uSupply Custom LCD

[EEVblog]

Custom LCD proposal for the new µSupply
Comments foolishly invited

[nidlaX]

Will the entire unit be produced by an OEM? Why not use a character or graphic LCD?

[ataradov]

I'd replace ON/OFF with something easier to read at a glance. Something like an outer circle with an inner filled circle. Not sure if this exact combination is possible with LCD technology.

Or dual back light color for ON/OFF states.

[nidlaX]

Or dual back light color for ON/OFF states.

Maybe have a multicolor LED backlight for the output button? I like the LCD  backlight idea, but someone might want to leave the LCD backlight disabled while in use.

[mariush]

Looks ugly to me.

Might as well spring for a graphic LCD ...  128 x 64 pix lcd screens are not so expensive.

Might not be as big, but would look better.   CV and CC and on/off could be made with some basic red leds, by the side of the actual graphical lcd

example: https://www.digikey.com/product-detail/en/newhaven-display-intl/NHD-12864AZ-NSW-BBW-TR/NHD-12864AZ-NSW-BBW-TR-ND/1701279

[ataradov]

Might as well spring for a graphic LCD ...  128 x 64 pix lcd screens are not so expensive.

Try to actually fit all this information on 128x64 LCD. It is not easy to do and have a good readability.

But I do agree, CC, CV, ON/OFF are better on dedicated LEDs. This is information that has to be readable from any angles and fast.

[mariush]

The set voltage and current (limit, whatever) and maybe the watts or some battery gauge could be in a smaller font where that white bar is in my previous post in the picture.  Maybe a 5x7 font or something, let's say 12 vertical pixels. That would still leave 52 vertical pixels to put the current voltage and current .. let's say 20-22 px tall digits, leaving 8-10 pixels for borders and crap.

For watts, either show it on the top bar, or maybe have a button that when pressed, you'll see the watts on screen... 

Or you could have a "white bar" at top and one at bottom and two numbers centered in the middle of the screen.

[EEVblog]

Only 20 times the price.

[ataradov]

Only 20 times the price.

It also looks like the image is "approximation of reality", or whatever they like to put on boxes of things with displays. There is no way it look this solid in real life.

PS: I'd like to hear about your experience ordering custom LCDs.

[VEGETA]

It looks so bad, I prefer a TFT even with increased price.

What happened to the project anyway? I thought the circuit with LT3080 used to oscillate.

[ataradov]

It looks so bad, I prefer a TFT even with increased price.

This looks strange because of color scheme used here and all segments being on.

It will look fine in real life. And I personally prefer segment displays, since they are easier to read.

[ebclr]

A bar graph on the button will be something very useful, I would set one

Also, I would add an independent H letter just after W , hot help on indicating watt-hour

ON top of the W will be nice to have a  mAH also to set milliampere hour accumulated, ( quite useful for battery relative works )

[Howardlong]

PS: I'd like to hear about your experience ordering custom LCDs.

Me too!

[Whales]

Indicator LEDs for important modal information would be brilliant.  If you don't want the case/assembly hassle, then it would be nice to display the modes using large, inverted patches.



Slightly fuzzy examples attached.  Overall this is a bit too crowded, reducing the font size slightly so there are gaps between the rows would make things easier.

[Whales]

Here we go.  Adding a little bit more vertical space between the three "row sections" makes it much easier to find your visual bearings when you glance at the display.

[mikeselectricstuff]

Horizontal bargraph for current would be good.

You should also put the EEVBLOG hand logo on there, because you can.

I'd be really interested in finding out about the process of getting a custom display made - tooling costs, unit costs,MOQ, leadtime, design rules etc.

[Whales]

I'd recommend you make some 1:1 printouts and stick them to the front of test equipment you use all the time.  Things like the decimal points being hard to see become more obvious in context.

[VEGETA]

But what about the project itself? last time I checked it I read people say the circuit won't work and will oscillate. Is there a new version or something?

[EEVblog]

I'd be really interested in finding out about the process of getting a custom display made - tooling costs, unit costs,MOQ, leadtime, design rules etc.

That's the plan.

[julianhigginson]

Whales, That design looks great!

[Mr. Scram]

I think a bit more space between the lines would increase readability. I like the design outlined by Whales. The filled areas add quite a bit of pzaz. Mike's bar suggestion is a good one too.

It looks so bad, I prefer a TFT even with increased price.

What happened to the project anyway? I thought the circuit with LT3080 used to oscillate.

Not to mention the durability of "simple" LCD displays. They take years to fade or break.

[jpc]

Whale's design with the greater spacing between character lines makes it far more readable. The original seems cluttered and confused while adding the wider spacing even at the expense of some character size makes a real positive difference to readability.

[mikeselectricstuff]

I'd be really interested in finding out about the process of getting a custom display made - tooling costs, unit costs,MOQ, leadtime, design rules etc.

That's the plan.

Are you going the "safe" route of talking to local distributors etc. or taking a chance & chucking some drawings cash at someone  from Alibaba & crossing fingers...?
I've been sort-of tempted to try the latter just for the hell of it.  The prices and leadtimes are so different from anything I've been told when talking to UK distributors.
I spoke to someone yesterday at EDS  who was talking 12-16 weeks, though I suspect that some of the Alibaba places quoting "3-4 days for samples" have a slightly different idea of the meaning of "custom", but there are some that list some more plausible leattimes of 2-3 weeks.
I really can't imagine that any Chinese place could survive with 3-4 month leadtimes. 

[Mr. Scram]

Whale's design with the greater spacing between character lines makes it far more readable. The original seems cluttered and confused while adding the wider spacing even at the expense of some character size makes a real positive difference to readability.

Character size isn't everything for legibility. User experience is as much an art as it is a science, and it is often very undervalued. I think John Kenny rightfully emphasized the effort that often goes into it and how important it is for the success of the device. Of course, if it's done right, you will actually never notice it.

Maybe it pays to get a professional with experience to look at the matter. There tend to be lots of knacks, tricks and pitfalls that take experience to know and take into account. Although I think Whales' version is a great improvement already.

[NivagSwerdna]

What sort of minimum order quantity is there for a custom LCD? 10, 100, 1000, 10000, 100000000000000000000?