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COPYRIGHT 2005 VNU Business Media Europe
Byline: Gordon Laing.
Character-based displays can be useful additions for any PC. They can be configured to display anything from system information and temperatures, to scrolling news reports and, of course, details of what media file you're currently playing. They're easy to fit too, using either bezels, which slot into spare drive bays, or a bare chassis for mounting behind specially designed windows on media cases.
Depending on the model, the display connects to a serial, parallel or USB port and may be powered either by the main power supply, or possibly even via the USB interface. Despite being designed for internal mounting, most employ external port connectors, which must be fed out of the rear of the case in order to be connected. An alternative and neater solution involves adapting the plug so it fits an internal header on the motherboard.
The two most common character technologies are Vacuum Fluorescent Displays (VFDs) and Liquid Crystal Displays (LCDs). As their name suggests, VFDs employ tiny fluorescent lights to generate characters, which glow on a dark background; they're most commonly seen on consumer electronics appliances such as DVD players. In contrast, LCDs generate black characters, which are viewed against a coloured backlit background. They're less common than VFDs on consumer devices, but cheaper to buy.
A third technology now available for PC displays is Polymer Light Emitting Diode (PLED), which delivers glowing characters on a dark background similar to a VFD, but with lower power consumption and wide viewing angles.
In this month's Hardware column, I'll test two of the...
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