4 ms·

This stuff confused the hell out of me as a 6-yr old electronics hobbyist (read unskilled-tear-downer). Took apart a non-functioning lcd calculator. Everything

by ghoul2 4y ago

This stuff confused the hell out of me as a 6-yr old electronics hobbyist (read unskilled-tear-downer). Took apart a non-functioning lcd calculator. Everything looked normal, except the lcd display itself was just pressed onto a rubbery tape like thing which seemed to be stuck to a line of pads in the pcb. I expected a flex cable connecting the lcd to the PCB but couldn't find one. I 'knew' rubber was an insulator, so no matter what that rubbery thing was (I guessed it was simply a spacer) it wasn't the connection between the two. Didn't learn about the existence of z-tape for another decade or so and immediately the light bulb in my brain flashed, solving a childhood mystery.

rob_c 4y ago
The clue would also be the clear doping of the conductive layer...
myself248 4y ago
It's a shame your 6yo self didn't have a microscope around, or even a decent magnifying glass! Zebra-strip is incredibly distinct once you're viewing it up close, and I bet its function would've immediately clicked upon seeing the structure.
- ghoul2 4y ago
  Oh, I had a cheap magnifying glass; And I had access to a "Community Science Center" where they would have let me use a high-school-class microscope if I begged enough* . The problem was it didn't even occur to me to take that tiny rubbery strip that seriously. True shame really - by that time I had taken apart enough LCD calculators for there to be nothing surprising in any of them. This was the first surprise, in a while. I really should have focused on figuring it out. Just never occurred to me that the 10mmx1mmx1mm thingy was such an awesome thing. *for free too; It was my favorite Saturday hangout spot - watching lab demonstrations, animal dissections etc, playing with the ever-changing interactive science demos).
  - myself248 4y ago
    Oof. Yeah. I have my own "I could've done something amazing if I'd just realized I needed to push on that thing that didn't look like a button" moment as a kid. A little nudge of guidance would've gone a long way.

by ghoul2 4y ago

rob_c 4y ago

The clue would also be the clear doping of the conductive layer...

myself248 4y ago

It's a shame your 6yo self didn't have a microscope around, or even a decent magnifying glass! Zebra-strip is incredibly distinct once you're viewing it up close, and I bet its function would've immediately clicked upon seeing the structure.

ghoul2 4y ago
Oh, I had a cheap magnifying glass; And I had access to a "Community Science Center" where they would have let me use a high-school-class microscope if I begged enough* . The problem was it didn't even occur to me to take that tiny rubbery strip that seriously. True shame really - by that time I had taken apart enough LCD calculators for there to be nothing surprising in any of them. This was the first surprise, in a while. I really should have focused on figuring it out. Just never occurred to me that the 10mmx1mmx1mm thingy was such an awesome thing. *for free too; It was my favorite Saturday hangout spot - watching lab demonstrations, animal dissections etc, playing with the ever-changing interactive science demos).
- myself248 4y ago
  Oof. Yeah. I have my own "I could've done something amazing if I'd just realized I needed to push on that thing that didn't look like a button" moment as a kid. A little nudge of guidance would've gone a long way.