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Source for flexible LCD displays?

M

Michael Noone

Jan 1, 1970
0
Hi - I was hoping to find a flexible LCD display, preferrably as thin as
possible and equipped with a backlight. I need something maybe 2x4 inches,
graphic or text doesn't matter, and it would be awesome if it had a
controller chip so I don't have to deal with that nonsense. Does such a
beast exist? Thanks!

-Michael Noone
 
I

Ian Stirling

Jan 1, 1970
0
Michael Noone said:
Hi - I was hoping to find a flexible LCD display, preferrably as thin as
possible and equipped with a backlight. I need something maybe 2x4 inches,
graphic or text doesn't matter, and it would be awesome if it had a
controller chip so I don't have to deal with that nonsense. Does such a
beast exist? Thanks!

No.
There are some on the horizon, but none actually arrived.
You can get some electroluminescent displays that are flexible IIRC.
 
D

Dmitri

Jan 1, 1970
0
Michael Noone wrote:

Hi - I was hoping to find a flexible LCD display, preferrably as thin as
possible and equipped with a backlight. I need something maybe 2x4
inches,
graphic or text doesn't matter, and it would be awesome if it had a
controller chip so I don't have to deal with that nonsense. Does such a
beast exist? Thanks!
-Michael Noone

If you are looking for a flexible backlit display technology, you'd be
better off tracking development of flexible OLED (FOLED) displays instead
of LCDs. OLEDs do not require backlight at all as they are emitting
themselves, and they seem not so distant from a real-life product. I'm not
sure but someone may already have created a prototype (which you'd have to
pay and arm and a leg for right now ;-))
Check this page out for more basic data on FOLEDs:

http://www.universaldisplay.com/foled.htm


Good luck!

--
Dmitri Abaimov, RCDD
http://www.cabling-design.com
Cabling Forum, color codes, pinouts and other useful resources for
premises cabling users and pros
http://www.cabling-design.com/homecabling
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M

Michael Noone

Jan 1, 1970
0
No.
There are some on the horizon, but none actually arrived.
You can get some electroluminescent displays that are flexible IIRC.

Any idea as to a source for such flexible displays? I swear I've seen
flexible displays - I just can't think of where I saw them...
 
S

Spehro Pefhany

Jan 1, 1970
0
Any idea as to a source for such flexible displays? I swear I've seen
flexible displays - I just can't think of where I saw them...

I've seen Polaroid parts at a trade show, maybe a couple of years ago.
IIRC, they were not offering standard products, more like trying to
grab the interest of big OEMs. The parts were relatively large low
resolution numeric displays. I don't recall the multiplex ratio or
voltage specs.


Best regards,
Spehro Pefhany
 
M

Michael Noone

Jan 1, 1970
0
Google OLED. There are some products already using them. I don't know
about their availability in standard formats and small quantities.

From what I've heard, OLED technology has some life issues. They work
OK for displays that aren't on continuously, or in throw-away
products. If yours isn't either of these, I'd design it to make
replacement easy and maybe the next generation OLEDs will get better.

Well I've heard plenty about OLEDs - but I have yet to see any OLED
displays available on the market. I have seen them incorporated into a
couple of devices though. I have been watching for them for a while - I
just haven't seen any. Also, wouldn't it be more likely that they
wouldn't be flexible? That seems like a fairly uncommon specification. I
should mention that I need these for a student project, so I'll need
just a couple, which is not the kind of volume I expect most OLED
manufacturers like to deal with!

-Michael
 
P

Paul Hovnanian P.E.

Jan 1, 1970
0
Dmitri(Cabling-Design.com) said:
If you are looking for a flexible backlit display technology, you'd be
better off tracking development of flexible OLED (FOLED) displays instead
of LCDs. OLEDs do not require backlight at all as they are emitting
themselves, and they seem not so distant from a real-life product. I'm not
sure but someone may already have created a prototype (which you'd have to
pay and arm and a leg for right now ;-))
Check this page out for more basic data on FOLEDs:

http://www.universaldisplay.com/foled.htm

Google OLED. There are some products already using them. I don't know
about their availability in standard formats and small quantities.

