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From: dennisg@felix.UUCP (Dennis Griesser)
Newsgroups: sci.electronics
Subject: Re: Liquid Crystals
Message-ID: <4201@fritz.felix.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 15-Apr-87 17:55:26 EST
Article-I.D.: fritz.4201
Posted: Wed Apr 15 17:55:26 1987
Date-Received: Sun, 19-Apr-87 05:48:54 EST
References: <337@sdics.ucsd.EDU> <4192@fritz.felix.UUCP>
Reply-To: dennisg@fritz.UUCP (Dennis Griesser)
Organization: FileNet Corp., Costa Mesa, CA
Lines: 49

More info on LCDs, with a request for HELP at the end...

A couple of years ago, Sprague (the capacitor folks) was selling a small line
of liquid crystal displays in blister packs.  I saw them at a couple of local
electronics shops.  I remember 3 and 4-digit displays about an inch high.
High prices.

Jameco sells a line of experimenter's kits put out by Fairchild.  Look through
their catalog for "Fairchild Technology Kits".  One kit I remember had a 3.5
digit display, ADC/driver chip, and circuit board to make a digital panel
meter.

A quick look through old data sheets uncovered a couple of companies making
LCDs:
  o Shelly Associates (Subsidiary of Datatron)
    1562 Reynolds Ave
    Irvine, CA  92714
    (714) 540-9330
    [stock instrument and digital clock displays, up to digits 1 inch high]
  o Daini Seikosha Co., Ltd
    31-1, 6-chome, Kameido, Koto-ku, Tokyo 136, Japan
    (03) 684-2010
    [stock small displays for watches, smaller assortment of larger clock
     and instrument displays, a couple of graphics matrix parts]
  o Hitachi
    [a variety of character and graphic LCDs with attached decoding and
     driving circuitry, simple micro-compatible interface]

Given the perversity of LCDs, you will never make space-efficient driving
circuitry yourself.  Unless you are just hacking around, look for an LSI
solution.  For anything more complex than a 3.5-digit clock or meter display,
look for companies selling LCDs mounted to driving boards.

---

Perhaps the worst way to experiment with this technology is to buy a
LCD/driver combo at an electronic swap meet, and plan on figuring out how to
use it.  That's something that I did a couple of months ago, and it ain't
fun.  Can anybody scrounge up a data sheet for me?
    maker = Epson, electro-optical division
    model = TCM A0010-3
    HELP!

The screen is gray, with a chromed metal frame that binds it to the driving
circuit board.  The driver contains 16 flat-pack ICs marked E-1120, and
another flat-pack with a different number.  The external interface is a row
of 14 large gold plate-throughs, in the center of the bottom edge.  The whole
thing is about a foot wide, and about 6 inches tall.  Probably designed for
an Epson laptop computer.  In case you didn't hear me, HELP!