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Custom LCD FAQ

Below is a list of 5 and a half commonly asked custom LCD FAQ from engineers and design houses when investing in customizable LCD displays.

Focus Display Solutions specializes in custom LCD modules including TN, STN, and FSTN display modes; but we are certainly not limited to custom LCDs only. We also provide standard LCDs (character, graphic, segment, TFT and OLED). In the last 12 years we have received many questions concerning the design and manufacturing of alphanumeric and graphic LCD display modules. We’ve come up with this article to simplify our most common custom LCD questions into one place.

By the way, the cost and lead-time necessary to build a custom LCD module has decreased in the last few years.

Custom LCD FAQ #1:

WHAT IS THE MOQ (MINIMUM ORDER QUANTITY) OF CUSTOM LCDS?

MOQs (minimum order quantity) are determined by two factors:

  • The type of technology and the size of the glass.
  • The larger the glass area, the lower the MOQ.

The three most common custom LCD types are listed below with ‘estimated’ MOQs.

Note: When ordering a custom display, Focus Displays will supply
five to twenty sample displays that the customer can test before
placing the larger production order

  1. Character or alphanumeric LCDs: Character or alphanumeric LCDs: Character displays allow the customer to easily interface with their product. They contain a built in controller/driver combination that displays letters, number and punctuation marks.These displays are available in many standard configurations such as 8×1, 16×2, 20×2, 40×4 and many others. MOQ’s for a custom character LCD can be as low as 200 displays per build.
  2. Graphic LCDs: These displays allow the user to display any letter, image or icon. The MOQ on these displays can be as low as 1,000 modules per shipment.
  3. Segment or Glass-only LCDs: Segment displays are the lowest cost display to customize and can display any number, some letters and customer supplied icons. The MOQ on these displays range from 1,000 to 20K depending on the size of the glass. The smaller the glass, the higher the MOQ.

Custom LCD FAQ #2:

WHAT IS THE CURRENT LEAD TIME?

There are two lead times:

  • Lead time for Sample displays: run from five to seven weeks 
  • Lead time for Production displays : run from six to eight weeks

This lead time is increased from December to March due to Chinese New Year.

NoteFocus Displays ships all our displays via air. We do not ship
on boat due to the long delays and difficulty in tracking the
shipments. In addition to this it may be possible to rush an order.

Custom LCD FAQ #3:

HOW MANY LCD SAMPLES WILL BE SUPPLIED AT NO COST?

FocusLCDs supplies five custom LCD samples at no cost; the customer is able to purchase additional prototype samples at minimal cost.

Custom LCD FAQ #4:

DOES THE TOOLING FEE INCLUDE SHIPPING COST OF THE SAMPLES?

Yes, we pay the freight cost to expedite your samples. We then ship on your UPS/FED-Ex account from our location in Arizona to you.

Custom LCD FAQ #4 1/2:

CAN I AMORTIZE THE TOOLING?

Yes, in some cases we will spread out the tooling cost over the cost of the first production order.

Here is a flow chart providing more details on the custom LCD process.

Although, the most common custom LCD technologies are Segment, Character, and monochrome graphic. We have worked with customers to customize OLED, FSC, UWVD and TFT displays.

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If you have a need for a unique display tailored to your application, contact us TODAY to start your design. You can use the contact form or call us at 480-503-4295.