1200 LCD's

[EEVblog]

Ok, so what do you do with 1200 or so 16x2 LCD modules?...

Dave.

[DJPhil]

19200x2 scrolling ticker?

Realtime memory display for 64KB ram?

Make 1200 LCR kits?
5.25" drive bay kits for reporting computer temp and fan status?

Trade them for other stuff you need?

How did you wind up with such an odd problem?! 

[PeterG]

Well, it depends on what you want to do with them, sell them off or make some use of them?

I would keep a few for projects and ebay the rest.

[Hypernova]

Donate them 

[tyblu]

Taunt forum users with'em! Er, wait... 

[mikeselectricstuff]

Make something like this :

http://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/visitmuseum/galleries/listening_post.aspx
Maybe showing text from this form

Attatch small PIC and battery, make it display "This is probably not a bomb" and a running countdown, and  leave them all over town
 

[Psi]

i have the same problem, saw NZ$100 buynow online auction for a box of stuff and bought it..

1000x toggle switches
800x S754E coin cell batteries
500x 1mw laser diode modules,
300x large tach swtiches
230x AAA battery holder

its all been sitting under my desk for the past year, no idea what to make with it.
Other than maybe some sort of laser throwie, and ive been pondering making gaming event ID badges with built in lasers for some sort of ID badge laser tag system.

[PeterG]

Another time and place Mikes idea would be fun to watch happen...LOL

[EEVblog]

Attatch small PIC and battery, make it display "This is probably not a bomb" and a running countdown, and  leave them all over town

That would be a hoot!
It wouldn't be the first time I've made an LCD bomb:
http://www.alternatezone.com/ecoteam/macgyver-angus.htm

Dave.

[EEVblog]

Another time and place Mikes idea would be fun to watch happen...LOL

I recon it would still be funny.
The world needs to take back it's sense of humor.

Dave.

[alm]

I recon it would still be funny.
The world needs to take back it's sense of humor.

I would find it funny, but wouldn't be surprised by a paranoid reaction by civilians/police, at least in the US (not sure if AUS is better or worse in this regard). Since bomb squats have blown up kids toys and there was a big overreaction to an art project, something DIY with scary looking wires and plastic things with many pins is a sure threat. According to Wikipedia, characteristics of an IED included an identifiable power source, wires and electrical tape, so if you could just power it from a supercap and use shrink wrap instead of tape, you might be safe .

[Bored@Work]

big overreaction to an art project

Art project? A fucking bunch of marketeers were behind this, attempting to abuse public space, probably having ruined their brains with snorting coca.

[djsb]

If they're working donate some of them to the university where I work. The students are always blowing them up.

 

[FreeThinker]

How did you wind up with such an odd problem?!  

Well I did once end up with 25,000 8mm wing nuts from RS.Wanted 500 and ordered 5 pks (of 100) only I got he bulk pack number by mistake! Ended upwith 5 * 5000.Restocking and return cost meant it was nearly cheaper to keep them, so EVERTHING got fitted with wing nuts for months  .Always DOUBLE check your order!

[FreeThinker]

If they're working donate some of them to the university where I work. The students are always blowing them up.

David
London,UK

Why would anyone ask for ideas for NON working parts?  

[djsb]

If they're working donate some of them to the university where I work. The students are always blowing them up.

David
London,UK

Why would anyone ask for ideas for NON working parts?  

Good point 

[FreeThinker]

If they're working donate some of them to the university where I work. The students are always blowing them up.

David
London,UK

Why would anyone ask for ideas for NON working parts?  

Good point 

LoL 

[alm]

Art project? A fucking bunch of marketeers were behind this, attempting to abuse public space, probably having ruined their brains with snorting coca.

Hey, just because you don't like something or think it's lame is no reason to blow it up! And I'd say the marketeers didn't do a bad job, they got the publicity they were looking for, didn't they?

[Bored@Work]

Art project? A fucking bunch of marketeers were behind this, attempting to abuse public space, probably having ruined their brains with snorting coca.

Hey, just because you don't like something or think it's lame is no reason to blow it up! And I'd say the marketeers didn't do a bad job, they got the publicity they were looking for, didn't they?

