Letterbox size TFT display modules!

andersDX is now offering letterbox-format colour TFT screens as replacements for character LCD modules and for space constrained applications where standard format colour TFT can’t be used.

They have launched a new semi-custom service based on standard 4.3” and 2.8” colour TFT displays which can be cut to a specified height to suit the space available. The semi-custom service also includes adding touch control and other features, but the initial NRE (non-recurring engineering) cost is less than one-tenth the normal upfront charge.

Commenting, Paul Hooper, Sales Manager of andersDX said, “Customers everywhere are keen to eliminate drab LCD character modules from their systems and replace them with colour graphic displays, often including touch control. However, TFT displays are made in standard formats and until now, the cost of manufacturing a custom size has been uneconomic for most industrial applications. Using a new manufacturing process, andersDX is now able to cut standard small format TFT displays to a specified height, opening up a whole new world of potential applications. A good example is rack mounted equipment. A standard TFT screen is too high to fit into a 1U rack case.”

andersDX is initially offering its new semi-custom service on 4.3” and 2.8” colour graphics TFT displays which are 10.5 and 5 cm wide respectively. Customers can have these displays cut to their specified height, and add touch control, FPCs and a backlight to their specification. The base display units are 480 x 272 (4.3”) and 240 x 320 (2.8”) resolution respectively for the full size displays.

Customisation is carried out at an ISO9001 accredited site, with the appropriate clean room facilities. The entire process, including resizing and the addition of a backlight and touch interface, are carried out at a single site. The NRE costs are a fraction of those associated with a full custom display and the minimum economic order is low.

Hooper continued, “It has been shown again and again that the user interface has a huge impact on the user’s perception of their equipment, and is a real differentiator in the market. The andersDX semi-custom service allows customers to transform the user interface, adding a colour graphics display of exactly the same size as the existing letterbox character module. It also gives the opportunity to introduce touch control and other enhancements.”