diy custom lcd display quotation

Liquid Crystal Displays or more commonly known as LCDs are one of the most common electronic components which help us interact with an equipment or a device. Most personal portable equipment and even gigantic industrial equipment utilize a custom segment display to display data. For many portable consumer electronics, a segment LCD display is one of the biggest contributors to the overall cost of the device, hence designing a custom segment display can drive the cost down while also utilizing the display area in the most optimum manner. These displays have the lowest cost per piece, low power requirements, and a low tooling fee too.

At first thought, designing a custom segment LCD might look like a Herculean task, but trust me that it is easier than it seems. In this article, we have summarised and compared the display types and available technologies which are required to construct a custom segment LCD. We have also provided a flowchart that can act as a step-by-step guide while you design your own custom LCD. We have also provided the process we followed, a require gathering sheet we used for communicating our needs to the manufacturer, and a few other data and the quotation we received from the manufacturer.

Icons: A silhouette of any shape can be placed on the glass which enhances the ability to display data. For example, a symbol of a heart can be made to denote heart rate or an icon for a low battery to show that the battery needs to be charged. Icons are counted as a single pixel or segment and can give a lot more details than similar-sized text.

LCD Bias– It denotes the number of different voltage levels used in driving the segments, static drives (explained later in this article) only have 2 voltage levels or 2 bias voltage while multiplex drives have multiple voltage levels. For example, 1/3 will have 4 bias voltages.

LCDs utilizes the light modulating properties of liquid crystals which can be observed by using polarizing filters. Polarizing filters are special materials that have their molecules aligned in the same direction. If the light waves passing through polarisers have the same orientation as the filter, then the molecules of lights are absorbed by the filter, hence reducing the intensity of light passing through it, making it visible.

A custom LCD is important for maximizing the efficiency of the display area by adding custom symbols and characters. It also helps in reducing the cost and improving energy efficiency of the product. A higher number of custom symbols and specified placement of numerical and alphanumerical characters make the display more informative and readable for the user. This makes it look better than the plain old boring displays we get in the market. Furthermore, we can specify the viewing angle, contrast, and other specifications which can increase durability or give a better value for money for our intended usage.  A typical Custom Segment display is shown below, we will also show you how to design and fabricate the same further in the article.

The LCD display doesn’t emit any light of its own, therefore it requires an external source of illumination or reflector to be readable in dark environments.

While designing a custom segment LCD display, we have the leverage of choosing a lot of parameters that affect the final product. From the color of the display to the illumination technique and color of illumination as well as the type of input pins. Some important considerations we need to take while designing a custom 7 segment display are - the type of display, i.e. positive or negative, illumination method, driving technique, polarising type, and connection method. All these design criteria are explained below:

Positive and negative displays can be easily distinguished by the colour of the background and characters. Some common differences between the positive and negative displays are:

So, which one should you choose? When the displays are to be used in areas with higher ambient light, we should select positive segment LCD display as it has better visibility than negative segment LCD displays without using a backlight.

As we know that LED displays don’t emit any light, hence to illuminate it and make it visible in a dark environment, we can use different methods of illumination. The most common LCD Illumination methods are compared below:

For displays that need to be used for budget-friendly devices that should be small and rugged, LED lights are preferred for the displays due to the high durability and low cost of operations. For high brightness, CCFL and Incandescent lights can be used.

A polarizer film is the most important component of an LCD display, which makes it possible to display characters by controlling the light. There are 3 types of polarizers that can be used in the LCD display, the properties and difference are given below:

Displays can be categorized into two types, passive displays, and active display, passive displays are simpler to construct as they have 2 connections at each segment, the conductors comprise of an Indium Tin Oxide to create an image, whereas the active displays use thin-film transistors (TFT) arranged in a grid. The name is due to its ability to control each pixel individually.

If your displays have fewer segments, then static LCD drive is preferred as it is easier to control and cheaper to construct, and has a better contrast ratio. But let’s say that if the number of segments in the display are more than 30-40 then a multiplex LCD drive should be preferred as it has multiple common pins, hence reducing the total number of pins required to drive the display.

Choosing a connector type!!! For the prototyping phase or if you need to connect your LCD display on a Microcontroller directly, a pin type connector is the best and most economical option you have. If you need to connect your LCD display in a final product with a high volume of production which also requires to be extremely durable, but at the same time should not take up a lot of space, a Flex type LCD Connector will work best for you

LCDs have limited viewing angles and when seen from an angle they lose contrast and are difficult to be observed.  The viewing angle is defined by the angles perpendicular to the center of the display towards its right, left, up, and down which are denoted by the notations 3:00, 9:00, 12:00, and 6:00 respectively. The viewing angle of LCD can be defined as the angle w.r.t. to the bias angle at which the contrast of segments is legible.

