LCD Controller Chip

[ddustin]

I am toying with the idea of using an LCD controller chip for my current project. I have a large number of components (the same type) in a grid formation. I need to be able to activate any number of the components from a chip without accidentally activating the wrong ones. Additionally I would like to be able to control the polarity of each component, though something tells me I wont get this from a LCD controller chip.

Does anyone here have experience with LCD controller chips? Are they purchasable by the public (ie. not proprietary)? How difficult is it to adapt them to this purpose? Are they cheap?

 

[blueroomelectronics]

LCD character displays are common. Google 2x16 LCD

 

[mugwamp]

dustin, if you want to control a number of componets, I don't think you want a LCD controller chip. That's a fairly specialized chip that mostly deals with text and/or graphics. How about using a microcontroller? These are available from Microchip, Atmel, and others and have as many as 100 I/O lines.

 

[ddustin]

I have to control thousands of nodes. LCD controllers solved this problem already, the only question is how...

I figure its smartest to put them in a grid so 1000 becomes simply 33 by 33 wires (66 total) which fits into a controllable chip nicely. The only issue is how to you build a grid where activating two lines only activates the node at the intersection? I wrote out some schematics but they require just a crap load of transistors and since the circuit board guys charge by item placed... It's a no go.

 

[mugwamp]

dustin, I think you're barking up the wrong tree. What you need is LED controller chips. The problems you're trying to solve have already been resolved in LED signs. Do a google for a scrolling LED sign schematic. There's a number of them out there.