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LCD Accessory Suggestions — Parallax Forums

LCD Accessory Suggestions

Tim-MTim-M Posts: 522
edited 2005-04-08 16:20 in BASIC Stamp
The new Parallax·LCD display looks like a great,·well thought out product (Thanks for keeping up the good work you guys!)·and I am looking forward to using it.· I'd like to suggest two accessories·for it·that would really make for one-stop-shopping with Parallax·and make the LCD a complete package.· The toughest part of using an LCD in a project (for me at least) is mounting the display and making it look good, so I'd like to suggest a mounting kit and front·bezel.· Scott Edwards Electronics·has these available and you can take a· look at them here, if you're not already familiar with them.

http://www.seetron.com/an_bez1.htm

If you Parallax folks already have·something simular·in the works, please forgive me.· What does everybody think?

Thanks,

Tim
·

Comments

  • Kenny GardnerKenny Gardner Posts: 169
    edited 2005-04-06 21:29
    I would like to see some true, plastic bezels, of the type that fit around LED Panel meters.

    The Scott Edwards "bezels" are too expensive for what they are.

    Kenny

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    Kenny Gardner
    GAP Development Company
    http://www.gapdev.com/
    ·
  • Tim-MTim-M Posts: 522
    edited 2005-04-06 22:32
    Hi·Kenny,

    I like the Scott Edwards 'bezels', but that product seems to be nearly our only option in this regard·and it would be nice to have a few to choose from. ·I'd like to see what Parallax·may have in the works·or will come up with.··Has anyone else used or·found a simular product?· Maybe one of the Parallax guys can tell us if this has come up in their discussions or not.

    Tim
  • KenMKenM Posts: 657
    edited 2005-04-07 01:15
    I agree, not all of us have a nice mill like Ken Gracey....
  • Chris SavageChris Savage Parallax Engineering Posts: 14,406
    edited 2005-04-07 04:37
    ·· If I may make a suggestion...None of my LCD displays has ever had a bezel made specifically for it.· Yet I have had them in countless designs.· In fact, almost every project I have built since I started using LCD Displays has had one.

    ·· All I really do is cut out a rectangular hole in the cabinet face, just about 1/32" smaller than the character area of the glass.· Then I mount the panel to the front using standoffs the height of the metal frame from the PCB.· This sits the LCD perfectly behind the front panel, and with the 4 screw heads in the corners, it kinda rounds out the effect a little.

    ·· Of course, I always file/sand the metal smooth and paint it and seal it before mounting in the finished product.· After the paint is dry you can use dry transfer lettering to label your switches, buttons, LEDs, etc. Then clear-coat the whole case.· Makes it look very nice and professional.· Of course, nothing beats a good milling machine!

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    Chris Savage
    Parallax Tech Support
    csavage@parallax.com
  • Tim-MTim-M Posts: 522
    edited 2005-04-07 19:13
    Chris,

    I understand what you are saying, but what about exterior projects where you'd like a little moisture protection or reisitance? Any suggestions for that situation? Also, I like the idea of being able to replace a scratched bezel rather than having to replace the entire LCD assembly, should I need to.

    Tim
  • KenMKenM Posts: 657
    edited 2005-04-07 19:57
    Chris Savage (Parallax) said...

    ·· Of course, I always file/sand the metal smooth and paint it and seal it before mounting in the finished product.· After the paint is dry you can use dry transfer lettering to label your switches, buttons, LEDs, etc. Then clear-coat the whole case.· Makes it look very nice and professional.· Of course, nothing beats a good milling machine!

    And that is the part I hate, or I am simply not good at, the file and sand. Of course, the straighter your hole is to start with, the better off you are, and therin lies my problem.

    I use a nibbler to cut out the hole with decent results, but a reasonably priced bezel would indeed be nice.

    $0.02
  • Paul BakerPaul Baker Posts: 6,351
    edited 2005-04-07 20:19
    www.matrixorbital.com has a selection of bezels at various price ranges, none of them contain a plastic window, but you could incorporate something like http://www.allelectronics.com/cgi-bin/category.cgi?category=395&item=LEX-2&type=store·or cut a CD case down to the right size if you looking for a hack.
  • Chris SavageChris Savage Parallax Engineering Posts: 14,406
    edited 2005-04-07 20:39
    Tim-M said...
    Chris,
    I understand what you are saying, but what about exterior projects where you'd like a little moisture protection or reisitance? Any suggestions for that situation? Also, I like the idea of being able to replace a scratched bezel rather than having to replace the entire LCD assembly, should I need to.
    Tim
    Tim,

    ·· Actually the same thoughts apply.· The only difference is, I place a thin slice of plexiglas between the display and the front of the cabinet.· A thin layer of silicone is between the plex and the cabinet face as the plex is milled about 1/2" bigger than the opening.· So the stand-offs actually go through the plex too!· You don't even need to change the standoffs.

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    Chris Savage
    Parallax Tech Support
    csavage@parallax.com


    Post Edited (Chris Savage (Parallax)) : 4/8/2005 2:33:19 AM GMT
  • Tim-MTim-M Posts: 522
    edited 2005-04-07 21:39
    OK Chris, now I've got it!· I was picturing the plex or lexan on the outside of your enclosure -- it all came clear once I realized that you were intending it to be on the inside.· Thanks for the good ideas, I'll brush up on my fit and finish detail work.

    Tim
  • Chris SavageChris Savage Parallax Engineering Posts: 14,406
    edited 2005-04-08 02:37
    Tim,

    · hehe, you can tell I typed that one from the Laptop, had to fix the typos!· Anyway, yeah, I've done this for years.· I have even put thin bits of silicone sealer on the threads of weather-resistant (Almost said weather-proof!) switches to keep the panel sealed.· There are weather-resistant keypads as well, and when you mount them into the rectangular hole in the panel, you put the silicone sealant around the edge between the panel and the lip on the keypad.

    ·· I don't think I've mounted anything else in an outdoor enclosure except a keyswitch, but it came with a weather cap and gaskets.· Anyway, there's ways to do all of this stuff...You can even get wiring outside of a cabinet by running it inside a rubber surgical tube.· I've done that before with the more rigid stuff, don't remember what it's called.· It was about 1/2" around, and was easy to seal at each end.

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    Chris Savage
    Parallax Tech Support
    csavage@parallax.com
  • Tim-MTim-M Posts: 522
    edited 2005-04-08 16:20
    Chris,

    The rubber·surgical tubing idea sounds good for exterior wire routing.· I suppose other tubing types might work well too, like the different diameters of semi-rigid pneumatic lines.· Some of those come in the·black UV stabilized materials too.

    Thanks for more good ideas,

    Tim
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