I was recently commissioned to make a device which uses a pretty large number display, and I went out shopping. The seven segment we liked best was still quite pricey, and would not fit our ...

This slimmed-down mechanical seven-segment display is a perfect example of that ... The old version used large, hand-wound coils, though, making the display pretty bulky front to back.

seven-segment display (Image courtesy of LXD, Inc.) In their natural state, liquid crystals line up with the orientation "rubbed" into the front and rear glass panels. The rubbings are microscopic ...