COB (chip-on-board) keeps the driver on a PCB behind the glass. The module is thicker than COG — and that is the trade you make for a board that carries mounting holes, a proper connector, and the mechanical confidence to be screwed into industrial equipment and serviced in the field. COB is the construction behind the classic character module and a large share of the world's installed instrument displays.
Platform-verified COB modules
Character formats run 8×2, 16×2 (the 1602, including a VA white-on-black build and a large-outline 122×44 mm variant) and 20×4, with the design catalogue extending to 16×4, 20×2 and 40×2 — all on ST7066U-class controllers. Graphic COB centres on 128×64 in STN builds at full module outlines (93×70 mm class) suited to panel cut-outs.
Why COB persists
Firmware for the ST7066U command set exists in every legacy codebase; mounting is four screws; the module survives handling that would worry a bare-glass COG part. For equipment with a 10-year service life, those are not nostalgic arguments — they are the specification. The COG vs COB comparison covers the decision, and character LCD displays goes deeper on the character family.
Every COB module is 100% inspected, and backlights are matched in-plant. If you are re-sourcing a COB module whose maker has exited, the outline and controller class on each model page are the two facts we need to cross-reference your part.
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Tell us the size, resolution, interface and quantity — we reply with the matching platform model or the custom route, drawings first.