Cheers mate where's best to get the beta bright signs from? ebay? and do you know if they do it in the size i require?
Yes, ebay is a good place to start. There are three different models that should work fine. The 1026 and 1040 are somewhat older, and the 1036 is the newer model of the "BetaBrite Classic" series. They all have RS-232 connectivity and they all use the same protocol. The files that LCDGen generates are compatible with all these display. More info here:
http://www.betabrite.com/pages/bbclassic.htmThey are all the same size (see specs).
There also is a new "BetaBrite Prism" display with more colors, but all the ones I have seen for sale use USB, although the specifications state "USB or RS-232". I haven't been able to figure out if, although it is a USB device, it mounts as a COM port. A lot of devices like this use the FTDI USB chipset, which the PC sees as COM port. This is probably the case for the BetaBrite Prism as it would allow for the same protocol to be used. However, I have not been able to confirm this yet. Perhaps someone here in this forum can shed some light. Until you know for sure, I would not buy a "Prism". I would go for a "Classic". More info on the "Prism" here:
http://www.betabrite.com/index.htmYou can also find BetaBrite displays at amazon.com.