To improve the viewing angle in an LCD, a Bias is incorporated in the design which shifts the nominal viewing angle with an offset. Another technique is to increase the Voltage, it affects the bias angle, making the display crisper when viewed from a direction.

For example, the viewing angle of a TN type TFT LCD is 45-65 degrees. Extra-wide polarising film (EWP) can increase the viewing angle by 10 degrees, using an O film polariser can make the viewing angles 75 degrees but these come at a cost of reduced contrast.

LCD Control chip or LCD driver chips can be mounted on the flex cable, display, or externally on a PCB. The placement of LCD control chip can affect the cost and size of the display. The 2 most common methods of chip placement are-Chip of Board (COB)and Chip on Glass(COG) which are described below:

We planned to design an air quality monitoring system for which we needed a custom segment LCD panel for an air quality monitoring device. Our product needs to display the following data: 2.5-micron and 10-micron particulate matter (PM) suspended in the air; the units should be in parts per million (PPM). CO2 in the air in PPM along with total volatile organic compounds present in the air in parts per billion (PPB). To make the product more usable, we included time in 24-hour format, Temperature in ºC, Battery status, loudspeaker status, Bluetooth status, and Wi-Fi status. And for some personal touch, we also added how good the air quality in the room is by using 3 different smileys.

We realized that it was impossible to provide all these data in a generic LCD available in the market, thus decided to build a custom LCD for our project.

A step-by-step flowchart is shown below to walk you through each and every step of selecting components and getting your custom segment LCD manufactured.

We started by listing down our requirements and drew a mock-up of the display on paper. After finalizing the placement of all the segments and icons on the prototype sketch of the display, we then decided which all icons and segments have to be kept on for the whole time and which needs to be driven. Realizing that there are too many segments, characters and icons, hence we selected a multiplex drive with 8 common pins which helped us bring down the total pins from an estimated 180 pins to less than 40 pins.

Since the device was meant to be used inside houses and offices, which are more often than not well lit and protected from environmental conditions, we opted for a positive mode display. For superior contrast ratio and better viewing angle, we chose a Film Super Twisted Nematic Display (FSTN) with a drive condition of 1/8 Duty and bias of 1/4.

Usually, the displays are mounted at a height of 4.5 feet from the ground, thus the viewing direction was selected to be 12"O clock with an operating frequency of 64Hz. We selected a Transmissive polarizer for the front glass and a reflective polarizer for the rear glass so that the natural light can pass through the front panel and the display can achieve the maximum contrast without the need for backlighting and we opted for the pin type connectors as they are easy for prototyping and are suitable for harsh environment with a lot of vibrations and shocks which best suited our purpose.

In the above image of a custom display design, we sent to the manufacturer, the red lines over multiple characters indicate that all these are considered as a single segment. For the sake of simplicity, we added test like T, S, U, B to denote Text, Symbols, Units, and Battery respectively. These characters were followed by numbers to simplify communication between us and the manufacturer. For example, if we needed any particular text or symbol to remain on, we can easily specify that to the manufacturer by using the corresponding text for that segment.

We mailed our requirements to multiple LCD manufacturers, (you will find a lot of LCD manufacturers on the Internet). Most LCD manufacturers have competitive pricing, and reply within a week. A sample requirement sheet is shown above which a customer needs to fill to specify all the details to the manufacturer.

This is a sample Custom Segment LCD quotation we got from one of the manufacturers. As you can see, the cost is based on the quantity. Higher the quantity, lower the cost. Apart from the cost per quantity, there is one more component called tooling fees. Tooling fee is a one-time fee charged by the manufacturer. It is for the technical design, support, and customization of the product. Customization of PCB or tooling of LCD can drive the tooling price higher or lower.

A custom segment LCD can help you personalize your product while also saving the overall cost of your product. The whole process will take you around 2-3 months, which will include the designing phase, prototyping phase, and getting your custom segment LCDs delivered to your doorstep. Higher ordering quantity will reduce the cost per piece of each unit, thus driving down the cost of your final product.

If you have ever wondered what it took to make your own custom graphic LCD from scratch, this video from [Applied Science] is worth a watch. It’s concise and to the point, while still telling you what you need to know should you be interested in rolling your own. There is also a related video which goes into much more detail about experimenting with LCD technology.

