Long-Term Debt	9 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2013
Disclosure Text Block [Abstract]
Long-term Debt [Text Block]	Note 8 – Long-Term Debt As of September 30, 2013, the Company had $1.1 million of 8¼% Limited convertible senior subordinated notes due 2012 (the “Notes”) which are no longer convertible into common shares and which matured as of March 1, 2012; interest was payable semi-annually. As part of the Company’s restructuring plan, the Company offered the holders of the Notes the right to receive $225, without accrued interest, plus 10 shares (adjusted for the reverse and forward stock splits, see Note 14 – Subsequent Events) of the Company’s Common Stock for each $1,000 Note exchanged. The offer expired on October 31, 2011, but the Company continues to consider further exchanges of the Notes on the same terms as previously offered. $9.0 million of the original $10.1 million of principal amount of the Notes have been exchanged, leaving $1.1 million outstanding. Based on the payment schedule prior to the offer to exchange, the Company had not remitted the March 1, 2010 and 2011 and September 1, 2010 and 2011 semi-annual interest payments of $418,000 each and the March 1, 2012 semi-annual interest and principal payment of $1.4 million to the trustee. The non-payments constituted an event of default under the Indenture governing the Notes. The trustee, by notice to the Company, or the holders of 25% of the principal amount of the Notes outstanding, by notice to the Company and the trustee, may declare the outstanding principal plus interest due and payable immediately. During the continuation of any event which, with notice or lapse of time or both, would constitute a default under any agreement under which Senior Indebtedness is issued, if the effect of such default is to cause or permit the holder of Senior Indebtedness to become due prior to its stated maturity, no payment of principal, premium or interest shall be made on the Notes unless and until such default shall have been remedied, if written notice of such default has been given to the trustee by the Company or the holder of Senior Indebtedness. If the holder of Senior Indebtedness accelerates the due date at any time, then no payment may be made until the default is cured or waived. The Notes are subordinate to all Senior Indebtedness of the Company. As of September 30, 2013, the Company had $334,000 of 9½% Subordinated debentures due 2012 (the “Debentures”) which matured on December 1, 2012; interest was payable semi-annually. As part of the Company’s restructuring plan, the Company offered the holders of the Debentures the right to receive $100, without accrued interest, for each $1,000 Debenture exchanged. The offer expired on October 31, 2011, but the Company continues to consider further exchanges of the Debentures on the same terms as previously offered. $723,000 of the original $1.1 million principal amount of the Debentures have been exchanged, leaving $334,000 outstanding. Based on the payment schedule prior to the offer to exchange, the Company had not remitted the December 1, 2009, 2010 and 2011 sinking fund payments of $106,000 each, the June 1, 2010, 2011 and 2012 and the December 1, 2010 and 2011 semi-annual interest payments of $50,000 each and the December 1, 2012 semi-annual interest and principal payment of $790,000 to the trustee. The non-payments constituted an event of default under the Indenture governing the Debentures. The trustee, by notice to the Company, or the holders of 25% of the principal amount of the Debentures outstanding, by notice to the Company and the trustee, may declare the outstanding principal plus interest due and payable immediately. During the continuation of any event which, with notice or lapse of time or both, would constitute a default under any agreement under which Senior Indebtedness is issued, if the effect of such default is to cause or permit the holder of Senior Indebtedness to become due prior to its stated maturity, no payment (including any required sinking fund payments) of principal, premium or interest shall be made on the Debentures unless and until such default shall have been remedied, if written notice of such default has been given to the trustee by the Company or the holder of Senior Indebtedness. The Debentures are subordinate to all Senior Indebtedness of the Company. The Company had a bank Credit Agreement, as amended, which provided for a revolving loan of up to $599,000, based on eligible accounts receivable, at a variable rate of interest of Prime plus 2.00%, which was due to mature on June 30, 2013. On June 11, 2013, the Company paid off the balance on the revolving loan and the Credit Agreement has been satisfied in full and the liens held by the senior lender on the collateral in connection therewith have been terminated. The amounts outstanding under the Credit Agreement were collateralized by all of the Digital display assets. As of September 30, 2013, the Company had a $469,000 mortgage on its facility located in Des Moines, Iowa at a fixed rate of interest of 6.50% payable in monthly installments, which matures March 1, 2015 and requires a compensating balance of $200,000. Subsequent to September 30, 2013, the Company executed a promissory note (the “Note”) in favor of Carlisle Investments, Inc. (“Carlisle”), pursuant to which Carlisle loaned $1,000,000 to the Company in order to provide the Company with temporary financing (the “Loan”). Mr. Marco Elser, a director of the Company, exercises voting and dispositive power as investment manager of Carlisle. In connection with the Loan, the Company has granted to Carlisle a first-priority (excluding the liens held by the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation, which are senior to the liens and security interest granted in connection with the Loan) continuing security interest in and lien upon all assets of the Company (excluding those assets subject to the security interest granted to Axis Capital, Inc. by the Company pursuant to that certain Master Agreement for Sale and Assignment of Leases dated as of June 6, 2013), in accordance with the terms of a security agreement entered into between the parties and dated as of December 2, 2013. The Note bears interest at the rate of ten percent per annum and has a maturity date of June 1, 2014, with a bullet payment of all principal and accrued interest due at such time; provided, however, that the parties may agree in writing to convert or exchange all or any part of the Note into a long term investment by Carlisle in Trans-Lux (a “Conversion Transaction”). In the event the parties engage in a Conversion Transaction (of which there can be no assurance), all amounts due under the Note will be payable (or not, as the case may be) in accordance with the terms of the documentation executed by the parties in connection with such Conversion Transaction, if any. On December 4, 2013, net proceeds in the amount of $1,000,000 were received from Carlisle. The funds were used for working capital purposes.

