r/shittyaskelectronics

Hey all, been deep in a rabbit hole trying to source a display for a hardware project and I genuinely cannot find what I need anywhere. Tried DigiKey, Mouser, Newhaven, Crystalfontz, Raystar, AliExpress, TSD Display, WanDisplay, BuyDisplay -- nothing hits all my requirements at the same time.

Here is exactly what I need:

• Resolution: 128x64
• Active area: minimum 63mm wide x 25mm tall
• Display tech: FSTN Positive, Transflective or Reflective (needs to look like an old monochrome LCD from the 90s, no glow whatsoever)
• Backlight: None, or a backlight that can be physically removed without destroying the polarizer
• Total module thickness: under 3mm
• Interface: 4-wire SPI
• Connector: 30-pin FPC ribbon cable, not rigid pins
• Module outline: under 74mm wide to fit inside an existing plastic enclosure

The problem I keep running into is this -- every display with a 63mm+ active area comes with a thick LED backlight unit making it 6-9mm thick. Every thin no-backlight FSTN display has an active area of only 47-52mm which is too small. The one display that comes closest to checking everything is the NHD-C12864WO-B1TFH#-M from Newhaven but the module is 75.7mm wide which is 1.7mm too wide for my enclosure, and the backlight makes it 6mm thick.

Has anyone:

1. Successfully peeled a backlight unit off a COG LCD without damaging the polarizer? Is this even possible?
2. Found a 128x64 FSTN positive transflective display with a 63mm+ active area that is genuinely thin with no backlight?
3. Ordered a custom COG LCD from TSD Display or BuyDisplay? What was the sample cost and lead time to India?

Any leads appreciated, been going in circles on this for weeks.