How to determine if screen is plastic substrate or glass substrate

[NiMa]

Hi,
I bought a Libra and wanted to know if the screen is a plastic substrate. However, I searched on the Web and found multiple sources of different data... so I'm not sure.
Does a way to know if the screen is plastic or glass exist? Or do you know which type of screen is my Libra?

Thanks!

[pdurrant]

I beleive the Libra has the usual glass substrate seen in 6/7" ebook screens.

[DNSB]

Originally Posted by NiMa

Hi,
I bought a Libra and wanted to know if the screen is a plastic substrate. However, I searched on the Web and found multiple sources of different data... so I'm not sure.
Does a way to know if the screen is plastic or glass exist? Or do you know which type of screen is my Libra?

Thanks!

The only Kobo ereader with a plastic subtrate (what eInk calls Mobius) is the Forma.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by NiMa

Hi,
I bought a Libra and wanted to know if the screen is a plastic substrate. However, I searched on the Web and found multiple sources of different data... so I'm not sure.
Does a way to know if the screen is plastic or glass exist? Or do you know which type of screen is my Libra?

Thanks!

The Libra is a Carta screen. Carta screen have a glass backed substrate.

[NiMa]

Thanks for your answers. Yesterday I pressed a little harder than usual on my screen with a stylus. I didn't broke it, of course, but I want to know what type of pressure might crack the glass substrate.

[frostschutz]

Originally Posted by NiMa

I didn't broke it, of course, but I want to know what type of pressure might crack the glass substrate.

it's possible to break it this way (stylus or finger)

even a flexible display may be damaged this way

it's a touch-screen, not a press-screen

[DNSB]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

The Libra is a Carta screen. Carta screen have a glass backed substrate.

The new flexible electronic paper display (EPD) technology will be the first flexible display technology that will go into mass production for a large format digital paper product and utilizes a flexible Thin Film Transistor (TFT) technology developed by Sony for plastic displays and turned over to E Ink. Both E Ink Pearl and E Ink Carta[1] screen technologies are supported.

Courtesy of the MobileRead Wiki.

Looking at eInk's site, see the attached image. Note that the eInk film and the backplane are listed separately.

[JSWolf]

How is a glass substrate flexible?

[NiLuJe]

@DNSB/@JSWolf: That's just the list of *available* display modules from eInk. It just means they *can* pretty much use it anywhere they want. Which makes sense, it's still a TFT, not some wondrous black magic wizardry .

Whether it actually ever shows up in customer devices in that setup is another matter, and the MR WiKi page is still fairly accurate on that front (i.e., quite a few 13/10" screens, because the tech is very interesting there (weight/durability), and our dear old Forma ^^).

[DNSB]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

How is a glass substrate flexible?

Jon, please try to read what is written not what you want to read. That list is of eInk films (the actual display) and the backplane the film is laminated to. They can supply virtually any of their display films with a glass or plastic substrate though the size selection for stock plastic substrates is a lot smaller.

To quote eInk's site again:

The E Ink plastic film can be applied onto virtually any surface, including glass, plastic, fabric and even paper.

So to explain once again: Carta is the eInk film which can be bonded to "virtually any surface". Saying a display is Carta or Carta HD does not tell you anything about the substrate.

“To argue with a man who has renounced the use and authority of reason, and whose philosophy consists in holding humanity in contempt, is like administering medicine to the dead, or endeavoring to convert an atheist by scripture.”—Thomas Paine

[NiMa]

Then, do you know what type of substrate is my Libra?
Thanks

EDIT: I looked from previous posts and assuming it would be glass, but I saw some source saying it was plastic. However, after all these affirmations, I'm convinced that it's not! Thanks

[NiLuJe]

If it's not plastic, it's glass .

[koboy]

interesting. it begs the question why do e-reader manufacturer's consistently prefer to use the fragile glass when they could use the more durable plastic.

best wishes koboy

[DNSB]

Originally Posted by koboy

interesting. it begs the question why do e-reader manufacturer's consistently prefer to use the fragile glass when they could use the more durable plastic.

best wishes koboy

Looking at some of the pricing for eInk's kits, it appears the Mobius displays are more expensive than same size glass substrate displays.

Perhaps bonding to the flexible substrate has a higher reject ratio than the glass substrate?

[DNSB]

Originally Posted by NiMa

Then, do you know what type of substrate is my Libra?
Thanks

Perhaps you should read the messages in this thread?

To quote myself:

Originally Posted by DNSB

The only Kobo ereader with a plastic substrate (what eInk calls Mobius) is the Forma.

If only the Forma has a Mobius display, logic says your Libra H2O has a glass substrate.