[Applied Science] used microscope slides and parts purchased online to make an LCD that displays a custom graphic when activated. The only step that home experimenters might have trouble following is coating the glass slides with a clear conductive layer, which in the video is done via a process called sputtering to deposit a thin film. You don’t need to do this yourself, though. Pre-coated glass is readily available online. (Search for Indium-Tin Oxide or ‘ITO’ coated glass.)

The LCD consists of a layer of liquid crystal suspended between two layers of conductive glass. An electrical field is used to change the orientation of crystals in the suspension, which modulate the light passing through them. Polarizing filters result in a sharp contrast and therefore a visible image. To show a particular shape, some of the conductive coating is removed from one of the layers in the shape of the desired image. The process [Applied Science] uses to do this is nearly identical to etching a custom PCB.

Parts of LCD technology can be quite hackable. Neither of these videos are brand-new, either. Have any of you taken on the challenge of DIY LCD displays? We’ve seen experiments with electrochromatic glass using old LCD displays, as well as experiments in playing with polarized light to hide secret messages on LCD screens.

Since 1990, AccuView is dedicated to delivering fully customized LCD display solutions for our customers. Our strength lies in understanding and meeting our customers" EXACT requirements coupled with AccuView"s comprehensive manufacturing capabilities and expertise to deliver the right LCD display solution. Let AccuView be your total video solution provider.

Orient Display is a company that specializes in manufacturing LCD displays, touch panels, OLED displays with competitive prices. The company was founded in 1996 by specializing in fields of production, R&D, quality controls. Thanks for the management and employee’s continuous hardworking and enormous effort and shareholder continuous investment over years, Orient Display factory is now the world’s leading custom LCD manufacturer in flat panel industry and is listed as a public company in China stock market. Now, Orient Display factory has 2 production lines that can produce PMOLED and AMOLED custom display modules. Factories have complete quality and environment management system, ISO9001, ISO/IATF16949, ISO14001, IECQ QC080000. Orient Display takes around 18% market share in global automotive market and is No.1 in automotive capacitive touch screen.

Orient Display has supported customers with custom LCD displays for tens of thousands of types and models for automotive, appliances, medical, smart homes, point of sales, industrial advices, etc. Whether your design requires a small custom LCD display glass, or a fully customized LCD module, or custom monitors and displays equipped with complicated embedded control board with touch panels, our experienced engineers in North America, Europe or in China factory will assist you in designing your customized displays.

Orient Display customer service sends quotation to you (might come with technical suggestions according to your targeted applications). The time will depend on the complexity of the project and the time to source components, normally, it takes 1-3 days for custom LCD glass panels, 2-5 days for custom LCD display modules or touch panels.

Orient Display engineers provide custom LCD display counter-drawings for you to approve with your signature on the drawing. The drawings might be modified several times until the designs are fully achieved your technical requirements. There can be a lot of technical discussions at this stage. The time our engineers take to arrange drawings also depend on the complexity of the project. Normally, it takes 1-3 days for custom LCD glass panels, 2-5 days for custom LCD display modules or touch panels.

After your drawing approval, Orient Display will start to make samples or prototypes for you to test. The lead time also varies depending on the production complexity and component/material sourcing. Normally, it takes 4-6 weeks for custom LCD glass panels, 8-10 weeks for custom LCD display modules or touch panels.

After your sample / prototype approval, Orient Display is ready for production. Orient Display welcomes trial production between the prototypes to large scale production so that you have the opportunity to fully test the custom LCD display or touch panel to run well in your designed products.

Congratulations! You have accomplished the journey of the idea, design, prototype and production in the market. The journey can take from 3 months to 3 years. Whatever the voyage, Orient Display’s engineers, customer services are proud to be part of your design. Our happiness is based on your success.

Dimensions (Specification / Drawing / Sketch of the LCD, if available). If it is a drop-in replacement, it is great to provide files in dwg. or dxf. format.

LCD Mode Preference if you have an idea or let us to decide (TN Positive/Negative, STN Positive YG, STN Negative Blue, STN Positive Gray, FSTN Positive, FSTN Negative, FFSTN Negative);

Dimensions (Specification / Drawing / Sketch of the LCD module, if available). If it is a drop-in replacement, it is great to provide files in dwg. or dxf. format.

