Datavision DG24128 Monochrome LCD fault - squiggle

[0b01010011]

I have been given a few displays by a guy who was clearing out his shed - they are Datavision DG24128 LCD displays - 240x128 pixels, 133x79mm, Monochrome, with a CCFL backlight - based on the Toshiba T6963 controller IC.

Two of them seem fine, but one has a weird 'squiggle' on it - visible even when off, so I don't think they are stuck pixels, plus the 'squiggle' doesn't follow pixel boundaries.

Does anyone know what this is caused by - just want to know if it's worth tearing down to maybe salvage something from this particular display, or even if it's repairable though I suspect not!

The squiggle is approximately 15mm wide by 10mm high.  Here are some images of it, first with just a blank display but with the CCFL on, and the others with something on the display.

[bktemp]

It is a mechanical damage: It is caused by applying too much pressure at a small point on the display (probably hitting the display with something sharp).
Because of the pressure the crystals in the LCD change orientation permanently. The damage grows over time, because it is affecting surrounding crystals and they also change orientation.
There is nothing you can do about it. If you don't care about the damage, the LCD is still fully functional.

[0b01010011]

Thanks bktemp, that would sum up if (in the guys words) they'd been floating around in his shed.

I have never seen this kind of pattern on a LCD so it's interesting - most faulty ones I've seen have just partially blackened though I those were all segmented LCDs, not graphical.

Now to decide what to do with these displays!  They are too big for a lot of applications but too nice not to use.

[Buriedcode]

I'm in the same boat, lots of 240x128 displays, that probably aren't worth selling, but still should be put to goo use.

I say, bolt them all to a big panel, and dedicate each display to a clock, newsfeed, temperature measurement etc.. there are better displays for this application, but it has a sort of retro appeal.  Also don't forget, the CCFL's can be a pain to drive, even though CCFL inverters tend to be cheap these days.  I replaced several with RGB LED strips so I can have custom backlight colour - the lightpipe is wide enough for PLCC4 RGB's and dos a good job of diffusing the hot-spots.