I expected such an answer. Let me guess, you aren't grown up, i.e. > 30, and find people doing stupid things great. E.g. you liked the Jackass series in TV? And are a Southpark fan? You are still in that age where you think doing stupid things is cool, annoying as many people as possible is cool, stealing from the public domain and abusing public space is cool.

No, let me tell you, this Boston thing was done by some stinking marketeers who thought it is cool to annoy as many people and fuck them virtually, in the name of a completely stupid, pointless, made by idiots for idiots, comic figure.

Some day you will grow up and figure out one simple thing. Idiots are idiots and aren't cool.

[alm]

[rant with lots of incorrect assumptions snipped]

I don't think I stated that I liked it, just that the people assuming every unknown piece of electronics is an IED are the bigger idiots. They wouldn't have made headlines if they just threw them in the trash (or recycled them properly). How can something be an IED without explosives? It's not that hard, it's even in the name! I know electrolytic capacitors can explode, but that doesn't make a piece of electronics an IED.

[SolidFloyd]

is it just me, or is this getting some what off topic here... 

with 1200 LCD's I would cover the door to my batcave (aka rc heli and el. hobby room), and make the LCD's show random famous quotes and other shit (like telling my girlfriend that a tidy and clean batcave is NOT a real batcave).

[Zad]

I think Amanda Wozniak designed and had built several hundred LCD ID badges for a convention, I don't know if the ones you have are small enough for that? Alternatively, how about adapting the watch / credit card scientific calculator design into a less compact but more flexible handheld-sized calculator 'kit'. A big chunk of that work is already done, and there are fewer packaging problems.

[updatelee]

align them in a giant grid to make one hell of a kick ass ascii art display, make it cycle through family photo's hehe

[Lance]

I like that! Depending on how thick the borders of the LCDs are. Live memory display works too. If they have very small borders make a giant mosaic!

[tyblu]

If they have a decent backlight you could make geeky customizable (not just that scrolling bs) belt buckles, pocket protectors, and fridge magnets. Could also stick them onto a few hot kits, like an auto-WiFi (auto-join unprotected hotspot) RSS/Atom/Twitter feed beeper. Or just sell them -- gotta be at least $500 in there.

Can I assume they didn't work for a certain calculator?

[Mechatrommer]

i'll make a lcr meter, esr, keep some as stock (5-10 maybe) and sell the rest to get a 7" colored touchscreen lcd

[baljemmett]

I was wondering if Dave saw my suggestion on Twitter (sign them and offer them up in return for donations to the blog), but having just watched the most recent live show I see he's not into the whole 'autograph' business anyway!  Even presuming he wasn't after a project idea instead... 

[Lance]

You could run a contest where you have 120 prizes of 10 LCDs or 12 prizes of 120 LCDs.

[Chris_R]

Make a simple arduino shield for them and sell them for hyper inflated prices. Seems to be the way of a lot of the arduino stuff

[Alex]

Ok, so what do you do with 1200 or so 16x2 LCD modules?...
Dave.

Dave, your time is too precious to be dealing with such trivial problems. Hand over the LCDs to me and I will take care of this annoying problem you are faced with.

[Simon]

well lacking any creativity I'll just say flog them off if you can at least get your money back. am very curious as to how you ended up with them

[mrpsychotic]

Ok, so what do you do with 1200 or so 16x2 LCD modules?...
Dave.

Dave, your time is too precious to be dealing with such trivial problems. Hand over the LCDs to me and I will take care of this annoying problem you are faced with.

Agreed, except send them to me instead.

[Lance]

Ok, so what do you do with 1200 or so 16x2 LCD modules?...
Dave.

Dave, your time is too precious to be dealing with such trivial problems. Hand over the LCDs to me and I will take care of this annoying problem you are faced with.

Agreed, except send them to me instead.

Or you could send them to me. >.>

There's so many things you could do with those LCDs...

[Psi]

Could mount 20 of them vertically (10 per channel) and make a stereo graphic eq display.
(Assuming there is a font/character in the controller thats suitable)