LCD Mode Preference if you have an idea or let us to decide (TN Positive/Negative, STN Positive YG, STN Negative Blue, STN Positive Gray, FSTN Positive, FSTN Negative, FFSTN Negative);

Fully custom made TFT LCD display module can be very expensive, the NRE ranges from $80,000 to $1M depending on the size and the resolution of the LCD display and the generation of the production line the LCD display to be produced. For over 99% of our projects, we are talking about the modifications of the standard TFT LCD display. There are a lot of standard color TFT displays available in the market. You are highly likely to find one matching your requirement. If you can’t find a suitable one on our website, please check with our engineers, we have a database in factory with much more types.

Dimensions (Specification / Drawing / Sketch of the LCD module, if available). If it is a drop replacement, it is great to provide files in dwg. or dxf. format.

The above information can be overwhelming. Actually, we design a lot of touch panel and LCD custom display projects without being provided detailed information. Our engineers and customer service can quickly decide the parameters based on the customer’s application. Please feel free to contact our engineers for details.

If you"re looking for ~500-1000 display panels with the intent to buy, I would strongly suggest speaking with an account manager, sales rep, and/or applications engineer at a distributor. Such an order will likely generate enough revenue for them to give you a whole lot more than the time of day. I know the local account managers and FAE"s for a few large component distributors in my area (Future Electronics and Allied Electronics), and they are usually helpful, though not always prompt.

Looking at Future, they do seem to have a few LCDs quoted on their site, however it is certainly not a comprehensive list. If you contact a sales rep (there or anywhere) and provide them your requirements, they may come back with additional parts that their manufacturers produce that better fit your need.

Unless your volumes are going to be in the millions, let me dispel any thoughts you have of "Why not just talk to (LCD mfc) directly?". Said manufacturers will not care about you, and the premium they will charge to deal with you (if they bother at all) will be higher than what a typical distributor would, because, frankly, they do not want your direct business. Use the middlemen. They will make specifying, finding, and sourcing LCD panels vastly easier and cheaper.

When a customer pays for the LCD tooling fee, they are not just paying for the option to buy a customized LCD display; they are investing in a LCD design of their own. It is their design and they control the rights to it.

The client receives a customized display that matches their exact requirements – everything from dimensions and functions down to the module colors, unique voltages, modified bezel, addition of headers or cables and any other desired components (resistors, potentiometers, heaters, etc.) to make this LCD unique.

One of the most important, yet overlooked, values that come with paying for the LCD tooling is longevity and peace of mind. Customized LCDs are much less likely to be discontinued or EOL (End Of Life) than a standard off-the-shelf LCD.

Custom displays tend to require a slightly higher MOQ (Minimum Order Quantity) than standard LCD’s modules. This is because the product is only being sold to one customer and many of the components on the display will be unique to that customer.

A common solution to high MOQs is to place a blanket order with Focus LCDs. We can provide Kanban releases which means the customer will only receive and pay for the number of LCDs that they need every month or even every week.

The current lead time for prototype samples after paying for LCD tooling is between five to seven weeks. This will increase by three to four additional weeks during Chinese New Year. We are able to offer a short lead time and fast turnaround since all our displays are shipped via FedEx air and not on boat.

The first step is to review the LCD displays that we keep in stock from our standard LCD supply and can ship out the same day you need them. If you find that you need a unique LCD solution, we can quote you a tooling fee within one or two working days.

Crystalfontz America is the leading supplier of LCD, TFT, OLED and ePaper display modules and accessories. We specialize in providing our customers the very best in display products, cables and connectors.

In addition to our large catalog of displays, we offer LCD development kits, breakout boards, cables, ZIF connectors and all of the LCD software and drivers you need to develop your product or project. We are located in the U.S. so we can get product to you fast!

One of the components the wearable watch needs is LCD screen. I have been receiving RFQs of round LCD display module since last year. Let me introduce you the 3 main ways that we make custom round display module.

It is a very common monochrome LCD screen. The pink graphic we see is the silk painting which is printed on the ITO glass. The outer clock is counting the seconds, so the black needle makes a complete turn in 60 seconds; and the inner clock is counting the minutes, so the black needle makes a complete turn in 30 minutes. In the middle of LCD screen, it is a typical 7-segment digital that could count minutes, seconds and 1/100th a second.

The LCD module includes LCD screen, IC, LED backlight (not necessary) and PCB (not necessary). The view area is only 77.0*77.0 mm, the LCD screen is 80.0*82.0 mm, but the whole COB LCD module is 94*105mm.

We use 6 DIP LEDs as the light source of LED backlight, and it needs 10 mm(8 mm at least) light shade area, check the green area of the picture above, that is why it is so big. The PCB is much bigger because there are 4 pieces of radius 1.5 mm screws to fasten the PCB and other devices together.If we put a plastic shell in front of it, it becomes a round LCD. The advantage of this methodology is that it is easiest to make, cheapest, and most stable. But the disadvantage is that the whole size of LCD module is too big. We can find a way to make it much smaller.

