Is it possible to "burn in" the segments of a DSM panel?

[wzy-hman]

Does anyone know if it's possible to make a DSM panel have permanently lit up segments?

I have an Optel DSM panel which is close to its last day. Rather than have it expire into a blank reflective panel, I thought it would be nice if it would be possible to have all the segments and diamond shaped colons permanently visible so there's a sense of what it looked like when "alive".

[Kasper]

Good question..maybe with a bad quartz?

[wzy-hman]

I think it would require some sort of action on the panel itself. As it deteriorates what looks like a milky sheen builds up over the panel and the segments become very difficult to read off and even then only at certain angles of light and reflection (a quirk of the DSM is it needs to be hit by a reasonably strong light source but the reflective panel needs to be reflecting a dark surface eg black, navy, etc)

I'm guessing a poor quartz could hold time fixed at where the segments are still "alive" but over time they would fade away too?

[Kasper]

Yes...but it's the only way i think cause the panel will dry out further over the years. Maybe this way the lit up one will hold longer.

[767Geoff]

How about creating or finding the correct font on your word processing application. Sizing it correctly and printing it on clear acetate.

Place this over the LCD panel to emulate the time for display purposes. Similar to salesmans examples or the cover emulating the watch display found on new digital pe watches.

Cheers, Geoff

Or just print it out on a piece of silver grey paper... Just thinking here...

[wzy-hman]

Thanks for the suggestions guys. I will consider it.

Sometimes normal LCD's die and the display looks like its flooded with black ink but with the segment outlines still showing. I was hoping to get that sort of effect. This particular Optel panel has the outline colons (as opposed to the usual solid colons) which are relatively rare. Will try to take a photo later and post here (not a simple point and click shot due to the panel being innately difficult to photo/read and now compounded by it being barely visible). It should be the same sort of panel as the one shown here http://www.crazywatches.pl/waltham-walchron-optel-dsm-lcd-1972 (which is a fantastic watch in my opinion BTW)

[Kasper]

How about creating or finding the correct font on your word processing application. Sizing it correctly and printing it on clear acetate.

Place this over the LCD panel to emulate the time for display purposes. Similar to salesmans examples or the cover emulating the watch display found on new digital pe watches.

Cheers, Geoff

Or just print it out on a piece of silver grey paper... Just thinking here...

simple and effective...good thinking Geoff

[azimuth_pl]

Good ideas shared but I doubt that burning the digits permanently would be possible with a DSM.
It works on Field Effect if an uncontrolled increase of voltage is applied by accident for a longer period of time.
Different technology.

[wzy-hman]

Thanks for the definitive answer, much appreciated!