Driving a TFT with an 8051 Processor
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You can’t blame it solely on Apple...
Senior Management and Product Marketing teams all now want TFT displays on their products, showing content rich user interfaces full of colour and graphics.
Monochrome displays are slowly going out of style. Not only have prices for colour TFTs now dropped to levels on par with STN displays, but TFTs also offer more options with respect to the display of information.
So, why do many engineers still hesitate when it comes to adding colour to their products? One reason is integrating conventional TFTs into existing systems is usually a complex process. After all, colour displays require more data and hence more memory at a higher rate than monochrome displays. Depending on the display’s level of integration, data must often be continuously updated. Basically, a high-performance processor becomes necessary…………..or does it?
IDS have introduced a range of UART TFTs from AMPIRE, a manufacturer specializing in displays for industrial applications, and for their longevity of product. These TFTs have been developed as an intelligent display solution that unburdens the main processor and is easier to drive at the same time. With integrated µC logic and memory, as well as a UART interface, these intelligent displays offer a nearly complete plug-and-play solution. Our small to medium-sized UART TFT platforms are integrated with touch screen, driving electronics and backlight drivers.
The modules can be configured as UART, RS-232 or USB versions and feature a wide input voltage range from 4.6VDC to 26VDC. With a brightness of up to 500cd/m² and resolution ranging from VGA to WVGA, the displays are well suited for many different applications. The modules are OS agnostic, working with any host operating system, or even without a host OS.
IDS have designed a complementary UI software tool to enable rapid and simple implementation of a GUI which is then stored within the on-board flash memory. Once you have installed the drivers for the USB UART to UART Display & the UART Windows software on your PC you are ready to start connecting your display (RS232/USB) and uploading your images.
Manipulate specific parts of the screen by overlaying text, or images, even create scrolling effects by shifting regions of the display. Very quickly you will get an idea of how your designs will look on the display, and how you might trigger them with simple command line instructions.
Our in house developed software allows you to test the various functions of the UART display, as well as monitor touch feedback.
The integrated fonts and basic character/draw functions, such as text, pixel, line, right angle and circle, permit an attractive GUI to be up and running within a short amount of time. Images or graphics can be stored in 65,000 colours in the internal Display Flash, to be displayed when needed. Data is exchanged between the UART system, (UART, RS232, or USB) and your microcontroller - enabling real time interaction, and animations in high resolution, on a TFT from a few simple lines of code.
The large amounts of data that usually need to be transferred from the host system each time a TFT display updates are held on-board, dramatically reducing the strain on the CPU workload.
Featuring simple, low-overhead mechanical and technical integration, these displays are suited for the first time user or experienced display integrators.
An 8051 processor is all the external processing power that these displays need.
IDS have produced a range of UART kits making it even easier to be up and running within minutes, containing a display, power supply, cables, software and example code and images.
Product Overview -PDF