How can we make it so small? First, we confirm the view area 77*77 mm. Second, expand it 1.5 mm which is the minimum distance between the edge of LCD screen and view area. Third, expand it by 2.0 mm which is the distance between upper ITO glass and lower ITO glass. I marked the upper and lower ITO glasses with green lines.Fourth, expand it 1.0 mm which is the width and height of walls. Fifth, if I didn’t make a mistake, the LCD screen, LED backlight and PCB should be all round. As we know, LED backlight and PCB can be round, but not LCD screen. If LCD screen is round, what kind of connection should be used? Metal pin, zebra or conductive rubber strip can’t be installed in the round edge. Find the middle point at the bottom of LCD screen, draw a parallel line and move it up 2.5 mm, and we cut it along with the line, that is the edge of PCB. Move it up 1.0 mm and 2.0 mm, that is the edge of LCD screen. Move it up to 1.5 mm, that is the view area.

We finally get the parallel edge where conductive rubber strip or zebra can be installed. We can see that the parallel edge of LCD is only 25 mm. But how many segments do we have? 60 seconds segments + 30 minutes segments + 6*typical 7-segment digitals=132 segments. Duty is 1/4, 132/4+4=37 pieces of legs. There are 4 commonly used types of pitches for PINs: 1.27 mm, 1.5 mm, 2.0 mm, and 2.54 mm. There is no enough space (37*1.27=46.99 mm) to install PINs. But the minimum pitch of conductive rubber strip or zebra is 0.3 mm or 0.4 mm, therefore there is enough space (37*0.4=14.8 mm).

You may notice that LED backlight and PCB are the same sizes. But how can we fasten the LED backlight and PCB together? We need a plastic shell with a hole to hold all these pieces tight. Besides, there are 3 hooks in the LED backlight to hold the LCD screen. The disadvantage of this design is that it is expensive because it needs two special molds: one round LCD screen with a small semi-circle missing and a dedicated light guide plate which is to make LED backlight. And I don’t think it is very stable because all the parts are only held by the plastic shell (or cover).

Second, we extend it 2.0 mm (1.5 mm at least), see the green line in the picture above, and we get a bigger octagon which is the area of the LCD screen.

We can see that LED backlight (83.0*83.0 mm) is a little bigger than LCD screen (81.0*81.0 mm) and view area of them is exactly the same. Although we can’t fasten the LED backlight and the LCD screen together because there is no hook or screw, but there is enough space in the PCB to install the screws which can hold onto other objects. This plan C needs a plastic shell or cover as big as plan B to hold all of them together. Here I figure out some pros and cons of these plans. pricespacetechnology requirementsstylishstable

The Serial Monitor is a convenient way to view data from an Arduino, but what if you want to make your project portable and view sensor values without access to a computer? Liquid crystal displays (LCDs) are excellent for displaying a string of words or sensor data.

This guide will help you in getting your 16×2 character LCD up and running, as well as other character LCDs (such as 16×4, 16×1, 20×4, etc.) that use Hitachi’s LCD controller chip, the HD44780.

As the name suggests, these LCDs are ideal for displaying only characters. A 16×2 character LCD, for example, can display 32 ASCII characters across two rows.

Character LCDs are available in a variety of sizes and colors, including 16×1, 16×4, 20×4, white text on a blue background, black text on a green background, and many more.

One advantage of using any of these displays in your project is that they are “swappable,” meaning that you can easily replace them with another LCD of a different size or color. Your code will need to be tweaked slightly, but the wiring will remain the same!

Before we get into the hookup and example code, let’s check out the pinout. A standard character LCD has 16 pins (except for an RGB LCD, which has 18 pins).

Vo (LCD Contrast) pin controls the contrast of the LCD. Using a simple voltage divider network and a potentiometer, we can make precise contrast adjustments.

RS (Register Select) pin is used to separate the commands (such as setting the cursor to a specific location, clearing the screen, etc.) from the data. The RS pin is set to LOW when sending commands to the LCD and HIGH when sending data.

R/W (Read/Write) pin allows you to read data from or write data to the LCD. Since the LCD is only used as an output device, this pin is typically held low. This forces the LCD into WRITE mode.

E (Enable) pin is used to enable the display. When this pin is set to LOW, the LCD ignores activity on the R/W, RS, and data bus lines; when it is set to HIGH, the LCD processes the incoming data.

