jeffj@sfsup.UUCP (02/07/87)
[] In article <563@obelix.UUCP>, l-aron@obelix.UUCP (Lars Aronsson) writes: > In article <668@instable.UUCP> amos@instable.UUCP (Amos Shapir) writes: > >The challenge: design a better looking 7-segment set of digits ... > > Remember the electroluminous valves? (I'm not 100 % on that word...) > Those looked (any `round today?) like ordinary "radio valves" and > had got one electrode (anode? cathode?) per digit. The advantage of > this is beautiful digits. > Now, could you do the same with LCD? > Yes, if you can manufacture multi-layer LCDs, it should be possible. > You will have to have ten segments, one per digit, or maybe fewer, if > you use the same "small circles" for 6, 9, and 8... Here in the USA, the Neon tubes with an electrode for each digit were called Nixie ((R) Burroughs Corp) tubes. They were used in pinball machines and anywhere numeric displays were needed. I have a calculator that uses them, and the backmost digits are dimmer than the front digits because of all the electrodes in front of them. I have never seen LCD displays with more than I layer, and suspect that there is a good reason (cost, loss of contrast). It's more likely to try a 1 layer pattern that approximates the ten digits. I guess that a 1 layer pattern would be the patterns of 0-9 on top of each other, with enough deformation of each digit that common segments would develop, and with the necessary gaps to run the conductors from enclosed segments to the edge connectors. Jeffrey 'paper based life form' Skot {ihnp4 | cbosgd | allegra} attunix ! jeffj