There is a numer of relatively generic LCD displays out there for things like thermometers, clocks, sensors, and various indicators. Driving them is pretty complicated, but there are two ways around it: you can use a microcontroller with a built in driver peripheral, or you can use a dedicated driver chip. I want to explore the latter option here.

Why would you like to use a display like this? Well, they are cheap, don't emit light or require backlight, and are very low power. It's the perfect display for any battery-powered device. Plus, we really have a lot of them just lying there, waiting to be reused.