D0-D7 (Data Bus) pins carry the 8 bit data we send to the display. To see an uppercase ‘A’ character on the display, for example, we set these pins to 0100 0001 (as per the ASCII table).

The LCD has two separate power connections: one for the LCD (pins 1 and 2) and one for the LCD backlight (pins 15 and 16). Connect LCD pins 1 and 16 to GND and 2 and 15 to 5V.

Depending on the manufacturer, some LCDs include a current-limiting resistor for the backlight. It is located on the back of the LCD, close to pin 15. If your LCD does not contain this resistor or if you are unsure whether it does, you must add one between 5V and pin 15. It should be safe to use a 220 ohm resistor, although a value this high may make the backlight slightly dim. For better results, check the datasheet for the maximum backlight current and choose an appropriate resistor value.

Let’s connect a potentiometer to the display. This is necessary to fine-tune the contrast of the display for best visibility. Connect one side of the 10K potentiometer to 5V and the other to Ground, and connect the middle of the pot (wiper) to LCD pin 3.

That’s all. Now, turn on the Arduino. You will see the backlight light up. As you turn the potentiometer knob, you will see the first row of rectangles appear. If you have made it this far, Congratulations! Your LCD is functioning properly.

We know that data is sent to the LCD via eight data pins. However, HD44780-based LCDs are designed so that we can communicate with them using only four data pins (in 4-bit mode) rather than eight (in 8-bit mode). This helps us save 4 I/O pins!

The sketch begins by including the LiquidCrystal library. This library comes with the Arduino IDE and allows you to control Hitachi HD44780 driver-based LCD displays.

Next, an object of the LiquidCrystal class is created by passing as parameters the pin numbers to which the LCD’s RS, EN, and four data pins are connected.

In the setup, two functions are called. The first function is begin(). It is used to initialize the interface to the LCD screen and to specify the dimensions (columns and rows) of the display. If you’re using a 16×2 character LCD, you should pass 16 and 2; if you’re using a 20×4 LCD, you should pass 20 and 4.

In the loop, the print() function is used to print “Hello world!” to the LCD. Please remember to use quotation marks " " around the text. There is no need for quotation marks when printing numbers or variables.

The function setCursor() is then called to move the cursor to the second row. The cursor position specifies where you want the new text to appear on the LCD. It is assumed that the upper left corner is col=0 and row=0.

There are many useful functions you can use with LiquidCrystal Object. Some of them are listed below:lcd.home() function positions the cursor in the upper-left of the LCD without clearing the display.

lcd.scrollDisplayRight() function scrolls the contents of the display one space to the right. If you want the text to scroll continuously, you have to use this function inside a for loop.

lcd.scrollDisplayLeft() function scrolls the contents of the display one space to the left. Similar to the above function, use this inside a for loop for continuous scrolling.

lcd.display() function turns on the LCD display, after it’s been turned off with noDisplay(). This will restore the text (and cursor) that was on the display.

If you find the default font uninteresting, you can create your own custom characters (glyphs) and symbols. They come in handy when you need to display a character that isn’t in the standard ASCII character set.

As previously discussed in this tutorial, a character is made up of a 5×8 pixel matrix; therefore, you must define your custom character within this matrix. You can define a character by using the createChar() function.

The CGROM stores the font that appears on a character LCD. When you instruct a character LCD to display the letter ‘A’, it needs to know which dots to turn on so that we see an ‘A’. This data is stored in the CGROM.

CGRAM is an additional memory for storing user-defined characters. This RAM is limited to 64 bytes. Therefore, for a 5×8 pixel LCD, only 8 user-defined characters can be stored in CGRAM, whereas for a 5×10 pixel LCD, only 4 can be stored.

Creating custom characters has never been easier! We’ve developed a small application called Custom Character Generator. Can you see the blue grid below? You can click on any pixel to set or clear that pixel. And as you click, the code for the character is generated next to the grid. This code can be used directly in your Arduino sketch.

There’s no limit to what you can create. The only limitation is that the LiquidCrystal library only supports eight custom characters. But don’t be sad, look at the bright side; at least we have eight characters.

After including the library and creating the LCD object, custom character arrays are defined. The array consists of 8 bytes, with each byte representing a row in a 5×8 matrix.

This sketch contains eight custom-characters. Take, for example, the Heart[8] array. You can see that the bits (0s and 1s) are forming the shape of a heart. 0 turns the pixel off, and 1 turns it on.

In the setup, we use the createChar() function to create a custom character. This function accepts two parameters: a number between 0 and 7 to reserve one of the eight supported custom characters, and the name of the array.

