tft lcd pcb connection factory

Have you ever asked yourself what LCD is? No worries, we are here for you. Therefore, like in any display gadget, liquid crystal display coordinates with a microprocessor or microcontroller. The MCPU and MCU send the brightness that every pixel should produce. It creates the required color of the pixel for your LCD screen.

However, the mode of communication between the MPU/MCU and an LCD segment is known as the interface. We shall discuss more of the LCD interface in this guide.

The LCD interface is a link between the flat panel display module and the multimedia processor. Therefore, the interface can be separated or incorporated as part of the structure on the chip. Additionally, the application produces an image, and then the screen displays it using an LCD interface for the user.

Besides,  the serial peripheral interface has another component known as the slave select (SS) or chip select. The function of the SS is to wake the peripheral to receive or send data. For instance, since the SPI can support several peripherals, the SS can wake particular peripherals instead of all. Finally, you can use the SPI in graphic, character, digit, and small TFT LCDs. It allows simple interfacing, affordable hardware, and faster speeds than in the SCI.

It is another serial interface in LCDs that resembles the SPI with slave, clock functions, and master. The I²C does not integrate the SS line as in SPI. Therefore, a process known as addressing is essential in selecting a slave to communicate. A frame of the signal is sent on the data bus to address a specific slave after the first bit. Nevertheless, the output signal gets to every slave connected with, although only the slave with the corresponding address to the signal will receive the message.

Additionally, in MCU parallel interface for Liquid Crystal Displays, data signals are sent through data lanes on either 18-bit, 16-bit, 9-bit, or 8-bit data channels. Besides, the MCU interface is simple, although it requires a display RAM for its memory functionality. Also, you can use it in graphic LCDs, character LCDs, and small TFT LCDs.

LVDS is an acronym for Low-Voltage Differential Signaling. This type of interface is essential as a complement for large LCDs and peripherals that require high bandwidth, such as HD graphics and fast frame rates. Therefore, it is a good choice due to its fast data transmission while consuming low voltage. One of the LVDS interface wires carries the precise inverse of its companion. Additionally, the electric charge from one wire is correctly masked by the other wire, reducing the interference to the wireless system nearby. Finally, at the recipient end, a circuit checks the variation in voltage between the two wires.

In ruling NY N320557 (August 4, 2021), Customs and Border Protection (CBP) discussed the country of origin of five Thin Film Transistor – Liquid Crystal Display (TFT-LCD) modules. All five modules are virtually identical in composition, as they are all composed of a TFT-LCD cell, polarizers, a backlight, a driver and control printed circuit board (PCB), and a flexible PCB for connection. TFT display technology allows for the construction of high-resolution LCD displays, and the modules – once completed – can be incorporated into a variety of consumers display applications.

The manufacturing process for the five modules is also identical. The process begins in Japan where the TFT-LCD cell is manufactured. The TFT is created by depositing transistors onto a substrate through chemical vapor deposition, while the color filter is manufactured by building a color matrix on a glass substrate. The creation process of the cells is then completed when a layer of liquid crystal is deposited between the color filter and TFT as the two part are bonded together, creating a sheet of TFT-LCD cells. As next steps, the sheet of cells is delivered to China to be cut into individual cells. The cut-up cells are then bonded to the printed circuit board assembly (PCBA) – which contains the driver and control circuity – before the polarizers, backlight, and flexible connection PCBA are attached.

CBP also established that “substantial transformation” takes place when a particular product “emerges from a process with a new name, character or use different from that possessed by the article prior to processing.” The agency explained that the completed TFT-LCD cell is what imparts the essential function of the module and that the manufacturing process in Japan is what renders the end-use of the product. Despite the assembly that took place in China, the process did not substantially transform the cell into a new and different article. As such, CBP determined that the country of origin of the five modules is Japan.

Maclight display is specialized in custom lcd display, our custom lcd display including custom TN, STN, VATN lcd, FSTN display and custom TFT LCD module and custom oled display module with PCB type.

A total customized tft lcd panel solution, its tooling fee would be up to 100,000 USD, and the MOQ would be more than 10k pcs, so for custom tft display solution, we would suggest to choose the existing tft lcd panel sizes, such as 2.4", 3.5", 4.3" or 7" ..., but customized tft lcd interface and backlight and convert T-CON board would be with cheaper tooling fee as customized tft lcd solution.

As custom oled display, similar to custom tft lcd display panel, their tooling fee would be similar, and more than 100,000 USD, so if any requirement about custom oled display, we would suggest to choose the standard oled display panel, such as 0.83", 0.91", 0.96", 1.3", 2.23", 2.42" ......, and custom make OLED interface could be possible, such as custom FPC for the oled panel, or adding the interface converter PCB, or combine oled touch screen for them.

