uSupply Custom LCD

[EEVblog]

It is true that most good designs are spearheaded by a single architect, so I agree that Dave should follow his vision on the product. That said, it is also just as important to remember that just because you think your product is great, doesn't mean everyone else will think the same. This seems to come up on The Amp Hour pretty frequently. Whether it was Bunnie or Gerry Roston or others, they all emphasized the importance of really understanding what the customer (or the world) needs before jumping into product design.

This product is more niche than mainstream I can assure everyone of that.
Not everyone will want this, but I want it, and often that is were the best product ideas come from.

[TimNJ]

It is true that most good designs are spearheaded by a single architect, so I agree that Dave should follow his vision on the product. That said, it is also just as important to remember that just because you think your product is great, doesn't mean everyone else will think the same. This seems to come up on The Amp Hour pretty frequently. Whether it was Bunnie or Gerry Roston or others, they all emphasized the importance of really understanding what the customer (or the world) needs before jumping into product design.

This product is more niche than mainstream I can assure everyone of that.
Not everyone will want this, but I want it, and often that is were the best product ideas come from.

That's fair. That's usually why I design something, too: Because I want it! And if no one else does, well that's okay.

We'll just have to wait and see.

[ramon]

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.

Do you also plan to make a custom silicone rubber keypad?

Over the years I have collected a lot of information about companies here in Taiwan that made Rubber Keypads, LCD Displays, E-Ink (it was bought by a Taiwanese company), Silicon molding, Metal stamping, and EMS services. But I have never asked them for any quote, because there is no way I can order 1k to 10k pcs of anything.

Last month I meet with one company that does everything: PCB, PCBA, Plastic Injection, and Packaging. They provide what they call turnkey products. And I was able to see that they were OEM of a known german manufacturer (I saw the case with the logo).

If you are interesed I can sort some information and sent to you. You can ask them directly for quote and I will be glad if you can share some insights with us after your product development.

[RES]

How do colour 7-segment LC displays work?

[mikeselectricstuff]

How do colour 7-segment LC displays work?

fast switching LCD and RGB backlight cycling through colours

[JPortici]

As if my opinion was needed, i am completely in favor of the custom LCD. Incidentally microchip sent me their newest LCD board, the 16F19197LCDDEMO which uses their newest PIC16 available... the board arrived today.
I like the custom lcd because
-looks amazing
-with the right MCU you don't need a controller chip
-so the circuit is extremely simple.. in this case a regulator, the pic, a bunch of passives and the boost converter for the backlight

[kathy]

It is just simple custom lcd panel glass in Maclight display, the icons could be easily changed based on the applications, a basic TN lcd display is okay, if you like a good contrast in negative mode, TN negative or VA TN display mode would be with better contrast, and FSTN mode would be with wide viewing angle.
http://www.szmaclight.com/custom-lcd.html

[EEVblog]

Do you also plan to make a custom silicone rubber keypad?

No, custom membrane.

[BBBbbb]

Do you also plan to make a custom silicone rubber keypad?

No, custom membrane.

Not a big fan of those, in terms of durability and not so easy to (if even possible) to fix... But for keeping the project small (and possible somewhat water resistant) I understand the choice. 

[SiliconWizard]

I personally like custom LCDs. They are very readable and look somewhat "classy" compared to graphic LCDs/OLEDs. No ugly pixelated icons and digits. Of course they are a lot less flexible, but that's also a plus in some cases, as it naturally forces the development to avoid bloated UIs and such, and keep the probability of display bugs much lower.

As to e-paper displays, I don't think that would be a good idea at all. They are terrible regarding refresh rates and the refresh process itself looks ugly. On more recent e-paper displays, you can do partial updates which admittedly are much better looking but that still doesn't look too good when the display is changing fast and constantly. Besides, they actually draw a lot more current than simple LCDs if you refresh them constantly. They are optimal for very infrequent changes. Also, they are pretty expensive if you want a decent resolution (and the small ones with low-res, they look ugly IMO - that's good for price tags but not much else).

I don't know whether Dave plans on adding a backlight or not. Not sure that would add a lot of value. Lab areas are usually well lit, so unless he wanted to target geeks working in their basement with dim lighting.... (a backlight could prove useful on a portable multimeter if anything, but on a power supply...?)

The only thing to consider IMO would be glare (that could be annoying depending on how your lighting is set up) so if an anti-glare coating is possible (either directly on the LCD glass or as an additional front  filter, that would be a plus.