Our solutions span the spectrum from off the shelf standard products to completely custom display solutions. Working exclusively with OEM"s, we are experts at taking unique requirements and meeting product specifications.

At PDI, we actively engage our customers early in the design phase to ensure a high-quality process and effective solution to their production needs. We put our years of LCD experience and understanding of the complete LCD module system to provide a smooth transition from design concepts, to prototypes, through pilot runs, and into high-volume production.

An LCD is (liquid-crystal display) is a smooth screen Electronically modified device that uses the light modulating liquid crystals properties that combine with polarizers.

Liquid crystals don’t release light directly, normally it will need backlight to show the inner icons and letters. But reflective LCDs do not need backlight, it has a reflective polarizer to show the inner icons and letters.

Custom LCDs are prepared to display general-purpose optional images or hidden low information content. LCDs can be positive or negative, depending on the applications of final products. Positive mode is white background and black letters; Negative mode is black background and white letters.

To be frank, custom LCDs are easy to understand. You can pick up a LCD from your daily applications as an example. Like a clock, normally it is TN, positive reflective mode, 6 o’clock, temperature range is 0 to 50 degrees, because it is used in homes.

The most complex question is which place will the LCD be applied. If you can figure that out, then it will be easy to choose which kind of LCD you need. Then we can make custom designs for that.

LCDs are used in LCD televisions, aircraft cockpit displays, instrument panels, computer monitors, and indoor and outdoor signage in a wide range of applications.

Small custom LCD screens are popular in portable consumer and LCD projectors devices such as watches, calculators, digital cameras, digital clocks, and smartphones or mobile telephones.

LCDs are slowly easily replaced, which have a wider color range, sizes that can be easily available in different shapes, and have a slow consumption time.

We always support our customers with custom LCD modules from medical, automotive, and test appliances to industrial applications. Whether your idea needs a small LCD module or even completely specialized experienced customer support, our team guides you and helps you design your custom display screen.

The process works with you supplying your dimensions and sharing artwork. Our specialist will guide you and guide you on the most practical design for your project. This process includes the need for a brief design of LCD, the type of interface, power consumption backlight options, space constraints, temperature ranges, viewing angles etc.

Sometimes it is used as a good option for businesses wanting a simple display with effective cost. Such types of panels are used for that type of product, like thermometers and power meters. If you do not know which kind of display is best or not to use, you should ask yourself: Do you need color display features and graphics? If your display does not need all the whistles of graphics and color options, you must use a monochrome display that is a sensible choice for growing your business.

Graphic LCDs are a common option for applications that need to display many different ideas. You need the ability to display several different font sizes and fonts. It also can provide optimal sunlight legibility with low consumption power.

Sometimes they are a good option for businesses that are looking for a simple display that is cost-effective. Segment LCDs show fixed images and icons and letters. So its power consumption is much less than graphic LCDs.(Here we treat other factors the same). Although it showed fixed information, the design of it is more complex than a graphic LCD, because its inner logic circuits cost more time to design.

Custom LCD screens are available in various sizes ranging from small digital watches to very large televisions or used as glass or plastic panels, where LCDs use two glass panels.

The largest LCD we can make is 460*360mm. Because the whole glass panel size is 470*370mm, we need to cut 5mm on each side to keep the glass in good condition.

There is a higher interest in a small custom LCD Display module. As a common rule, the larger the size of the screen, the more expensive the cost of the display. At present, the minimum size of the display that we have designed and mass-produced can reach 10*10mm.

Different companies hold different advantages on LCDs. Some may be professional in graphics and some may be good at segments. And some may be good at TFT, others are good at OLED. Different companies also have their strength on different sizes of LCDs.

And normally, we differ from other companies in our customer’s applications. Most of our customers are car factories, bike factories, and motorcycle factories. Also industrial meters factories.

An LCD or liquid crystal display is a combination of two states of material ie, the solid &  the liquid. These displays use a liquid crystal to produce a visible image. LCDs are super thin technology display screen that are used in cell phones, TVs, portable video games, laptops, computer screen, portable video games. Compared to CRT (cathode ray tube) technology, this technology permits displays to be much thinner. The LCD is composed of different layers which contain two electrodes and polarized panel filters. This technology is used to display the image in electronic devices. It  is made up of active matrix or passive display grid. Most of the gadgets with LCD display uses active matrix display. There are various technologies used to make digital displays. But, we are discussing two different LCDs. The alphanumeric display and customized LCD.

