Passive LCDs (LCD Panels Without a Backlight)

A passive LCD, sometimes called an LCD without a backlight, is a liquid crystal panel that makes no light of its own. The glass is driven directly by a controller (or by the segments/pixels themselves) and you see the image by reflected ambient light, or by lighting the panel from the front or side yourself. Because there is no LED backlight to power, the only current the display draws is the small amount needed to drive the liquid crystal, often a few microamps to about a milliamp.

Why choose a no-backlight LCD?

• Lowest power. The backlight is usually the largest power draw on an LCD module. Without it, battery life can stretch from days to years.
• Excellent in bright light. Reflective panels get easier to read as ambient light increases, so they work outdoors and in direct sunlight where a backlit display washes out.
• High contrast, crisp text. Character and graphic LCDs have sharp black-on-gray or blue-on-white contrast and wide operating temperature options.
• Lower cost and simpler design. No backlight means no LED driver, no current-limiting resistor, and less heat.
• Thin and light. Dropping the backlight stack makes the module thinner and lighter.

The tradeoff is that a panel with no backlight is hard to read in the dark. If your product is used in both bright and dim conditions, look at our transflective LCDs, or see our reflective LCDs for more on reading by ambient light. For more ways to cut power, see our low power displays.

Every LCD below ships with no backlight. Not seeing the one you need? Email support@crystalfontz.com and we will help you find it.

Sunlight Readable 16x4 Character Module Part#: CFAH1604B-NGH-ET
Diagonal Dimension: 2.36
Interface(s): 8-bit Parallel,4-bit Parallel
Colors: Dark on Green
Sunlight Readable: Yes
Price Range: $8.42 - $19.24

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16x2 Character Non-Backlit LCD Part#: CFAH1602Y-NYG-ET
Diagonal Dimension: 1.92
Interface(s): 8-bit Parallel,4-bit Parallel
Colors: Dark on Yellow-Green
Sunlight Readable: Yes
Price Range: $6.22 - $9.63

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12x2 Sunlight Readable Character LCD Part#: CFAH1202A-NYG-JT
Diagonal Dimension: 1.56
Interface(s): 8-bit Parallel,4-bit Parallel
Colors: Dark on Yellow-Green
Sunlight Readable: Yes
Price Range: $4.70 - $6.56

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Low Power Reflective 16x1 LCD Part#: CFAH1601A-NYG-JT
Diagonal Dimension: 2.36
Interface(s): 8-bit Parallel,4-bit Parallel
Colors: Dark on Yellow-Green
Sunlight Readable: Yes
Price Range: $4.07 - $6.20

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Reflective 20x2 Character LCD Part#: CFAH2002A-NGG-JT
Diagonal Dimension: 2.93
Interface(s): 8-bit Parallel,4-bit Parallel
Colors: Dark on Green
Sunlight Readable: Yes
Price Range: $7.34 - $12.23

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Green Reflective Standard 20x2 Character LCD Part#: CFAH2002A-NYG-JTV
Diagonal Dimension: 2.93
Interface(s): 8-bit Parallel,4-bit Parallel
Colors: Dark on Yellow-Green
Sunlight Readable: Yes
Price Range: $7.98 - $11.63

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20x4 Character Yellow-Green LCD Part#: CFAH2004L-NYG-ET
Diagonal Dimension: 4.92
Interface(s): 8-bit Parallel,4-bit Parallel
Colors: Dark on Yellow-Green
Sunlight Readable: Yes
Price Range: $19.24 - $27.45

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Low Power 128x64 Graphic LCD Part#: CFAG12864U3-NFH
Diagonal Dimension: 2.23
Interface(s): SPI,8-bit Parallel
Colors: Dark on Light Gray
Sunlight Readable: Yes
Resolution: 128x64 pixels
Price Range: $8.39 - $12.02

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Low Power Transflective LCD Display Module Part#: CFAG12864U3-NFH-E1-1
Diagonal Dimension: 2.2
Interface(s): SPI,8-bit Parallel
Colors: Dark on Light Gray
Sunlight Readable: Yes
Resolution: 128x64 pixels
Price Range: $16.71 - $23.42

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2.2" Graphic Transparent LCD Display Part#: CFAG12864U4-NFI
Diagonal Dimension: 2.2
Interface(s): SPI,8-bit Parallel
Colors: Dark on Transparent
Sunlight Readable: No
Resolution: 128x64 pixels
Price Range: $8.62 - $12.02

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2.2" Transparent LCD Development Kit Part#: CFAG12864U4-NFI-KIT
Diagonal Dimension: 2.2
Interface(s): SPI,8-bit Parallel
Colors: Dark on Transparent
Sunlight Readable: No
Resolution: 128x64 pixels
Price: $43.37

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