Do-It-Yourself Transparent LCD

In this video we show you how you can make your own kinda transparent LCD display. We know it leaves something to be desired, since it's not super transparent, but we'll show you how anyways. If you want to make your own, we have the LCD we used for sale (linked below). We also have a real transparent OLED display which makes for a pleasing aesthetic.
LCD used in the video: www.crystalfon...
A real transparent OLED: www.crystalfon...
Written Blog Instructions www.crystalfon...
**UPDATE**
We have two new transparent LCDs available for purchasing here:
www.crystalfon...
www.crystalfon...

[@Band1tBat]

Very neat! If one were to replace the backing with, let's say a one-way reflective window tint, could that theoretically allow a one-way transparent display (image on the display visible from the front, and can see through the back on the other side), with whites to display correctly in the screen? I'm trying to figure out how I could use transparent displays as eyes in cosplay, and was disappointed that sourcing TOLED's seems nigh on impossible 😞

[@Crystalfontz]

In theory it sounds possible. It might be difficult to see through, also the pixels on the display are dark not white. We have a small TOLED for sale on our site which may work better for this: www.crystalfontz.com/product/cfal12856a00151b-128x56-transparent-oled-screen

[@Band1tBat]

​@@Crystalfontz Ah yeah, those are definitely some good points I'd not considered. As for the TOLED, I actually had come across that, and it looks very neat! However I'm afraid the project I'm currently planning would require full colour displays.

[@ladron6161]

smartglasses with this kind of screen with HUD would be perfect imo

[@Crystalfontz]

You'd probably want incorporate a lens to get the focus up close. We'd love to see someone build it.

[@Maisonier]

Did you see the "new" display of Sun Vision "Featuring RLCD Technology" ?? Are you able to replace the backlight with a mirror or any other reflective material to convert/make own RLCD ? some kind of DIY.

[@borisgoldammer8092]

Great video, thank you. Do you think it is possible to replace both polarizers by polarizers used in photography to gain even more transparency?

[@Crystalfontz]

It's possible. You'd want to experiment with their orientation to get the best trade-off between visibility and transparency. It would be a fun experiment.

[@antospin4004]

Can complex graphics and other HUD features be displayed through this display? Awesome one! I'd like to use it for a smart goggle application, suggest?

[@Crystalfontz]

You can display any graphic you want, but consider the resolution of 128x64 pixels. It's not really transparent enough to see through it clearly for goggles. Optics are tricky, I'd try some different displays and lenses and see what works best for your design. Good luck!

[@terrawolf]

thanks,ive done this with a tft and it kinda worked,looked very trippy and very fun🫠

[@Crystalfontz]

Interesting, we've never seen it done with a TFT before. We'd love to see how it looks.

[@RandoniumTJ]

I am working on a transparent smartphone prototype. But the polarizer of the lcd is wayyy to opaque . It basically makes it useless , once i remove the backlight. Could you please suggest something....

[@Crystalfontz]

Have you tried this one? www.crystalfontz.com/product/cfal12856a00151b-128x56-transparent-oled-screen OLED might be a better solution for you.

[@Marc2OVER]

Can you make a touchscreen transparent display?

[@Crystalfontz]

Hi Marc Allen, You could, though we haven't tested it. Because touchscreens are applied to the front of a display, removing and replacing the rear polarizer as shown in this video would not affect the touchscreen. You do need to be extra careful not to cut the touchscreen traces. If you make one, send us a link- we'd love to see it!

[@vdmur7952]

Looks good.

[@Herp0]

how small of a LCD can I get? then if I were to shine a led thru it, would it work? the same way a laptop LCD display projector build works?

[@Crystalfontz]

I think an LCD light valve may be what you're looking for. Here's a list of the smallest displays we carry www.crystalfontz.com/products/smallest-lcds-oleds-and-epaper-displays.php

[@jeupare8894]

Is there a particular reason that after removing the backlight on the LCD, the light coming through looks blurry? Is it just due to the type of LCD or a camera artifact? Like if you wanted to make something like the 7 Shade Sunglasses, could you use this method?

[@Crystalfontz]

The polarizer is what causes that, but you won't be able to see the letters on the LCD without it. We're not familiar with the 7-shade sunglasses, but it looks like it uses an LCD light valve, you might take a look at those.

