[Ibrahim] picked this little LCD module out because of its price point and resolution. In single units you can grab one of the 128×32 pixel displays for just $11. The only problem is that the pinout is too small to use with a breadboard. He whipped up a breakout board for it that throws in some extras.
First off, we like it that the board doesn’t add much to the part’s outline. What it does add is a Low-DropOut voltage regulator and a level converter. The upper range of the LCD’s input voltage is 3.3V, and these added parts make it possible to drive the device using 5V hardware like the Arduino Uno pictured above. While he was adding in parts he included a MOSFET to switch the backlight. This way he can use PWM for dimming as well.
We usually hit eBay when looking for LCD screens. A search for the NHD-C12832 part number didn’t turn it up. We tried out FindChips for the first time (owned by Supply Frame who just bought Hackaday) and it works just as well as Octopart which we’re more familiar with since we’ve seen some hacking of that site before.
I don’t like change but since Supply Frame was cool enough to buy HAD I will give their Octopart alternative website a try.
A parent company with relevant resources? what is this world coming to>?
It’s called business. At least they’re upfront about it.
Those displays http://cz.mouser.com/Optoelectronics/LCD-Graphic-Display-Modules-Accessories/_/N-6j73a?Keyword=eadogm&FS=True are more breadboard friendly without adaptors, with similar price and pixel resolution. There are two options – 128×64 and 132×32 pixels.
I dunno about you, but I have a nokia 3310 LCD that I got for less than $10 with a breadbord adaptor.
Doing things the hard and expensive way. See these LCD displays on eBay http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/130906317995 for less than $6, including a breakout board and SD socket.
Those LCDs look good for the price. I might get one.
There’s no point saving a small amount of cash if you waste a lot of time getting it working though. A bit of digging and it looks like there are some specs and sample code out there – e.g. http://sainsonic.com/zen/albums/Resource/20/20-011-920/TFT18.rar [That’s for the one Sweeney linked to – not the display in the article]
Too small, B & W only, and still more expensive than much better color LCD. Makes no sense to me.
Example: http://www.ebay.com/itm/2-2-SPI-Interface-TFT-LCD-Touch-Panel-176×220-Dots-262K-Colors-4-IO-Needed-/171016720957 and it uses SPI. I had 4 of these without adapter. They also offer different resolutions. However they are clearly not intended for landscape orientation.
There is also linux framebuffer driver for raspberry Pi: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UZEK9zQeTnM
I really don’t understand why are most B&W LCDs so expensive, compared to much more advanced color ones. Especially HD44780 based ones.