of green and red lights which flash to indicate that flight is boarding. They indicate each flight's destination, its flight number and carrier, and its departure gate and time.
*Platform split-flap displays were used across the Deutsche Bahn network, but have been almost completely replaced by liquid crystal displays.

Greece

* In Greece, these displays are still widespread. Most airports and train stations have one, most notably the Athens International Airport, which has two enormous displays of this kind. Bus stops, tram stops as well as the stations of the Athens Metro and the Proastiakos Commuter Rail System of Athens use electronic displays.

Hong Kong

* Beef & Liberty in Hong Kong, Terminal 1 Hong Kong International Airport, Hong Kong. The 6Rx32
Oat Foundry
Split Flap provides hungry travelers with a taste of 1960's travel nostalgia. The board flips every 3 minutes displaying messages and custom graphics such as hearts and burgers.

Hungary

* Budapest Liszt Ferenc International Airport at its check-in and arrivals halls.
* Győr railway station

India

* Kolkata Airport. Was prevalent in old domestic and international terminals. Recently changed to a fully electronic display at the integrated airport.

Italy

*Roma Termini. Boards located after the ticketing area above the track entrances. In addition, most RFI stations had split-flap display boards, now replaced by LED displays.
*Milan Malpensa Airport. Board located in the check-in area.
*Milan. Board located in the first italian Starbucks shop.
*Trieste Airport. Board located in the check-in area.

Poland

* Warszawa Śródmieście railway station.
* Łódź Kaliska railway station. Boards located in the waiting hall, in passage under platforms 1-3 and on platforms 1, 2 and 3. Controlled with punch cards.
* Rybnik railway station
* Lublin Główny railway station

Pakistan

* Allama Iqbal International Airport Lahore.

Romania

* Otopeni Airport (Bucharest Henri Coandă International Airport) has Solari boards in the international departure area, including a pair of red lights on each row which flash to indicate an important message such as "now boarding".
* Traian Vuia Airport (Timișoara Traian Vuia International Airport) has a flip board for arrivals and departures in the main terminal area.
The central train station in Cluj-Napoca has Solari boards for departure and arrivals, including a pair of red lights on each row which flash to indicate "now arriving"/"now leaving". Each platform has its own Solari boards, each including an analog clock. The boards are well mentained and include "exotic" destinations for this station, such as Rome, Paris, Venice and other west-european destinations.

Serbia

* Belgrade Airport (Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport, IATA Code BEG) has Solari boards on both levels of the departure area, still in use as of November 2020. Each row ends with a pair of red lights which flash to indicate that the flight is boarding or there is some other change in status. They indicate which destination a flight is to, its flight number and carrier, and its departure gate and time.

Sri Lanka

*Bandaranaike International Airport (Bandaranaike International Airport, also known as Katunayake International Airport and Colombo International Airport, IATA Code CMB). Disused split-flap displays can still be seen at departure gates (although LCD displays are now used). Large split-flap display in the arrivals hall still in use in early 2019.

Taiwan

*Taipei Railway Station originally planned to remove both of its split-flap displays during a renovation in 2011. However, only one board was removed in answer to the call for preservation by local rail enthusiasts. , both split-flap and LED displays are available in the station and remain fully functional.

United Kingdom

* Samsung KX in Kings Cross Coal Yard, London, United Kingdom features an "L" Split Flap made b
Oat Foundry
The Split Flap covers the walls surrounding the cafés order window. The board displays menu items and events happening in the Coal Yard.

United States

*The lobby of the TWA Hotel at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City features a restored Solari board displaying historical flight information. The hotel lobby was originally in use as the 1962 Eero Saarinen designed TWA Flight Center, and most of the terminal's design features, including the Solari board, were kept and restored during the renovation of the Flight Center into the hotel


*Seattle, Chicago, and New York City Starbucks Reserve Roasteries. Lists the featured coffee beans on a split flap display installed in 2017 by Solari di Udine S.P.A.
*The Atlantic City Rail Terminal in Atlantic City, NJ retains a working board in the waiting area.
*Jacksonville International Airport in Florida. It is on the second floor, in between the two check-in desks.
*The National WWII Museum in New Orleans, LA