[@borisgoldammer8092]

And one more question: Does this screen, or one of a similar size play back the composite signal of a FPV Camera like JINJIEAN 1280? I connected a small camera to a small screen via an Arduino but if I would not need the chip I would be very happy. Best, Boris

[@Crystalfontz]

This display communicates using 8-bit parallel or SPI.

[@nickygodoff6470]

which color lcd screen would your recommend from your site, as being easy to remove the backlight on?

[@Crystalfontz]

This is the display we used: www.crystalfontz.com/product/cfag12864u3nfh-128x64-low-power-graphic-monochrome-lcd

[@nickygodoff6470]

@@Crystalfontz Thanks, but I'm wondering which color LCD screen, not monochrome has an easily removed backlight.

[@Crystalfontz]

@@nickygodoff6470 This will only work on monochrome transflective displays that are chip-on-glass.

[@justinace974]

Hello buddy !I need a transparent LCD to use but without any light can I make a 42 inch display transparent which can be visible in day without backlight

[@Crystalfontz]

Hi Josh, You would probably be better off using an OLED since they don't have/use backlights. Each pixel is individually lit. If you happen to have about $20k sitting around you could try this: www.lg.com/us/business/oled-displays/lg-55EW5F-A

[@justinace974]

Thanks buddy I know about oled displays but I am clearly looking out for a display without backlight ...if you could provide link regarding it for 42inch it would be great ...the reason is led hurts my eyes buddy

[@Halloweenharen]

@@justinace974 stop calling people buddy, mate

[@justinace974]

@@Halloweenharen BIRDIE

[@Crystalfontz]

@@justinace974 Sorry, we don't carry anything close to that size.

[@RulezAPower]

How do you get all these cables?! Unused PC cables?

[@Crystalfontz]

We keep tons of jumper wires around for all of our tinkering, you can buy them here: www.crystalfontz.com/product/wrjmpy40-pcb-jumper-wires

[@topkek3409]

Hi, I’m looking into using a 5” raspberry pi touchscreen for a transparent tablet project, if I remove the backlight and polariser film will a damage the touch screen? I don’t know much about the inner workings of these things! Thanks 😊

[@Crystalfontz]

Hi, It's definitely possible you will damage the touchscreen. but touchscreens are attached to the front of a display while the backlight and rear polarizer are on the back. You'll want to be careful not to cut the touchscreen tail traces. We haven't tried this hack on a display with a touchscreen, but let us know how it goes if you do!

[@topkek3409]

Crystalfontz America, Inc. Hi, thanks for getting back to me. I’ll have to look up some diagrams etc to see how the specific screen I’m using is put together. If I can actually get it to work I’ll upload a video of the prototype.

[@miguelangelbarton2536]

Do you think it works if you don't add the polarizer?

[@Crystalfontz]

LCDs need both polarizers to display. Here's a video that shows the concept: kzbin.info/www/bejne/r5W1i56CgJyGY9k

[@miguelangelbarton2536]

@@Crystalfontz would be great if you have a display like this one kzbin.info/www/bejne/emexgXamjJaejLc or a transparent oled in a big size. 😊

[@cesarhidalgorodriguez9915]

Do you think this would work for a window?

[@Crystalfontz]

You'd need an awfully large display to make a window, and a huge quantity of polarizer. And then anything displayed on the LCD would be difficult to read if there was any light behind it. But if you do it, we'd love to see it!

[@krisd9506]

How is the backlight on the CFAG12864U3-TFH connected?

[@Crystalfontz]

It's electronically connected via the A and K tabs, physically it's bonded. If you want one without a backlight we have a -NFH version. www.crystalfontz.com/product/cfag12864u3nfh-128x64-low-power-graphic-monochrome-lcd

[@krisd9506]

@@Crystalfontz Might be worth mentioning it in the datasheet as there's not mention of how that connection is made in it...

[@Crystalfontz]

@@krisd9506 Thank you for pointing that out, we'll update it to make it clear.

[@johnayap6861]

perfect for an SLA 3d printer

[@krzysiu2579]

can you explain me what can be the use of sla printer in making transparent screen?

[@Crystalfontz]

@@krzysiu2579 maybe he means a screen for his 3d printer?

[@SeanHodgins]

@@Crystalfontz Nope, they're talking about MSLA printer. You project UV light through a transparent display. The dark pixels mask out the UV light while the "white" pixels let the UV through. That's how most SLA printers work now, since lasers and optics cost so much more.