From what I've heard, OLED technology has some life issues. They work OK
for displays that aren't on continuously, or in throw-away products. If
yours isn't either of these, I'd design it to make replacement easy and
maybe the next generation OLEDs will get better.
 
I

Ian Stirling

Jan 1, 1970
0
Michael Noone said:
Well I've heard plenty about OLEDs - but I have yet to see any OLED
displays available on the market. I have seen them incorporated into a
couple of devices though. I have been watching for them for a while - I
just haven't seen any. Also, wouldn't it be more likely that they
wouldn't be flexible? That seems like a fairly uncommon specification. I
should mention that I need these for a student project, so I'll need
just a couple, which is not the kind of volume I expect most OLED
manufacturers like to deal with!

What sort of display are you looking for?
dot-matrix, or a few illuminated panels.
The first almost certainly isn't possible for low cost. (spend a hundred
thousand and you might get results)
The second might be.
 
M

Michael Noone

Jan 1, 1970
0
What sort of display are you looking for?
dot-matrix, or a few illuminated panels.
The first almost certainly isn't possible for low cost. (spend a
hundred thousand and you might get results)
The second might be.

I don't know what you mean by illuminated panels, but all I need to do is
have a flexible display capable of displaying a couple lines of text (I
think a 4x20 text lcd would be adequate, if it were flexible) Thanks,

Michael
 
I

Ian Stirling

Jan 1, 1970
0
Michael Noone said:
I don't know what you mean by illuminated panels, but all I need to do is
have a flexible display capable of displaying a couple lines of text (I
think a 4x20 text lcd would be adequate, if it were flexible) Thanks,

I know of no 4*20 text LCDs that are flexible.
I'm fairly sure I can say that there probably aren't any.
And any other sort of flexible display is unlikely to be suitable, as
it won't have enough resolution.

There are various approaches that might work, if you were willing to
throw money at the problem, for example an array of 5*7*4*20 (2800) LED
dice mounted on an appropriate flexible substrate.
 
F

FPD Guy

Jan 1, 1970
0
Commerically, only passive matrix OLED's are available -the type for a
tiny cell phone display or a lackluster car mp3 stereo display.

Samsung has recently shown prototypes of their 21" OLED display though
-the largest active matrix OLED yet produced. They're claiming a
contrast ratio of 5000:1 or something like that (it's alot easier to
get great contrast rate when you're not trying to shove 100,000+ nits
of CCFL backlight power through an "off" pixel to try & get your
blacks). It looks like they'll play with LG with the OLED's the same
as they have been with the Plasma's & LCD displays -each trying to
outdue each other at each upcoming trade show.

I've got a nice picture of Samsung's OLED up at www.fpdforum.com in the
OLED's section.

As far as flexible LCD's go, HP's been doing alot of research in that
area & has shown some prototypes, but nothing commerical as of yet.

I'll keep some updates on each of these at FPDforum.com for anyone that
wants to stop by & visit (feel free to post questions & comments on
displays til your hearts content).

-FPD Guy
 
F

FPD Guy

Jan 1, 1970
0
Commerically, only passive matrix OLED's are available -the type for a
tiny cell phone display or a lackluster car mp3 stereo display.

Samsung has recently shown prototypes of their 21" OLED display though
-the largest active matrix OLED yet produced. They're claiming a
contrast ratio of 5000:1 or something like that (it's alot easier to
get great contrast rate when you're not trying to shove 100,000+ nits
of CCFL backlight power through an "off" pixel to try & get your
blacks). It looks like they'll play with LG with the OLED's the same
as they have been with the Plasma's & LCD displays -each trying to
outdue each other at each upcoming trade show.

I've got a nice picture of Samsung's OLED up at http://www.fpdforum.com
in the OLED's section.

As far as flexible LCD's go, HP's been doing alot of research in that
area & has shown some prototypes, but nothing commerical as of yet.

I'll keep some updates on each of these at FPDforum.com for anyone that
wants to stop by & visit (feel free to post questions & comments on
displays til your hearts content).

-FPD Guy
 
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