Makers, developers and electron enthusiasts might be interested to know that a new Liquid Crystal Light Valve or otherwise known as a controllable LCD blackout panel is now available from the online Adafruit store.
The Liquid Crystal Light Valve takes the form of a layer of liquid crystal material which is sandwiched between two sheets of glass once triggered it can either show or hide anything behind it, enabling you to control the level of illumination passing through an optical system.
Adafruit explains a little more :
In this product, we have one huge LCD piece, which will filter what you see through it. Normally, its a tinted gray color (because the light around us is not polarized, it is not completely clear). There are two sets of electrodes, on the left and right. The two pins closest to each other (on the edges) are the same electrode, and the LCD is symmetric so you can use either one as positive/negative.
By changing the voltage applied, it will block light more and more. Starting at about 1.0VDC the glass will start darkening. At about 4.0V the glass will be opaque. 5V is the max recommended voltage. In between you will get darker shades. Note that it is not capable of blocking 100% of light, but it looks like it blocks at least 95%. If you put a bright light behind it, you will see some light shine through!
Specifications :
- Outline size: 96.5 x 38.0 x 2.0 mm
- View area: 88.5 x 34.5 mm
- Driving voltage: 5.0V
- LCD type: TN, transmissive, positive
- Operating temperature: -10° to 60°
- Product Dimensions: 97.0mm x 38.0mm x 2.0mm / 3.8″ x 1.5″ x 0.1″
- Product Weight: 14.4g / 0.5oz
For more information on the new Liquid Crystal Light Valve jump over to the Adafruit website for details by following the link below. If you enjoy building Pi projects you might be interested in our comprehensive list of Raspberry Pi displays, HATS and small screens.
Source: Adafruit
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