Basic LCD Question

[Tireisias]

Good morning!

I am now the proud owner of an LCD display, and know almost nothing about them. First question: I read somewhere on the Web that the pixels on some LCDs are black when in their unpowered, passive state, and that others are white in their unpowered passive state. How do I know which mine is?

Thanks.
David.

 

[rvnguy]

Well you did not state what you have....So I guess the best advice is to check the mfg site for your mdl spec's.

BTW: I am not aware of what you have heard

rvnguy
"I know everything..I just can't remember it all

 

[cdogg]

Well, first of all, there are many types of LCD. You probably came across a website explaining the basics behind primitive LCD technology. More than likely, the site was telling you about "passive" LCD displays.

Every PC LCD screen you see today are "active matrix" LCDs. So if you want to read something that pertains more to what you're using, do a search on active matrix and TFT.

In general, the liquid-crystal compound in your screen controls how much light passes through. There is at least one white light source, usually behind the liquid-crystal known as a "backlight", which is on all the time while the LCD monitor is powered on. Without going into too much more detail, just know that an electric field is then applied around each "pixel" controlling the liquid-crystals' shape. In turn, a specific spectrum of light is let through. Because nearby pixels are sometimes partially activated, a dark grey is often the result when black is requested.

~cdogg
"Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results." - Albert Einstein
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