Our company specializes in developing solutions that arerenowned across the globe and meet expectations of the most demanding customers. Orient Display can boast incredibly fast order processing - usually it takes us only 4-5 weeks to produce LCD panels and we do our best to deliver your custom display modules, touch screens or TFT and IPS LCD displays within 5-8 weeks. Thanks to being in the business for such a noteworthy period of time, experts working at our display store have gained valuable experience in the automotive, appliances, industrial, marine, medical and consumer electronics industries. We’ve been able to create top-notch, specialized factories that allow us to manufacture quality custom display solutions at attractive prices. Our products comply with standards such as ISO 9001, ISO 14001, QC 080000, ISO/TS 16949 and PPM Process Control. All of this makes us the finest display manufacturer in the market.

Our company specializes in developing solutions that arerenowned across the globe and meet expectations of the most demanding customers. Orient Display can boast incredibly fast order processing - usually it takes us only 4-5 weeks to produce LCD panels and we do our best to deliver your custom display modules, touch screens or TFT and IPS LCD displays within 5-8 weeks. Thanks to being in the business for such a noteworthy period of time, experts working at our display store have gained valuable experience in the automotive, appliances, industrial, marine, medical and consumer electronics industries. We’ve been able to create top-notch, specialized factories that allow us to manufacture quality custom display solutions at attractive prices. Our products comply with standards such as ISO 9001, ISO 14001, QC 080000, ISO/TS 16949 and PPM Process Control. All of this makes us the finest display manufacturer in the market.

The benefit of this kind of construction is low cost — there is no connector involved at all, just the flex soldered directly down to the PCB. The drawback is that the machine used in the LCD manufacturing process to connect them is expensive, and they are near impossible to re-work.

It is possible to hand solder the tail to the PCB. Great care must be taken since the conductors of the tail are completely exposed in the area where they are soldered.

Another approach uses ACF (Anisotropic Conductive Film) combined with heat and pressure to make the electrical connection between the flexible tail and the PCB. This two-step process still uses heat, but the temperature involved is much less than soldering.

For any questions about TAB, COB, COF, COG, hot bar soldering, or what LCD module is best for your product, please contact our knowledgeable and friendly support staff via email, phone, or chat.

A PCB is sort of like a layer cake or lasagna- there are alternating layers of different materials which are laminated together with heat and adhesive such that the result is a single object.

The base material, or substrate, is usually fiberglass. Historically, the most common designator for this fiberglass is "FR4". This solid core gives the PCB its rigidity and thickness. There are also flexible PCBs built on flexible high-temperature plastic (Kapton or the equivalent).

You will find many different thickness PCBs; the most common thickness for SparkFun products is 1.6mm (0.063"). Some of our products- LilyPad boards and Arudino Pro Micro boards- use a 0.8mm thick board.

Cheaper PCBs and perf boards (shown above) will be made with other materials such as epoxies or phenolics which lack the durability of FR4 but are much less expensive. You will know you are working with this type of PCB when you solder to it - they have a very distictive bad smell. These types of substrates are also typically found in low-end consumer electronics. Phenolics have a low thermal decomposition temperature which causes them to delaminate, smoke and char when the soldering iron is held too long on the board.

The next layer is a thin copper foil, which is laminated to the board with heat and adhesive. On common, double sided PCBs, copper is applied to both sides of the substrate. In lower cost electronic gadgets the PCB may have copper on only one side. When we refer to a double sided or 2-layer board we are referring to the number of copper layers (2) in our lasagna. This can be as few as 1 layer or as many as 16 layers or more.

The copper thickness can vary and is specified by weight, in ounces per square foot. The vast majority of PCBs have 1 ounce of copper per square foot but some PCBs that handle very high power may use 2 or 3 ounce copper. Each ounce per square translates to about 35 micrometers or 1.4 thousandths of an inch of thickness of copper.

The layer on top of the copper foil is called the soldermask layer. This layer gives the PCB its green (or, at SparkFun, red) color. It is overlaid onto the copper layer to insulate the copper traces from accidental contact with other metal, solder, or conductive bits. This layer helps the user to solder to the correct places and prevent solder jumpers.

In the example below, the green solder mask is applied to the majority of the PCB, covering up the small traces but leaving the silver rings and SMD pads exposed so they can be soldered to.

The white silkscreen layer is applied on top of the soldermask layer. The silkscreen adds letters, numbers, and symbols to the PCB that allow for easier assembly and indicators for humans to better understand the board. We often use silkscreen labels to indicate what the function of each pin or LED.

The new line of 3.5” TFT displays with IPS technology is now available! Three touchscreen options are available: capacitive, resistive, or without a touchscreen.

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.

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:

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:

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 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.