The customer
An automotive aftermarket electronics maker with handheld and in-vehicle devices.
The design request
The customer wanted a second source for the displays in two products. The catch: nothing on their side could change. No new enclosure, no new board, no new firmware release in the field.
- Match the mechanicals exactly: outline, mounting, connector position and flex tail.
- Meet or beat the incumbent’s optical and electrical spec.
- Answer the host the same way. The customer’s software reads ID values from the display at power-up, so a new panel had to identify itself the same way for units already in the field.
- Same touch feel under the customer’s existing touch driver.
What DCLTEK did
- Benchmarked the incumbent part. Built a full spec comparison of the incumbent display against candidate panels from multiple factories.
- Matched the mechanics. Our factory partner tooled the module and flex tail to the incumbent’s outline, so it drops into the existing enclosure.
- Solved the ID problem. DCLTEK engineering worked with the factory to program the display ID pins and registers so the host software identifies the new panel exactly as it did the old one.
- Tuned the touch. Configured the touch controller for the customer’s existing driver, then supported their engineers through bring-up.
- Documented it. Delivered DCLTEK drawings and specifications for customer sign-off.
The result
- Drawings signed off by the customer for the replacement LCD.
- Touch accepted after bring-up in the customer’s own hardware.
- No product changes on the customer’s side: same enclosure, same board, same software.
- A qualified second source for both display sizes, ready for production.
Why it matters
Switching display suppliers usually means a redesign. DCLTEK makes it a drop-in: same fit, same spec, same handshake with your software.
Related: Embedded displays
Stuck with a single-source display? Talk to the team that solved this one.