[@Crystalfontz]

@@SeanHodgins Thanks for the info! That sent me down an interesting rabbit hole of 3D printing technology! Cool stuff.

[@SeanHodgins]

@@Crystalfontz Its pretty cool. I made a DIY 3d printer Christmas ornament a few years back, probably the smallest print anyone has attempted to make. I have a video about it on my channel. Also, just purchased a bunch of transparent OLEDs from you guys like 20 minutes ago. hahaha I've got a cool idea for a project using them.

[@oimatewhatyouonabout8526]

do you think these would work well if used as a display in a pair of goggles

[@Crystalfontz]

You could certainly try! This display is not as see-through as our transparent OLED (www.crystalfontz.com/product/cfal12856a00151b), and there are some issues with how the eye focuses, but we're not experts on that. If you make goggles with a display, send us a link!

[@_underscore_9271]

The oled works pretty great if you add some sort of magnifiers to help the eye focus, and an lcd like this one works too, (with the magnifiers) but is a little harder to make out

[@ashutoshtechnology]

Thanks 😊

[@benbir.ucubeyim.]

Can we make a transparent oled display?

[@Crystalfontz]

OLEDs don't work the same way. In an OLED each pixel is individually lit, so it'd be a much more involved process, probably not a DIY project unless your pixels were an inch wide or something huge.

[@in7minutesorless]

Can i do this with a regular 2" lcd display??

[@Crystalfontz]

We're not sure what you mean by "regular".

[@in7minutesorless]

A tft lcd display

[@Crystalfontz]

@@in7minutesorless not likely, it really depends on how its constructed and the type of backlight.

[@benbir.ucubeyim.]

Hi, can I made this with an oLed Display?

[@Crystalfontz]

Most OLEDs have a metal layer that is not transparent, so no. There are some that are made for it though www.crystalfontz.com/product/cfal12856a00151b-128x56-transparent-oled-screen

[@nitinkak8177]

Will it work with Arduino UNO?

[@Crystalfontz]

The I/O voltages have to be 3.3v for this display to work. The standard Arduino Uno uses 5v logic, so you would need to shift the voltages down to avoid damaging the display.

[@Hemusinghrajput]

Guys we can make the Socuter of this circuits and display

[@Crystalfontz]

What's a Socuter?

[@Hemusinghrajput]

@@Crystalfontz search on google lol 😂

[@Crystalfontz]

@@Hemusinghrajput I tried, but google thinks it's a typo for 'scooter' 🤷

[@Hemusinghrajput]

@@Crystalfontz dude its dragon Ball z socuter ok write that

[@3venthoriz0n]

@@Crystalfontz It's an object from an Anime called Dragon Ball, some people are searching for a transparent maybe foldable screen to diy that thing.

[@Hemusinghrajput]

Guys we can make the dragon Ball z scourer awsome

[@chinmayrathod169]

Kaso chi

[@Hemusinghrajput]

@@chinmayrathod169 bus ban sakta hai

[@nijamkaj]

Is this screen flexible?

[@Crystalfontz]

No, it's not. We do have a flexible oled and epaper though. www.crystalfontz.com/product/cfal16032a0018pw-flexible-oled-display-160x32

[@nijamkaj]

@@Crystalfontz thanks, that's exactly what i was looking for! Do you have any other types of flexible screens? Can that screen be roll up like a paper tube?

[@Crystalfontz]

@@nijamkaj those are the only two we have right now. Neither of them are flexible enough to roll up that tightly. The bend radius is mentioned in their respective datasheets.

[@nijamkaj]

@@Crystalfontz ty once again!

[@Grantsax]

thanks. a good way to poke your eye out or earn some stitches is to hold a knife when doing anything other than cut. Simple. Cut and put down.

[@ovalwingnut]

He's a trained professional. During the video "Don't try this at home" was flashed at the bottom of the screen. It was just very small. But good advice no matter 💜

[@Crystalfontz]

Yes. Way too many scars on my hands. Should have worn gloves - the glass could have broken.

[@ปัญญาฤกษ์สกุลชัย-ด4ษ]

it repirie trying fix new danger for my drive s

[@ovalwingnut]

Yes. That is correct. However you may want to replace your Johnson Rod with one of lower impedance. The flux capacitor will last longer.