TL;DR:
- Optimized towards readability and aesthetics
- Displays numbers in range [0, 10^9-1]
- Lit background significantly increases readability and aesthetics
- Font used improves readability
- Power poles "hidden" among other entities for better aesthetics
- Can be updated every tick
Long:
Recently I wanted to add power usage display to electric network in my factory. I started with this design. But after installing it I noticed I need to spend a fraction of second analyzing the image before actually comprehending what number is displayed. Totally unacceptable. Unable to upgrade neural networks in my brain I concentrated instead on changing the display itself.
First change was the font. Things got a bit better, but the result still wasn't satisfactory. Then I did a mock-up display with background lamps lit - and it looked cool and instantly readable! To make it dynamic, I had to add a ton of combinators. Oh well :( I've also changed the driver circuit network. The original one was quite clever and compact. So I removed the cleverness going for a brute force approach. As a result the display can be updated every tick and each number will be displayed correctly, without errors caused by different delays in circuit network. Lastly I've tried to "hide" power poles among other stuff, so they don't stick out in annoying way. I think the overall result is acceptable.
For increased aesthetics I've used ColorblindCircuitNetwork mod - it changes circuit wires color so they match better with display lights.