Well, there's this delightful set of dutch auctions on Ebay - for graphic LCDs ranging from 512x128 to 640x200 - all for under $10! Awesome! Two things with these - no backlighting, which may be solvable, and no controller board - which may be a stumbling block. Oh yes, they need -10V for the LCD contrast. These gLCDs require a SED1335 controller board to run, and I haven't found a decent supplier yet. There's a single auction on Ebay for one - but that's obviously not enough. Anyone know where to get JUST the controller boards for a reasonable price? EIO doesn't sell them, nor does EarthLCD. (sigh) If it's not one thing, it's another.
I was actually looking at that earlier. If you follow their site they sell the controllers but a damn hefty price.
Where do you see those? I looked all over their site, and they don't have controllers using the SED1330/5 chip at all. It's a bit frustrating. I did find a controller board - for $50 - and I'm not too sure if it's the right one, either, because they're geared towards using it with a PIC. Also, it needs -10V for running the contrast. That's pretty simple to get, though. I can't win. Every time I see something that'll kick ass, there's something that I just can't get. All I want is a nice, big, LCD display. Even a 240x128 would be nice. But everything's so damned expensive. >_<
Try this: http://www.lcdmodkit.com/graphic/240_128model.html $65 is fairly priced and built-in T6963C controller comes with it. They sell toolkits to run those LCD but it's a little steep.
Thats why certqin LCDs are so cheap: theres no controller. The kits are rare, and mostly geared toward design equipment. Ive pondered running a quick turn-around controller board, but the S1D13305 (the current SED1335) runs about $11USD each. By the time I had some boards made up and bought the chips, oscillators, and external memory I was looking at $30+ without assembly cost (lots of SMD components). So $50 would be the lowest price, and really making no profit. When you factor in that theres no LCD yet, and would need to incorporate negative contrast voltage generator, CCFL/EL inverter, and what-not, You get much more in a built-in controller LCD for alot less money and time. Its like a laptop LCD. It looks intriguing, but not much better than a paperwieght.
Yea, that's what I've been discovering. Maybe I'll just give up on this stuff for now - wait till I have more cash to burn.
Well, I've ordered one of the 640x200 panels, and I've also managed to get my hands on one of those SED1335 controllers. Now, I just need to get a DC-DC convertor, and I'm good to go! The only drawback that I can see to this LCD, is that it's not backlit. it's a Reflective-type LCD, so I'm curious as to how hard it would be to light it up. It's not a priority, as my room is always well-lit - I never type in the dark - but it'd be nice to have. it's HUGE, though. So it'll be on a nice little display stand beside my system. =)
I once bought a 256x128 LCD from allelectronics for $18 with the sed1330 built-in. It was reflective also. The back of the glass has a reflective film, so sticking something behind it wont do any good. The best way to try to light one of these is to build an LED array pointing right at the side of the glass. This may mean some custom cutting/mounting.
you won that sed1335 at a ebay auction? I'm currently bidding right now and I saw your username there...
Actually, I contacted the seller directly, asking if he had more of those controllers, and offered to buy one directly. A really interesting idea that I just had.. It would be impractical for this LCD, due to the size, but why not try turning the LCD display so that it's perpendicular to the board, and peel that reflective backing off.. to get a clear LCD.. But for this LCD, I'll do the LED array along the side. I wonder how well EL wire around it would work... If this works out well, I might attempt to get a bunch more of these displays, assemble them, and sell them locally. There's enough people around here who are into casemodding..
well, $9 for the LCD, and $37 for the controller board. It'll be another couple of bucks for hookups, etc.
I contacted the seller about a backlight of those displays a few days ago. He said... "I believe there is a slot where you can slip EL laminate in one side...this was a very typical option for these displays. I do not have photos and I do not have an actual display in front of me to check....they are located in my warehouse 3 miles away. If I think of it, I will check on this for you next time I am at the warehouse." I had thought about getting one but my last attempt at wiring an LCD to an external controller failed. But this display is better documented than the last as well as the controller I am looking into. The only support I found for them is LCDStudio and LiquidMP3.
LCDHype also supports this display, and it's a really slick program - it's all done with scripting, and a lot of stuff can be done. Including pulling info from JaLCD! The creator just posted a little script for doing that. Pretty nifty.
grab your el sheets, polarizer, and inverter here: http://www.techknowman.com/Kits/Kits.htm cool guy!!
Before you go and buy EL sheets: Ill re-iterate, if this LCD is listed as REFLECTIVE, then you cannot simply stick something behind it. REFLECTIVE means there is a coating on the back of the glass that completely reflects light from the front, thus blocking it from the back. Otherwise, it would be listed as TRANSFLECTIVE. If you want to backlight an LCD, dont use EL stuff. Its very poor quality backlighting, and requires an inverter. Where LEDs are cheap, easy to handle/mount, and takes any voltage (higher than the forward voltage) you have available. Plus, its alot brighter and looks much better. Trust me.
