I was wondering if there are big quality differences between different LCD displays.
If yes, what separates high quality LCDs from low quality LCDs?
I’m also asking this, because I found very cheap LCD displays on ebay, and wanted to know if they are really OK to use, or if I should get something better. I’m already spending so much money on building this thing, if it really makes a difference I wouldn’t mind paying the few bucks more for the LCD display.
There are quality differences, more to do with the LCD type than manufacturers etc.
i.e. “FSTN” is better than “STN”, and LED array backlight is brighter overall than edge lit.
If you like white on black (or perhaps green on black) then consider the Optrex STEP LCDs… these have the best contrast and are quite bright… Also I believe they do not draw as much current as your typical yellow-green LED backlight LCD.
I think I’ll get the Optrex C-51847NFQJ-LW-AAN then. When I order it from mouser and don’t have to pay shipping, its just about 7 EUR more than the one from ebay including shipping. Maybe there are some more people who want to order one too, then it wouldn’t be more expensive at all.
If you use these displays, you will probably need to use less current than a normal LED array backlight LCD… I recommend replacing the R4 resistor with 80K, thus limiting the current to around 25mA. Ideally, insert an 80K in series with R4’s 1K, so you can short out the 80K later if you want to switch LCDs.