As of September 30, 2013, the Company had $1.1 million of 8¼% Limited convertible senior subordinated notes due 2012 (the “Notes”) which are no longer convertible into common shares and which matured as of March 1, 2012; interest was payable semi-annually. As part of the Company’s restructuring plan, the Company offered the holders of the Notes the right to receive $225, without accrued interest, plus 10 shares (adjusted for the reverse and forward stock splits, see Note 14 – Subsequent Events) of the Company’s Common Stock for each $1,000 Note exchanged. The offer expired on October 31, 2011, but the Company continues to consider further exchanges of the Notes on the same terms as previously offered. $9.0 million of the original $10.1 million of principal amount of the Notes have been exchanged, leaving $1.1 million outstanding. Based on the payment schedule prior to the offer to exchange, the Company had not remitted the March 1, 2010 and 2011 and September 1, 2010 and 2011 semi-annual interest payments of $418,000 each and the March 1, 2012 semi-annual interest and principal payment of $1.4 million to the trustee. The non-payments constituted an event of default under the Indenture governing the Notes. The trustee, by notice to the Company, or the holders of 25% of the principal amount of the Notes outstanding, by notice to the Company and the trustee, may declare the outstanding principal plus interest due and payable immediately. During the continuation of any event which, with notice or lapse of time or both, would constitute a default under any agreement under which Senior Indebtedness is issued, if the effect of such default is to cause or permit the holder of Senior Indebtedness to become due prior to its stated maturity, no payment of principal, premium or interest shall be made on the Notes unless and until such default shall have been remedied, if written notice of such default has been given to the trustee by the Company or the holder of Senior Indebtedness. If the holder of Senior Indebtedness accelerates the due date at any time, then no payment may be made until the default is cured or waived. The Notes are subordinate to all Senior Indebtedness of the Company.

As of September 30, 2013, the Company had $334,000 of 9½% Subordinated debentures due 2012 (the “Debentures”) which matured on December 1, 2012; interest was payable semi-annually. As part of the Company’s restructuring plan, the Company offered the holders of the Debentures the right to receive $100, without accrued interest, for each $1,000 Debenture exchanged. The offer expired on October 31, 2011, but the Company continues to consider further exchanges of the Debentures on the same terms as previously offered. $723,000 of the original $1.1 million principal amount of the Debentures have been exchanged, leaving $334,000 outstanding. Based on the payment schedule prior to the offer to exchange, the Company had not remitted the December 1, 2009, 2010 and 2011 sinking fund payments of $106,000 each, the June 1, 2010, 2011 and 2012 and the December 1, 2010 and 2011 semi-annual interest payments of $50,000 each and the December 1, 2012 semi-annual interest and principal payment of $790,000 to the trustee. The non-payments constituted an event of default under the Indenture governing the Debentures. The trustee, by notice to the Company, or the holders of 25% of the principal amount of the Debentures outstanding, by notice to the Company and the trustee, may declare the outstanding principal plus interest due and payable immediately. During the continuation of any event which, with notice or lapse of time or both, would constitute a default under any agreement under which Senior Indebtedness is issued, if the effect of such default is to cause or permit the holder of Senior Indebtedness to become due prior to its stated maturity, no payment (including any required sinking fund payments) of principal, premium or interest shall be made on the Debentures unless and until such default shall have been remedied, if written notice of such default has been given to the trustee by the Company or the holder of Senior Indebtedness. The Debentures are subordinate to all Senior Indebtedness of the Company.

The Company had a bank Credit Agreement, as amended, which provided for a revolving loan of up to $599,000, based on eligible accounts receivable, at a variable rate of interest of Prime plus 2.00%, which was due to mature on June 30, 2013. On June 11, 2013, the Company paid off the balance on the revolving loan and the Credit Agreement has been satisfied in full and the liens held by the senior lender on the collateral in connection therewith have been terminated. The amounts outstanding under the Credit Agreement were collateralized by all of the Digital display assets.

As of September 30, 2013, the Company had a $469,000 mortgage on its facility located in Des Moines, Iowa at a fixed rate of interest of 6.50% payable in monthly installments, which matures March 1, 2015 and requires a compensating balance of $200,000.

Subsequent to September 30, 2013, the Company executed a promissory note (the “Note”) in favor of Carlisle Investments, Inc. (“Carlisle”), pursuant to which Carlisle loaned $1,000,000 to the Company in order to provide the Company with temporary financing (the “Loan”). Mr. Marco Elser, a director of the Company, exercises voting and dispositive power as investment manager of Carlisle. In connection with the Loan, the Company has granted to Carlisle a first-priority (excluding the liens held by the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation, which are senior to the liens and security interest granted in connection with the Loan) continuing security interest in and lien upon all assets of the Company (excluding those assets subject to the security interest granted to Axis Capital, Inc. by the Company pursuant to that certain Master Agreement for Sale and Assignment of Leases dated as of June 6, 2013), in accordance with the terms of a security agreement entered into between the parties and dated as of December 2, 2013. The Note bears interest at the rate of ten percent per annum and has a maturity date of June 1, 2014, with a bullet payment of all principal and accrued interest due at such time; provided, however, that the parties may agree in writing to convert or exchange all or any part of the Note into a long term investment by Carlisle in Trans-Lux (a “Conversion Transaction”). In the event the parties engage in a Conversion Transaction (of which there can be no assurance), all amounts due under the Note will be payable (or not, as the case may be) in accordance with the terms of the documentation executed by the parties in connection with such Conversion Transaction, if any. On December 4, 2013, net proceeds in the amount of $1,000,000 were received from Carlisle. The funds were used for working capital purposes.