The Nokia LCD Module

Sometimes we have a nice little project for which we need a LCD display. There are many different types LCD modules on the market, alphanumerical or graphical, with or without controller, backlit, serial interface and what have you.

Often, these modules are pretty expensive, in particular the grahical ones! Recently, I found an MP3 project on the internet that uses an LCD from a Nokia mobile phone. I thought it was a rather clever idea. It was based on an LCD from a Nokia 3310 or similar. The controller for the LCD pixels is also mounted on the glass. It's so small that you can barely see it. The display can be controlled with a few serial signals, like a clock and a data line, and a few others. 

I got myself one of those LCD's, and while it is nice, it's very difficult to connect. The glass contacts of the LCD connect with the PCB using a small block with contact springs. I tried to glue it to the glass, and solder wires to it, and actually made it work for a short while. But I had to keep it pressed, and finally I even managed to crack the glass. End of project.

Not entirely satisfied, I search a bit more. I found another type of Nokia display, as used in Nokia 5110 and 6110. It is somewhat similar to the 3310 type, but it's not integrated to the keyboard. It uses the same controller (on the glass) as the 3310. This display makes contact with a strip of zebra-line rubber, that is permanently attached to the display. It's very tiny. It can only work if you have a PCB with the proper contact pads.

I made a small PCB, with the same contact pads on it as seen in the original Nokia phone. It works beautiful. I ripped an old Nokia 5110 phone apart, used the display and also used the backlit leds from this phone. If you look around a bit, you should be able to find a second hand Nokia 5110. A 'defective' one is often perfect, as long as the display isn't cracked, it's probably very usable.

Of course, you will need to write some software to control the display. A PDF for the controlling protocol is available, the controller is a PCD8544 from Philips. You need to setup a font table and some routines to copy the bitpatterns to the display. This can be done in a couple of evenings, depending on your skill. 

Here's a picture of the result:

Hey, did I type NOLIA ??? You can see the backlit leds, but normally these fall just behind the bezel. The board is 0.8mm thickness. I had them made as perfectly square boards, and filed some slots for the metal tabs of the LCD frame. It snaps on the PCB. On the back is place for some resistor dividers, in case you want to drive it with 5V logic. The LCD itself works on 3.3 volt. The voltage for the backlit is on a seperate pin.

I had some of these PCB's left, but sold them. If you are interested, I can order them, but they will cost you 12 euro. That's only for the bare board. The price is so high because I have to order a minimum of 4, and ordering such small quantities is really nuts, from a costs point of view. The best way is to find a second hand Nokia yourself, should not cost more than 10 euro. 

Some useful files can be found here.

Don't hesitate to email me if you have any questions.

Files for Nokia Display

Last changed 16 October 2004