The most common types of monochrome LCDs are called character display or alphanumeric display. Alphanumeric LCD displays are used to display alphabets and numbers. The 16×2 intelligent alphanumeric dot matrix displays are capable of displaying 224 different symbols and characters. Generally, alphanumeric LCDs  are used widely in these applications: cellular phones, home appliances,  meters, word processors, communication, medical instruments, etc.. These displays are widely used due to the following reasons:

Hardware designers and engineers favor alphanumeric LCD displays for fast developing products. These types of devices contain their own controller driver chip with a character map built into the IC. To integrate the software, the character map makes it easy for the design. When any designer or engineer wants to display or show a letter, all they need to do is to send a command requesting the capital. This is much easier than a graphics LCD module wherein each spot on the letter A needs to be addressed. This is a highly time consuming activity.

The most common structure of alphanumeric display is known as a chip on board (COB) where in the PCB (printed circuit board) is attached to the LCD glass. The name COB means that the controller driver chip is placed on the back of the PCB. This module handles vibration very well. And also the increasing holes placed on the PCB permit an easy and secure method to attach the LCD to the customer’s product.

Alphanumeric LCD displays are designed in standard configurations such as LCD display 16×2, 8×1 and 40×4. The identification of alphanumeric displays is broken down into the number of characters in each row and then the number of rows. The example of this is a 16×2, where there are 16 characters in each row, and there are two rows of these characters. This enables the alphanumeric displays to display 32characters at a time.

A character can be any letter: capital or small, any number,and punctuation mark, such as comma, period and backslash. The character table built into the microcontroller of the LCD display displays 255 different characters.Furthermore, there are many languages, so you can select a character table that displays English, German and French or any other language. Most of the alphanumeric LCD displays cannot display Chinese and Japanese languages without the use of a larger character size. This means that a 16×2 is built to display English characters, but not the Chinese;Chinese will require larger than 16×2 display.

The alphanumeric displays consist of LCD displays or a set of LEDs that are connected in common anode or common cathode mode. 7 segment displays are used for only numbers in decimal and hexadecimal format.For both alphabets and numbers, the 18 segment display consisting of the 5 by 7 dot matrix is used.

Alphanumeric LCD Displays are most commonly used in test and measurement equipment,  process control equipment, handheld devices, PLC’s, data loggers, PCO displays  energy meters, and a host of other applications. Displaying Scrolling Messages on Alpha Numeric Displays using a PC is one of the most frequently used application of alphanumeric display.

The above block diagram can be used to display scrolling message on alphanumeric LCDs by using PC. The information can be sent through a PC that is interfaced with an 8051 microcontroller through MAX232. An external memory is connected to the microcontroller which  stores the information. The endless scrolling can be displayed using alphanumeric LCD display, which is connected to a microcontroller.

In present days, different types of LCDs are used in a wide range of applications from calculators, watches, games to medical and industrial applications. One of the main advantages of LCDs over other display technologies is the display content can be modified to satisfy the exact requirements of an application. In this way, the customized LCD panels can present particular user interface information that enhances the product value and performance.

Customized LCD displays are used to display a combination of  numeric, alphanumeric digits, on/off indicators,messages, graphic icons, symbols, pie charts, bar graphs, etc. The content of this panel is limited only by the imagination of the product designer. There are manyfactors that should be considered in the design of a customized LCD panel. In order to design a quotation for a customized LCD panel, the following information is necessary:LCD panel, display modes, polarisers, viewing mode, backlight requirement, operating environment, drive method, connection method, and a keypad is required if applicable.

This is all about Alphanumeric and Customized LCD displays with Applications. We all know that these LCD displays play an essential role in many applications like measurement equipment,  process control equipment, handheld devices, PLC’s, Measuring device, Marine equipment, Medical equipment, Automotive display etc. This article deserves readers’ feedback, suggestions and comments. Furthermore, any doubts regarding electronics projectsreaders can post their comments in the comment section below.

Newhaven 16x4 character Liquid Crystal Display shows characters with dark pixels on a bright yellow/green background when powered on. This transflective LCD Display is visible with ambient light or a backlight while offering a wide operating temperature range from -20 to 70 degrees Celsius. This NHD-0416BZ-FL-GBW display has an optimal view of 6:00. This display operates at 5V supply voltage and is RoHS compliant.

Easily modify any connectors on your display to meet your application’s requirements. Our engineers are able to perform soldering for pin headers, boxed headers, right angle headers, and any other connectors your display may require.

Choose from a wide selection of interface options or talk to our experts to select the best one for your project. We can incorporate HDMI, USB, SPI, VGA and more into your display to achieve your design goals.