Non italicised LED digits?

[Atomic_Sheep]

Hi, I was wondering where I could find some non italicised LED digits? I'm looking for some individual ones i.e. not ones where you have for example 3 digits in a row in one block. Size wise, I'm looking for the actual digits to be approximately 8mm in size +/- 1-2mm so the actual plastic base on which the LEDs are attached to would be a bit bigger... maybe 10-12mm in height? Colour wise - white/clear/neutral.

 

[MrAl]

Hi,

Interesting. Im not sure if i've seen these in a while. There are also dot matrix displays.

 

[Atomic_Sheep]

Yer, dot matrix isn't really what I'm after. I've been searching high and low for these, blows my mind that something as simple as this doesn't exist. No idea why all LED digits are italicised.

 

[Mr RB]

Yeah that has always annoyed me too!
In a world full of neat square things why do all our numbers need to be leaning over like they are drunk??

Please post info if you find some that are straight up and down.

 

[Dragon Tamer]

Yeah that has always annoyed me too!
In a world full of neat square things why do all our numbers need to be leaning over like they are drunk??

Please post info if you find some that are straight up and down.

Maybe they are leaning because they are lazy...

But I would like to know where to buy some if they do exist. If anyone finds them post the link in the shoping for electronics stickey thread.

 

[jpanhalt]

I looked too and found none that were upright. I suspect the reason is twofold:
1) It leaves room for a decimal point; and/or
2) It probably improves readability -- slanted 7's. 2's etc.

John

 

[Mr RB]

I don't buy the "decimal point" argument really. You could just move the 7-seg to the left a bit and DP on the right and have the same width package.

That's a really good point about the slanting elements in the numbers though... 2,4,6,7,9 all have a right-sloping element.

It still annoys me though that you can't buy straight ones. For 30 years all our dot matrix CRTs, LCDs, LED arrays etc are all at 90 degrees so why stick with the silly sloping numbers? Maybe one day a manufacturer will be brave enough to move into the new millenium and dare to make straight numbers.

 

[Dragon Tamer]

I found some LED displays that are not italicised. They are on the odometer of my car. Maybe they are not hugely popular, but you may be able to custom order a display that doesn't have italicised LEDs.

 

[MrAl]

Yer, dot matrix isn't really what I'm after. I've been searching high and low for these, blows my mind that something as simple as this doesn't exist. No idea why all LED digits are italicised.

Hi again,

What size you looking for? They come in all sizes from about 0.2 inches high to a foot high or more, with the most common i think being 0.56 inches high.

It's interesting if you take a single digit an rotate it a little counter clockwise you get an upright digit, but the horizontal segments becomes slightly slanted. Im not sure if you would like that or not but you could take a look.

Also, depending on size you could construct your own if you are up to it.

 

[squishy36]

I recall when LED digits started becoming popular, there were both kinds used. For typical displays, the straight ones don't look as good as the slanted ones, so a Darwinian selection happened. You may be able to find them in larger sizes.

 

[Sceadwian]

MrAL, what you're missing is what he's requesting is one that isn't italicized... No slants on the end just straight square beams (maybe rounded) I've personally never seen one.

 

[MrAl]

Hi Scead,

No i didnt miss that. What i suggested makes the original slants straight. It's the horizontal lines that later slant, which may be ok for his purpose.

 

[Brevor]

I checked out one of the earliest uses of 7 seg. displays I could think of and even back in the 1960's the digits were slanted. See the link below to the Apollo guidance computer.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Apollo_DSKY_interface.svg

 

[MrAl]

Hi again,


Here's what non italic digits would look like. This is from an old program i wrote that included displaying a count display of 7 segment digits.

Also shown is a comparison of the two types.

 

[Mr RB]

I've never seen non-slanting ones. Do you have any links?

 

[Atomic_Sheep]

Although building my own is a good idea and a great challenge, I'm not quite sure it would be easy enough when I'm taling about the whole thing being around 9mm in height. I think it's a bit too fidly at this scale. Judging by most responses, I'll just go with the slanted solution (at least for now) and then maybe with time, try to make my own and see how I go with that.